Cumbria has more fishing waters than any other county in England, with the River Eden at its heart. It is considered one of the best salmon rivers in the north of England and holds the record for the largest fly-caught salmon in the country. The wild brown trout provide a real challenge, especially on some of the remote parts of the river, and the abundance of grayling means that you can enjoy fishing the Eden all year round! Coarse anglers can find Chub and Dace on the rivers and Pike, Perch and Roach on the still waters.

The River Eden and its tributaries flow through towns and villages, meadows and woodland, remote farmland and unspoilt countryside, offering a variety of fishing with something for everyone. There’s also plenty of still water fishing on the lakes and tarns, some on the fell tops for the adventurous!

The whole area is protected as a Special Area of Conservation under the EC Habitats Directive and this is reflected in the quality of the fishing.

The River Eden Catchment covers some 2,500 square kilometres; it is one of the most geologically and botanically diverse river catchments in the UK. A giant horseshoe shaped band of limestone extends from the source above Kirkby Stephen, opening onto the Carlisle and Solway Plain in the North. The tributaries draining this limestone are some of the most productive in the Eden Catchment.

In the far west of the valley are the north eastern fells of the Lake District National Park, the Haweswater Reservoir and Ullswater, north of which are the Caldbeck Fells.

The Eastern flanks of Eden lie in the North Pennines, stretching northwards from the Yorkshire Dales National Park to Hadrian’s Wall.

The River Eden and tributaries is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation, home to European Otter (Lutra lutra), Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar), White Clawed Crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes), Brook Lamprey (Lampetra planeri), River Lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis), Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), the Water-Crowfoots (Ranunculus sp.) and Alluvial Alder Woodland (Alnus sp.).

The River Eden is the only northern running river (to sea) in England.