Yorkshire Waters

[Pritts Apprentice]

Fished a river Wharfe in most splendid condition today. A falling river, nicely fining down in colour and warmer water. A gentle, relatively warm upstream breeze. Overcast and cloudy with the odd bright spell. Glorious to fish the fly in these text book conditions. The odd, light shower some what tried to take the edge of things, but that’s only because it was a little uncomfortable for the gentleman fishing it .

The fish were a little uncooperative. Plenty of fish getting hold of the fly and hanging on to it before their butter lips let it slide out. Anyway, a very enjoyable day, fishing dries, emerges and spiders, in faster paced water than I have been use to of late. The days crowning achievement was a fish of around 4lb, before home. Falling to my purple headed, parachute Adams, it was one unhappy fish. Took a fair effort to land, even on my 5 weight outfit and praise be to having put on some new 5lb Maxima tippet before hand. I’d watch this fish head and tailing over a small cloud of sedge, that kept moving down, toward the waters surface. Didn’t realise it was so big, until it started burrowing down into the river bed, shaking it’s head violently, then dropping in to the faster current sideways, every now again when it wanted a breather. We went quite a few rounds before it finally conceded. These big, wild fish seem to be active at the moment, usually after early season I don’t come across them as much until sedge time, summer evenings. This fish though was well mended and in fine condition.

Anyway with the water so good, I am going to try and get in as much fishing as possible, in case the drought returns. I advise any Of the Dales fishers to do the same and enjoy the bonanza while it lasts, good luck :thumbs:

 

[Pritts Apprentice]

Rain at last! Upper river is in fine fettle. Watch the wading though, very slippery on the limestone, together with the water pushing through, makes for some interesting pirouettes and fancy footwork.

I had 4 fat fish to hand this afternoon and dropped another couple. Fish were keen to take an Adams para and a hares lug and plover, all fish were holding in the faster water. Did not witness much fly life, but had a conversation with a male Olive upright perched on my finger end. Note to others - there is a Hugh black bull a couple of fields upstream of Hubberholme, he’s on the Dales Way, literally walking his way up it with a herd of cows and young bullocks. Seems alright but I wouldn’t want to turn my back on him.

Now for tomorrow, it will either be more work with the 7ft rod on small streams, high in the Dale or a total opposite low down and lures withe 6# weight....hmmm

 

[Pritts Apprentice]

Back in the Dale today and a lift of water overnight. Nothing too big, but the river was running quite a bit higher and consequently faster than for ideal conditions. That said the colour was good and the fish up in the water. Activity started around 1:30 pm, some sedge over the water and a few olives drifting off. I had 5 fish mainly on Klinkhammer and parachute patterns, spiders were not working for me. I put on a Whickhams Fancy I’d tied up, oh more than 15 years ago, a bit of a scrappy fly, I have improved a lot since that one, although I still find there is a bit of effort in tying the fly in a 16#. Any road this was a wet style one, I was fishing it semi drowned. I hit a big fish in a pot I know near to a small willow trailing in the water. It was like lifting in to concrete, anyway it broke me, quite quickly. This has happened to me before, back in 2017, fishing a lighter tippet and size 20 fly, run me right into the Willow..Snap! Today I was on 3lb Maxima and it broke me, unheard of with Ultragreen !! At first I thought it was the knot, but retrieving the leader, it was a clean slice, rather than a curly tail and I’d only just put on new tippet. I think the fish had got down behind a sharp rock. Anyway it right upset the rest of the afternoon, put me off altogether, but the river did quieten after 3 pm.

Oh well 3rd time lucky, I’ll have that monster one of these seasons. Weather permitting and I mean warmer I’ll try some evening fishing, realistically though I think it might be next month (July) before it’s worth the effort of driving after work for a session and I need to cut the grass! Right I am off for a cuppa and an egg custard

 

[haggstock]

6 hours out on the Wharfe today . I fished below Barden Bridge . The river was just on the cusp of being safely wadeable IMHO. Running fast , with a fair old volume . I decided I’d prospect with various klinks and dry flies . I concentrate on the slack water around overhanging trees just off the foam line . I stuck to the tails to middle of the pools due to the speed of the water in the heads . I did finished the session with 11 fish . 9 of them typical Wharfe 3 to the pounders . The two larger fish, pushing a pound each , were great fun in the fast water . Shirt sleeve weather , and the Dales ice cream van was on the bridge for a lunchtime 99! The river should be perfect over the next couple of days if the rain holds off .

 

[matt808]

Hi all

Fished the Ure at Hawes for the first time last week. Fancied getting up to the dales for a while, usually fishing the small streams the other side of York.
Couldn't decide whether to fish the ure or carry on to Ingleton to fish the Ingleton AA water but decided on Hawes after walking some of the river a couple of months ago.

