Spate · Mixed · Mid Wales / Ceredigion

Rheidol

River weir and stone bridge on the Afon Rheidol at Aberystwyth harbour, Wales, with moored boats and terraced houses beyond.
Contributor photo

Aberystwyth harbour weir and bridge over Afon Rheidol river

Martin Stone - CC BY-SA 2.0

Cambrian mountain river from Plynlimon down to Aberystwyth, perhaps the most sustained sewin river of mid-Wales.

Fair · Atlantic Salmon
Fairlive now
Decent — worth a look
Low and clear — careful approach country. Low water tactics — small singles, riffling hitch in the smooth glides.
50% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.30 m
  • Water temp16.1°C
  • ClarityClear
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.30 m
Water temp16.1°C
ClarityClear
Weather14°C
WindE 2 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for atlantic salmon
Warm — slow
16°C est.ideal 10–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for atlantic salmon
When
Mostly summer into autumn. The Rheidol is not a spring salmon river. Fish on the drop after rain or a hydropower release — 12 to 24 hours into a falling river.
Where
Lower beats above the tidal limit at Aberystwyth. Named pools through the Aberystwyth association water.
Method
Small doubles 10 to 12 across-and-down on a floating line; small tubes on a sink-tip in spring or coloured water. Fish the named lies in each pool, working systematically before moving on. Mandatory catch-and-release under NRW byelaw — every salmon goes back.
Kit
10 ft #7/8 single-hander or 11 ft switch — small spate scale; double-handers are wasted on these rivers. Floating line plus light sink-tip. 10 to 12 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Good — water clarity is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 7 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalModerate confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Sea trout runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Beats · 1
Aberystwyth AA — day ticket via Fishing PassportAccess varies
Sixteen miles of both banks of the Rheidol from Devil's Bridge down to the sea — held by Aberystwyth Angling Association.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Aeron
24 km
60
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Ystwyth
5.0 km
58
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Dovey (Dyfi)
24 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Dysynni
27 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Mawddach
41 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 2
  1. River weir and stone bridge on the Afon Rheidol at Aberystwyth harbour, Wales, with moored boats and terraced houses beyond.
    Aberystwyth harbour weir and bridge over Afon Rheidol river
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Cambrian mountain river from Plynlimon down to Aberystwyth, perhaps the most sustained sewin river of mid-Wales. Sixteen miles of fishing with the Aberystwyth association, from the gorges below Devil's Bridge to the tidal limit. The complication, and the point: Cwm Rheidol hydropower releases mean the gauge tells one story and the sky tells another, and the river is never quite a pure spate. Learn the release pattern alongside the rain and you can call your evenings. Atlantic salmon are under serious conservation pressure — Natural Resources Wales mandates catch-and-release for salmon on all rivers, so all fish must be returned.

  • Mixed
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown

NRW (Wales) · UKGB110063041570

Why this score · for atlantic salmon
  • Temperature5430% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time1515% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon1 April → 17 October
  • Sea trout3 March → 17 October
  • Trout3 March → 30 September

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026) — Sewin run is one of the most consistent on the Welsh coast — Aberystwyth association reports both numbers and size — but the all-Wales At Risk classification applies and stocks have declined from historical peaks. Hydropower releases modify the spate response, so the gauge needs reading alongside the release schedule, not just the rainfall.

Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methodsEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
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