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.

Tomorrow · Closed season
Elk Hair Caddis
Forecast · Tomorrow
Closed season
Out of season. Try elsewhere.
45% projected
Today's fly
Elk Hair Caddis
Elk Hair Caddis
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.22 m
Lifting fast
Water temp11.8°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather11°C
WindN 37 km/h
Pressure1003 hPa
Rain · recent26.2 mm
Rain · ahead0.7 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
Ideal
12°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.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 6pm

12pm(now) — Iron Blue

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 31%
Also:Autumn Needle Fly28%
Weather boost5 food groups active

Peak activity at 6pm — Caperer (Caperer, 5 food groups active)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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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 · October 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 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity75 × 18%13.5
Feeding Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity74 × 12%8.9
Conditions total= 81
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 15 March → 30 September
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts