Spate · Mixed · Devon / Cornwall border

River Tamar

Photo of River Tamar
Contributor photo

River Tamar

Roger Cornfoot / Wikimedia Commons

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

Poor · Brown Trout
CDC Emerger · 14-18
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
River temperature is the limiting factor today, not the flow. This is not the day to push it. Check the thermal advice above before you head out.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.14 mLast reading 12h ago
  • Water temp21.7°C
  • ClarityClear
Today’s fly
CDC Emerger
CDC Emerger14-18
Upstream dry, in the film
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.14 m
Last reading 12h ago
Water temp21.7°C
ClarityClear
Weather24°C
WindSE 15 km/h
Pressure1018 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

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

Water temperature for brown trout
Warm — slow
22°C est.ideal 1016°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 21.7°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots. Otherwise very poor — water clarity is in the right range.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalModerate confidence

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

Through the year
0–3 scale · July 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
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
BB
Black Beetle
14-18 · Pattern
Upstream dry, on top
Beats · 3
Arundell Arms water — Tamar & tributariesAccess varies
The Arundell at Lifton holds many miles of private fishing across the Tamar and its tributaries (Lyd, Thrushel, Wolf, Ottery, Lew), the classic hotel-water base for the system.
Endsleigh water — Hotel Endsleigh / Endsleigh Fishing ClubAccess varies
Hotel Endsleigh, through the historic Endsleigh Fishing Club, offers guests around eight miles of bank on the Tamar for fly-fishing salmon and sea trout — among the better-known salmon water in England, though the run is now autumn-weighted and conservation-sensitive.
Westcountry Angling Passport beatsAccess varies
Sections of the Tamar system are open through the Westcountry Angling Passport (via the FishPass app) — the simplest no-booking visitor route.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 1
Water here around 22°C — probably warm enough to stress brown trout. These are likely cooler.
Gallery · 2
  1. Photo of River Tamar
    River Tamar
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
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. 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.

  • Mixed
The full read · show the working · for brown trout · confidence 80%
How the 16 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature8 × 28%2.2
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity56 × 12%6.7
Limiting factor: Water temperature (21.7°C) is outside Brown Trout's preferred range (10–16°C)= 60
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.
Directions
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.

Related guides
Booking & contacts