Fishing Beats

Glaslyn has access to over three miles of the upper Wye and Elan.

For description this is split into four, the Glaslyn fishing from the Junction Pool to Llanwrthwl road bridge, Craig Llyn fishing running from about 200 yards below Llanwrthwl bridge for around one mile and the Dderw waters which include two pieces of water and also half a mile of the Elan upstream of the Junction Pool. The last two pieces of water are not available on a Wednesday.

A mile stretch of fishing is available immediately outside the accommodation with no need to use a car. To reach the Elan or Wye above the junction pool requires a 15-20 minute walk or a short car journey. The Craig Llyn fishing starts about a mile below the cottages and is most easily accessed by car with parking on the roadside for the top pools or at the caravan park at Doldowlod where parking for 2 cars is owned.

The four stretches of water provided in the fishings have varying characteristics. The upper Wye and Elan are more intimate with wide, shallow glides, deep cuts and holes and fast runs, with few named pools. Much of the banks vary between open meadow and heavily wooded banks, with a bottom varying between rock and boulder strewn gravel on the Wye with predominantly gravel on the Elan. These stretches tend to be for the more adventurous with no well-worn bank-side paths.

In contrast the Glaslyn and Craig Llyn fishings are more open with higher banks. Well-defined paths skirt much of the water on these beats, even to the extent of galvanised walkways on small stretches of the Glaslyn beat. As a rule, the water on the Wye alternates between short rocky falls and long, comparatively slow, relatively deep pools over a mixture of rock, boulder and gravel, with fast run ins of conflicting currents and smooth glides at the tail.

The main Wye has many named pools, though these tend to be the traditional salmon pools. Trout and grayling are taken from these pools and also from most of the un-named stretches between.

Every inch of the water is worth a try, with many holding spots in the broken water being no bigger than a tabletop.

Glaslyn

The Glaslyn water is easily accessed by foot, walking out from the accommodation. The upper boundary of this beat is the right bank of the Junction Pool (the left bank forms the bottom of the Dderw fishing). The Junction Pool is about ¼ mile upstream of Glaslyn House and the cottages. This beat is double bank down to the house, and left bank only from there down to Llanwrthwl bridge, about three quarters of a mile further down stream. To reach the top of the beat you cross the river by a wooden pedestrian bridge just in front of the main house.

The Junction Pool is formed at the confluence of the river Elan and the river Wye. The Junction Pool itself is probably one of the best-known salmon pools in the upper river.

The flow through the pool depends on the height of the rivers feeding it. At summer levels the flow is in centre stream. After rain, the Wye has the greater flow, the Elan being regulated by the dams upstream. Under these conditions, the current pushes to the right bank, which has been strengthened with gabions. The pool is almost as wide as it is long with a gravel bed ranging from six feet at the head to 18 inches at the tail. Trout and grayling patrol the whole pool, with salmon often taken at the head from both the Elan and Wye flows.

The pool is most easily covered from the left bank with easy walking on gravel.

Below the Junction Pool there is a stretch of fast, broken water with plenty of grayling and the odd trout. This broadens into a long, gravel glide overhung with trees on the right bank. These trees provide a haven for the grayling. Don’t be put off by the water being only a foot to 18 inches at summer levels as large numbers of fish, especially grayling, inhabit this water.

At the end of this glide is a fast, narrow run alongside a gravel island, down to a low stone weir. Again this run holds plenty of trout and grayling, with salmon in the autumn.

Below the weir is the House Pool, a double-bank stretch of about 200 yards situated in front of Glaslyn House. This pool is no fishing for visitors and is in effect a conservation pool.

The fence line at the cottages signifies the start of the Garden Pool flowing for 100 yards over rock strewn gravel. This pool averages three to four feet in depth at normal levels and holds large numbers of trout and grayling, though they can be picky in the relatively slow water which allows them to examine the fly at their leisure before deciding whether or not to take. During the summer and autumn, with a foot or more of water on, salmon can be taken among the boulders.

