North Wales holds some of the UK’s best-regarded stillwater trout fisheries, set against the Snowdonia mountains and the Denbighshire hills. From the vast, competition-standard water at Llyn Brenig to smaller, more intimate lakes tucked into forest valleys, the region offers a genuine range of trout fishing experiences within a relatively small geographic area.
Fisheries Covered in This Guide
- Llyn Brenig Trout Fishing Guide: North Wales’ Premier Stillwater
- Tan y Mynydd Trout Fishing Guide: A Snowdonia Fishery Worth the Detour
- Llyn Crafnant Trout Fishing Guide: A Hidden Gwydir Forest Lake
- Graiglwyd Springs Trout Fishing Guide: A Troutmaster Fishery Near the Coast
Each guide below covers what the fishery actually offers, current access and permit information via the fishery’s own website, and how it connects to nearby waters if you’re planning a longer trip. See our brown trout and rainbow trout species guides for background on what you’re likely to catch, and our spinning for trout, float fishing for trout, and trout rod guides for tackle and technique that applies across all of these waters.
Gear that fits this
Gear that suits what this covers, by type.
Fly lines: Snowbee XS Ivory Floating Fly Line #5, Airflo Superflo Mini Tip Fly Line 3' Fast Int. Tip WF8 and Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Infinity Optic Weight Forward Fly.
For leaders and tippet, Drennan Subsurface Fly Line Tippet Leader Material Green 5lb, Frog Hair High Performance Tippet 30m Spool 2X/11.1lb and Airflo Tactical Polyleader Ultimate Dry 8ft Floating are all worth a look.
Reels worth adding: Guideline Fario Fly Reel Champagne ±4, Wychwood Truefly SLA MKII Silver Fly Fishing Reel #5/6 and Lamson Liquid S-Series Smoke 3 Pack Fly Reel.
On the rods side, Guideline Embrace Salmon Fly Rod and Reel Kit #8/9 13', Shakespeare Oracle 2 Stillwater Fly Rod 9ft #6 4pc and Greys Lance Fly Rod 9FT 5LINE 4PC.
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