Carlisle Angling Association
Rules have been updated
See rule 14(d)
Catch returns due by October 28th
More info
River Eden at Linstock
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Carlisle Angling Association controls approximately 7 miles of mainly double bank fishing on the River Eden with 27 named pools providing fishing for salmon, sea trout, brown trout and coarse fish. The Association provides angling for residents living within a five mile radius of Carlisle city centre but anglers from outside the five mile limit are welcomed and permits are available for game and coarse angling on a daily, weekly and seasonal basis.
Carlisle Angling Association has an underlying philosophy regarding the affordability of salmon angling on waters under their control and offer extremely cheap salmon fishing on a seasonal basis. This ‘Salmon Angling for the People’ approach is shared with Carlisle City Council, our oldest and closest partner.
Catch Returns
It is compulsory for members to submit a catch return within a period of 14 days after the closing date of the salmon fishing season (Rule 22). Catch returns can be submitted online or by downloading a form to be completed and posted to the secretary. Nil returns must be submitted.
The River Eden
The River Eden is one finest angling rivers in the country and was once famed for it's runs of spring salmon, it begins life high in the North Yorkshire Moors and flows north for over 60 miles before reaching the city of Carlisle where the Carlisle Angling Association controls approximately 7 miles of mainly double bank fishing. From source to Solway, the Eden flows through beautiful countryside and the whole river system is a Candidate European Special Area of Conservation, and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which reflects the area's diversity of wildlife.
Historically the Eden was noted as a spring salmon river but in the mid nineteen sixties the salmon disease Ulcerative Dermal Necrosis (UDN) hit the spring running component and the Eden, like many other rivers, has been slow to recover. Salmon are now fully protected and must be returned to the river as quickly as possible. During the past 25 years the Eden has produced prolific summer and autumn runs and in the mid 90’s the river was the top salmon river in England. Today the river still has spring, summer and autumn runs with the majority of fish coming in the autumn.
In addition to good numbers of salmon the association water also gets a good run of sea trout each year although like most of our west coast rivers this is not as consistent as it once was and numbers do vary from year to year. The river also supports a healthy population of brown trout and grayling. We do not stock so the majority of these fish will be wild native stock with one pound fish quite common and larger fish regularly caught each season.
The Carlisle Angling Association water is varied in its types of fishing. It has fast flowing streams and glides and slow calm sections down to the tidal section which contains good-sized slob trout. Access to the river varies from parks where parking is adjacent to the fishing to areas where some easy walking is involved. The association water remains open during the winter months offering fishing for grayling, chub and dace.
Live Fishing Conditions
Eden Webcams
There are live webcams on the Eden that enable anglers to check the condition of the water before they travel.
Eden Weather Forecasts
Reliable Carlisle regional weather forecasts.
Eden River Levels
The Environment Agency monitors river levels on the Eden catchment.
Tide Times
Visitors to the lower reaches of Carlisle Angling Association waters should be aware that the river downstream of the North British Railway bridge can be affected by incoming tides. Also there is often a run of salmon through the main pools 4 hours after high tide. Therefore it is adviseable to check tide times before you visit the river.
Exchange Tickets
CAA has an arrangement with nearby angling clubs whereby our members can fish their waters. Two exchange tickets are available to members for use on a daily basis. Note that exchange tickets must be returned in time for re-allocation the following day. The following clubs are part of the Exchange Ticket scheme.
Members wishing to use an exchange ticket should contact us.
Rules, Regs and Good Practice
The Salmon season is open from the 15th of January until the 14th October inclusive. Regional and National byelaws protect salmon and seatrout stocks were introduced by the Environment Agency in 2018. These state that any angler who catches a salmon must return the fish immediately to the water with the least possible injury. Only 2 seatrout per angler per season may be kept. Any angler fishing for salmon may only use artificial fly or artificial lure before 16th June in any calendar year. More information is available on the website of the Environment Agency. CAA publishes its own rules and regulations which can be downloaded below.
Carlisle AA also request anglers fishing our waters to practice good biosecurity to ‘Stop the Spread’ of invasive species.
CAA endeavors to minimise the risks to those who fish our waters by carrying out regular maintenance and risk assessments. We encourage anglers to minimise the risk to themselves and others by using common sense and guidelines from the club.

EA Incident Hotline: 0800 80 70 60
Note: The more information and evidence you can provide then the better the EA can initially assess and respond to the incident - ideally report first hand providing contact numbers.
Location: What is the name of the watercourse and where is it?
Incident Type: What sort of polluion is it? Sewerage, slurry, silage, oil or milk
Noticeable colour or odour: Is there a noticeable colour to the water or smell at location?
Extent: What is the extent of the pollution and what size/area is it covering or affecting?
Result of the pollution: Is the polluiion affecting wildlife? (For example distressed or dead fish or birds)
Observed source: Where is the pollution coming from and going to? Do you know who or what has caused the pollution? (can you email any photos?)
Duration of incident: How long has this been happening? (Date and time first seen)
Fishing Permits
Salmon Season Permits
Salmon permits are available by application for Full/Resident members, city water applicants and visitors. There is an initial application fee of £35 for all new Full/Resident, City Waters and Visitor members. New members will be provided with their initial permit, a rule book, map and catch return form. If a member allows their membership to lapse a re-joining fee of £35 will be levied..
- Full Member £85 (+ £35 initial application fee)
- City Waters Only £85 per annum (+ £35 initial application fee)
- Visitor Season £160 per annum (+ £35 initial application fee)
- Application Forms Please include a passport photograph, a telephone number and if possible an email address on your application form.
Salmon Day and Weekly Permits
Salmon day tickets may be purchased through Fishpal. In addition, they may also be purchased from the Carlisle Tourist Information Office (01228 598596), either in person or by telephone, providing you have an email address that a permit can be sent to.
Permit prices are as follows:
- Day/Week - £30 per day
Non-Migratory Trout and Coarse Permits
Please note that SPINNING for Non-Migratory Trout and Coarse fish is NOT PERMITTED.
Maggots are NOT to be used as bait from 15th March to 15th June inclusive.
The use of worms as bait is NOT permitted between 15th October and 16th June. Juveniles will however, be permitted to use worms to fish for Non-Migratory Trout and Coarse fish between theses dates.
The use of keepnets, ground baiting and swim feeders are NOT permitted between 15th January and 14th October inclusive. However, on City waters ONLY, the aforementioned items may be used from 15th January until 14th March ONLY.
Carlisle Angling Association offers a combined season permit for Non-Migratory Trout and Coarse fish for both residents and visitors.
- Season Permit price is £45
- Fishing seasons are:
- Non-Migratory Trout Season is 15th March to 30th September inclusive. Coarse fish is 16th June to 14th March inclusive.
Junior Salmon Season Permits
- Juniors are aged 16 to 18 years
- Permit price £17.50
Juvenile Permits
Juveniles are young persons up to and including their 16th birthday and MUST be accompanied by an adult when fishing.
Juvenile weekly and season permits are free and may be obtained from Carlisle Tourist Information office (01228 598596). A juvenile permit must be obtained before fishing.
Useful Links
Carlisle Angling Association has an agreement with John Norris which entitles all season ticket holders to 15% discount off all goods purchased from the shop. This discount does NOT apply to special offers, sale goods or mail order. The discount can only be applied on production of a Membership Permit at the time of purchase.
Fishing Maps
CAA have published a series of maps that show each beat in detail together with parking places. Individual maps can be downloaded here (pdf).
CAA Newsletters
The Association produces regular newsletters for members to keep them updated with any news or changes in relation to their fishing and the club. They can be downloaded below (pdf).
