Brown / sea trout · Salmo trutta

Brown / sea trout in England's Rivers

The largest recorded measurement is 86.5 cm (34.1 in), from Forge Weir Index River Fish Trap in River Lune on 11 June 1997.

Median length: 11 cm (4.3 in)
Fish measured: 1,002,136
Named waterways: 2,200
Latest observation: 30 Jul 2026

Direct individual measurements

Largest brown / sea trout by waterway

Ranked by the largest individual measured in EA surveys. The sample size shows how many valid length measurements underpin each waterway's figures.

Rank	River or waterway	Largest	Median	Measured	Measured at
1	River LuneNorth West	86.5 cm (34.1 in)	40.5 cm (15.9 in)	9,825	11 Jun 1997Forge Weir Index River Fish Trap
2	Arkle BeckYorkshire and North East	85.9 cm (33.8 in)	14.3 cm (5.6 in)	1,339	2 Sept 2003Arkle Beck d/s Langthwaite
3	River Main TamarSouth West	83.9 cm (33 in)	31.2 cm (12.3 in)	22,153	12 Jun 1989Gunnislake Weir Index River Fish Trap
4	River TameNorth West	78.7 cm (31 in)	13.1 cm (5.2 in)	936	11 Aug 2003Tata20
5	River NarAnglian	76.7 cm (30.2 in)	17.6 cm (6.9 in)	8,053	16 Feb 2011DS Narborough Mill
6	River LambournSouth East	76.4 cm (30.1 in)	17.1 cm (6.7 in)	10,808	31 May 2013Upstream Shaw Gauging Station
7	River Adur East ArmSouth East	76.4 cm (30.1 in)	19.3 cm (7.6 in)	121	4 Aug 2015Nymans Farm, Shermanbury
8	River WearYorkshire and North East	73.6 cm (29 in)	7.4 cm (2.9 in)	17,555	21 Aug 2013River Wear at Durham
9	River MeonSouth East	72.9 cm (28.7 in)	14 cm (5.5 in)	3,305	22 Aug 2001Moorhen trout fishery
10	River EskYorkshire and North East	71.8 cm (28.3 in)	7.5 cm (3 in)	10,937	16 Oct 20005.0 Limber Hill

Equal maximum lengths are ordered by sample size. Measurements are shown as recorded and are not converted into estimated weights.

1,002,136 fish measured

Measured brown / sea trout lengths

The median divides the measured sample in half. This distribution describes surveyed fish, not every brown / sea trout living in England.

0–19 mm

20–39 mm

9240

40–59 mm

117049

60–79 mm

211516

80–99 mm

108029

100–119 mm

100292

120–139 mm

96939

140–159 mm

79504

160–179 mm

62091

180–199 mm

48087

200–219 mm

36627

220–239 mm

28304

240–259 mm

21665

260–279 mm

17463

280–299 mm

16861

300–319 mm

13416

320–339 mm

7994

340–359 mm

5088

360–379 mm

4023

380–399 mm

3400

400–419 mm

2694

420–439 mm

2366

440–459 mm

2091

460–479 mm

1624

480–499 mm

1293

500–519 mm

1042

520–539 mm

729

540–559 mm

646

560–579 mm

482

580–599 mm

429

600–619 mm

265

620–639 mm

228

640–659 mm

190

660–679 mm

122

680–699 mm

700–719 mm

720–739 mm

740–759 mm

760–779 mm

780–799 mm

800–819 mm

820–839 mm

840–859 mm

860–879 mm

Only positive individual lengths that pass RiverFish's general measurement checks are included. Each bar covers a 20 mm range.

Latest EA evidence

Latest brown / sea trout observations

The ten most recent survey visits that recorded brown / sea trout in named waterways.

Date	River or waterway	Survey location	Fish recorded
30 Jul 2026	River Quin	Upstream Griggs Bridge	18
29 Jul 2026	Main River Erme	Downstream Ivybridge STW (Te)	55
28 Jul 2026	River North Tyne	North Tyne at Riverhill farm	9
24 Jul 2026	River Main East Dart	U/s Postbridge (Te)	89
23 Jul 2026	River Lee	Amwell Loop	5
22 Jul 2026	River Darent	Twitton Brook	7
21 Jul 2026	Cherry Brook	Hr Cherry Brook Bridge (Te)	112
21 Jul 2026	Walla Brook	Runnage (Te)	270
15 Jul 2026	Saredon Brook	DS Canal Feeder	8
15 Jul 2026	River North Tyne	North Tyne at Bellingham	28

A survey record confirms brown / sea trout at that place and time. It does not show present-day abundance or fishing access.

40,159 positive survey visits

Survey distribution

EA surveys recorded brown / sea trout at 9,795 locations across 2,200 named waterways represented on RiverFish.

Region	Waterways	Locations	Survey visits	Latest record
South West	653	2,317	11,830	29 Jul 2026
North West	549	2,469	10,289	8 Jul 2026
Midlands	303	1,191	3,668	15 Jul 2026
Yorkshire and North East	296	1,872	7,938	28 Jul 2026
South East	234	1,188	3,732	30 Jul 2026
Anglian	165	758	2,702	2 Jul 2026

1,388 detailed pages

Brown / sea trout by river

Open any river-specific page for its measured lengths, largest surveyed individuals, locations and observation history.

Anglian 114 pages

Midlands 146 pages

North West 321 pages

South East 136 pages

South West 427 pages

Yorkshire and North East 244 pages

How to read this page

Survey measurements, not angling records

Environment Agency surveys are designed to monitor fish populations. Their largest measurement is not equivalent to a verified rod-and-line record, and the survey sample does not include every river or every brown / sea trout.

Waterway groups with administrative or mixed-river labels are excluded from the headline national totals and rankings. Their eligible river-specific pages remain available in the directory so no published destination is hidden.

The fish records use the Environment Agency source snapshot dated 10 August 2026.

How RiverFish handles the data →