Not wishing to take anything away from the King of Fish it is however the Sea Trout that for many provides the cream of the sport.
Unlike Salmon they need little water to run and pound for pound they usually fight much harder. To fish successfully for Sea Trout does however provide a real challenge, particularly as being such a shy fish to approach the best sport tends to be during the hours of darkness.
Known in the West Country as Peal, these "Silver Ghosts" remain almost invisible during daylight other than to the experienced eye. However, with persistence success in catching them on the fly can be memorable. To feel the surging rush of a 4 lb. fish as it rips line off the reel on a pitch black night causes the pulse to race and the heart to miss several beats.
The Taw and the Torridge systems can produce fish up to 12 lb. so that a soft pluck at the fly could be from a small school peal of 1 lb. or perhaps from a Sea Trout of a lifetime.