The waters of the river Exe are a firm favourite amongst anglers and are renowned especially for their salmon and trout. The Anchor Inn owns the fishing rights to the stretch of river alongside the gardens and we welcome all responsible anglers. Guests who are staying overnight with us can fish for free and will awaken just a stone's throw from the river, a great way to start a day's angling. Non-resident patrons can purchase a day-pass for £10 to £20.
We would like to remind anglers that a current Environment Agency rod fishing licence is required to fish for salmon and trout in all English waters and bye-laws are in place to protect salmon and trout stocks. Anyone who is unsure about current bye-laws should familiarise themselves via the Environment Agency but a brief summary is given below:
- Catch and release for salmon is mandatory prior to June 16th.
- Fly and spinner only.
- Worm and maggot baits prohibited at all times.
- Brown trout under 8" must be returned.
- All rainbow trout caught in the river to be killed.
- Please abide by the River Exe & Tributaries Association (RETA) voluntary guide lines:
- At least 66% of all salmon caught to be released (ie. put two out of three back).
- No more than one salmon over 27" (ie 8lb) to be killed per season.
- All salmon over 27" (ie 8lb) to be returned after 16th August.
- All coloured salmon to be returned. More details can be found at http://www.fishtheexe.co.uk/rulesandregs.php.
- For enquiries for fishing in the locality, game and course, contact Lance Nicholson Fishing & Guns, Dulverton ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).
This list should not be considered exhaustive and in addition to the active bye-laws we must insist that all coloured salmon are returned.
For more detailed information, expert advice and tuition visit www.johndawson.co.uk and www.sswgameangling.co.uk
Fishing seasons for the river Exe are as follows:
- Salmon: 14th February to 30th September.
- Sea trout: 15th March to 30th September.
- Brown trout: 15th March to 30th September.
- Grayling: 16th June to 14th March.
