Spate · Mixed · Welsh Marches / Shropshire, GB-ENG

River Severn

A wide, calm rural stretch of the River Severn upstream of Bewdley, Worcestershire, bordered by trees and open countryside.

Britain's longest river — fly fishing focus is upper and middle reaches from Welsh border (Shrewsbury) to Bridgnorth.

Tomorrow · About as good as it gets
Stonefly Nymph
Forecast · Tomorrow
About as good as it gets
On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% projected
Today's fly
Stonefly Nymph
Stonefly Nymph
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.37 m
Water temp6.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather2°C
WindN 10 km/h
Pressure1015 hPa
Rain · recent5.3 mm
Rain · ahead5.7 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Grayling
Ideal
7°C est.ideal 4–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Grayling
When
Midday window — grayling feed best from late morning into early afternoon.
Where
Work runs and glides — grayling shoal in the bottom third of the water column.
Method
Tight-line nymph the bottom third with weighted patterns.
Kit
10 ft #3 rod, floating line, long leader to 4 lb fluoro for nymphs.
Why this works
Good — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better. Grayling feeds actively in cold water — peak winter sport.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 66%
Also:Black Midge28%
Peak emergence window5 food groups active

Peak activity at 11am — Autumn Needle Fly (Autumn Needle Fly, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

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

Through the year
0–3 scale · November highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Heather FlyHatch
2
2
Autumn DunHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Grayling fly box

A big river where grayling, not trout, are the fly fisher's real business — the long steady glides of the middle river are made for the Euro nymph. Trout keep to the upper reaches and the tributaries.

Local classics: Pheasant Tail Nymph·Perdigon·Red Tag
Beats · 8 · 3 reaches

The Severn's Welsh headwaters — Llanidloes and Caersws — are where its grayling reputation starts, with straightforward day-ticket access. Further downstream toward Welshpool the good water becomes more club/membership-gated (Montgomeryshire AA, Warrington AA).

Llanidloes — free upper-Severn stretchAccess varies
Eight hundred yards of upper Severn, marked at both ends, with no permit and a frankly improbable head of winter grayling.
Visit official site ↗
Forest of Dean brooks (Severn tributaries) — Fishing Passport Wild StreamAccess varies
Three small wild-trout tributary brooks in the Forest of Dean, bookable as Wild Stream beats through the Fishing Passport — Bideford Brook, Blackpool Brook and Cannop Brook.
Visit official site ↗
Upper Severn — Welsh headwaters (Llanidloes/Caersws) · 6 beatsMixed
Llanidloes & District AA — upper Severn, Caersws Angling Association — upper Severn, Newtown town water — Severnside & Newtown AC + free NRW stretch, Montgomeryshire AA — lower Welsh Severn (Forden/Berriew/Vyrnwy confluence)…
The 6 beats
Llanidloes & District AA — upper SevernDay tickets
Llanidloes & District Angling Association
Several miles of the upper Severn from just above Llanidloes town down to the waterworks on the A470, plus stretches of the Afon Clywedog and Afon Dulas. Grayling run to over 50cm here — this is where the Severn's grayling reputation starts. Llyn Clywedog reservoir buffers the flow upstream, so the river clears and fishes well soon after floods.
Day ticket £8, season £25 (2026 prices, cash only). Trout season 18 March–7 October. Fine gravel wading; access from the town bridge or the A470 forestry track parking.
Visit official site ↗
Caersws Angling Association — upper SevernDay tickets
Caersws Angling Association
About 7 miles of double-bank Severn around Caersws and Llandinam, plus the Carno Brook and Afon Trannon for wild brook trout. Compensation releases from Llyn Clywedog keep the river fishable in dry spells. Strong Grannom, stonefly and upwinged hatches; catch-and-release grayling policy has helped the population recover.
Day £22, annual £160, concessions £110, junior £25 (2026 prices). Maggots banned under NRW byelaws; grayling catch-and-release mandatory. River access via the stile below Llandinam bridge, not the field behind The Lion.
Visit official site ↗
Newtown town water — Severnside & Newtown AC + free NRW stretchDay tickets
Severnside & Newtown Angling Club; free NRW/EA-licence stretch alongside
Mixed game-and-coarse water in and above Newtown, plus a free 1km NRW stretch on the left bank at Penarth Water Treatment Works and free town water from Bridge Street Bridge down to the canal side — any rod-licence holder can fish the free sections, no permit needed. Pike to 20lb and chub to 6lb reported on the free water.
Free stretches: NRW/EA rod licence only, no separate permit. Club water: contact Newtown Angling for current pricing.
Visit official site ↗
Montgomeryshire AA — lower Welsh Severn (Forden/Berriew/Vyrnwy confluence)Members
Montgomeryshire Angling Association
The lower Welsh Severn near Welshpool: around 2 miles above the Vyrnwy confluence (members only), plus smaller day-ticket stretches near Forden and on the River Rhiw at Berriew. Mixed coarse-and-game water, closer to the England border than the Llanidloes/Caersws water above.
Best water (above the Vyrnwy confluence) is members-only; only the smaller Forden and Berriew (Rhiw) stretches take day tickets.
Visit official site ↗
Warrington AA — Welshpool beatsMembers
Warrington Anglers Association
Named beats (Welshpool, Fron, Kinsey's, Dolwen, Caerhowell) — around a mile of single bank east of Welshpool town centre.
Members only — no day tickets sold. Warrington AA also controls Alyn and Vyrnwy water under the same membership.
Visit official site ↗
River Camlad — Montgomeryshire AADay tickets
Montgomeryshire Angling Association
An unusual river — it rises in Shropshire and crosses the England-Wales border twice before joining the Severn near Forden, making it one of the very few rivers that flows from England into Wales rather than the other way round. Access from the B4388 Forden-Montgomery road at Stallow road bridge.
Membership and day tickets available; exact current fee not published online.
Visit official site ↗
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 3
River Teme
24 km
79
Brown trout · Grayling · Salmon
Lugg
33 km
79
Brown trout · Grayling
Arrow
52 km
73
Brown trout · Grayling
Gallery · 2
  1. A wide, calm rural stretch of the River Severn upstream of Bewdley, Worcestershire, bordered by trees and open countryside.
    The River Severn upstream from Bewdley, Worcestershire, a broad rural stretch of England's longest river.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A big, powerful spate river; grayling are the primary target (some of the Midlands' best), supplemented by brown trout in upper reaches and recovering salmon runs. The long, even-paced glides are ideal grayling water. Euro/Czech nymphing is most consistent; dry fly works in upper reaches and on calm days. The tributaries (Teme, Onny, Tern, Perry) often offer better trout prospects than the main river. Club and association water with day ticket access. Atlantic salmon are assessed by the Environment Agency against each river's Conservation Limit — many principal rivers are classed 'at risk' with mandatory catch-and-release byelaws; check current rules before fishing.

