Spate · Mixed · Lancashire / Cumbria, GB-ENG

River Lune

The River Lune flowing through the valley at Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria, near the Lancashire border.

The Lune is one of the great Lancashire salmon and sea-trout rivers — running 53 miles from Howgill Fell headwaters through Tebay, Killington, Kirkby Lonsdale and Hornby down to Lancaster and the Irish Sea.

Tomorrow · Marginal — persistence required
Stonefly Nymph
Forecast · Tomorrow
Marginal — persistence required
A short window at best — fish the sure lies and move on.
40% projected
Today's fly
Stonefly Nymph
Stonefly Nymph
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.95 m
Lifting fast
Water temp9.9°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather8°C
WindN 49 km/h
Pressure993 hPa
Rain · recent8.1 mm
Rain · ahead6.8 mm

The nearest gauge is at Skerton Weir (Lancaster). It doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Cool — slow
10°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Morning into early afternoon.
Where
Pool tails, steadier runs, and any water with pace.
Method
Fish a sensible line-and-fly combination for the height and pace of water.
Kit
13 ft #8/9 double-hander in spate, 10 ft #8 single in low water. Floating line plus a fast-sink tip. 12–15 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Good — water temperature is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Caddisflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 40%
Peak emergence window4 food groups active

Peak activity at 11am — Autumn Needle Fly (Autumn Needle Fly, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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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 · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Sea trout runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Heather FlyHatch
2
2
Autumn DunHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Atlantic Salmon fly box

Ally's Shrimp variants — fished swing

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • EA NW byelaws apply
  • LSTAA membership covers most main-river beats; check booking.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
River Ure
34 km
Brown trout · Grayling
River Hodder
40 km
30
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Ribble
44 km
Brown trout · Grayling · Salmon
River Swale
47 km
Brown trout · Grayling
River Eamont
50 km
Brown trout · Grayling
Gallery · 2
  1. The River Lune flowing through the valley at Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria, near the Lancashire border.
    The River Lune at Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Lune is one of the great Lancashire salmon and sea-trout rivers — running 53 miles from Howgill Fell headwaters through Tebay, Killington, Kirkby Lonsdale and Hornby down to Lancaster and the Irish Sea. Mixed geology creates strong spate response then long, fishable dropping water. Atlantic salmon, prolific sea trout, and brown trout (with grayling on some beats). Lune Salmon and Trout Anglers' Association manages much of the river; private beats and fishery hotels add coverage. Atlantic salmon are assessed by the Environment Agency against each river's Conservation Limit — many principal rivers are classed 'at risk' with mandatory catch-and-release byelaws; check current rules before fishing.

Sea trout here

Summer-autumn runs (June–September), nocturnal peak season pattern

  • Mixed
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
Water quality details
  • Dissolved oxygen: High
  • Ammonia (Phys-Chem): High
  • pH: High
  • Phosphate: High
  • Temperature: High

EA (England) · GB112072071690

Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature10030% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity8520% weight
  • Feeding Time1515% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 February → 31 October
  • Sea trout 15 March → 31 October
  • Trout 22 March → 7 October

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methodsTrout Near Londonaccess guide
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts