The River Parrett is a storied waterway winding through the counties of Dorset and Somerset in South West England, originating from a series of springs near the village of Chedington in Dorset. From these headwater springs, the river travels northwest through Somerset, threading through fields, villages, and the expansive Somerset Levels before ultimately emptying into Bridgwater Bay — a nature reserve on the Bristol Channel — near Burnham-on-Sea. Together with its tributaries, the Parrett drains roughly 660 square miles (1,700 km²), encompassing approximately half of Somerset's total land area and supporting a population of around 300,000. The river's character transforms dramatically along its course: beginning as a modest spring-fed trickle in the Dorset hills, it gradually widens and deepens as it absorbs the waters of the River Isle, River Yeo, and River Tone, becoming a broad, meandering lowland river by the time it reaches Bridgwater and the tidal estuary beyond. This diversity of habitat — from intimate upper reaches to expansive tidal waters — makes the Parrett a genuinely varied fishery with something to offer anglers across a wide range of disciplines.