Flyfishing on the River Wye, in Wales

Portmanteau salmon of over 40 lb are part of the history of this great river. Although the numbers and size of Wye multi-sea-winter spring fish are now greatly depleted, the lower and middle Wye still provides some good salmon fishing throughout the season and here is excellent trout and grayling fishing, particularly on the middle and upper Wye.

The River Wye rises at 2200 ft. on the slopes of Plynlimmon in the Cambrian Mountains and drains a catchment area of 1600 square miles. The Wye flows 156 miles on its journey through Rhayader, Builth Wells, Hay-on-Wye, Hereford, Ross-on-Wye and Monmouth before entering the Severn Estuary at Chepstow. Its major tributaries include the Monnow, Lugg, Irfon, Ithon and Llynfi.

A 'flashy' rain-fed river, over much of the Wye's length pools and riffles alternate as the course winds through some of the most spectacular countryside in Britain. Reservoirs in the Wye catchment also provide good sport, some offering wild trout fishing in beautiful surroundings, albeit for fish of moderate size.

The Wye and Usk Foundation works to improve and protect the Wye's fisheries, and in particular to restore the wild brown trout populations and the runs of salmon. The foundation has carried out major habitat restoration works in recent years with marked improvements in juvenile trout and salmon populations.

Wye Tributaries
The Monnow, one of the larger Wye tributaries, flows down through Grosmont and Skenfrith before entering the Wye at Monmouth. This river rises in the upland area of the Black Mountains, but over much of its length it flows through a gentle fertile valley. A good hatch of mayflies in spring makes the Monnow an excellent early season trout fishery.

The Honddu (not to be confused with the Usk tributary of the same name) flows through Llanthony and Llanfihangel Crucorney, entering the Monnow on its right bank. This is a good little trout stream.

The Llynfi flows out of Llangorse Lake and enters the Wye on its right bank at Glasbury-on-Wye. This stream holds stocks of trout and grayling.

The Irfon, a major tributary of the Wye, cuts an arching course, first flowing south and then turning north-easterly on its journey through Llanwrtyd Wells and Llangammarch Wells before joining the Wye at Builth Wells. In its upper reaches the Irfon is very rugged, but further downstream it is a good trout and grayling fishery and can provide some opportunity for salmon fishing in late season.

The Ithon, a left-bank tributary, is a little smaller than the Irfon and it rises in less rugged terrain. The Ithon flows through Llanbister and on past Llandrindod Wells before joining the Wye just below Newbridge-on-Wye; it is mainly a trout and grayling fishery, but in good years a few salmon are caught in this river towards the end of the season.

The River Elan was impounded in its upper reaches a century ago to provide water for Birmingham. Below the reservoirs the river provides trout fishing as it flows for six miles or so down to the Wye near Builth Wells.

The Marteg, a short upland tributary, enters the Wye a few miles upstream of Rhayader. It is a lovely place to fish for wild brown trout, although monsters should not be expected there.

The Lugg is the largest of the Wye tributaries and is mainly noted as a trout and coarse fishery. Rising near Llandrindod Wells, it meanders through a fertile lowland valley before joining the Wye just below Hereford.

The Troddi (Trothy) runs from the Black Mountains near Abergavenny more or less in a straight line across the fertile farmland of Monmouthshire before entering the Wye about a mile below the confluence of Wye and Monnow. It is not more than five metres across in most places but runs quite deep (typically between one and three metres) especially in the lower ten miles. For much of its length it has high banks and plenty of overhanging trees. There is a good mayfly hatch peaking most years in the first week in June, and there are plenty of midges and alders and some sedges. Apart from eels and minnows (and native crayfish) there are only wild brown trout above Mitchel Troy. They average 8oz to 12 oz with plenty of fish of 1lb+ and a few of more than 2lbs, especially in lightly fished stretches. Fly fishing is testing because the narrow stream, high banks and trees make silent approach and casting difficult.

Trout fishing
With wild trout and grayling occasionally topping 3 lb the middle and Upper Wye fisheries are among the best river fisheries in Britain. The Wye upstream of Rhayader is acidified and fishing in the highest reaches is not so productive (although efforts to mitigate the acidification may change the situation); however, some of the upper tributaries, notably the Marteg, provide lively sport for smallish but truly wild brown trout.

The insect life of the Wye system is very diverse. Some 20 species of upwinged flies have been reported from the Wye, including the large dark olive, medium olive, small dark olive, late march brown, iron blue, blue-winged olive, mayfly, yellow may dun, purple dun, large brook dun and autumn dun. Parts of the Wye have particularly good hatches of olive uprights, a spring and early summer fly common on many Welsh rivers. Sedge flies are also abundant in the lower reaches. (Pat O'Reilly's bestselling illustrated book Matching the Hatch covers all of these aspects.) In the headwaters, much of the river is acidic: look out for stoneflies, as they are a reasonable guide to which tributaries provide the best sport.

For Wye trout, Iron Blue, Grey Duster, Red Sedge and Kite's Imperial are good general dry-fly patterns. GRHE and pheasant tail nymphs are useful standbys for 'between hatch' fishing. Popular grayling flies include Treacle Parkin and Red Tag, while for sub-surface fishing either shrimp patterns or Sawyer's Killer Bug are usually successful. Barbless grayling flies are increasingly being used by anglers on the Wye, and small dry flies can be very effective in low water conditions on crisp winter afternoons; stonefly imitations are particularly useful at that time.

If you need detailed advice on river trout flyfishing, our Beginners' Guide to Trout and Grayling Fishing is available online...

A 91/2 ft. rod rated at #6 line is just about ideal for most of the trout and grayling fishing on the Wye and its larger tributaries. The grayling frequently top the two pound mark, so using a leader of less than 3 lb breaking strain is probably unwise - and hardly necessary in the swift-flowing autumn currents on the best grayling beats.

Sea trout are rarely reported from the Wye, although in part that may be because so few people fish for them.

Salmon fishing
The lower Wye is a big river and ideal for those who can manage sunk-line fishing with a double-hander, especially as the river fines down after a spate in spring and autumn. A floater or an intermediate will usually be fine for salmon fishing in summer.

Further up river, the pools are fairly deep and the riffles and glides fast, making it ideal summer flyfishing water. A double-hander is probably advisable if you are fishing from the bank; however, when fishing from one of the many croys or from a boat, a 91/2 ft. single-hander is fine provided it has enough backbone to cope with salmon in fastish water.

Tube flies are popular with Wye anglers, the advantage being that the same general pattern can be tied in a range of sizes and weights, from plastic tubes 1/2 inch (12 mm) long to 2 inch (50 mm) brass tubes for heavy-water. When fishing catch-and-release, as nearly all people now do on the Wye, a single-hook fly is preferable.

Our introductory Guide to Salmon and Sea Trout Fishing is available online, and of course we recommend it unreservedly if not altogether impartially!

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