Sedbergh Anglers River Lune water below the River Dee confluence

River level

The lowdown

• This is scenic game-fishing country, with the Howgill Fells and Lune Valley giving the whole place a proper upland feel.
• The entry covers Sedbergh Anglers’ Lune water below the River Dee confluence. Their wider fishing extends across roughly 15 miles of the Lune, Rawthey and tributaries.
• The river holds native brown trout, plus migratory sea trout and salmon. The association says there are significant numbers of migratory fish, though salmon and sea-trout numbers have declined.
• It’s a moving-water job rather than a static swim. Think classic river approaches, reading the flow and working likely lies through a pool.
• Trotting and fly fishing fit the game-river character. A feeder can be useful where the flow and depth allow, but keep things mobile and don’t get bogged down in one spot.
• When other anglers are present, move through a pool at no slower than three casts per step. Once you’ve fished through, leave the bank at the nearest point.
• You can’t sit on one position for more than 30 minutes if another angler is waiting. It keeps the fishing ticking along nicely and avoids a peg standoff.
• The fishing season can need a bit of thought around dusk and dawn. The committee may impose special controls on June, July, August and September, on this Lune water and the Rawthey below its River Dee confluence.
• Permits are available online, or from the Black Bull hotel and restaurant on Main Street in central Sedbergh. A single-day permit is £20 per angler, while the one-week permit is discounted compared with buying several separate days.
• It’s a broad river water without a dedicated published car-park postcode, so sort the permit first and use the local river access points around Sedbergh.

Methods: Approach it as a proper game river: fly fishing and trotting are the obvious plays, with a feeder worth considering where the flow and depth suit. Keep mobile, fish the crease and likely holding water, and respect the pool-moving rules.

Access & tickets

Day and week permits are available online. Permits can also be bought at the Black Bull hotel and restaurant on Main Street in central Sedbergh.

Fish the club names

trout, trout, trout

Key rules

• Each permit allows fishing with a single rod line only, and an Environment Agency rod licence is also required.
• All salmon must be released. Brown trout below the applicable minimum takeable length must be returned: generally 9 inches from snout to the centre of the tail; upstream of New Bridge, the minimum is 8 inches.
• Move through a pool at no slower than three casts per step when other anglers are present, then leave the bank at the nearest point after fishing through.
• Do not occupy one position for more than 30 minutes when another angler is waiting.
• Dogs are not allowed while fishing.
• Junior members may not fish the Lune below the River Dee confluence unless accompanied by an adult Sedbergh Anglers member.
• Catch returns for takeable fish are required by 14 November.
• Ticket holders must follow the association’s rules and local fishing regulations.

Where it is