Spate · Mixed · South Wales / Neath Port Talbot, GB-WLS

Afan

A rocky river winding through a wooded valley with a walker and dogs on the shingle bank.
Tomorrow · Slow going — better windows ahead
Elk Hair Caddis
Forecast · Tomorrow
Slow going — better windows ahead
Little in your favour today. Fish the certain lies, or leave it for a better one.
40% projected
Today's fly
Elk Hair Caddis
Elk Hair Caddis
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.47 m
Lifting fast
Water temp11.5°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather11°C
WindN 19 km/h
Pressure1025 hPa
Rain · recent1.9 mm
Rain · ahead9.2 mm

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

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Ideal
12°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Mainly autumn, in very small numbers. The Afan is not a salmon destination — a fresh fish here is a notable event.
Where
Lower river pools above the tidal limit at Port Talbot.
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
Good — water temperature is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 18h

12h(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 43%
Also:Autumn Olive26%
Peak emergence windowWeather boost5 food groups active

Peak activity at 18h — Caperer (Caperer, Weather boost)

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 · October 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
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
Fly box · Atlantic Salmon
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Fishing better nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. A rocky river winding through a wooded valley with a walker and dogs on the shingle bank.
    River Afan
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown

NRW (Wales) · UKGB110058026130

Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature10030% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time2015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 May → 17 October
  • Sea trout 3 March → 17 October
  • Trout 3 March → 30 September

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026) — Recovering industrial valley river. Sewin run modest but consistent enough through summer to warrant a sea-trout designation. All-Wales At Risk picture applies; treat as a low-density conservation fishery.

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