Spate · Mixed · South Wales / Neath Port Talbot

Neath

The River Neath flowing through a wooded valley near the Ynysbwllog Aqueduct, South Wales.

Out of the Brecon Beacons through Glynneath and down past the town of Neath to Baglan Bay — accessible South Wales sewin and salmon water with one of the steadier club traditions in the region.

Poor · Atlantic Salmon
Cascade · 10-14
Poorlive now
Slow going — better windows ahead
River high but settled. Little in your favour today. Fish the certain lies, or leave it for a better one.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.49 mLast reading 23h ago
  • Water temp22.1°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Cascade
Cascade10-14
Regional salmon default — river-specific evidence is thin.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Falling
1.49 m
Last reading 23h ago
Water temp22.1°C
ClarityClear
Weather28°C
WindS 8 km/h
Pressure1021 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.1 mm

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

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
Summer through autumn. Fish on the drop after rain — the Neath is not a spring salmon river.
Where
Middle and lower Neath pools above the tidal limit. Neath & Dulais AA named beats.
Method
Small doubles 10 to 12 across-and-down on a floating line; small tubes on a sink-tip in spring water. Cover the pools methodically. Mandatory catch-and-release under NRW byelaw — every salmon goes back.
Kit
12 ft #7/8 double-hander or 11 ft switch. Floating line plus light sink-tip. 10 to 12 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 3 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.

Through the year
0–3 scale · August 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
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.

Ranked for today
Atlantic Salmon fly box

Wild-river first principles. Early-season nymphs and practical searching, then dry flies, emergers and spiders as hatches and surface activity improve.

Beats · 1
Glynneath & District AA — day ticket via Fishing PassportAccess varies
Seventeen miles of the upper Neath Valley fishing held by Glynneath & DAA.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 2
Probably above the Atlantic Salmon safety line — these are likely cooler, but carry a thermometer.
Afon Twrch
10 km
~21°C
Brown trout
Afon Cynon
13 km
~21°C
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. The River Neath flowing through a wooded valley near the Ynysbwllog Aqueduct, South Wales.
    The River Neath looking upstream from the Ynysbwllog Aqueduct in the Vale of Neath.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Out of the Brecon Beacons through Glynneath and down past the town of Neath to Baglan Bay — accessible South Wales sewin and salmon water with one of the steadier club traditions in the region. Fishing Wales names the Neath specifically as a starting point for a first Welsh sea trout, and the Neath & Dulais Association ticket gives genuine access. The lower catchment is industrial in character; the proper fishing is in the middle and upper river. 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.

Sea trout here

Summer-autumn runs (June–September), primarily nocturnal

  • Mixed
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

NRW WFD Cycle 3 — Neath (conf Nedd Fechan & Mellte to tidal limit): Moderate ecological status. Status corrected 2026-06-18 (was recorded Good). Source: NRW DataMapWales classification layer.

NRW (Wales) · UKGB110058032430

Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature030% weight
  • Flow8525% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time10015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 May → 17 October
  • Sea trout 3 March → 17 October
  • Trout 3 March → 30 September

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026) — Accessible South Wales sewin river with a long club tradition. All-Wales At Risk picture applies. Pre-1 May C&R rule for sea trout is specific to the Neath.

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