Spate · Mixed · South Wales / Powys / Swansea

Tawe

No photos yet for this water.

Out of Bannau Brycheiniog past Ystradgynlais and down to Swansea Bay — a river of two halves.

Species

A good day — worth the effort

Low and clear — careful approach country. Small and bright, long leader, careful approach.

50% confidence in this read
Water temperature for atlantic salmon
Ideal
11°C est.ideal 1014°C
0°14°28°
Why this score · for atlantic salmon
  • Temperature10030% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time1015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Conditions
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp
10.5°C
Estimated
Clarity
Clear
Air temp
17°C
Wind
E 5 km/h
Calm
Pressure
1031 hPa
Rain · 48h
0.0 mm
No meaningful rain
Rain · ahead
0.3 mm
No meaningful rain · next 48h

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

How to fish it · for atlantic salmon
When
Summer through autumn. Fish on the drop after rain — small numbers throughout the season.
Where
Middle and lower Tawe pools. Tawe & Tributaries AA named beats.
Method
Small doubles 10 to 12 across-and-down on a floating line; small tubes on a sink-tip in spring water. Cover the pools methodically. Mandatory catch-and-release under NRW byelaw — every salmon goes back.
Kit
12 ft #7/8 double-hander or 11 ft switch. Floating line plus light sink-tip. 10 to 12 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Good conditions. Temperature is favourable (100), Feeding time is weakest (10).
Through the year
0–3 scale · May highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
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
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2
Yellow SallyHatch
2
3
2

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

Directions
About this water

Out of Bannau Brycheiniog past Ystradgynlais and down to Swansea Bay — a river of two halves. The upper Tawe holds healthy fly life and proper wild brown trout fishing; the middle and lower reaches take migratory fish after water. The Tawe & Tributaries AA ticket covers most of it. Don't read all of the Tawe as sewin beat — the upper river is trout country, and the migratory fishing is genuinely a lower-river story after rain.

  • Mixed
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon1 May → 17 October
  • Sea trout3 March → 17 October
  • Trout3 March → 30 September

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026) — Sewin run on the lower and middle Tawe is genuine but modest — the river's better-known story is its upper-river brown trout fishing. All-Wales At Risk picture applies.

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