We have two full-time highly qualified instructors, David Pilkington and Tim Smith.

You will find one or both of them in the Rod Room ­ the ancient former cock-fighting pit in the hotel garden ­ every morning at nine o¹clock and they are also available every evening at 6.30 p.m. They issue Environment Agency licences, beat-books, maps of the salmon pools, and give freely of their advice on tactics, flies and water conditions. If you do not have your own tackle you can hire everything you need from them, including thigh (hip) waders. We also have a well-stocked tackle shop with the latest fishing equipment and a good selection of local flies. If you fall in or get drenched we have a very efficient drying room.

Tuition and Ghillieing

Over the past 60 years thousands of men and women, boys and girls have learned to fish at the Arundell Arms. It is a long tradition of the hotel and one that gives us particular pleasure. Each year we run a number of beginners¹ fly-fishing courses on river and still water. We also run refresher and advanced courses, give individual tuition and teach Spey casting. (Please ask for separate booklet). It is best to book individual tuition and ghillies in advance at the Arundell Arms.

Rules and regulations

All fish taken belong to the fisherman but weight and numbers must be recorded at the hotel. Fly fishing only for trout and sea trout, wet or dry, but spinning for salmon is allowed on the Tamar.

We regret that dogs are NOT allowed on the rivers.

Our Rivers ­ Catch Limits

All the fish in our rivers are wild. In order to conserve salmon stocks which have been under increasing pressure over recent years, there will be no netting in the Tamar estuary from 2004 for at least ten years and anglers are committed to releasing 70% of rod caught fish. i.e. the first fish can be kept and the next two released. Also all coloured fish and fish over 10 pounds caught after September 1st must be released and there is a current national bye-law requiring that all salmon caught before the 16th June be returned unharmed to the river.

For sea trout and brown trout we have a bag limit of 4 fish per rod per day and an 8² lower size limit for brownies.

Fishing may continue after the bag limit has been attained, but we ask that you return the fish unharmed to the river. We encourage catch and release fishing with barbless hooks.

Tinhay Lake
Limit 4 trout, brown or rainbow. Fishing may continue after the bag limit is reached providing all subsequent fish are carefully returned with the minimum of handling.

Parking and access

Please park your car where you are asked to in the beat-book and make sure tractors and farm machinery can get past. Please close all gates and walk down to the river alongside the hedges and not across the fields. Do not pick blackberries, mushrooms, wild flowers, or walk through crops, picnic in fields away from the river or leave rubbish anywhere. We depend on the goodwill of the farmers for access to our beats. Please make a point of not leaving lengths of nylon anywhere in the open as birds get tangled in it and die.

Transport

You can walk to a few nearby beats but for most of them you need a car. We can sometimes provide transport, or we can organise a self-drive car for you.

Packed lunches are ordered on the form provided in the dining room on the previous evening or at breakfast. If you want to fish late in the evening, please let us know if you would like us to leave a cold supper for you (dinner ends at 9.30 pm).

Other fishing

When lowland rivers are in spate the River Dart high on the moors may be clear. We can issue permits at the hotel. Reservoir fishermen will find excellent brown trout fishing, from bank or boat, at nearby Roadford Lake and there are many Oput and take¹ fisheries in the region.

Our fishing records

The Arundell Arms has been a fishing hotel for 70 years and during that time has built up a great reputation. Major Oscar Morris owned the hotel from 1933 until his death in 1958 and his family then carried it on. Colonel Patten-Thomas supervised the fishing from 1946 to 1966. Anne and Gerald Fox-Edwards bought the hotel in 1961. Anne (now Voss-Bark) is the present owner.