Carlsons Fishing Shop - South Lakeland Angling Centre

03/09/2026

🎣 KENDAL AREA FISHING REPORT & OUTLOOK 🎣
With a shift in the weather over the last couple of weeks, we are moving fast into the prime autumn transition! Here is a full look back at how August treated us across the River Kent and Killington Reservoir, along with what you need to prepare for the coming weeks.
📅 THE BACK PAGE: AUGUST REFLECTION

River Kent Town Stretch - River
August started with some exceptionally finicky, "nervous" wild brown trout due to low and clear water conditions. However, the late-month rain and a welcome drop in temperatures gave the river a much-needed flush. This rain immediately triggered better movement, waking up both the resident trout and bringing fresh migratory fish up through the weirs.
Migratory Runs
Patience paid off for a few dedicated anglers who intercepted some lovely sea trout. For those fishing with stealth during the daytime water rises, barbless spinners like the Flying C proved lethal in the faster pools.

Killington
The cooler tail-end of August saw a massive spike in fish activity. The resident roach, perch and bream (even tony the tench ahowed up again!)! Along with brown trout definitely moved into a strong end-of-summer feeding mood as the water temperatures dipped.
🔮 THE FORECAST: SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER METHODS
As we head deeper into Autumn, your tactics need to change. Keep these rules and methods top-of-mind for the coming weeks:
🍂 On the Rivers (Kent & Tributaries)
The Big Target: September and October are peak months for the autumn salmon and grilse runs on the Kent. Look for deeper holding pools and the fast water below weirs after a good downpour.
Go-To Tactics: When the water has a bit of color, swinging weighted flies or spinning with barbless lures is highly effective. If the river clears up, scale down your gear and try dead-drifted nymphs or worm fishing where club rules permit.
Crucial Close Season Reminders:
The Brown Trout season on the rivers closes on September 30th. Make the most of the remaining weeks for those hard-fighting wild browns!
Sea Trout also finishes on September 30th.
From September 10th, all female/hen salmon must be safely returned to the water by law. Catch-and-release is heavily encouraged across the board to protect our local stocks.
🍁 On the Stillwaters (Killington Reservoir & Local Tarns)
The Big Target: This is prime time for big resident brown trout piling on weight before the winter close, alongside aggressive pike switching on.
Go-To Tactics: Focus your efforts around early mornings and late evenings. Pulling traditional wet flies (like a Soldier Palmer or Kate McLaren) or black foam beetle imitations close to the surface can prompt explosive takes from trout. For the pike, it’s time to start dusting off the large deadbaits or chucking bigger lures into the w**d edges.
🛑 QUICK ANGLER CHECKLIST BEFORE YOU GO:
Licence & Permits: Double-check your EA rod licence is up to date. For the private stretches, ensure your Kent Westmorland Angling Association (KWAA) membership card or day ticket is in your bag—bailiffs are actively out on the banks!
Kendal Free Stretch: Remember, Kendal Town Council allows free fishing (with an EA licence) from Victoria Bridge down to 100 yards south of Nether Bridge. Pop into Carlson’s tackle shop in town if you need to stock up on gear or grab a local map.
Stay Safe: Tides change fast if you are heading down towards the estuary ends—watch the banks and watch the weather!
Tight lines everyone! 🎣 Drop your recent catch photos and reports in the comments below! 👇

Tightlines, Carlsons Fishing Shop - South Lakeland Angling Centre open 9am til.5pm mon - sat. 🙏😇

28/08/2026

Nicely stocked for your Bank Holiday fishing. 🎣 tightlines everyone. 🙏

Open Saturday and Sunday 9am til 5pm.

Please remember we are closed Bank Holidays (Monday).

