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THE FOX AND HOUNDS COUNTRY HOTEL

Fishing Terms & Conditions

Fishing T&Cs and Safety

Terms and Conditions

Permission to fish identified beats on the River Taw and River Torridge is granted by The Fox and Hounds Country Hotel to named individuals on behalf of the hotel under the terms and conditions below. If you do not agree to these conditions, you must not fish. In many cases, fishing rights are owned by separate parties and the land is owned by another party. To ensure the rights of all stakeholders are protected, please adhere to the following rules.

  1. Only the person named on the Fishing Ticket(s) issued by the hotel is permitted to fish, on the day(s) and beat(s) identified.
  2. Anglers fish at their own risk. Neither the hotel, landowner or holder of the fishing rights can be held accountable for any accident or injury, including death, sustained while fishing or while on beat property.
  3. Anglers must read and sign the “Personal Injury Waiver and Release of Liability” form before commencing fishing.
  4. Anglers must keep to the identified pathways (normally within 10 feet of the river) to avoid accidental trespass on landowner property. Follow the Countryside Code.
  5. Dogs are not permitted to accompany anglers on any beat.
  6. All fishing bylaws must be adhered to at all times (see below).
  7. Anglers must carry a valid Rod Licence while fishing.
  8. Anglers must comply with requests by fishing bailiffs, landowners and hotel staff.
  9. Catch returns, including Null Returns should be submitted daily.
  10. Anglers must use best practice when playing, landing, handling and releasing fish.
  11. Failure to comply with the stated terms may result in the withdrawal of permission to fish.
Full Day fishing if officially from 15:00 on the day of arrival to 15:00 on the day of departure. If there are no anglers on the beat on the day of arrival, you may fish from noon or time of arrival. If there are no anglers booked on the day of departure, you may fish until 17:00.

Half Day fishing (AM) is any contiguous 6 hours until 14:00 . Half Day fishing (PM) is any contiguous 6 hours from 15:00 and before midnight.

Booking & Cancellation

Fishing beats can be booked by guests of the hotel either as part of a fishing package or added to any stay. When adding booking to a stay, fishing may be booked for a full or half day. We regret that fishing is not generally available to anyone not staying as a guest of the hotel. 

When booking a beat, you may select a named beat if known, or your booking may be marked TBD and the specific beat decided closer to the time, in accordance with your needs and availability. When there are multiple anglers fishing on the same days, we will attempt to distribute beats fairly and equally for all anglers, and it may be that we are unable to assign the same beat to an angler every day.

All beats and fishing are subject to availability.

Once a beat (either named or TBD) is booked in your name, it will not be assigned to another party, and you are responsible for the associated fees, which will be due on checkout, whether you fish or not, unless you or the hotel cancel the fishing.

CANCELLATION

Fishing can be cancelled up to 48 hours before commencement of fishing. Please call or email the hotel to cancel your fishing. For cancellation purposes, the official fishing start time for full days and for afternoon/evening half days is 15:00. The official fishing start time for half day mornings is 06:00.  For cancellations inside the 48 hour period, no-show or non-fishing, the guest will be responsible for the fees associated with the booking.

In the event of cancellation by the hotel, no fees shall be due, and we will endeavour to contact any guests who may be affected a minimum of 48 hours in advance. Guests who have booked directly with the hotel will also be able to cancel accommodation, if desired. Bookings through other channels may be subject to cancellation policies of the channel partner.

Closure of Fishing

The Taw is a spate river and subject to rainfall in the area. From time to time it may be necessary to suspend fishing. This may be due to low water levels and high water temperatures, which can be injurious to fish; high water and/or poor water visibility; or other conditions that make fishing dangerous to anglers or fish.

 Closure of fishing is deemed Cancellation by the Hotel and will not be charged. All efforts will be made to contact guests 48 hours in advance of Cancellation by the Hotel, but in the event of unexpected heavy downfall, this may not be possible.

For the avoidance of doubt, conditions where the water levels at Newnham Bridge are below 0.85m and water visibility is at least 0.25m , we will consider the water ‘fishable’ and cancellation responsibility would fall to the guest.

Safety Information

The beats on the River Taw and River Torridge undergo minimal maintenance to preserve the nature of the river. The beats include high river banks, makeshift steps and ladders, changing water levels and debris, both visible and under the water. These factors can present serious danger to the angler and each angler must assess the risk and act accordingly. Please adhere to the following guidelines:

  1. Assess all conditions and risks, including water levels, terrain and assistance devices, such as ladders, and if uncertain, do not proceed.
  2. Take care while wading and proceed with caution as water depth can change quickly and underwater hazards may not be apparent.
  3. Wear suitable wading gear and footwear.
  4. Wear a buoyancy device and use a wading stick.
  5. Let a responsible party know your estimated time of departure and return.
  6. Be aware of relevant safety-related contact numbers, as well as the hotel telephone (01769 580345).

River Taw Byelaws

Please note that the Fox & Hounds has additional rules (see below) that supersede River Taw Byelaws

SEASONS

  • Salmon – 1st March to 30th September
  • Sea Trout – 15th March to 30th September
  • Brown Trout – 15th March to 30th September
METHODS

Fly fishing is permitted all season. Spinning permitted until 31 March, but no other method or bait fishing permitted. No rod-caught salmon or sea trout to be sold or offered for sale.

LIMITS

 No salmon to be retained before 16th June. No salmon greater than 70cm in length to be retained after 31 July. Salmon bag limits are two fish in any 24 hour period or three fish in any seven day period and a total of ten fish in a season.
 
Sea Trout are limited to five fish in any 24 hour period, fifteen fish in any seven day period and a total of forty fish in a season. Size limit is 25cm

Brown Trout size limit 20cm.

GOOD PRACTICE GUIDE

The above bag limits should not be regarded as targets and Taw fishermen are encouraged to operate as far within these limits as they can. RTFA supports “catch and release” especially for larger fish, the important broodstock of the future. This includes all sea trout over 5lbs. At present on the Taw over 66% of salmon are returned and the Association is keen that this level should be maintained or increased. Sustaining stocks is key to the future.
 
RTFA has a continuing commitment to restoring fish abundance on the Taw system. Jointly with the Torridge Association they have arranged the buy-out of eleven of the fourteen estuary netsmen and in conjunction with the Westcountry Rivers Trust and the Environment Agency are implementing plans for improving habitat and enhancing access over weirs for all fish in the Taw system.

Fox & Hounds Additional Requirements

Please note that the following rules supersede the River Taw Byelaws:

  1. Barbless hooks only
  2. No retention of any fish on Hotel waters

The Fox & Hounds does not permit the retention of any fish on its beats. All fish must be returned. Only barbless hooks are permitted. Barbed hooks should be crimped before use. Wherever possible, caught fish should be unhooked in or over the water and anglers should minimise handling while unhooking or photographing fish. 

Closed for Private Function

Please note that the hotel and restaurant are closed today (Saturday 8 June) for a private function. 

We will be open to the public tomorrow as usual and apologise for any inconvenience. 

The Fox & Hounds Team

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Thank you

Thank you for your enquiry.

A member of the Fox & Hounds team will get in touch with you shortly and will be happy to discuss your requirements and answer any question you may have. 

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Thank you for applying to join Friends of the Fox & Hounds. A member of the team will review your application and once complete, will issue you with a membership number that you can use to take advantage of special member-only offers.  In the meantime, detailed information about the program, including Terms & Conditions can be found here.