  • Mixed
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Fail
Water quality details
  • Dissolved oxygen: High
  • Ammonia (Phys-Chem): High
  • pH: High
  • Phosphate: Moderate
  • Temperature: Good
What this classification means

EA waterbody 'Severn - conf Bele Bk to conf Sundorne Bk' (GB109054049142) — the Shrewsbury reach of the upper-middle Severn, representative of the venue's fished water from the Welsh border down towards Bridgnorth (classifying sites at Montford Bridge, Isle of Bicton and Shelton). Latest EA data (Cycle 3, 2022): Moderate ecological status (sewage and rural-runoff phosphate/macrophyte pressures). Chemical 'Fail' reflects the England-wide ubiquitous-substance failure (mercury, PBDE and PFOS in biota); the 2022 cycle itself records chemical as 'does not require assessment'. Corrected 2026-06-18 from GB109054049260, which is Cound Brook (a Severn tributary), not the main stem. NB: the venue's stored coordinates are in Worcestershire and should be moved up to the Shrewsbury–Bridgnorth reach.

EA (England) · GB109054049142

The full read · show the working · for Grayling · confidence 75%
How the 78 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time50 × 13%6.5
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity45 × 12%5.4
Conditions total= 78
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 2 February → 30 September
  • Trout 15 March → 30 September

Salmon: Negligible (2026) — Catch-and-release only since 2021. Egg deposition below Conservation Limit in 2024 — stocks critically low.

Related guides
Grayling Playbookgrayling tacticsYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methodsTrout Near Londonaccess guide
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

River Severn is a spate river in Welsh Marches / Shropshire, England. It sits at about 66 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 354 km long. Our data lists 4 species here, including brown trout, grayling and salmon. It is classed as a salmon river. The salmon season is recorded as running from 2 February to 30 September. The trout season is recorded as running from 15 March to 30 September. Best window recorded for anglers: May to September (trout), October to December (grayling). Core methods listed: upstream nymph; dry fly; small streamer. Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as moderate. Nearby waters in our listings include River Teme at 24 km, Lugg at 33 km and Arrow at 52 km.