Spate · Silurian · Mid Wales / Powys (Irfon Valley, Wye tributary)

Irfon

Sunlit clear water of the River Irfon flowing over a shallow gravel riverbed, framed by overhanging tree branches.

One of the Wye's best-loved Welsh tributaries, rising on the Elenydd moors and running down through Llanwrtyd Wells and Llangammarch Wells to join the main river at Builth.

Poor · Atlantic Salmon
Poorlive now
Slow going — better windows ahead
River steady at a fishable height. Little in your favour today. Fish the certain lies, or leave it for a better one.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelProxyvia Towy (Tywi)
  • Water temp22.1°C
  • ClarityClear
Conditions on the water
Proxy gauge
Level
Steady
Proxy
via Towy (Tywi)
Water temp22.1°C
ClarityClear
Weather28°C
WindSW 9 km/h
Pressure1021 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead1.6 mm

No gauge on this water — conditions are inferred from Towy (Tywi). The trend transfers, the absolute level does not.

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Welfare risk
22°C est.ideal 10–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Morning into early afternoon.
Where
Pool tails, steadier runs, and any water with pace.
Method
Fish a sensible line-and-fly combination for the height and pace of water.
Kit
13 ft #8/9 double-hander in spate, 10 ft #8 single in low water. Floating line plus a fast-sink tip. 12–15 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 22.1°C. This is the line where catch-and-release kills atlantic salmon. Do not fish for them today.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 5 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Updated 21 hours ago

Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Grayling seasonSeason
2
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
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 · 7 · 2 reaches
Irfon beats — Fishing Passport · 6 beatsDay rods
Colonel's Water, Gofynne, Llanfechan, Melyn Cildu…
The 6 beats
Colonel's WaterDay tickets
Wye & Usk Foundation (Fishing Passport)
~1.5 miles of mostly double-bank River Irfon (plus a short stretch of the Cledan brook) just downstream of Llanwrtyd Wells. Renowned grayling water on a gravel bed. Grayling the headline draw; possible autumn salmon.
Fishing Passport, max 3 tickets/day, barbless hooks, fly only. Parking ~270 yards. Crayfish-plague disinfection notice in force (lower Irfon outbreak, July 2024) — wash off before fishing elsewhere.
GofynneDay tickets
Wye & Usk Foundation (Fishing Passport)
~1km double-bank River Irfon in remote, unspoilt surroundings. Good grayling numbers alongside wild brown trout, with a late-season salmon chance — salmon spawn on this beat. Salmon spawn here through winter — wading restricted to below knee depth Nov-Mar for redd protection.
Fishing Passport, max 3 tickets/day. Fly only 3 Mar-31 Oct; trotting with bait for grayling/chub 1 Nov-2 Mar. Do not wade above knee depth Nov-Mar (spawning salmon). Crayfish-plague disinfection notice in force.
LlanfechanDay tickets
Wye & Usk Foundation (Fishing Passport)
~1 mile left-bank-only River Irfon, 4-5 miles above the main-Wye confluence. Open year-round for its grayling fishing, with a possible autumn salmon (Irfon salmon season runs to 25 Oct). Fishes all year for grayling; salmon chance into late October.
Fishing Passport, max 2 tickets/day, fly only, 2-fish limit trout/grayling. Easy path access, parking ~250m.
Melyn CilduDay tickets
Wye & Usk Foundation (Fishing Passport)
Just over a mile of mixed single/double-bank River Irfon through unspoilt rural countryside. Excellent grayling in both quality and quantity, good average trout size, late-season salmon possible. Mostly easy gravel wading with a few tricky bedrock sections.
Fishing Passport, max 3 tickets/day. No night fishing or camping. Fly only Mar-Oct; trotting maggots for grayling 1 Nov-end Feb.
Serenity House — Lower IrfonDay tickets
Wye & Usk Foundation (Fishing Passport)
~1 mile left-bank River Irfon between Llangammarch Wells and Garth — formerly the Cammarch Hotel Lower Beat. Grayling and trout with an autumn salmon ticket sold.
Fishing Passport, max 4 tickets/day. Linked to Serenity House holiday accommodation.
Serenity House — Upper IrfonDay tickets
Wye & Usk Foundation (Fishing Passport)
A little under a mile of left-bank River Irfon above Llangammarch Wells — formerly the Cammarch Hotel Upper Beat. Trout to 3lb (average 8-12in), grayling, outside chance of a late salmon.
Fishing Passport, max 4 tickets/day. Linked to Serenity House holiday accommodation.
River Cammarch — Fishing Passport Wild StreamDay tickets
A small spate tributary of the Irfon rising near Beulah and running down through Llangammarch Wells — one large beat, about 3.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 22°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 2
  1. Sunlit clear water of the River Irfon flowing over a shallow gravel riverbed, framed by overhanging tree branches.
    River Irfon
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

One of the Wye's best-loved Welsh tributaries, rising on the Elenydd moors and running down through Llanwrtyd Wells and Llangammarch Wells to join the main river at Builth. The Wye & Usk Foundation's Fishing Passport covers most of its length in named beats, and it's built a genuine reputation as grayling water — gravel-bed, day-ticket-friendly, and fishable through the winter alongside a modest wild brown trout population and a late-season salmon chance. The Cammarch, a small spate tributary running down through Llangammarch Wells, adds a wilder wild-stream option under the same ticket system.

  • Silurian
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature030% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time10015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Grayling 16 June → 14 March

    Statutory grayling season 16 June – 14 March on Wye & Usk Foundation Fishing Passport beats. Methods vary by beat and date: fly only 3 March – 31 October, with winter trotting for grayling (worm/maggot) permitted on some beats from 1 November – 2 March (e.g. Gofynne, Melyn Cildu). Llanfechan fishes fly-only year-round for grayling. Confirm each beat's rules on the Fishing Passport before booking.

    Method rules vary by beat — check before fishing.

    • 3 Mar → 31 Oct · Fly only
    • 1 Nov → 2 Mar · Fly or float-trotted worm or float-trotted maggot
Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsGrayling Playbookgrayling tacticsYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methods
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