River · Mixed · West Country / Devon

The Arundell Arms Hotel & Fishery

A small, clear West Country river flanked by trees and daffodils, with a stone farmhouse visible beyond the bank.

Historic coaching inn and country sports hotel in Lifton, Devon.

Poor · Brown Trout
Pheasant Tail Nymph · 14-16
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.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.15 mLast reading 16h ago
  • Water temp23.2°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail Nymph14-16
Upstream, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.15 m
Last reading 16h ago
Water temp23.2°C
ClarityClear
Weather25°C
WindN 10 km/h
Pressure1021 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 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
23°C est.ideal 10–16°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 23.2°C. This is the line where catch-and-release kills brown trout. Do not fish for them today.
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 · 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
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box

Spider-heavy and practical. Strong tradition of North Country soft hackles, useful nymphing, and simple dry flies when fish rise properly.

What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 23°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 2
  1. A small, clear West Country river flanked by trees and daffodils, with a stone farmhouse visible beyond the bank.
    River Lyd at Sydenham
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Historic coaching inn and country sports hotel in Lifton, Devon. Offers 22 miles of private fly fishing across the Tamar and five tributaries (Tavy, Walkham, Lumburn, Ottery, Thrushel), plus a private gin-clear trout lake (90 ft deep, 750m from hotel, £45 day ticket). Wild brown trout throughout, with salmon (spring and grilse) and sea trout runs. Hotel fishing breaks and day tickets available. 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.

Sea trout here

Summer-autumn runs (June–September), nocturnal peak season pattern

  • Mixed
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 2 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature1 × 28%0.3
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time65 × 13%8.5
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity45 × 12%5.4
Limiting factor: Water temperature (23.2°C) is outside Brown Trout's preferred range (10–16°C)= 55
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.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 February → 31 October
  • Trout 1 April → 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 Tamar system (Arundell Arms beats) is at risk; salmon are now scarce on these waters.

Related guides
Trout Near Londonaccess guideEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
Clubs & associations