Spate · Mixed · Devon / Cornwall border

River Tamar

The Tamar divides Cornwall from Devon along almost its entire length and remains, despite stock decline, the largest salmon river of the south-west.

Species

A good day — worth the effort

River lifting fast on the rain. Fish are running. Cover the seams as the colour comes in.

45% confidence — limited data
Water temperature for sea trout
Cool — slow
8°C est.ideal 8–15°C
0°14°28°
Why this score · for sea trout
  • Temperature9128% weight
  • Flow5522% weight
  • Clarity4518% weight
  • Feeding Time9513% weight
  • Pressure857% weight
  • Insect activity1812% weight
Conditions
Level
0.32 m
Water temp
7.7°C
Estimated
Clarity
Very coloured
Colouring up
Air temp
11°C
Wind
N 11 km/h
Light breeze
Pressure
1023 hPa
Rain · 48h
0.0 mm
No meaningful rain
Rain · ahead
0.0 mm
No meaningful rain · next 48h

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

How to fish it · for sea trout
When
From dusk into the first half of the night.
Where
Deeper pools and slower glides · hold water and current seams.
Method
Fish dark patterns on a sink-tip or lightly sunk line, especially near structure.
Kit
10 ft #6/7 rod, floating line with a sink-tip option, 8–10 lb fluoro tippet for the swing.
Why this works
Good — time of day is working for you, but insect activity is the limiting factor today. ⏰ Sea trout become most active after dark, but this stretch closes at 21:02 — before that window fully opens. Fish hard in the last legal hour: overcast skies and warm evenings can bring fish on early even in fading light.
Through the year
0–3 scale · May highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2
Yellow SallyHatch
2
3
2

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

Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
About this water

The Tamar divides Cornwall from Devon along almost its entire length and remains, despite stock decline, the largest salmon river of the south-west. The lower beats around Endsleigh sit on slow, wooded water below Greystone Bridge — long the centre of Tamar salmon fishing. The middle river runs through farmland past Launceston; the upper Tamar above Holsworthy is small and intimate wild trout water, more tributary than salmon river. The Gunnislake fish counter has documented the long decline of the run since the 1980s. Sea trout fishing on the middle and lower river from mid-June is among the best in the south-west; salmon are fished strictly catch-and-release, and the autumn beats — when there is water in them — give the most consistent sport.

  • Mixed
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon1 March → 14 October
  • Trout15 March → 30 September

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Salmon: Negligible (2026) — EA 2024 Salmon Stocks Assessment classifies the Tamar 'at risk' — egg deposition below Conservation Limit, mandatory C&R. The Gunnislake fish counter has charted a long-term decline since the 1980s. The river still produces salmon every season, with autumn runs more reliable than spring fish; the sea trout (peal) run is the more dependable draw on the middle and lower beats.

Other water nearby · 5