Fishing in Exmoor National Park

Exmoor sits where the high moorland of Somerset and Devon meets the Bristol Channel, and its rivers reflect that geography: short, steep, and fast-draining.

The streams cut deep combes off the plateau and run clear over bedstone and gravel, carrying the kind of cold, well-oxygenated water that suits wild brown trout and, when conditions allow, sea trout and salmon pushing in from the coast.

The rivers are the fishing here. The Exe and the Barle are the two main stems — the Barle joining the Exe near Dulverton after draining much of the southern moor. Both hold wild brown trout and see runs of salmon and sea trout when there is sufficient water.

The East Lyn drains the northern moor toward Lynmouth and is another permit water worth attention.

Permit fishing is available on the East Lyn, the Barle, and the Exe, along with a number of pools and reservoirs; check with local providers for current access arrangements.

On the Barle, Tarr Farm Inn now provides day-ticket access to a stretch running from the Tarr Steps clapper bridge upstream — a useful option on a river where getting on the water has not always been straightforward.

The beats are often strictly controlled, and the fishing is as much about reading small, technical water as it is about numbers. Pocket water, runs between boulders, and the tails of pools all come into play on rivers this size.

The fish are wild and not large by lowland standards — a 12-inch brown trout from the Barle is a solid fish — but they are hard-won and in good condition.

Beyond the rivers, the Exmoor coastline produces bass, cod, whiting, conger, and skate from beaches and rocky headlands.

That fishing is free to access, though the tidal range here is significant and some marks become dangerous quickly — always check tide times before committing to a rocky ledge. The water quality on Exmoor is genuinely good, and that matters.

These are headwater systems in a protected landscape, and the fishing depends on keeping them that way.