Started with a dry below the bridge at Appersett but didn't see a rise for the first half an hour. Only really confident with dries but seemed like i would struggle if i persevered so put on a dropper with a spider and a nymph on the point.
Had three fish out of the next pool, all on the spider. biggest of which was about 14 inches so a new pb for me. Good fun following it down in the current!

Struggled in the steadier water after this pool, eventually picked up another fish on a dry above the bridge, then decided to move up and fish up cotterdale beck. I had 3 fish from the beck and missed another couple.

Decided to finish below the main bridge in Hawes and had one more fish on the spider again. All in all an enjoyable day in great surroundings. I was a bit surprised there weren't more fish rising as the river looked good. Hoping to get back later on this week and give it another go

matt

 

[Pritts Apprentice]

Yes, the fishing has been difficult all last week Matt. Pressure change? could be. Conditions seemed perfect; water level, clarity, temperature, wind direction, not much in the way of fly life though. I have been getting a couple of brace each time out but its been hard work for the most part. Rewarding though when you hook in to a good fish. I had a nice one of the Skirfare the other day to an Emerger pattern. Just wish there was a bit more fly life, all I have seen recently is handful of needle flies and some midge, quite disappointing.

 

[jaybeegee]

Met a bloke on the bank at Addingham yesterday who is here from the States on a backpacking / fishing tour of dales rivers. I guess he must be “tennswede” who posted on the forum last year about his planned trip. A very nice fella he is too. Keep an eye out for him chaps over the next week or two, I’m sure he will be grateful for a bit of local info.
Brendan

 

[haggstock]

He’s a nice guy , I took him onto the BA stretch on a guest ticket on Thursday . Given the weather , he did very well with a “ high sticking” technique pulling a few very decent fish from the depths . There were fish to be had in the faster water . I had a cracker on a Mary Copperhead , it went like stink , a proper 1lb wild fish , short lined , played ,netted and released, all under the scrutinity of the River Keeper !

Tenneswede mentioned he’d been chatting to anglers at Addingham on Wednesday as well , he was very complimentary about the whole area , sometimes perhaps we forget how lucky we are to fish the Wharfe.

 

[guestrd]

Ey Up !
I manage finally to shake off the cabin fever and have a couple of day’s trouting on the Wharfe earlier in the week.
Sunday was my first outing of the new season, needless to say the first fish of the season to come to the net was a small grayling of about 6” taken on a Black Spider as I fished up a rocky stretch below Linton stepping stones. The Large Dark Olives were coming off the water in sporadic hatches due to the occasional cool breeze that appeared to come up after the sun disappeared behind the clouds but once the sun came back out again it was the cue for the olives and trout to come back up again resulting in a further 4 trout coming to the net all taken on the Waterhen Bloa before the pub called me!
I was lucky to get out again on Tuesday this time I started off below Drebley stepping stones a section where Ollie Edwards was filmed fishing upstream spiders in his latest DVD. Fortunately the conditions were more favourable for me as the water was at a perfect height for the upstream spider leading to me putting up a three fly cast consisting of a size 14 March Brown Spider on the point followed by a size 16 Black Spider on the middle dropper and a size 14 Waterhen Bloa on the top dropper. I started to work my way upstream picking the likely looking pockets where you just know a trout will be lurking. I must have made only 4 or 5 casts before the tell tale swirl at the surface led me to tighten in to a nice 13” brownie still showing the rigors of winter spawning with it’s lean appearance, with the Waterhen Bloa nicely hooked in the scissors I brought it to the net and then gently released him to put on a little more weight. Slowly I continued to make my way upstream casting my short line in to the areas around the rocks and allowing the flies to drift back a few feet with the current, before flicking them back upstream into another likely looking spot, (I’ve seen anglers stand in the same spot for 30 minutes or so not rising a fish, to me you have to be on the move constantly three cast to the same spot and then up to the next one!) A further dozen or so casts resulted in another trout taking my Waterhen Bloa from behind a large moss covered rock just on the edge of the pocket water, after a brief struggle he was in the net, a wild trout of about 9” and fighting fit. All told in an area less than 200 yards long and with only probably three quarters of that really fishable I managed to bring 7 trout to the net and missed another 3 due to not seeing the takes - probably due more to a lack of concentration than early season rustiness.
After a brief break for a cup of tea and a sandwich, i made my way up passed the stepping stones and on passed the gorge where the old Appletreewick footbridge once stood to a big pool often over-looked by the passing angler. After a few moments weighing up the options I realized that there was a thin strip of water tight in to my bank where there was a comfort zone for any trout. The pool itself is wide and very deep at my bank with two ribbons of water formed by a shingle island entering the head of the pool near my bank. As the main section of the current swept in to the bank it was bumped into by the second current coming straight down into the pool this was further enhanced by the nature of the bank which is a jagged deep wall of limestone. It’s not until you stand on that bank and look in to the water that you realise what looks like a foot of water from the over bank is really over six foot deep! As the two currents swept into one another and bounced off the limestone bank they formed a thin strip of water less than 9 inch wide and 6ft long where I just knew trout would be sitting. I cast my spiders upstream so that they landed just upstream and to the edge of this water knowing that the currents would drift the flies down and brush the edge of this slack water hopefully forcing a fish out to take a look. Needless to say first cast brought up a trout of about 2lb in perfect condition. Six more cast were made into and around this area resulting in three further fish being landed all within the 1 to 2 pound mark which for a river like the Wharfe these are good fish.
Following another break for a pot of tea I decided to move further upstream to where the main river is split into two sections by a island of trees, the main pool below the island where the river joins back up is very deep in parts with rocky ledges so not chancing a early season ducking I took the soft option and made my way up the narrow section formed by the island. I suppose this part of the river is never fished due to its difficult nature and the walk involved getting there, thankfully this early in the season the trees and bushes have no leaves on them so even with my 9ft rod I was able to improvise a cast that would enable me to work my way up this short section. I snipped off the March Brown and placed a ribbed Orange Partridge on the point, my theory being that the gold rib would add a bit of glint to the cast and prove more enticing (a theory probably more to do with the mind of the fisherman than the tastes of the trout) After about the forth cast I managed to bring up a trout but tightened to early and lost him, but this nevertheless improved my confidence for I now new there were trout in this little back water so I began to cast upstream with a little more earnest. Sure enough a few casts latter I was into a little wild brownie of about 7” which was followed by several more before I called it a day.
I think my total was somewhere in the region of 16 to 20 trout on what was only my second day of the season.
If I were to be entitled to offer any advice to anyone wishing to fish the upstream spider on northern rivers like the Wharfe it would be to study the water and keep on the move, if a trout doesn’t take the fly after three or so casts chances are his not going to take it at all, so by constantly moving and covering more water you increase your chances. Some people say you need a 10ft rod but to be honest I’ve never seen anyone using a rod of that length. A 9ft, with a 4 or 5 weight line is ample and armed with good number of say about eight patterns you are set up for the season. I personally shorten my leader to about 7ft which for me suits the length of rod and the most amount of fly line I have out is roughly about a rod length to a rod and a half length.
Tight Lines.

