Welsh Dee fishing report – a few beautiful trout make the net in March

After a very wet winter, a couple spells of dry weather helped the Welsh Dee return to a fishable level for a few days during March. So, I dusted off my rods and ventured out to kick off the new brown trout season.

Welsh Dee Fishing Report – Trout fishing at Llangollen (21/3/26)

I’d agreed to show a new Llangollen-Maelor Angling Club member, Chris, the fishing on the clubs upper beat. We met in the upper car park at about 10am and after planning the day headed upriver to start by fishing the fast water riffle that runs into the Glide Pool.

The river level was 0.7m (Manley Hall Gauge) and with the water was flowing quickly it was not ideal for wading. However, I showed Chris where best to fish the riffle section, and where the fish typically lie. It was quite sunny and the in absence of flies hatching fishing, a team of nymphs seemed to be the best approach.

While Chris fished upriver, I set up my Vision Nymphmaniac 11ft 3# fly rod to fish a couple of nymphs on a 4lbs fluorocarbon leader (point: size 12 pheasant tail nymph with a 4mm copper tungsten bead, dropper size 14 black pheasant tail nymph with a 2.5mm silver tungsten bead).

Starting below him I methodical fish across and upriver. After good 15 minutes of searching the riverbed with the nymphs, my line darted sideways and I lifted into the first fish of the day. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a trout that slipped into the net but a lovely OOS grayling.

We didn’t have any more takes fishing the remainder of the riffle. Therefore, we moved upriver to fish Dee Farm which is good place to fish when the river is carrying extra water.

On spotting the odd olive hatching but no rising fish, I suggested that we give fishing a team of spiders a go. While Chris fished the top section of Dee Farm where the pool depended, I set-up my Hardy Marksman 10ft 4# rod with a floating line and a 7ft 5X tapered leader tipped with two 3ft length of 3lbs UltraGreen Maxima to form two droppers. Then tied on 3 three flies (point: size 12 Black Pennell, middle dropper, size 14 Pheasant & Pearl Grouse Spider, top dropper: size 14 Pearl Ribbed March Brown Spider).

I move up to the head of Dee Farm where I fished the team of wet flies through the fast water. This produced the first brown trout of the day – as per the attached video.

Chris hadn’t had much luck fishing Dee Farm with only a trout parr and small grayling for his efforts. So we moved upriver to fish the Fridge Pool which didn’t produce any fish.

After a break for lunch, I took Chris upriver to fish the Top Pool where he caught a few brown trout fishing spiders through the fast water at the head of the pool.

I continued fishing the team of spiders that were successful at Dee Farm and added a few more trout to my tally for the day. Highlights in the following video…

Ddol Issa fishing report – 23rd March 26

After the success on Friday, I squeezed in another Welsh Dee fishing trip to Llangollen before the wet and windy weather rolled in for the remainder of the week.

The river level had dropped 4cm to 0.66m (Manley Hall gauge) and there was a stiff south-westerly blowing. So, I decided to fish the Ddol Issa beat below Llangollen, which offers some shelter from the wind.

I was surprised to see three cars parked by the cottage, because it is usually quiet on a Monday. The anglers were fishing the beat above the cottage, so I went below the cottage to fish the river leading into Mill Run.

In the absence rising fish, I choose to start fishing the pocket water above Mill Run with the team of spiders that had been successfully on Friday (point: size 12 Black Pennell, middle dropper, size 14 Pheasant & Pearl Grouse Spider, top dropper: size 14 Pearl Ribbed March Brown Spider).

After only a couple of casts into the shallow fast water, my line tightened into nice fish that took off downriver and had me scrambling over the slippy rock to keep in contact. Eventually, I gained the upper hand and netted a beautiful Welsh Dee brown trout that had taken the Pheasant & Pearl Grouse Spider.

I finished the day by fishing down to the tail of Mill Run with the spiders but this only produced a couple of small brown trout and small grayling.

Welsh Dee Outlook for the April

The long range weather forecast for Llangollen suggest some wet and windy conditions for the start of April. Followed by a spell of dry sunny weather as high pressure takes charge from the middle of the month.

The drier weather will return the Dee to its summer level, and encourage trout to rise freely to dry flies. In April, expect to see improved hatches of olive upwings and hatches of the Gannom Sedge.