Spate · Mixed · Somerset, GB-ENG

River Tone

River Tone venue image

The Tone rises on the Brendon Hills above Wellington and runs through Taunton and the Somerset Levels to its junction with the Parrett near Burrow Bridge.

Prime · Brown Trout
Gold-ribbed Hare's Ear · 10-14
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
Low and clear — careful approach country. Take your time — read the water before you cast.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.13 mLast reading 3h ago
  • Water temp16.2°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Gold-ribbed Hare's Ear
Gold-ribbed Hare's Ear10-14
Upstream, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.13 m
Last reading 3h ago
Water temp16.2°C
ClarityClear
Weather14°C
WindSW 17 km/h
Pressure1007 hPa
Rain · recent14.2 mm
Rain · ahead20.3 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
16°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
Excellent — water clarity is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 12 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

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
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Heather FlyHatch
2
2
Autumn DunHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box

A small Brendon Hills wild-brown fishery on the upper river above Wellington — a handy Somerset alternative when Exmoor's too far a drive. The lower river turns coarse.

What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Tone rises on the Brendon Hills above Wellington and runs through Taunton and the Somerset Levels to its junction with the Parrett near Burrow Bridge. The fly fishing is on the upper river above Wellington — modest wild brown trout water on Brendon Hills sandstone, with the kind of small-stream character that suits a quiet morning rather than a destination day. Below Taunton the river is dominated by coarse species and the slow, navigable lowland water of the Levels; fly fishing there is a niche. The upper Tone is worth knowing about for Somerset-based anglers who want a small wild-trout option without driving to Exmoor.

  • Mixed
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 83 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature93 × 28%26.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity59 × 12%7.1
Conditions total= 82
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 15 March30 September
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts