Cumbria - Trout and more

Trout

Lower Eden

Warwick Hall Estate renowned for its excellent salmon fishing but it also holds good stocks of trout and grayling. Two beautiful and productive stretches of water for the dedicated fly fisherman.

Carlisle Angling Association waters support a healthy population of brown trout and grayling. They do not stock so the majority of these fish will be wild native stock with one pound fish quite common and larger fish regularly caught each season.

Middle Eden

Eden Lacy offering approximately 1.8 miles of excellent Brown Trout and winter Grayling fishing. It is one of the most attractive beats on the river comprising 12 named pools with a fishing hut set amongst a wooded and wild flower area opposite the renowned Lacy Caves.

Upper Eden

The best wild brown trout fishing can be found in the middle to the upper Eden, with good sized brown trout providing some excellent sport.

Kirby Stephen fishing.

Kirby Stephen fishing.

The rivers Derwent and Lune mirror the Eden in what they have to offer in the way of trout fishing.

The Lune has some great wild sport in its upper reaches, and well worth the effort for the stunning scenery and the river itself. 

Other Fishing

The Grayling is a European fish and was probably introduced by man into England. Not all rivers are to its liking for it prefers fast running water, well supplied with oxygen, little pollution and a prolific weed growth. The grayling are established throughout the rivers with numbers varying from year to year.

They are nomadic fish, especially in Winter, and hence the angler should be mobile and go in search of them. In Summer they tend to be found in shallower, streamy water, lying just off the main flow, whereas in Winter they tend to move to deeper pools where they can often be found in significant numbers. They are omnivorous feeders, eating weed as well as the full range of aquatic invertebrates.

Grayling can be caught by both fly and bait. The bulk of the Grayling's diet consists of Gammarus, snails, midge larvae and Ephemeropteran nymphs, all being bottom dwelling forms. Hence, any flies used to target Grayling should be weighted imitations of these. For many years English anglers used the typical wet fly approach, casting across and down with flies such as the Red Tag and Treacle Parkin, together with standard trout wet fly patterns. Nowadays there is a greater tendency to 'Czech nymph', using heavily weighted patterns of shrimps and caddis larvae.

Grayling

In the Winter, long trotting with a natural bait such as red worms is probably the best way to locate the fish in the deeper pools. Do, though, check local rules to ascertain which natural baits are allowed. Some Clubs ban the use of maggots and do not allow ground baiting or loose feeding. Once located, they can be fished for with flies, if that is the anglers preferred method.

Grayling do take hatching flies, even in the middle of Winter, so carry a few floating patterns such as dark Klinkhammers and CDCs. However, if no fish are rising there is little chance of 'bringing them up'. The fish, if present, will probably be pre-occupied with feeding on the bottom.

The grayling population is very healthy with a good average weight of over a pound, there can be some good fishing day's in the winter period when the shoals consolidate, but be careful when wading not to disturb any salmon reeds.

Grayling and other coarse fish, June 16th to March 14th inclusive.

Low House looking down onto bathing pool and Low Holm