i64 SOUTH COUNTRY TROUT STREAMS 



Bottom, on Dartmoor, and, after a course of five 

 miles or so, joins the West Okement jnst below 

 Okehampton. The higher waters of the Okement 

 are now very little fished, owing to the Artillery 

 practice on Dartmoor, which is dangerous except 

 to those who happen to know exactly at what 

 ranee the shootino- is bein^ carried on. Below the 

 town the Okement is much wooded, and it is 

 necessar}^ to wade — and to wade carefully, as the 

 stream is inclined to be treacherous. Fish are 

 very plentiful on the moor above Okehampton, 

 but small, running from ten to twelve to the 

 pound. Baskets of from four to eight dozen of 

 these troutlets are made by good anglers when the 

 water is more or less copper-coloured. Below 

 Okehampton the average is about five to the 

 pouhd, and trout of i lb. and of over 2 lbs. have 

 occasionally been taken in this water. There is no 

 better fly than a blue upright the season through, 

 and when the water is coloured, a fly with plenty 

 of tinsel, gold or silver twist, is often found 

 killing. Some of the local anglers fish with worm, 

 and in the evenings with cheese ! The stream is 

 ordinarily very clear and rapid, with rocky pools 

 here and there. Between Okehampton and the 

 Torridge the Okement flows through meadow land. 

 Tickets for angling in the stream can be obtained 

 from the White Hart Hotel in the town. 



The Taw has its source at Tawhead on Dart- 

 moor, and flows north-east for about the first half 

 The of its course, when it turns north-west, and 

 Taw flows in that direction to Barnstaple Bay. 

 It flows by Belston, on the edge of Dartmoor, 

 South Tawton, North Tawton, Eggesford, South 

 Molton Road Station, Umberleigh, and Bishop's 



