River · Mixed · West Country / Devon, GB-ENG

The Arundell Arms Hotel & Fishery

A small, clear West Country river flanked by trees and daffodils, with a stone farmhouse visible beyond the bank.

Historic coaching inn and country sports hotel in Lifton, Devon.

Marginal · Brown Trout
Pheasant Tail Nymph · 14-16
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
River temperature is the limiting factor today, not the flow. Fish dawn or dusk if you go at all, and handle everything with extra care.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.46 mDropping in the last 6h
  • Water temp18.0°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail Nymph14-16
Upstream, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.46 m
Dropping in the last 6h
Water temp18.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather16°C
WindN 22 km/h
Pressure1018 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.8 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
18°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 18°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 8 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box

Shrimp fly theme — fished swing, wet_fly_swing

What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 18°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 2
  1. A small, clear West Country river flanked by trees and daffodils, with a stone farmhouse visible beyond the bank.
    River Lyd at Sydenham
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Historic coaching inn and country sports hotel in Lifton, Devon. Offers 22 miles of private fly fishing across the Tamar and five tributaries (Tavy, Walkham, Lumburn, Ottery, Thrushel), plus a private gin-clear trout lake (90 ft deep, 750m from hotel, £45 day ticket). Wild brown trout throughout, with salmon (spring and grilse) and sea trout runs. Hotel fishing breaks and day tickets available. Atlantic salmon are assessed by the Environment Agency against each river's Conservation Limit — many principal rivers are classed 'at risk' with mandatory catch-and-release byelaws; check current rules before fishing.

Sea trout here

Summer-autumn runs (June–September), nocturnal peak season pattern

  • Mixed
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 40 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature56 × 28%15.7
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity59 × 12%7.1
Conditions total= 70
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 February → 31 October
  • Trout 1 April → 30 September

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Salmon: Negligible (2026) — EA 2024 Salmon Stocks Assessment classifies this river 'at risk' — egg deposition below Conservation Limit. Conservation priority; not a salmon fishing destination. The Tamar system (Arundell Arms beats) is at risk; salmon are now scarce on these waters.

Related guides
Trout Near Londonaccess guideEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
Clubs & associations