Freestone · Limestone · Cumbria / Eden Valley

River Eden

The River Eden flowing through Appleby-in-Westmorland in summer with tree-lined banks and clear water.
Marginal · Brown Trout
Pheasant Tail Nymph · 14-16
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
River temperature is the limiting factor today, not the flow. Fish dawn or dusk if you go at all, and handle everything with extra care.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.38 mLast reading 6h ago
  • Water temp19.3°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail Nymph14-16
Upstream, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.38 m
Last reading 6h ago
Water temp19.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather20°C
WindW 22 km/h
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.2 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
19°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 19.3°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 5pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 11 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Grayling seasonSeason
2
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
Local classics: Grey Wulff·Pheasant Tail Nymph·Red Tag
Beats · 3
How to fish the Eden — association waterAccess varies
The Eden is one of England's most natural salmon, sea trout, trout and grayling rivers, and access is mostly through local angling associations rather than private agents.
Visit official site ↗
Penrith Angling Association waterAccess varies
Penrith AA controls over forty miles of fishing across the Eden, Eamont, Lowther, Petteril, Lyvennet, Leith and several becks — predominantly wild brown trout and grayling, with salmon and sea trout encountered occasionally.
Visit official site ↗
Appleby Angling Association waterAccess varies
Appleby AA controls around twenty miles of the Eden and Lyvennet, with trout and grayling the mainstay and a near year-round fishery when the two seasons are combined.
Visit official site ↗
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 1
Water here around 19°C — probably warm enough to stress Brown Trout . These are likely cooler.
Border Esk
39 km
~18°C
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 6
  1. The River Eden flowing through Appleby-in-Westmorland in summer with tree-lined banks and clear water.
    The River Eden, Appleby
  2. The River Eden flowing slowly through the sandstone valley at Armathwaite, wooded banks in summer.
    River Eden at Armathwaite
  3. A placid wide reach of the River Eden through floodplain fields between Lazonby and Armathwaite near Kirkoswald.
    Eden below Kirkoswald
  4. The River Eden in May near Kirkoswald, a wide channel flanked by spring-green vegetation.
    River Eden near Kirkoswald
  5. The River Eden viewed from Eden Bridge at Temple Sowerby in late summer, the clear channel prominent.
    River Eden from Eden Bridge, Temple Sowerby
  6. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Fail
What this classification means

EA waterbody 'Eden - Eamont to tidal' (GB102076073940) — the lower Eden main stem (Lazonby, Kirkoswald, Armathwaite). Latest EA data (Cycle 3, 2022): Moderate ecological status (downgraded from Good in 2019; fish failure under investigation). Chemical 'Fail' reflects the England-wide ubiquitous-substance failure (mercury and PBDE in biota); the 2022 cycle itself records chemical as 'does not require assessment'. Corrected 2026-06-18 from GB102076071020, which is the River Eamont (an Eden tributary), not the main stem; ecological status was also wrong (recorded Good, actually Moderate).

EA (England) · GB102076073940

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 32 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature35 × 28%9.8
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time60 × 13%7.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity64 × 12%7.7
Conditions total= 66
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 15 January → 14 October
  • Trout 22 March → 30 September
  • Grayling 16 June → 14 March

    Statutory window is 16 June – 14 March, but Eden clubs typically sell grayling as a winter product from 1 October. Appleby AA and Brampton AA (Irthing) both list grayling from 1 October to mid-March. Check association rules for methods and access.

    Legally open from 16 June, but access is typically sold from 1 October.

    Prime sport 1 October → 28 February

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Salmon: Negligible (2026) — EA 2024 Salmon Stocks Assessment classifies this river 'at risk' — egg deposition below Conservation Limit. Conservation priority; not a salmon fishing destination. Cumbria's Eden has shown some recent improvement but remains at risk.

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