Schelly
The schelly is one of Britain's rarest freshwater fish — a cold-water whitefish of the salmon family found nowhere else on earth except four small lakes in Cumbria's Lake District.
Protected by law since 1981, it's not a target species for anglers but a fish that serious naturalist-anglers travel to see, and a conservation benchmark for the health of these ancient glacial waters.
Scientific Name: Coregonus stigmaticus
- Slender, silvery-white body with a noticeably darker back — classic whitefish colouring that blends into open, clear water.
- Small head, small downturned mouth, forked tail, and modest fins; the overall shape is streamlined and trout-like but more delicate.
- Typically 20–30 cm in length; a compact fish by any measure.
- Can be confused with juvenile trout or salmon in the same lakes, but the small mouth and uniformly silvery flanks help distinguish it.
What to know
Habitat Distribution
- Endemic to England — found only in four Lake District waters: Ullswater, Haweswater, Brothers Water, and Red Tarn in Cumbria.
- Occupies deep, cold, clear glacial lakes with rocky or stony bottoms; a cold-water species that needs well-oxygenated conditions throughout the year.
- Benthopelagic in habit — moves between open water and the lake bed depending on feeding and season.
- The combined surface area of all four lakes is roughly 20 km², making this one of the most restricted ranges of any freshwater fish in Europe.
Key Locations
- Ullswater, Cumbria — the largest of the four schelly lakes and the one most accessible to visitors; population currently stable.
- Haweswater, Cumbria — a reservoir where the schelly population has declined; subject to active conservation management including cormorant culling.
- Brothers Water, Cumbria — a small, quiet lake near Patterdale with a stable schelly population.
- Red Tarn, Cumbria — a high-altitude tarn on the eastern flank of Helvellyn, the most remote of the four sites and the smallest body of water the species occupies.
Specific Spots
- Spawns in shallow, stony bays — these nearshore gravel areas are where the fish concentrate during the winter spawning period.
- Outside spawning, schelly use open, deeper water for feeding, moving toward the bottom to pick off invertebrates and crustaceans.
- Rocky lake margins and drop-offs into deeper basins are the transitional zones where the fish are most likely to be encountered.
Schelly FAQ
Answers from onWater's species guide.
What are the best lures and bait for Schelly?
Not applicable, the schelly is legally protected and cannot be deliberately targeted. Any angler fishing the lakes where it lives should be aware of its presence and handle any accidental catch with extreme care before immediate release.
When is the best time to fish for Schelly?
Winter (January–February), spawning period, when schelly move into shallow stony bays; the most likely time to observe them near shore. Rest of year, fish disperse into deeper, open water and are rarely visible from the bank.
How do you catch Schelly?
Schelly are not a legal angling target. Naturalist-anglers and wildlife observers visit Ullswater and Haweswater specifically to see this fish, sometimes spotting them near the surface or in shallow bays during the winter spawning period.
What do Schelly eat?
Feeds primarily on small crustaceans and aquatic insects, the kind of invertebrate life that lives in and around the rocky lake bed. Small nymph patterns or midge larvae imitations would be the logical fly-fishing equivalent, though the fish is protected and not legally targeted.
Where do Schelly live?
Endemic to England, found only in four Lake District waters: Ullswater, Haweswater, Brothers Water, and Red Tarn in Cumbria. Occupies deep, cold, clear glacial lakes with rocky or stony bottoms; a cold-water species that needs well-oxygenated conditions throughout the year.
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