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.

Marginal · Brown Trout
Pheasant Tail Nymph · 14-16
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
River temperature is the limiting factor today, not the flow. Fish dawn or dusk if you go at all, and handle everything with extra care.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.79 mLast reading 21h ago
  • Water temp18.5°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail Nymph14-16
Upstream, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.79 m
Last reading 21h ago
Water temp18.5°C
ClarityClear
Weather17°C
WindNW 15 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead5.1 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
19°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
Water at 18.5°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 12 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

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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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
Cooler water nearby · 1
Water here around 19°C — probably warm enough to stress Brown Trout . These are likely cooler.
Ennerdale Water
15 km
~17°C
Brown trout
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 80%
How the 37 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature47 × 28%13.2
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time60 × 13%7.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity54 × 12%6.5
Conditions total= 68
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
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