The upstream limit of Cambrian Angling's stretch of the Dwyryd is
the road bridge, near the village of Maentwrog, where the A487 crosses the river .
The first couple of hundred yards down from the bridge on the right hand bank, consist of
relatively shallow gravelly runs, the average depth being less than two feet.
Not a very popular or productive area, although a few fish could be caught in the right conditions.
Most of the bank here is tree lined, but with occasional gaps between them where a fly can be cast.
This shallow stretch of the river cascades into the first named pool, Church Pool.
This is a fairly small, about 15 yards wide and 40 yards long, the deepest water being under the far bank.
The gently sloping gravel bank on the Cambrian side provides a comfortable platform to cast from, with all the pool easily covered,
but once in the water the gravel drops off steeply into deep water, making it hazardous to the wading fisherman.
A short gravelly run then takes us into The Grapes Pool, mostly tree lined but with enough space between them to fly fish.
Again a popular and productive pool, with deep water under the near bank.
The bank here is lined with railway sleepers, and so it is a steep drop of about three feet to the water, a landing net with a decent handle is a must if you are lucky enough to hook a decent fish here.
A gravel bar at the head of the pool is much more comfortable to fish from, but you can only cover the top fewyards of the water from here.
Downstream from the
Grapes Pool, the river changes pace, with
shallow gravely runs, one after the other, and only about
eighteen inches deep in most places, for a couple of hundred yards.
This, again, is usually not a very productive area, although,
as with most of the river, fish can be caught here in
the right conditions.
The next productive area is known as
the Electric Pool, a long, fairly narrow stretch
of water, getting wider and shallower towards the
tail.
The bank here is clear and offers an easy cast with a
fly to the deeper water under the far bank where the
fish usually lie.
The last pool, known as The Mud Pool, is the
largest one on the beat, slow running,wide and
deep,stretching about two hundred yards
around a bend in the river.
At the head of the pool is a fast and shallow run,
with a gravelly bank that is an ideal place to fish
from, the far bank, being only a short 15 yard cast, a fair few sea trout are landed here every
season.
The pool then starts to widen, towards the bend in
the river, where a small stream runs into it, this area is probably more popular with bait fishermen,
being able to reach all of the pool from here, (the main drawback of worm fishing here though, is, you may be plagued by bootlace eels all day !!).
The fence, just downstream of the stream, marks the downstream limit of Cambrian Angling's fishing.