Spate · Mixed · South Wales / Carmarthenshire, GB-WLS

River Taf

Photo of River Taf

There is something about the Taf that invites quiet concentration — a compact South Wales river that rewards patience more than distance.

Poor · Brown Trout
Hare's Ear Nymph · 12–16
Closed season
Out of season. Try elsewhere.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • Level1.75 mDropping in the last 6h
  • Water temp11.1°C
  • ClarityClearClearing
Today's fly
Hare's Ear Nymph
Hare's Ear Nymph12–16
Upstream, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Falling
1.75 m
Dropping in the last 6h
Water temp11.1°C
ClarityClear
Weather13°C
WindSW 33 km/h
Pressure1023 hPa
Rain · recent21.4 mm
Rain · ahead0.2 mm

The nearest gauge is at Clog Y Fran. It doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
11°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 12 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 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 · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
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
Brown Trout fly box

Shrimp fly theme — fished swing, wet_fly_swing

What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Eastern Cleddau
13 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Nevern
25 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Teifi
32 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Cothi
41 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Afon Llwchwr (Loughor)
41 km
0
Sea trout · Brown trout · Salmon
Gallery · 2
  1. Photo of River Taf
    River Taf — image via Wikipedia (River Taf)
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

There is something about the Taf that invites quiet concentration — a compact South Wales river that rewards patience more than distance. It rises on the Preseli Hills and runs through wooded valleys to tidal water at Laugharne, Dylan Thomas's adopted town. Salmon and sea trout (sewin) run from spring through autumn, with the sewin fishing best on warm summer nights from June. Brown trout are present throughout, particularly in the upper reaches where small dries and soft hackles are the natural choice. Wading access via club permits and day tickets. A spate river that responds quickly to rain — fish it on the drop for best results. 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.

Sea trout here

Summer-autumn runs (June–September), primarily nocturnal

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

NRW (Wales) · UKGB110060036284

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow95 × 22%20.9
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time75 × 13%9.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity55 × 12%6.6
Conditions total= 88
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 April → 17 October
  • Trout 3 March → 30 September

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026) — NRW At Risk classification. Compact South Wales river with sewin runs from June. Stocks are marginal under current At Risk rating — night fishing in warm summer conditions is the productive window when water is right.

Salmon: Negligible (2026) — NRW / EA 2024 Salmon Stocks Assessment classifies this Welsh principal salmon river 'at risk' — egg deposition below Conservation Limit. All Wales byelaws (in force 2020-2030) make catch & release mandatory. Conservation priority; not a salmon fishing destination. The Taf carries small numbers of salmon; classified at risk.

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Yorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methodsEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
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