Sounds like a great day out Rob , 16 to 20 trout not a bad days fishing .

 

[Pritts Apprentice]

Had a few hours on the Wharfe on Saturday. As expected the river was very low, with little flow, this was apparent even in the normally quicker sections. When I fish the river next it will either be evening or more likely once it rains again. On the plus side there is little weed growth, which helps, but fly life is much reduced, though I did pick an iron blue off the water surface. I had 1 nice fish to the Klinkhammer in a shaded pool, a good fight from a 1.5lber. I think it was a stock fish that had done rather well for itself. Its fins looked slightly pinkish, the color of pink granite, so I wondered if it had become a Cray eater, possibly, well whatever it was it had certainly retained its weight for a stocked fish. As mid afternoon crept in, it just became too warm and sunny for fishing, what rises there had been, evaporated quickly, leaving me blinking in to the bright sunlight, with the visor of my cap pulled low. For a bit of fun I waded some of the fast waterfall stretches to gauge depth and bottom contour for future reference and whilst doing this I kept a keen eye out for darting shadows and truthfully I seen an odd fish flash for cover when my presence moved them.

I'll be reservoir fishing until things change, having said that I fished Fewston yesterday and had 2 nice fish for 6 hours work. I expected more but Yorkshire water had topped up the levels to bank high and I think the pressure change had killed the fishing somewhat, plus it was as warm as bath water in the margins. Not many people fishing, 3 others as well as myself, things are changing and there is definitely a decline in numbers angling to years past, a real shame, its such a nice past time .

 

[jaybeegee]

I’ve had a few overwintered stockies in top condition on the Wharfe this season, some in at least their second year and among them some clipped fin diploids from the BA hatchery.
This and a healthy stock of wild fish are surely signs of the river been in very good order.
B

 

[Pritts Apprentice]

Had a very hot evenings fishing on the Wharfe yesterday, a couple of hours between 6 pm and 8 pm. Despite the heat the lift in water from Sunday had got the fish active. I had 2 fish but hooked and lost plenty more. Fish were only small, typical upper Wharfer's 3 to the pound. Although they weren't rising, they were just below the surface and a Klinkhammer and Silver sedge were welcomed. Lovely evening to be among the fells and dales and no body amount much either. Although I was only in a vest and shirt my back was soaking despite a cool upstream breeze. Had my new Vision Sprinter wading boots on and was adjusting to them, need to relace them in my preffered pattern, any suggestions on a good lacing option? I normally like to go with a bar pattern. Also found that Gummi soles whilst great on dry rock are useless to the point of being dangerous on slimey, submerged wet rock....I need to put in studs!! and soon!!

