Welcome to the Torridge Rivers Association Website
Here you will find information about the Association and fishing on the River Torridge.
Made famous by Henry Williamson’s “Tarka the Otter” the River Torridge meanders gently through glorious Devon countryside. It was Bernard Venables who wrote: “The Torridge has a beauty of a special Devon kind, to enchant and still a troubled mind. In its deep valley, under the tree hung crests, there is a seclusion as gently rurally perfect as is to be found in England”.
Additionally, in his contribution to the anthology “West Country Fly Fishing” Ted Hughs wrote: “The Taw and the Torridge, taken together, have been regarded historically as the most important fishery in the county, in 1954 accounting for one-third of all salmon landed in the South West Water Authority area.”
A little about the River
The River Torridge rises near Hartland and flows in a huge horseshoe before reaching the estuary, shared with the River Taw, at Appledore. The main tributary, the Okement, flows down from Dartmoor joining the main river below Hatherleigh. For most of the time, the river runs clear but being a spate river, it responds quickly to heavy rainfall, rising quickly and becoming a muddy brown colour.
The river is famous for its Salmon and Sea Trout, but Brown Trout are plentiful and provide excellent fishing, particularly in the upper reaches.