18/08/2026

A thing of beauty! Cherish the beautiful things in your life 🥰

Restocked and reloaded, perfect timing for the cooler wetter weather ahead. Its much needed and the Predator fishing is massively improving now, so its time to "Rap" it up and nail yourself a specimen. 🎣😇

We look forward to seeing you in store. 🙏

Carlsons Fishing Shop - South Lakeland Angling Centre open 9am til 5pm everyday except Sundays and Bank Holidays. Parking directly opposite on Abbot Hall Pariah carpark.

17/08/2026

Mepps, Mepps & more Mepps!

Full restock including Flying C's! 😍

Fill your tackle boxes whilst you can as these wont be around long!

Tightlines 🎣

Carlsons Fishing Shop - South Lakeland Angling Centre LA9 5AP open every dsy 9am til 5pm (except Sun & BH's)

14/08/2026

It is well over time to give thanks 🙏 we appreciate your support. Its been a slow year with the amazing hot weather and big sporting events affevting fishing dramatically.

That said the fishing locally, whilst tough, has produced some amazing fish. Photo's possibly available in store, although the sheer ampunt of specimen fish of all species is not for public view here anyways.

Tightlines for the coming month or so, its set to be a great one. Thank you all again for your support. We wpuldn't be here without you and your recommends. 🙏

Here's to a long and abundant future for all concerned. 😇

Carlsons Fishing Shop - South Lakeland Angling Centre
Open 9am til 5pm everyday except Sun and BH's. As that's when you should be fishing! 🎣😁

07/08/2026

🎣 KENDAL & CUMBRIA FISHING ROUNDUP: AUGUST 2026

Here is your quick look at how our local waters fished over the last month and what to expect this month as we head through Augist into September.

The Last Month (July) Rivers Kent & Lune: Low water levels made daytime river fishing tough. Anglers found success targeting brown trout during late-evening hatches.

Windermere & Coniston: Perch fishing exploded. Heavy bags of fish were caught along w**d lines. Pike remained deep due to warm surface temperatures.

Local Tarns & Stillwaters: High-altitude tarns fished brilliantly for wild trout on overcast, breezy days. Killington is fishing its head off for Big Roach, Bream and Perch, corn and maggot, either float fished, pole or feeder working very well atm and likely until winter hits hard.

Coming Month Prediction: (August into September) Spawning Runs: Cooling waters will push migratory sea trout and salmon up the Kent and Lune.

Pike Feeding Frenzy: Drop temperatures and much needed water will bring big pike back into the shallows of the big lakes to feed before winter.

Stillwater Activity: Rainbow trout stockies will become highly active in local fly fisheries.

Best Tactics & Gear:

Rivers: Focus on the fast, oxygenated water at the heads of pools during the day. Switch to deep pools at dusk.

Lakes: Boat anglers should drift along drop-offs.

Bank anglers should target structural cover like jetties.

Top Bait, Lures & FliesFly Fishing: Black Gnats, black Pennel, Daddy Long Legs, and small beaded Nymphs (size 14-16) for rivers. Blob and Cormorant flies for stillwaters.

Lure Fishing: Mepps aglia spinners (size 2) for river trout. Large shad lures and deep-diving crankbaits for lake pike.

Bait Fishing: Small live maggots or chopped worms on light drop-shot rigs for massive perch catches. Corn and meat for Carp Tench and Bream. Boilies also need we say more.

Sea Fishing - mixed reports of bass on lures and bait. Smooth hounds and rays starting to show and the flattie bashing steady.

Tight lines for the month ahead! 🎣

16/05/2026

Time for Thanks 🙏

Your support is very much appreciated.

Shop is well stocked, weather is warming and some amazing fish are being caught.

We look forward to welcoming you in store.

Open 9am til 5pm every day except Sunday's and Bank Holidays.

Tightlines, see you soon.

31/03/2026

Fishing Report - Lake District, Cumbria, England.

March is a month of transition in the Lakes. We are currently seeing the "winter’s tail" struggle against the first true signs of spring. While the air remains crisp, the lengthening days are finally starting to stir the metabolism of the region's apex predators and wild brownies.

