Stillwater · Mixed · South West / Devon

Blakewell Trout Farm and Smokery

Blakewell Trout Farm and Smokery venue image

5-acre spring-fed stillwater fly fishery at Muddiford near Barnstaple, fed by clear Exmoor spring water and stocked from the on-site trout farm with rainbow and brown trout.

Good · Rainbow
Buzzer · 12-14
Goodlive now
Good summer conditions for Blakewell Trout Farm and Smokery
Useful ripple, fishable wave. Fishable ripple — drift the productive shore.
65% confidence
What moved it
  • WindN 7 km/hLight breeze
Today's fly
Buzzer
Buzzer12-14
Washing-line, in the film
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Light breeze
N 7 km/h
N
N
from the north
WaveRipple
Water temp
Air temp16°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

How to fish it · for Rainbow
When
Current conditions suit Blakewell Trout Farm and Smokery well for summer tactics. The ripple should help fish move and feed more confidently.
Where
Start with Booby (8-10) on a fast strip on floating line or static on sinking. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely. When no hatch is visible, a buzzer team — black stripped quill on the point, attractor or pearl-rib on the top dropper — is the default starting point on any UK stillwater.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Booby (8-10) on a fast strip on floating line or static on sinking. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely. When no hatch is visible, a buzzer team — black stripped quill on the point, attractor or pearl-rib on the top dropper — is the default starting point on any UK stillwater.

Plan B

Fish early and late, try deeper during the heat of the day with a fast-sinking line.

Watch for

Evening tends to be the best period in summer — stay late if you can for a sedge or spinner fall.

Bank

Bank fishing near inflows, dam walls, and weed beds. Move to find feeding fish.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

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Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
1
Daphnia SwarmHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
Lake OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
Silverhorns & LonghornsHatch
1
2
2
2
1

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

Ranked for today
Rainbow fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
85%
Cloud50%
Wind100%
Temp100%

Conditions are ideal for Blakewell Trout Farm and Smokery — wind, cloud and temperature all line up.

Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

5-acre spring-fed stillwater fly fishery at Muddiford near Barnstaple, fed by clear Exmoor spring water and stocked from the on-site trout farm with rainbow and brown trout. Premier North Devon trout venue with smokehouse, tuition, campsite and cabins.

  • Fishery
  • Mixed
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • Temperature (cool) is in the sweet spot for summer fishing.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 April30 September
Related guides
Booking & contacts