Teign Angling & Conservation Association

The Dartmoor Fly Fishing Survival Guide - Part 3 — TACA Things have been fairly serious around here of late. Catchment resilience, woodland strategy, peat restoration… all important, all necessary. But every once in a while, you can’t live on policy and h...

🎣 A disturbance in the Force…

Dry fly or Nymph? Jedi or Sith? In The Dartmoor Fly-Fishing Survival Guide – Part 3 we borrow the Star Wars universe to take a fun look at settling fly fishing’s oldest debate.

Choose your side 👇
www.thetaca.com/news/the-dar...

#FlyFishing #Dartmoor

Fly Fishing Film Tour 2026 — TACA 20th Anniversary Tour Comes to Chagford Last year, we dipped our metaphorical toe in the water. This year, we’re in full waders and have officially gone in face-first! The Fly Fishing Film Tour (F...

🎬🎣 The Fly Fishing Film Tour 2026 is officially coming to Devon as part of the UK tour! And we’re hosting it right here in Chagford. From global stage to a local pub. Not bad for a Teign catchment crew...
👉 www.thetaca.com/news/fly-fis...

#F3T #Devon #FlyFishing

Completing work on the Heltor Brook — TACA There’s something satisfying about going back to a place to finish what we started. Not to admire it. Not to tick a box. But to keep shaping it. Recently, alongside our partners at the National Trust...

🌊 We’ve finished our restoration works on the Heltor Brook with the @nationaltrust.org.uk - reconnecting water & wood to boost resilience and improve habitat. One small brook, a big impact.
👉 www.thetaca.com/news/complet...

#RiverRestoration #TeignCatchment #NatureWins

Building a Catchment for 2050 — TACA The seed for this article wasn’t planted beside the river. It was planted in a room, listening to Sam Manning from the Woodland Trust, talking about trees, time, and how landscapes remember what they ...

🌧️ With recent heavy rains and rising rivers, thinking long-term matters now more than ever. Explore how we’re building a catchment for 2050 - resilient, river-healthy and future-focused. Read more 👇
www.thetaca.com/news/buildin...

#RiverTeign #Resilience #NatureForward

The Toilet Brook - Logs, Bogs & Leaky Dams… — TACA If you’ve ever walked through the Fingle Gorge and wondered what keeps the old toilets flushing at Fingle Bridge, wonder no more - with the National Trust we lovingly christened this small tributary r...

🌧️🌲 Slowing water & building resilience. Our volunteers joined the National Trust in the Fingle Gorge recently to install leaky dams & reconnect water with the forest floor. Practical habitat work with real impact.
🎥 Watch: www.thetaca.com/videos/v/g6s...
📖 Read:
www.thetaca.com/news/the-toi...

Predators From Above — TACA If you spend enough time on any river, you learn fairly quickly that not all threats to salmonids move through the water. Some swim, some crawl, some arrive with wings and excellent eyesight. On the T...

🦆🐟 Birds, like goosanders & cormorants, are part of river life - but they add pressure on salmon & trout. Our latest blog explains why understanding all predators helps us protect fish & where you can help with sightings 👇
www.thetaca.com/news/predato...

A New Year on the River — TACA There’s something about the first days of a new year that makes rivers feel especially honest. The crowds have thinned thanks to bleak sideways drizzle, the banks are quiet, and what you see feels unf...

A New year, clear eyes on the river. From global Atlantic Salmon trends to local signs of fish returning on the Teign, our first blog of 2026 reflects on the challenges and hope ahead. Read more 👇
www.thetaca.com/news/a-new-y...
#RiverTeign #Salmon #Conservation

Awareness - The Quiet Success of this Year — TACA If I had to choose one word to describe this year on the Teign, it would be awareness . Not the passive kind, but the sort that grows through conversations, shared observations, chance encounters on ...

This year on the Teign has been all about awareness - not passive watching, but people stopping to notice, talk, ask questions & engage with the river and its wildlife. Read how small moments add up to big understanding
www.thetaca.com/news/awareness #RiverTeign #RiverConservation #TACA

Riverfly - Life Beneath the Surface — TACA Why Riverfly Monitoring Matters & Why We Need You for 2026! If you spend enough time in and around rivers, you eventually develop some rather odd habits. Some people begin checking the weather an...

Under the surface of our rivers lives a hidden world of invertebrates - the tiny “riverflies” that keep ecosystems alive. Discover why monitoring and protecting their habitat matters and what a healthy river really looks like.
www.thetaca.com/news/riverfl...