This is a typical pool, with the water accelerating at the tail over large boulders. There is then a short fall to a series of runs over gravel, again with many grayling before the next pool, Llyn Cam, is reached.

The run into this pool is swift over gravel. This provides easy wading with the water running from 18 inches to three feet. After the first third of the pool, the water deepens slightly and becomes boulder strewn. A steady current flows through this pool which holds good numbers of both trout and grayling and again salmon with the right water.

A further fall of five feet in 20 yards sees the run into Sands Pool, a pool of around 250 yards long. The run into the pool is swift over gravel with several conflicting currents, which can be difficult to read, but which holds large numbers of good fish. The water deepens quickly to four feet in the first 30 yards before becoming shallower and running from 18 inches to two and a half feet for the remainder of the pool, over gravel scattered with boulders. A cautious approach is required in the comparatively shallow water. The tail of the pool shallows and widens before falling over a rock lip.

There is then an extended stretch of falls over large boulders before the river arrives at the Wall Pool. The falls are worth a try, with small areas of calmer water often holding good size grayling.

This Wall Pool is named after the long, high wall that supports the road here. Galvanised walkways extend the length of this pool, in some places high above the river.

The run into this pool is fast, through a narrow rocky channel, before the water slows and widens, with the current on the left bank where it flows over gravel.

After the first 50 yards, the pool deepens to four or five feet and slows, flowing between rock banks over boulder and gravel.

Good numbers of grayling and some trout hold at the head of the pool, with more trout in the body of the pool. Again, in autumn and with the right flow, salmon are regularly taken here. The tail again holds a mixture of trout and grayling. The second half of the pool requires deep wading and shouldn’t be tackled unless you are a confident wader.

The obligatory rocky fall separates the Wall Pool from Glan Rhos. The pool has a rock bank along its length with the current on the left bank. The pool flows over boulder and gravel and is three to four feet deep. Large hatches of fly are often experienced here with plenty of free rising grayling. The pool widens and slows at its tail before splitting through a myriad of small islands and boulders with some small holding spots between.

This fall is an extended stretch before the final pool on this beat is reached.

The first half of the Bridge Pool has a steady flow over gravel and is easily waded, with trout and grayling throughout. Around 100 yards into the pool it widens, with the current flowing under overhanging trees on the right bank. Again, there are plenty of grayling here, though the conflicting currents and trees make them awkward to catch. Fish lie along this stretch, into the glide as the water shallows and flows under the bridge which marks the bottom of the beat.

Craig Llyn

Below Llanwrthwl bridge is a short stretch of common water before the first pool of the Craig Llyn fishing is reached. The top pools can be reached by parking at the left turn below the bridge and walking down a flight of steps from the road to the riverbank. Additional parking for two cars is available at the Doldowlod caravan park just past the Vulcan Arms Inn.

In character, this is similar to the Glaslyn Beat below the cottages with boulder strewn falls and long pools.

Upper Wye

This is a much smaller river than below the Junction Pool, with glides similar to the Elan interspersed with tight cuts and deep rock gorges. The water holds fewer trout but contains quality grayling.

Elan

The river Elan is regulated by the Elan Valley dams so is consistent in flow from spring to the winter months when the dams become full. As a result, the fishing is impacted far less by the weather than the Wye, being at a good fishing height even when the Wye is in full spate.

This is an intimate stretch of water running from the stepping stones where the river nears the back road to Llanwrthwl, down to the Junction Pool, a distance of around half a mile. There are no named pools here. The water alternates between slow, wide glides, swift runs and deep cuts and holes, all over a bed of gravel. Access is varied, with open meadow and tight canopies of deciduous trees. As a result, this water is for the more adventurous but with free rising fish along the whole length. The fish on the open stretches are easier to cover but can be very shy, while those in the tree lined stretches are less shy but will require an improvised cast in order to cover them.

There is no stocking done here and the water contains wild browns, typically of eight to 10 ozs and many grayling of one to one and a half pounds. Fish often lie in less than a foot of water and a clumsy step will result in the sight of many fish dashing for cover.