Fishing Blea Tarn: Wild Trout Above Langdale

15 June 2026

The tarn

Blea Tarn is owned by the National Trust. It is a natural tarn fed by rainfall and surface run-off from the surrounding fell slopes. The water is slightly peaty and coloured, which gives the wild trout a dark, well-marked appearance. The tarn is approximately 300 metres long and 150 metres wide at its widest point.

The setting is one of the best in the Lake District. The Langdale Pikes are visible directly north. Wrynose Fell and the Crinkles fill the west. On a clear summer morning with low cloud on the surrounding fells and rising trout on a calm surface, this is exactly what fell fishing is supposed to be.

Fishing the tarn

Fly fishing is the most appropriate method. A 9-foot, 5-weight or 6-weight rod works well. The wild trout are mostly small — 6 to 9 inches is typical — but they are beautiful fish. Dry fly in June, July, and August when sedges and midges hatch in the evening. Wet fly earlier in the season, fished through the deeper water off the rocky outcrops on the eastern shore.

The fish are not naive. Blea Tarn sees enough fly fishers through the season that the trout have been educated. A careful approach — low profile, casting from distance before moving closer, changing fly pattern if fish refuse — gives better results than working over the tarn quickly. This is the fishing you come to think in, not to fill a bag.

The east shore is sheltered and warms early, producing the first surface activity of the day. The outfall stream at the northern end holds trout in the deeper pool. An early morning visit in late June or July, arriving at dawn, fishing the calm surface before the wind picks up, is the tarn at its best.

Access and permit

The Blea Tarn car park (LA22 9PJ) is off the road between Langdale and Little Langdale. The walk to the tarn from the car park is less than 5 minutes. An Environment Agency rod licence is required. The fishing rights are managed by the Lake District Angling Improvement Association — a day ticket or season permit is available. Check their website for current fees and conditions.