Llandegfedd Lake sits in rolling countryside alongside the Usk Valley, right on the Monmouthshire/Torfaen border, and its proximity to Cardiff – about twenty miles – makes it one of the most accessible serious trout fisheries in South Wales for anglers without a full day to dedicate to travel.
Managed by Welsh Water
Llandegfedd is run by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water as part of its wider network of visitor sites, and it functions as a genuine hub for outdoor recreation beyond just fishing. The reservoir is stocked regularly with rainbow trout, and a small population of native brown trout can also be caught. Permitted methods are fly-fishing and ledgered worm from the bank, with fly-fishing only from the boats – spinning is not permitted anywhere on site.
Full ticket types, current prices, and boat booking are available directly through Llandegfedd’s official website.
More Than Just Trout
Alongside the trout, Llandegfedd holds large numbers of coarse fish – bream, roach, dace, eels – and has a strong reputation as a big pike water too. It’s worth knowing this if you fish worm on the bottom for trout and find something considerably larger than expected on the end of the line.
If ledgered worm for trout is a new approach for you, our guide on best bait for trout fishing covers presentation, and our rainbow trout species guide covers what to expect from the stocked fish specifically.
Exploring South Wales Further
Llandegfedd’s location makes it easy to combine with the Brecon Beacons reservoirs covered elsewhere in this series, including Usk Reservoir and Talybont Reservoir.
Gear that fits this
Gear that suits what this covers, by type.
Fly lines: Guideline Control 3.0 Fly Line #4, Guideline Presentation+ WF Floating Fly Line #2 and Greys Platinum Fly Line WF7F Floating.
For leaders and tippet, SeaGuar Soft-Plus Fluorocarbon 100m Clear 6.6lb 0.165mm, Wychwood Lure Mode Flourocarbon Tippet 50m 0.17mm 5lb and Scientific Anglers Absolute Trout Tippet 30m 1X (0,25 mm) 13.9lb are all worth a look.
Reels worth adding: Lamson Remix S-Series Smoke Fly Reel, Lamson Remix S-Series Smoke 3 Pack Fly Reel and Guideline Aeon Fly Reel- Black/Silver #11/13.
On the rods side, Shakespeare Oracle 2 EXP Fly Rod 10ft #7 6pc, Guideline Rivolt Single Handed Fly Rod #6 10' and Guideline Elevation Single Handed Fly Rod 9'9'' #6.
Sarah Marsh came to fly fishing through her father, who kept a rod on a small syndicate water in Devon. She spent her teens fishing stocked reservoirs and gradually worked her way toward wild fish on moving water – first on rain-fed freestone rivers in Wales, then on the Hampshire chalk streams she now considers home water.
She holds a level 2 APGAI fly casting qualification and guides informally on the River Test and, from June to September, on a private beat on the River Tay for Atlantic salmon. Her personal best brown trout came from the Itchen at 4lb 1oz; she’d sooner not talk about the salmon that came off at the net last August.
At The River Bend, Sarah writes the game fish species guides, fly fishing technique articles, and the legal content covering trout and salmon regulations.
Covers: Brown trout, rainbow trout, sea trout, Atlantic salmon, fly fishing, chalk streams, Scottish rivers, close season and regulation articles