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.

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.

Marginal · Atlantic Salmon
Cascade · 10-14
Marginallive now
Marginal — persistence required
River steady at a fishable height. A short window at best — fish the sure lies and move on.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.98 m
  • Water temp18.8°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Cascade
Cascade10-14
Regional salmon default — river-specific evidence is thin.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.98 m
Water temp18.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather19°C
WindSW 11 km/h
Pressure1021 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.8 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
Warm — slow
19°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
Water at 18.8°C — above the atlantic salmon caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 11 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

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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
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
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
Water here around 19°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
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.

Sea trout here

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

  • 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
  • Temperature1630% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time1515% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 April → 17 October
  • Sea trout 3 March → 17 October
  • Trout 3 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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