Tarn Fishing in the Lake District: Still Water Is a Different Game

I came to tarn fishing late. Most of my fishing before the Lakes was sea fishing from the Sefton coast, which is its own thing entirely. Still water fishing requires patience of a different kind. You are reading the water, the light, the temperature. There is less action and more observation.

The Lake District tarns are remarkable places. Most are above 300 metres, some above 600. Getting to them is part of the day. What follows is what I have figured out over a few seasons of getting it wrong before getting it right.

Licences and Permissions

You need a rod licence from the Environment Agency (gov.uk/fishing-licences) for all freshwater fishing in England. A 1-day licence is available if you are only going a few times a year. An annual licence makes more sense if you are going regularly.

Beyond the EA licence, many tarns and lakes require a separate fishing permit from the landowner or a fishing club that holds the rights. The National Trust controls much of the land in the Lakes and their fishing permissions vary by water. Check before you go. Turning up with an EA licence and fishing a stretch that requires a club permit is not the right approach.

The Best Tarns

Blea Tarn in Little Langdale (LA22 9PT for the car park) is the one I go back to most. It sits at 180 metres in a quiet valley between Langdale and Wrynose. Perch and pike. Morning fishing before the walkers arrive is the best time. The reflection of Blake Fell in calm water on an early autumn morning is unreasonably good.

Levers Water above Coniston is harder to reach, an hour's walk from the village, but worth it. Trout in clear water at 320 metres. The walk in justifies the day regardless of whether you catch anything.

Angle Tarn above Patterdale (accessible from Boredale Hause) is another good one. The tarn sits in a natural hollow with no road access. Pike and perch. The approach is two miles and 300 metres of ascent. Take the fishing tackle in a daypack.

What Works and When

Early morning is the most productive time, particularly in summer. Fish are active in low light near the surface. By mid-morning in warm weather, they go deeper and fishing becomes harder. Autumn and spring are better overall than summer, partly because of water temperature and partly because of reduced visitor pressure.

For perch, small spinners and worms work well. For pike, larger lures and deadbait. Trout in the tarns are typically fished on the fly, though spinning can work. The visibility of water in the high tarns is often remarkable. You can sometimes see fish and cast to them directly, which changes the game significantly.

The Practical Side

• →EA rod licence required before you can fish any freshwater in England
• →Most tarns require an additional permit or club membership
• →Blea Tarn (LA22 9PT), Levers Water (walk from Coniston), Angle Tarn (from Patterdale)
• →Early morning produces the most activity, especially in summer
• →Autumn and spring outperform summer for most species
• →Pack light. If you are walking in, the tackle goes in the daypack
• →A flask of something hot makes a cold morning on a tarn considerably better

The thing that I did not expect about tarn fishing is how much of it is just being in a quiet place at the right time of day. The fishing is part of it. It is not all of it.