Spate · Mixed · Cumbria, GB-ENG

River Cocker

A tree-canopied stretch of the River Cocker in Cumbria, calm clear water flanked by dense green foliage.

The Cocker is a Lake District trout river — a Derwent tributary running from the Buttermere/Crummock Water valley through the Lorton Vale to join the Derwent at Cockermouth.

Poor · Brown Trout
Pheasant Tail Nymph · 14-16
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
River dropping into shape after a lift. Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
55% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.32 mDropping after lift
  • Water temp16.2°C
  • ClarityUnfishableColouring up
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail Nymph14-16
Upstream, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.32 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp16.2°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather14°C
WindN 11 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead11.5 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
16°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Very poor — water temperature is working for you, but water clarity is the limiting factor today.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box

Spider-heavy and practical. Strong tradition of North Country soft hackles, useful nymphing, and simple dry flies when fish rise properly.

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Penrith AA / private.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Ennerdale Water
15 km
Brown trout
River Ehen
18 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Ullswater
32 km
Brown trout
Annan
37 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Eamont
40 km
Brown trout · Grayling
Gallery · 2
  1. A tree-canopied stretch of the River Cocker in Cumbria, calm clear water flanked by dense green foliage.
    River Cocker
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Cocker is a Lake District trout river — a Derwent tributary running from the Buttermere/Crummock Water valley through the Lorton Vale to join the Derwent at Cockermouth. Lake-fed flows from Crummock give it some stability; lower freestone character. Wild brown trout, no salmon. Penrith Angling Association covers some water.

  • Mixed
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 55%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature95 × 28%26.6
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity0 × 18%0.0
Feeding Time50 × 13%6.5
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity49 × 12%5.9
Limiting factor: Water is unfishable — too coloured for Brown Trout= 62
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
A drop and clear would lift the flow and clarity scores.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 22 March → 30 September
Related guides
Yorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methodsTrout Near Londonaccess guideEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts