The river Sid has “always had a reasonable head of brown trout” and even sea trout have been spotted spawning in the river – as recorded in the Sidmouth pages of the Devon Rivers Forum over the last decade and more:
River Sid | Devon Rivers Forum
In another thread from the site back in 2015, trout were said to be very much part of the life of the river:
The River Sid could possibly be one of the few rivers left with an indigenous species.
River Sid | Devon Rivers Forum
Last September, the West Country Rivers Trust surveyed the fish population with electrofishing – to see how Sea Trout and Atlantic Salmon have been doing, despite the large weirs seemingly impassable to migrating fish:
There were 25 brown trout collected in all, the best site being Sidbury, with nine adults caught; Gilchrist and the Snod also had good numbers.
‘The West Country Rivers Trust try electrofishing on the Sid’ | Sidmouth Herald
This is quite significant – as it shows that the trout are managing to find their way upstream:
The past, present and future of trout on the Sid – The Sid
And indeed, they are being seen quite a way upstream. As reported by an observer this week:
“I counted five trout in a shallow pool halfway along the Snod brook this afternoon. You have to look for some time to catch their tales gently moving in the current. But there they were.”
And here is one such spot:
Image: Google Maps
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