The Lake District Angler's Guide

• Description
• Contents
• Introduction
• Sample Route
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For generations, anglers have braved the weather, and the multitudes of visitors, to fish for trout amid the spectacular scenery of the Lake District National Park. This is a land of clear, clean waters, abundant lakes, torrential streams and rivers with shoals of hard fighting brown trout. But it’s not just trout - salmon, char, perch, schelley, vendace and monster pike can all be found in the National Park. Outside the park, the diminutive west coast rivers provide the opportunity of connecting with a sea trout or salmon and, in the east, the legendary rivers Eden and Lune offer some of the best fishing in the country. Scattered throughout the region, numerous commercial fisheries offer well-maintained waters, heavily stocked with a vast range of coarse fish and trout.

Not surprisingly the Lake District National Park is a land with an abundance of lakes and all of them hold fish. Beautiful lakes, nestling in tight steep sided valleys and clear-water tarns set high on rugged fellsides are all home to native brown trout. Lakeland’s beautifully marked red spotted trout are arguably the most perfectly formed in the country. Mostly underfed, they are trim and energetic and, especially in the hill tarns, where they hardly ever see a baited hook, are quite prepared to snap at any worm, fly or flashy spinner that’s placed in front of them. The bigger fish tend to be taken from the bigger lakes. Windermere, England’s largest natural lake, holds a variety of specimen fish, but they’re not easy to tempt on a single visit - you’ll need time to study the water to find the best fish. To guarantee a good catch, though, it’s best to try one of the well-stocked fisheries like Esthwaite Water for instance. At 280 acres it is the largest rainbow trout stocked lake in the Northwest and an early stocking of some 3½ tons of trout gets the season off to a bang!

But the National Park is not just for game anglers; many of its lakes hold monster pike. Bassenthwaite Lake, for instance, regularly delivers fish over 30lb and there are rumours of fish topping 40lb lurking in its deeps. Some of Lakeland’s waters are also home to unique vendace and the schelley. Both fish are now extremely rare in Great Britain and, in order to preserve stocks, it is illegal to fish for the schelley. A colourful native of the area, the char, is also much rarer than it once was. It’s a close relative of the native brown trout and just as hard a fighter when hooked. These days it’s mostly caught accidentally by anglers trolling for its more prolific brother.

Until recently, Cumbria has not been home to the more traditional coarse fish found elsewhere in the British Isles. But now bream, carp, dace, roach, rudd and tench are all there to be caught in the new purpose-built fisheries that have been created throughout the region. Commercial fisheries, all stocked with quality fish, offer a good day’s fishing in delightful surroundings and for a fair price. To mention every one here would be impossible, but for instance, in the north of the region Oakbank Country Park has rapidly become a great coarse fishery. In the west Ellerbeck Farm Lakes, although small, offer some fine coarse fishing in peaceful surroundings. Whins Pond in the east near Penrith is another excellent fishery brimming with specimens and further south, Bigland Tarn literally teems with coarse fish.

But Cumbria is not simply a land of lakes - excellent river and stream fishing can be found almost everywhere. In the west numerous tiny rivers, some of them beautiful and some not so pretty, drain water from the foothills of the Cumbrian mountains into the Irish Sea. They tend to be short of water in the summer and raging torrents in the winter, but each of them offers a highway for migratory fish to the spawning grounds well inland. Although the runs have decreased over the years, salmon and sea trout still find their way up river, particularly in late summer and autumn. Whilst it is possible to find good day ticket fishing, it’s probably best, if you plan to spend more than a few days in the area, to join a local fishing club. The Millom and District Angling Association, for instance, has the rights to more miles of river game fishing than you can possibly cover in one holiday.

But if it is salmon that you are after, head to the east of the area where two of England’s finest salmon rivers, the Eden and the Lune, form the eastern boundary of this guide. Even in the face of declining fish numbers, both rivers manage to maintain their exclusivity, a fact that is reflected in both the price and the availability of tickets. Fish of 30lb are now rare, but, in a good year, there are plenty to be had in the 10lb bracket. For reasonably priced salmon fishing on the Eden, try around Carlisle or further upstream at Lazonby. On the Lune, the Halton Fishery is excellent, or, if this is not to your taste, try further upstream near Kirkby Lonsdale. And both rivers support a fine head of brown trout. Many local clubs and syndicates regularly stock their waters with quality brown trout to compensate fishermen for the drop in salmon numbers. The fish average about 2lb and are well worth pursuing.

Wherever and whenever you fish in The Lake District and Cumbria, enjoy!