#Riverfly #FreshwaterLife #RiverHealth

A River’s Memory - The Life of Salmon — TACA Every now and then, I’m reminded that the River Teign has a better long-term memory than I do. While I’m still trying to remember where I left my car keys, the Atlantic salmon are quietly navigating a...

We get asked a lot about the lifecycle of Atlantic Salmon - From tiny river-born fry to ocean wanderer, then back home to spawn. Their story reminds us why clean rivers and wild habitats matter. 🐟 Read more: www.thetaca.com/news/a-river...
#Salmon #RiverTeign #Conservation

Celebrating Dartmoor’s Rivers — TACA Every so often, you attend an event that reminds you just how special Dartmoor is, and how many people truly care about it. Last week’s Dartmoor Society annual conference was one of those days. Held...

Hosted by the Dartmoor Society - A great day talking and learning about the Rivers of Dartmoor. They’re wild lifelines carved from granite and peat, teeming with wildlife and ancient heritage. Find out how we contributed...
#Dartmoor #Rivers #Wildlife #NatureReconnect

Watch the incredible Atlantic salmon of the River Teign battle their way up Drogo Weir this November 2025. Captured by volunteer Charlie Michell, this short film showcases the power, resilience, and timeless return of one of nature’s greatest migrations.
#AtlanticSalmon #RiverTeign #Wildlife #TACA

Looking Ahead — TACA As the nights draw in and another year edges toward its close, most people pause, reflect, and look backwards. But here at TACA, we find ourselves doing the opposite. We’re already looking and plannin...

At TACA, we’re not just reflecting, we’re looking five years ahead. From planting trees to restoring riverbanks, our next chapter for the River Teign is bold, data-driven and rooted in real partnerships. Have a read... 👉 www.thetaca.com/news/looking... #RiverRestoration #FutureFocused

Wood, Water & the Way Forward — TACA Why We’re Putting Trees Into the River… When most people look at any river, they see water, rocks, maybe a fallen tree or two - and the immediate instinct is to go into tidy-up mode: “Surely we sh...

Our latest piece “Wood, Water & the Way Forward” dives into how we’re letting rivers be wild again - by placing logs, planting willows and accepting a bit of chaos in the name of healthy habitat.
👉 Read now: www.thetaca.com/news/wood-wa...

#RiverRestoration #Habitat #NatureFix #Outdoors

Homeward Bound — TACA There’s a moment each year - quiet, unseen by most - when the river holds its breath. The first proper rain reaches Dartmoor’s highest slopes, the Autumn chill returns to the air, and deep beneath th...

After years at sea, the mighty Atlantic salmon begin their homeward journey to the River Teign
In our latest piece, we explore their fight to survive, the work underway to help them, and how you can play a part.
www.thetaca.com/news/the-ret...
#AtlanticSalmon #RiverTeign #Conservation #TACA

The Dartmoor Fly Fishing Survival Guide – Part 2 — TACA Still lost, still soggy, slightly wiser Congratulations. If you’re reading this, it means you either: Survived Part 1 without being absorbed into the moor, Returned from Dartmoor slightly damp ...

If you’ve ever mistaken a peat bog for a path or apologised to a sheep mid-cast, this one’s for you.
🎣 The Dartmoor Fly-Fishing Survival Guide – Part 2 www.thetaca.com/news/the-dar...
#FlyFishing #Dartmoor #OutdoorHumour

Thanks to everyone that attended the Fly Fishing Film Tour screening last night in Chagford. Great attendance and buzz in the room. Here's to putting Dartmoor fly fishing on the map!

Volunteering - The Heartbeat of our Rivers — TACA There are many ways we can give in life - money, advice, encouragement, skills - but none compare to the simple, unrepeatable gift of time . Once spent, it cannot be reclaimed, and that’s precisely w...

As the evenings begin to draw in, it's time to start thinking about river habitat and what we can do to improve things ahead of spawning season. This is why our volunteers matter and are key to our mission - Have a read if you get a chance... www.thetaca.com/news/volunte...

The Legacy of Flip Pallot & the Ripples we Leave — TACA Among my fly-fishing heroes, few stand taller than Flip Pallot. Yes, he was a saltwater angler - his life’s work played out on the flats, mangroves, and tidal creeks of Florida, a world away from the ...

Certainly, a name known by our friends across the Atlantic, Flip Pallot, was a fly fishing hero of mine. Here's a piece about the legacy he leaves behind after his passing, and why his ethos is something we can all learn from... Do have a read if you get a chance. www.thetaca.com/news/the-leg...

