Spate · Mixed · Somerset

River Tone

River Tone terrain map
Terrain map

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.

Good · Brown Trout
CDC Emerger · 14-18
Goodlive now
A proper day on the water
River steady at a fishable height. A proper day for it. Work the seams with an upstream nymph, switch to the dry when they show.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.81 mDropping in the last 6h
  • Water temp17.8°C
  • ClarityClear
Today’s fly
CDC Emerger
CDC Emerger14-18
Upstream dry, in the film
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.81 m
Dropping in the last 6h
Water temp17.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather16°C
WindNE 24 km/h
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.2 mm

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

Water temperature for brown trout
Warm — slow
18°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
Good — water clarity is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 6 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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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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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
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
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
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 74 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature60 × 28%16.8
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity51 × 12%6.1
Conditions total= 74
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
  • Trout15 March → 30 September
Related guides
Booking & contacts