The Eden Valley is magical. Flowing from the Howgill Fells, between the wilderness areas of the North Pennines and the dramatic Lakeland mountains, the entire Eden system is the last truly wild trout and grayling fishing remaining in England, at least on such a scale. I believe the entire Eden system offers the greatest range of wild fly fishing anywhere in Europe. Currently, the grayling are larger on average, and more numerous, than I can every remember, in 30 years fishing the system. Encouragingly, grayling are also finding their way back into some of the feeder becks, following years of low water which have adversely affected grayling populations in these small streams which are also so susceptible to agricultural damage. Really strong effort by the Eden Rivers Trust, backed by more forceful initiatives by the EA are helping the river return to an environmental condition worthy of its SSSI and ESAC designation.

We fish Eden and tributaries throughout the year with the emphasis on the memorable wild trout in the summer months, and the often huge (and always challenging) grayling during the colder months. Eden is rarely an easy river to fish, but it always provides fishing that is simply unbeatable in England for wild trout and large grayling. If you can learn how to catch consistently on Eden, you can cope with most rivers. Our fishing is mostly on private stretches rather than club water, and includes many wilderness sections which are seldom if ever fished.

The wild fish of such a large-flow system provide this rare experience that makes us all pause in today's increasingly pressured life-style and be thankful that such a place still exists. The Eden and its numerous and varied tributaries and feeder becks provide opportunities to explore all methods of river fly fishing, from classical upstream dry to the more modern approach of trio or French leader nymphing. Several of the becks running off the Pennine fells into Eden provide us with 'jungle fishing' in which the wild trout provide testing and disparate challenges among alders, willows and dense colonies of ranunculus. Ascending the rock and heather slopes, way above the trees and grayling in the valley below, the raw, openness of the fells reveals the wilderness country that surrounds Eden as we seek the surprise of trout in the rock pools and cascading upland waters.