Spate · Granite · Devon, GB-ENG

River Dart

Photo of River Dart
Good · Sea Trout
Black & Silver Tube · 1-2 inch
Goodlive now
A good day — worth the effort
River dropping into shape after a lift. A taking window. Cover the heads and tails methodically.
75% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.35 mLifting fast
  • Water temp15.6°C
  • ClarityUnfishableColouring up
Today's fly
BS
Black & Silver Tube1-2 inch
In deep pools and dark water, silhouette and contrast do the work colour cannot. A fly that reads as black against depth is enough. Fish it broadside, hold the swing, let it hang at the dangle — that is when the best fish take.
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.35 m
Lifting fast
Water temp15.6°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather15°C
WindN 31 km/h
Pressure1011 hPa
Rain · recent10.8 mm
Rain · ahead0.3 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Sea Trout
Warm — slow
16°C est.ideal 8–15°C
0°14°28°
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 — water clarity is right today, though time of day could be better.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6h

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 12 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

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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 · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
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
Fly box · Sea Trout
Local classics: Half Stone·Blue Upright·Pheasant Tail Nymph
BS
Black & Silver TubeTop
1-2 inch · Tube
In deep pools and dark water, silhouette and contrast do the work colour cannot. A fly that reads as black against depth is enough. Fish it broadside, hold the swing, let it hang at the dangle — that is when the best fish take.
Medicine Fly
Medicine Fly
8-12 · Streamer
Slim and mobile — fished sunk through the pool when surface work is not producing. Consistently takes fish that will not come to the surface.
SF
Snake Fly (Black)
2-4 inch · Streamer
A mobile eel-like profile that undulates through deep pools — effective when sea trout are lying deep and not responding to conventional wets.
Beats · 2
Dartmoor headwaters — East & West Dart (Duchy water)Access varies
Stretches of the East and West Dart and their tributaries on Dartmoor are open on Duchy of Cornwall permits — the main visitor access on the moor.
Visit official site ↗
Dart Angling Association waterAccess varies
The DAA holds around nine miles of the Dart, a mix of single and double-bank fishing for salmon, sea trout and brown trout.
Visit official site ↗
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. Photo of River Dart
    River Dart — image via Wikipedia (River Dart)
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
Water quality details
  • Dissolved oxygen: High
  • Ammonia (Phys-Chem): High
  • pH: High
  • Phosphate: High
  • Temperature: High

EA (England) · GB108046008350

Why this score · for Sea Trout
  • Temperature5928% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity8518% weight
  • Feeding Time5013% weight
  • Pressure857% weight
  • Insect activity5912% weight
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 March → 30 September
  • Trout 15 March → 30 September

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Salmon: Negligible (2026) — EA 2024 Salmon Stocks Assessment classifies this river 'at risk' — egg deposition below Conservation Limit. Conservation priority; not a salmon fishing destination. The Dart has lost most of its salmon run over the past two decades.

Related guides
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