A Century of Tarka: Heritage & Hope for the Future — TACA Set your reminders: this Sunday, 7th September at 18:10 on BBC One , Countryfile will take us to the beating heart of our local rivers - and the people fighting to protect them. Among the highlig...

Delighted to announce that BBC's Countryfile will feature North Devon and its rivers to celebrate Henry Williamson's 'Tarka the Otter' - Do have a read if you can and make sure you tune in on Sunday 7th September at 18:10pm... www.thetaca.com/news/a-centu...

The Wild Comes Back Gently - A Return to Halls Cleave — TACA It’s hard to know exactly where to begin when talking about Wetland Habitat Restoration carried out at Halls Cleave right now. You could start with the frogs - just the sheer number of them - tucked i...

With all this prolonged dry weather, I took a revisit back up to Halls Cleave with the Woodland Trust to see how their Wetland Restoration work is holding up... and it's good news. Read more about it here if you wish.
www.thetaca.com/news/gpm9lu2...

The Fly Fishing Film Tour – Book Your Tickets Now! — TACA Following the exciting announcement a couple of weeks ago, the Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T) is coming to the Chagford Film Festival, and we’re thrilled to confirm the full details. Mark your calend...

Super excited - We now have a time and a date to host the Fly Fishing Film Tour as part of this year's Chagford Film Festival! www.thetaca.com/news/the-fly...

Electrofishing on the Teign Catchment — TACA Healthy rivers are the lifeblood of our countryside, supporting countless species of wildlife and shaping the landscapes we love. Among the most iconic inhabitants of the Teign Catchment are wild brow...

Surveying the health of the juvenile fish population in the Teign Catchment is important. These surveys give us an invaluable snapshot, helping us understand how well our rivers are functioning and where conservation efforts should be focused... www.thetaca.com/news/electro...

Rewilding the Flow — TACA Natural Flood Management in Fingle Gorge and the Hope of Halls Cleave Nestled within the rugged beauty of the Upper Teign Catchment lies the Fingle Gorge - a steep-sided woodland valley rich in biod...

For this week, let's take a look at life beyond the river and how transformative work within the Fingle Gorge is helping the wider eco-system within the Teign Catchment - I hope you enjoy... www.thetaca.com/news/rewildi...

Great British Bake Off - River Edition! — TACA While the UK basks under another stretch of cloudless skies and high temperatures, many of our rivers tell a less comfortable story. The River Teign, like much of the upland southwest, is just startin...

What does this recent spell of warm weather mean for our rivers and streams? Find out more in this week's piece if you have time... www.thetaca.com/news/great-b...

Making a Splash at the Chagford Film Festival — TACA Fly Rods, Big Screens, and even larger fishing tales head to Dartmoor Chagford, Devon – It’s not every day we get to swim into the spotlight of a film festival, but this year, TACA are casting far an...

Excited to announce that we'll be hosting a film at the Chagford Film Festival in September. Find out more and why this matters to us... www.thetaca.com/news/making-...

Celebrating International Women’s Fly Fishing Day — TACA As from last week’s musings , the River Teign is in full voice this June. A quiet symphony of riffles, rustling leaves, and the occasional rings of a rising trout breaking the surface. For those luck...

Fly fishing is such a great pastime - If you've a few minutes, join us in Celebrating International Women's Fly Fishing Day...
www.thetaca.com/news/celebra...

June on the Teign — TACA A Fly-Fisher’s Delight, A Soul’s Revival Ah, June - that glorious transition between spring’s promise and summer’s full bloom. It’s the month when the Dartmoor rivers swell and burst with life, the e...

With the river looking stunning and following a much-needed drop of rain, we're currently in the prime month of the year for Fly Fishing on Dartmoor. Do have a read if you get time... www.thetaca.com/news/june-on...

Perfect evening on the Teign. June is always a great month for our Dartmoor rivers. If you haven’t already, why not have a day ticket and forget about the real world for a while…

Attack of the 8-Foot Weed — TACA Restoring the Riverbanks - Himalayan Balsam… Picture this - it’s a sunny summer’s day, the Teign is flowing away peacefully, and you’re enjoying a gentle stroll along its banks… until suddenly, you f...

The impact of invasive species on river habitat is often overlooked. For this week, let's take a look at Himalayan Balsam and what can be done to keep it under control.
www.thetaca.com/news/restori...