The River Eden

Wednesday found me making the drive from West Yorkshire back up to the Lake District to fish the River Eden. I was in good company too, meeting up with big-trout expert Paul Procter. He knows the river very well, so I had every hope that one of us would latch into a good sized, wild brown trout.

Paul's ability to spot and stalk fish is really something to experience and, within minutes of tackling up, he had spotted a huge trout. Although this fish didn't oblige and it was a real reminder that when faced with large, wild fish, you are faced with many obstacles. These fish are large for a reason and will melt away at the mere hint of something unusual.

This is a game of watching and searching, keeping well back from the river and off the sky-line. Observation is key. As we approached some promising water, Paul made contact with a lump.

Paul slides the net under a large, wild Eden Brownie

2lb 10oz of pure wild Brown Trout

Whilst I would have loved to have latched into such a specimen, it was a delight to watch this fish be caught and landed. We covered alot of water and found some very good fish feeding, but the weather was against us and, whilst we hooked a few smaller fish along the way, we were forced to leave the water early. The hunt for big fish is an absorbing and the time seems to disappear all too quickly. A great excuse to return soon.

~Dave