As the dry weather continued, the river levels continued to drop reaching mid-summer levels, while the water temperatures continued to rise. We eased back on the fishing in the second week as we felt the fish might be a bit stressed. We were finding them in the fast, oxygenated water and down in the bottom of the deeper pools.
Then on April 16th after an intense downpour we had a spate giving a rise of 1.2m. This was followed by another 60cm on the 19th and another 12cm or so on the 23rd.
We threw a quick line in for salmon just ahead of the second rise and started fishing again on the 22nd, swinging salmon and sea trout flies over the next few days.
No salmon, but we picked up a few browns on the bigger flies, and started fishing trout flies again in the last few days of the month. The cold water from the rains and the lower outside temperatures however affected the hatches and catches were low. It wasn’t until the last day or two of April that temperatures started to climb and water clarity improved enough to start seeing fish again.
April Flies & Fishing
There’s no doubt that the Pheasant Tail Nymph was the most productive fly for the first 2 weeks of the month, accounting for about 80% of the fish caught. In our new Tom vs Matt series of articles, General Manager Tom Butt and owner Matthew Lane each choose five flies a month in a light hearted competition, and talk about their different set ups, favourite pools and styles of fishing. Fortunately we both had a PTN in our April Flies selections, and the fly worked well for guests too. The fly proved very successful and remarkably robust as can be seen in the before and after pictures following an intense hour or so, accounting for 14 fish and multiple takes and bites, before being retired.
The other notable fly for the first two weeks was the Partridge & Hare Spider pattern that did well in March. A few fish on the GRHE and fewer on dries.
Between the spates we had a look for salmon and sea trout. We fished flies like Cascades, Ally’s Shrimp and a variety of larger flies in red, yellow, orange and black. We also fished seatrout flies including Stoat Tails, WMD and a number of smaller black flies featuring blues and yellows. Tom did get into a sea trout down on the Bridge Reeve beat for a moment or two but lost it after a couple of leaps. We do quite often pick up aggressive brown trout taking flies up to half their size, like the one shown below, who took this 3″ salmon fly.
Following the spates, the water was noticeably colder and a downturn in the weather affected the hatches. We had the odd fish here and there, but the fishing was challenging.
During the final days of April, the river levels have continued to drop, clarity is improving and the warmer weather is bringing the water temperatures back up. Each day is seeing more insect activity and the returns are going up by one or two each day.
No particular fly has come to the forefront, and while the occasional fly is caught on a PTN, its not performing anywhere like it did for the first half of the month. Dry flies are continuing to improve every day and overall, the dominant performing colour is arguably olive.
In total, we released 138 brown trout on the Taw and have have some absolutely amazing days out on the river catching them. Throughout the month we’ve watched the riverside blossom and bloom, enjoyed the antics of the beavers and otters and watched the myriad birds building nests and doing their own spot of fishing! As we head into May, conditions are looking to be just about perfect and we’re looking forward to some lovely days ahead.
April Fly Fishing Gallery
Related Posts
River Taw, Devon – May Fishing Report
Fly fishing report for May 2026 at The Fox & Hounds, Devon
Devon Rivers Spring Fly Box
Local anglers share their favourite flies for early spring fishing
Early Season River Fly Fishing in Devon
Fly fishing for wild brown trout is open!
