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Croeso / Welcome to Rossett and Gresford Flyfishers' Club, home to some of the best and most enjoyable brown trout and grayling fishing in North Wales.

Best because the trout and grayling caught in our waters are ‘wild fish’ having spawned locally and then staying local as the Alyn offers such good habitat.

Most enjoyable because members can catch a whole range of trout and grayling from juveniles through to good sized adult fish, using a wide variety of fly fishing techniques depending on their preferences, the time of year or the particular stretch of our water they choose to fish.

The River Alyn


river scene

The Alyn rises in the Clwydian hills on the Llandegla moors and flows some 30 miles before reaching its confluence with the River Dee. It runs through a limestone gorge in the Country Park in Loggerheads, so the water is alkaline. This is unusual in Wales where most rivers are acidic and so less fertile.

The Club manages water on the Alyn from the railway bridge in Rossett upstream to Wormswood at Gresford. This two and a half mile stretch of water includes a wide variety of fishing opportunities, from banks that edge open meadows to more wild stretches that flow through mature woodland.

No two seasons are ever the same on the Alyn, winter conditions often create new pools and riffles, there are always fresh challenges for all our anglers.

Water levels remain fairly constant throughout the fishing season, however being a small rain fed river it can be affected very rapidly by rainfall, the river can gain 2 feet in a matter of hours! So please bear this in mind. It is advisable to check the river level via our link to the NRW web site before setting out. Levels above 0.4 metres measured at the Pont y Capel station make fishing very difficult. The chart below was captured from the NRW site and shows a spate in November 2016, the rate at which the river level increases is typical after heavy rain.


nrw capture

About The Club

The Club was founded in 1906 and originally named The Rossett and Gresford Angling Association, making it one of the oldest (continuously functioning) fishing Clubs in Wales. The aim of the Club was ‘to provide fishing in the River Alyn for the residents of the local parishes’. This has been successfully achieved for over a 100 years with local anglers still creating a significant proportion of our overall numbers.

The number of members we retain year on year is good. Why? Excellent access; routes to river, parking arrangements, ease of walking, all help and allow best use of your time. Great value for money, we are not a huge Club, our optimum membership is anywhere between 100 and 120, with 130 being our limit. The annual subscription is simply based on covering our rents to riparian owners, insurances and running costs. The aim being to keep the membership fee as reasonable as possible.

It is always worth mentioning that the Club has a number of Junior members, usually as part of our ‘Family Member’ arrangements. Like all clubs we all need to play our part in encouraging future generations of anglers.

Anyone wishing to enquire about membership should take a look at our ‘Membership’ page where you will find a link to our Membership Secretary. It is also possible to book a day's fishing throught the Wye and Usk Foundation's Booking Office web site, you will find a link to this our 'Links' page.

About The Fishing

Up to 2008, brown trout were our only quarry but since that date grayling have appeared, seem pleased with their new home and are now breeding. Migratory fish, both salmon and sea trout are spotted every year scaling Rossett weir but rarely take time to dwell in our waters.

As a guide an ideal rod would be no longer than 8ft with a floating line of no more than 5 weight. As you will not be casting far it may be either double taper or weight forward. Couple this with a 9ft tapered leader with a few feet of 2 - 3lb tippet on the point and you are ready to fish.

river scene

The Alyn fishes well to a well presented dry fly. The preferred method early season is an imitation Large Dark Olive size 14; this will take many fish, while later on many small CDC flies will see you through. Wet fly fishers will always do well with small nymph patterns fished up stream. Our river is not that suited to downstream fishing as we have few long runs to work down, though as a club we are not dogmatic. You will require a pair of waders to fish the river, thigh waders will give access to most areas, but be careful after the winter floods, deep hole appear where there were none the previous season. A wading staff could help and prevent an 'early bath'.