Current Report: Late March 2026
Water Conditions:

The lakes are currently sitting at a chilly 6°C to 8°C. Recent rainfall has kept river levels reasonably high but clearing. Visibility is good on the larger stillwaters like Windermere and Ullswater, though the "March winds" have made boat handling a bit of a challenge on exposed reaches.

Species Activity:

Brown Trout: The season officially opened on March 15th, and the early reports are encouraging. The fish are still holding deep, but we’ve seen some surface activity during the warmest part of the day (11:00 AM – 2:00 PM).

Pike: This is "Big Girl" season. The large females are beginning to move toward the shallower shelf edges in preparation for spawning. Windermere, Killington, Derwentwater, Grasmere amd Rydal have all been particularly productive this season and of late for those using deadbaits, with a few lure caught fish also.

Salmon: A few "Springers" have already been recorded on the Rivers, Kent, Eden and Lune. They are fresh, silver, and fighting hard, though you'll need to work for them in the cold, pushing water.

Fishing Forecast & Tactics
1. Wild Brown Trout (Rivers & Lakes)
As we move into early April, expect the Large Dark Olive (LDO) and March Brown hatches to intensify.

Tactics: If there's no surface movement, stick to North Country Spiders (Orange & Partridge or Waterhen Bloa) fished just sub-surface.

Pro Tip: On colder, blustery days, use a weighted Pheasant Tail Nymph to get down to the fish. They won't move far for a fly right now, so accuracy is key.

2. The Predator Hunt (Pike)
The window for specimen pike is wide open. As the water warms slightly, their aggression will increase.

Tactics: Deadbaiting with oily fish (mackerel, sardine, smelt, herring and Lamprey all producing well atm) remains the most consistent method. However, on brighter afternoons, try slow-retrieved large soft-plastic lures in 10-15 feet of water near reed beds.

Location: Look for the "drop-offs" on Windermere and Coniston.

3. Early Season Char
While Windermere and Coniston char seasons are technically restricted (check local byelaws as many areas don't open until May 1st for char), those fishing deep for trout may occasionally encounter them. Standard "plumb" tackle is the way to go once the season fully kicks in.

Best Spots for the Rest of the Month
Location Target Species Why Visit Now?
River Kent Salmon / Brown Trout Best chance for a trophy "Springer" or wild river trout.
Windermere Pike Known for high numbers of pike as they move to the shallows.
Ullswater Brown Trout - fishing in Beautiful surroundings and great "top-lining" (trolling) for early trout.
Esthwaite Water Browns / Pike A managed fishery that offers some goos sport when wild waters are tough.
Seafishing - Morecambe bay, see's the start of summer species return. Chances of Thornback Rays, Bull Huss of specimen size possible. Flatties in the higher reaches of the estuary arpund silverdale and arnside areas.
Coarse fishing - the coarse fishing lakes and lakes containjng coarse species are warming up quickly, with all spwxies started to feed. Expect Tench, Carp, Bream, Roach and even some specimen Perch to be making appearances throughout April.

Safety Note: Remember that the water is still dangerously cold. Always wear a lifejacket if you’re out on a boat, and be wary of "spate" conditions on the rivers after heavy Lakeland rain.

23/03/2026

Well its only taken just over 3 years!

Finally managed to get a basic landing page for the shop sorted.

To view visit https://www.carlsons.co.uk/

Tightlines all. 🎣

Discover Top-Quality Fishing Gear Your One-Stop Shop for All Fishing Needs Explore a wide range of fishing tackle and expert advice at Carlsons Fishing Shop, where passion meets precision. Shop Now A Legacy of Excellence in Fishing Tackle Since its establishment, Carlsons Fishing Shop has been a cor...

14/03/2026

Boilie Restock

New flavours for you to try.

Carlsons Fishing Shop - South Lakeland Angling Centre