Cumbria opens its doors to anglers with innovative
Springtime ‘Festival of Fishing’
Saturday May 16th until Friday 22nd May

Trout and pike anglers who have never fished in Cumbria are being encouraged to visit the county to sample some the wonderful fishing available in England’s ‘mountain country’. In order to lure them in, there’s to be the ‘bait’ of a week-long ‘festival of fishing’, that is being sponsored by the Environment Agency and supported by leading UK fishing tackle brand, Hardy & Greys. The festival website can be found at http://www.gofishinglakedistrict.co.uk

The fishing festival – ‘Go Fishing – the Lake District’ is to take place during the week commencing May 16th, and will feature events for both experienced anglers, and those who may never have fished before. The weekend at the start of the festival will focus on introducing newcomers to the art of fly fishing , with the rest of the week involving a series of waterside master classes and workshops at a range of locations around the county, hosted by nationally-known and local fishing experts. The gateway event for the week will be held at Bessy Beck Trout Fishery, Newbiggin-on-Lune on Saturday 16th May ( http://www.bessybecktrout.co.uk/ )

Environment Agency manager in Cumbria, Jonathan Shatwell, comments “Angling can be a significant driver for tourism, and in embarking on a festival of this kind we see benefits for both tourism and angling. We have a wealth of accessible, affordable fishing here in Cumbria, and we’re asking people to cast off their credit crunch and exchange rate blues and to come and explore some of the fishing on their doorstep at what should be a delightful time of year.â€