Spate · Mixed · Mid Wales / Ceredigion

Ystwyth

A wide, shallow stretch of the Afon Ystwyth flowing past a gravel bar with yellow-flowering gorse bushes and green hills under a blue sky.
Contributor photo

The Afon Ystwyth near Llanilar, with a wide gravel bar and flowering gorse along the bank.

David Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0

A true Cambrian spate river — the Ystwyth rises on Plynlimon and drops to Aberystwyth bay in around 30 miles, much of it through old lead-mining country.

Fair · Atlantic Salmon
Fairlive now
Decent — worth a look
River steady at a fishable height. A patient day. Cover water properly.
50% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.04 mLast reading 2h ago
  • Water temp16.6°C
  • ClarityClear
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.04 m
Last reading 2h ago
Water temp16.6°C
ClarityClear
Weather15°C
WindSW 4 km/h
Pressure1020 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
17°C est.ideal 10–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for atlantic salmon
When
Late summer through autumn close. The Ystwyth is not a spring salmon river — fish the autumn lifts, 12 to 24 hours after rain.
Where
Lower river pools above the tidal limit. Named lies through the Aberystwyth association beats.
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
Fair — 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 6 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
Llanilar AA — day ticket via Fishing PassportAccess varies
About twelve miles of mostly double-bank Ystwyth fishing from Pontrhydygroes down to Aberystwyth marina, held by Llanilar AA.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Fishing better nearby · 5
Aeron
22 km
60
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Rheidol
5.0 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Dovey (Dyfi)
28 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Dysynni
31 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Irfon
38 km
Brown trout · Grayling · Salmon
Gallery · 2
  1. A wide, shallow stretch of the Afon Ystwyth flowing past a gravel bar with yellow-flowering gorse bushes and green hills under a blue sky.
    The Afon Ystwyth near Llanilar, with a wide gravel bar and flowering gorse along the bank.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A true Cambrian spate river — the Ystwyth rises on Plynlimon and drops to Aberystwyth bay in around 30 miles, much of it through old lead-mining country. The Aberystwyth association calls sewin the jewel in the crown here, and they're right. Levels swing dramatically: a low clear ribbon between rocks one afternoon, a thick brown surge the next morning. The trick is timing — be on the river as it drops back into colour, not while it's still rising or after it's cleared. 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: Poor
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

NRW WFD Cycle 3 — Ystwyth (conf with the Nant Cell to tidal limit; NRW spells it 'Ystywth'): Poor ecological status; Llanilar AA water. Corrected 2026-06-18 from a Paith-tributary tag (was recorded Good). Source: NRW DataMapWales WFD Cycle 3 classification layer.

NRW (Wales) · GB110063041710

Why this score · for atlantic salmon
  • Temperature4630% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time1015% 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) — The Ystwyth is one of the more reliable Welsh sewin rivers in the right water, with a strong local association tradition. All-Wales At Risk classification applies; the river's dramatic level swings make it almost entirely condition-driven.

Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methodsEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
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