Stillwater · Ordovician Volcanics · Wales / Snowdonia (Blaenau Ffestiniog uplands)

Llyn Cwm Foel

Deep blue upland reservoir (Llyn Cwm Foel) set in a rocky valley with a mountain, Moel Boethwel, behind it, Snowdonia.

Foel isn't quite what it was.

Marginal · Trout
Marabou Damsel · 8-12
A patient day, if you fancy it
Good wave on — drift country. Slow going — pick your moments and do not force it.
44% confidence
limited data

Llyn Cwm Foel is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindNW 14 km/hGentle breeze
Today's fly
Marabou Damsel
Marabou Damsel8-12
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Gentle breeze
NW 14 km/h
N
NW
from the north-west
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp—
Air temp20°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

How to fish it · for Trout
When
June–August; best on overcast, breezy days
Where
Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point.
The plan
Plan A

Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point.

Plan B

If the main plan is not working, switch to a smaller, more imitative pattern fished slower and deeper. A change of drift angle can also make a difference.

Watch for

Watch for Sedge towards evening — this could be the best window of the day.

Bank

Bank-only venue. Fish from accessible margins, points, weed edges, and inflows.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 5 with Pro.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
Murrough (Great Red Sedge)Hatch
2
3
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Lake OliveHatch
1
2
2
2
2
2
1

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

Ranked for today
Trout fly box
Bays & launches · 1
Day ticket via Cambrian Angling AssociationAccess varies
Small wild brown trout llyn with a diminished stock following the partial dam breach and turbine works of the early 1990s; covered by the Cambrian AA's single day ticket across the whole llyn portfolio.
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What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
59%
Cloud50%
Wind65%
Temp60%

A reasonable day here, though cloud isn't quite in the sweet spot.

Other water nearby · 5
Llyn Cwm Corsiog
1.0 km
Brown trout
Llyn yr Adar
1.0 km
Brown trout
Llyn Conglog
2.0 km
Brown trout
Llyn Cwmorthin
2.0 km
Brown trout
Llyn Llagi
2.0 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Deep blue upland reservoir (Llyn Cwm Foel) set in a rocky valley with a mountain, Moel Boethwel, behind it, Snowdonia.
    Llyn Cwm y Foel reservoir with Moel Boethwel in the background
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Foel isn't quite what it was. The dam was breached deliberately in the early nineties on safety grounds and only partly rebuilt since, this time with a small turbine bolted on rather than a fishery in mind, and the lake has never fully recovered its old head of fish. What's left is still a small, honest wild brown trout water, worth a look if you're working through the portfolio and don't mind a lake that's clearly seen better days. Nobody's pretending otherwise — the history is part of the water now, and there's something to be said for fishing a place that wears its decline this plainly.

  • Lake
  • Ordovician volcanics
Why this score
  • Buzzer is in its seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperatureEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
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