After 2 hours fishing I was really tired, it had been a long, hot day at work and slowish drive up in to the Dale, with all the roadworks happening right now in the Aire valley. So tackled down with a lovely light to the fells. There was smell off the river, I could not place it, slightly sweet, but not like vegetation more a soap or deodorant type smell, so whether some farmer had released something in to the water I don't know.

The onset of cooler conditions this weekend and predicted regular flushes of storm water, should give some better fishing. I want to catch them on the Flying Ants, if conditions permit, that'll be fun. Need to polish up the fly line, its not slick enough when casting and it will help with flotation. I have seen a few solider beetles landing on the water but I really want the sedge to come on, which always makes for exciting fishing and brings the bigger fish out.

 

[Pritts Apprentice]

With more rain of late and consequent lift in water levels, I have been spending more time, especially in the evenings, fishing on my smaller, local, Yorkshire becks. The fishing has been incredible, with water height and clarity about as perfect as it gets, I have been hitting double figures within an hour of starting to fish. Yes the fish are small and yes all have been caught on tiny PTN patterns, but the fishing at close quarters in tight woodland/ vegetation has been absorbing and rewarding. I have had the very occasional 8" and 10" fish which are exceptional on these small, shallow, fast running, boulder strewn streams. Indeed, I was fishing the other evening with the sun a globe of bright, white light, piercing the canopy and reflecting brightly off the steeley, gun metal blue water and me, the fisherman, as the center piece and it reminded me of something like a Claude Monet painting. It really was something special and added much to my fishing session. On a more recent evening, on the walking down the field, I met the archetypal fox, going about her business and sniffing the air the other side of a dry stone wall that she was patrolling. A russet red vixen, with black stocking legs to match, truly magical and then later that same evening the Sparrow Hawk, speeding down stream, below the arched canopy of leaves, almost took my hat off, swerving in full flight at the last moment, then to continue on downstream at the same break neck speed, untroubled by its human encounter.

Well if we can keep this water height I might do a bit of Barbel fishing next month, as a change to the fly. I like the fly on the still water in September but I not over keen with the rivers, I just never think they fish as well later summer as spring, but it won't stop me trying.

 

[jaybeegee]

I spoke to a mate this evening who is a member of Mirfield A C. He told me they now have the fishing on Lindley Reservoir and though most who fish there are after coarse species, there have been some good trout caught. Anybody tried it with fly? Membership fees are very reasonable, good parking and secure access etc, and though I don’t usually fish still waters I could be tempted. Any info gratefully accepted.
Brendan

 

[haggstock]

I spoke to a mate this evening who is a member of Mirfield A C. He told me they now have the fishing on Lindley Reservoir and though most who fish there are after coarse species, there have been some good trout caught. Anybody tried it with fly? Membership fees are very reasonable, good parking and secure access etc, and though I don’t usually fish still waters I could be tempted. Any info gratefully accepted.
Brendan

Is that Lindley Wood , North of Otley , on the way to the Sun Inn ? I used to ride my motorbikes over there regularly and saw the odd fly fisher . Or is it Lindley, Huddersfield ?

 

[jaybeegee]

Is that Lindley Wood , North of Otley , on the way to the Sun Inn ? I used to ride my motorbikes over there regularly and saw the odd fly fisher . Or is it Lindley, Huddersfield ?

Yes indeed, Lindley Wood in the Washburn Valley. I think it was a fly only water at one time, but I don’t know who had the rights then. I’m thinking it might be an alternative when the river is in flood and in the long run and with old age approaching, easier access.
Brendan

 

[haggstock]

It could be interesting , I used to motorbike around there . Fantastic location , absolutely beautiful setting as good as anywhere in the U.K. , I know there were private fishing signs as I used one as a “ tip in point “ for the bridge when on the bike . I don’t know if the stocked fish from Fewston and Swinsty could make their way up there ( I’m assuming it’s the first of the four reservoirs ) . It could have potential for browns and rainbows if they could .

 

[jaybeegee]

It’s the lowest in the valley with Swinsty, Fewston and Thruscross above. You’re right about the location, I had a walk around Swinsty a few weeks ago and it’s stunning.
B

 

[haggstock]

I’ve just had a look at the Mirfield website , the half year ticket from 1st September is £16 , less than a day on Fewston , what’s not to like !

 

[eastmidstrouter]

Does anyone know of any decent-sized free or cheap membership trout rivers near Sheffield other than the Don, Rivelin or the Sheaf?