Fishing in Brecon

Llanfaes bridge to Gwennies lane

With a backdrop of the Brecon Beacons the River Usk contains a wealth of wildlife and scenic beauty.

The river is inhabited by Brown Trout and Salmon and many other species of fish including minnows, the pollution sensitive Stone Loach and Bullheads, as well as the Twaite Shad, the rare Allis Shad, Eels, Lamprey and Sea Trout. The River is occasionally restocked with Brown Trout. It is also the home of the elusive Otter and the Kingfisher and Dippers may be seen, who unlike any other bird, seeks its food by walking under water. Daubenton’s Bat may be seen in the daytime or, more usually, at dusk as the River Usk is an important bat corridor. 

Brown Trout and Salmon inhabit all unpolluted upland rivers, and may be seen during the summer months, breaking the surface of the water to take flies. These form part of their diet along with snails, insects, crustaceans and occasionally small fish.

The Usk is an important Salmon river. Each year, between March and November, fish which were born in the river 1 to 3 years earlier, return from the North Atlantic ocean to spawn.
They lay their eggs in the river gravel during November and December. The eggs hatch in May and the young fry swim out of the gravel to grow into parr and feed in the river for 1 to 2 years. In the spring when the parr are about 4 inches long they turn silvery and, as smolts, swim out to sea to feed off the coasts of Greenland, before returning to the river when mature.  Salmon may be seen leaping at the Brecon weir during the autumn months.