Devon Trout Fishing

Summer has come early in Lifton and scorching temperatures with no rain to speak of mean that the rivers are currently at a very low level. Insect hatches are gradually picking up and the trout are beginning to come to life. Nymph fishing is currently producing most of the fish (with regular Mike Haines landing 26 to 9in yesterday evening, but dry flies fished in the shaded areas are also worth a cast or two.
Given two or three weeks (and ideally some rain!) we should see the onset of peak trout fishing on our rivers at The Arundell Arms.

West Country Wild Trout Festival 2011

Join us from 20th to 23rd May at The Arundell Arms for the inaugural West Country Wild Trout Festival. Fish the peak of the trout season on the Tamar and tributaries and enjoy casting to free-rising wild brownies in beautiful surroundings. The Arundell Arms has 20 miles of its own water on the Tamar system, meaning that you will have up to a mile of river all to yourself.
During the festival, our resident AAPGAI instructors – David Pilkington and Tim Smith - will be running daily demos and workshops which you may like to attend to help you sharpen up your fishing skills. They will also be on the beats to give help and advice during each afternoon. The festival promises to be great fun and a chance to experience the best of West Country trout fishing on some of the region’s finest wild trout water.

Price: £125 per day (B&B including fishing). £450 for all four days (B&B including fishing). Optional demos and workshops will be from £10 to £25 per person. There will be limited spaces available for non-residents at £28 per day.

To book or for more info...
Tel: 01566 784666
E-mail: reservations@arundellarms.com




Time Table Of Events

Fri 20th May
10.30am to 12.30pm
Demo: Dry fly techniques
A demonstration on dry fly fishing for wild brown trout on rain-fed rivers. Tackle, technique and river craft.
Location: River Thrushel

Sat 21st May
10.30am to 12.30pm
Casting Workshop
A demonstration on casting fundamentals, presentation and drag-free drifts will be followed by individual instruction to help improve your technique.
Location: River Lyd

Sun 22nd May
10.30am to 12.30pm
Demo: Tying Mayflies
How to tie the flies that catch fish. Featuring classic and modern patterns to imitate nymph, dun and spinner.
Location: The Arundell Arms Hotel

Mon 23rd May
10.30am to 12.30pm
Demo: Nymph and Wet fly techniques
Sub-surface fishing on West Country rivers; indicators, the New Zealand method, upstream wet flies and more.
Location: River Tamar

Devon Sea Trout - the first of many?

Congratulations must go to regular Arundell rod Gerald Spiers, who opened the River Tamar sea trout account for 2011. Fishing the lower river on Friday 25th March, Gerald caught the fish in a fast run using a heavy sink tip line and Flaming Pig tube fly. While not a large fish at approximately 1 1/4lb, it was very fresh run indeed and was safely returned to the river. Well done Mr Spiers!
We still have some availability on private beats on the lower river - contact us for details.


Newquay angler Gareth Craze on the Tamar, during an early-season Spey casting lesson.

Tamar Salmon Fishing... is now underway!

Pre-season casting practice on the River Lyd.

The Tamar salmon season started on March 1st. A handful of keen local rods ventured out in the cold under bright, clear skies. Rather unsurprisingly, no fish were landed although the odd kelt was caught. The first Tamar fish usually comes from the lower river during late March or early April. We do have limited availability for fishing on the lower beats, so please call us on 01566 784666 for details.

The trout season starts on Tuesday 15th March, although it is nearly always very tough fishing with the trout still recovering from spawning and - also due to cold water - not yet feeding in earnest. Still, the sun is (currently!) shining and there are worse places to be than on the riverbank...

Let's see what 2011 brings!


When will that first take come...?

Salmon Fishing at Endsleigh

We now have our Endsleigh dates available for 2011. On the lower River Tamar, Endsleigh offers unquestionably the finest salmon fly water on the whole river system. Last season was superb, with an incredible 25 fish landed on one day alone!
We have four weeks available, with two rods per day. Please contact us for more information and for special package deals if taking a whole week.

2011 Endsleigh dates:

Thurs 16th June to Wed 22nd June. £50 per rod/day. £25 sea trout (5pm to midnight)
Thurs 23rd June to Wed 29th June. £50 per rod/day. £25 sea trout (5pm to midnight)
Thurs 30th June to Wed 6th July. £50 per rod/day. Sea trout rods fully booked
Thurs 12th Aug to Wed 17th Aug. £60 per rod/day. £25 sea trout (5pm to midnight)

Westcountry Sea Trout Festival 2011

Click on the picture for more information. Further details coming soon...