Waters · United Kingdom
River Wye (Hereford) fishing report
Updated Friday, 9 October 2026 · refreshed automatically through the day
The Wye's long gravel glides made it Britain's most famous barbel river, and its chub fishing is arguably better still. Levels swing quickly after Welsh rain — flow trend is everything.
Species and season on River Wye (Hereford)
The Wye is a barbel and chub river through the summer and autumn, with the best barbel fishing after a modest rise from July to October. Pike and grayling are winter targets, and salmon fishing — historically the river's great draw — has been heavily restricted in recent seasons, so treat it as a catch-and-release or no-take fishery and check the current rules.
How to fish it
The river rises and falls quickly after rain in the Welsh hills, so the 24-hour flow trend is the most useful part of the report. A slowly dropping, clearing river after a flood is the classic window; a rising, coloured river is worth a try in the slacks but a rapidly climbing one is not.
Access, licences and local rules
You need an Environment Agency rod licence in England (Natural Resources Wales for Welsh sections). Beats are mostly privately owned or held by clubs, and day tickets are available on several stretches through local clubs and fishery associations. The coarse river close season runs from mid-March to mid-June; salmon and trout seasons and rules differ and change, so confirm before you travel.
Rules, seasons and permit systems change. Treat this as orientation and confirm with the licensing authority or fishery manager before you fish.
Today's report: excellent (82/100)
Chub is the most promising species on River Wye (Hereford) today. Water temperature is around 13.6°C and barometric pressure is stable. Gauge Old Wye Bridge shows the water level falling (2 cm/24h).
River Wye (Hereford) water temperature and flow
- Level trend: falling (2 cm/24h)
Measured at gauge Old Wye Bridge · reading 32 min ago. Published by the national hydrological service, not estimated by us.
Best time to fish today
- 13:00–15:00 local time — score 90/100
- 18:00–20:00 local time — score 91/100
- 07:00–09:00 local time — score 87/100
3-day outlook by species
| Species | Thursday 8 Oct | Friday 9 Oct | Saturday 10 Oct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbel | 80 — good | 86 — excellent | 73 — good |
| Chub | 82 — excellent | 92 — excellent | 80 — excellent |
| Northern Pike | 80 — excellent | 88 — excellent | 86 — excellent |
Why this score
Cast & Scan uses a deterministic, published scoring model — no black box. The strongest influences on today's River Wye (Hereford) rating:
- water temperature: helping (+1)
- light: helping (+1)
- solunar period: helping (+1)
- season: helping (+1)
- river flow: helping (+0.91)
- precipitation: helping (+0.9)
Forecast computed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:31:30 GMT · data: Open-Meteo + gauge Old Wye Bridge · refreshed automatically through the day · see our published accuracy
Wondering how this stacks up against the apps you already know? Cast & Scan vs Fishbrain vs BassForecast — an honest comparison, including where they beat us.
Read before you go
- When pike bite: the pressure, light and temperature windows
- How river flow trend changes the bite
- Barometric pressure and fishing, explained
More barbel waters
- River Thames (Reading) — Berkshire, England
- Embalse de Orellana — Extremadura, Spain
- Rhine (Cologne) — North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Nearby waters
- Chew Valley Lake — Somerset, England (79 km away)
- River Thames (Reading) — Berkshire, England (137 km away)
- River Test — Hampshire, England (140 km away)
- Rutland Water — Rutland, England (156 km away)
- Lake Windermere — Lake District, England (256 km away)
- Norfolk Broads — Norfolk, England (295 km away)