Freestone · Mixed · Mid Wales / Powys-Herefordshire

Wye

The River Wye near Erwood, the river channel against a backdrop of Welsh upland pasture and hillside.
Contributor photo

River Wye near Erwood

Gareth James - CC BY-SA 2.0

One of Britain's great salmon rivers — straddles Wales and England with spring salmon (March–May, from the early-March opening), grilse (summer–autumn), and strong back-end runs to the 17 October close.

Prime · Brown Trout
CDC Emerger · 16-18
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River steady at a fishable height. On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.57 mRising in the last 6h
  • Water temp14.6°C
  • ClarityClear
Today’s fly
CDC Emerger
CDC Emerger16-18
Upstream dry, in the film
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.57 m
Rising in the last 6h
Water temp14.6°C
ClarityClear
Weather16°C
WindS 21 km/h
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead1.5 mm

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

Water temperature for brown trout
Ideal
15°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for brown trout
When
March Brown hatch from late March on the upper Wye — cool weather afternoons are the canonical session. Iron blues through April. Mayfly mid-May. Trout season 3 March to 30 September.
Where
Upper Wye and tributaries — Irfon, Ithon, Lugg — for the wild brown trout water. The lower river below Hereford is salmon and grayling water; trout there sit incidental to the bigger fish.
Method
Dry to risers; spider team through the riffles when nothing's on the surface. Wye trout reward upstream casting and a quiet approach. Czech nymph the deeper pools for the bigger fish.
Kit
9 ft #4 for the tributaries; #5 on the upper main river. Floating line, 9 to 12 ft leader to 4 lb fluoro. Studded boots.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 11 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

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
2
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Grayling seasonSeason
2
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
BB
Black Beetle
14-18 · Pattern
Upstream dry, on top
Beats · 4
Middle Wye grayling & trout — Fishing Passport (Builth to Hay)Access varies
The middle Wye from Builth Wells to Hay-on-Wye holds some of the finest grayling water in Britain — fish averaging well over a pound — and the Wye & Usk Foundation's Fishing Passport is the day-ticket route in.
Upper Wye & tributary Wild Streams (Irfon, Ithon, Lugg)Access varies
The wild brown trout fishing lives in the upper Wye and its tributaries — the Irfon, Ithon and Lugg — much of it opened by the Foundation's Wild Streams scheme of restored upland fisheries.
Wye salmon beats — Fishing Passport Booking OfficeAccess varies
Salmon beats are bookable through the Passport Booking Office, but the Wye salmon collapse is among the most severe in Europe and the river is no longer a salmon destination — autumn fish form the bulk of what run remains.
Lower Wye coarse fishing (Herefordshire & below)Access varies
The broader, slower lower Wye through Herefordshire and beyond is primarily a coarse fishery — chub, barbel, pike and roach — run by local clubs such as Ross-on-Wye Angling Club.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Towy (Tywi)
28 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Usk
39 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Afon Twrch
39 km
84
Brown trout
Neath
40 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Afon Cynon
40 km
84
Brown trout
Gallery · 6
  1. The River Wye near Erwood, the river channel against a backdrop of Welsh upland pasture and hillside.
    River Wye near Erwood
  2. The River Wye flowing through open moorland pasture north of Erwood, the river the primary subject.
    River Wye north of Erwood
  3. Looking downstream along the River Wye at Hay-on-Wye in late spring, green tree-lined banks and the river filling the frame.
    River Wye at Hay-on-Wye
  4. The River Wye at Boughrood in summer low water, with visible gravel banks and clear water.
    River Wye, Boughrood
  5. The River Wye at Hay-on-Wye from the bank, broad open water with wooded hills behind, in summer.
    The River Wye at Hay-on-Wye
  6. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

One of Britain's great salmon rivers — straddles Wales and England with spring salmon (March–May, from the early-March opening), grilse (summer–autumn), and strong back-end runs to the 17 October close. Major river with long response (12 hours) — plan ahead, wait for suitable conditions. The Wye at Builth Wells and Hay-on-Wye is superb. World-class grayling fishing in the middle reaches (winter fishing October–March). Fish salmon with sinking-tip line and medium tubes in spring, smaller doubles through summer. A river teaching patience and the long view. 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

EA (England) · UKGB109055036950

The full read · show the working · for brown trout · confidence 90%
How the 84 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity52 × 12%6.2
Conditions total= 84
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon3 March → 17 October
  • Trout3 March → 30 September
  • Grayling16 June → 14 March

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026) — NRW At Risk classification applies to the Welsh sections. Sea trout are present and taken through the Wye system but the river is primarily salmon-focused; sea trout are a secondary quarry. Condition-sensitive across both Welsh and English beats.

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 Wye salmon collapse is among the most severe in Europe; conservation-critical.

Related guides
Grayling Playbookgrayling tacticsYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methodsEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts