Fly Fishing in the Yorkshire Dales

Go Fly Fishing UK provide guided days, fly fishing lessons and short breaks based in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales in the north of England.

We have our main north of England office in the heart of the Dales close to Skipton. Steve Rhodes, Go Fly Fishing UK co-proprietor, has fished the Dales rivers and lakes for nearly 40 years and can provide second to none advice on the fishing, accommodations and other attractions of the area. Steve has access to 9 different rivers in the Yorkshire Dales and a total of 18 different beats some of which are private or at the very least have strictly members only access, in addition he can offer 9 different still water venues 3 of which are private members only fisheries. Most other guides in the Yorkshire Dales have very limited options particularly on rivers and these are often very busy both with other fly fishers and members of the public.

Click here to see what our customers have to say about our tuition and guiding service in the Yorkshire Dales. »

The limestone Rivers Wharfe (pictured above) and River Aire can be truly exceptional fly fishing rivers for trout and grayling and the Yorkshire Dales are blessed with many more excellent rivers such as the River Ure, River Ribble, River Nidd and Swale. The Yorkshire Dales also has some superb stillwater fly fishing from stocked lakes and reservoirs to probably one of the best wild brown trout fisheries in the UK. Many of these waters can also be fished from a boat.

The matchless beauty of the Dales countryside is a mix of landscapes - from the remote fells and moors, bare limestone scars, cliffs and gorges to the green hillsides and lush pastures of the Dales; from the unspoilt villages and historic market towns to the intricate pattern of dry stone walls.

The Yorkshire Dales are in easy reach of Manchester, Leeds and Bradford and a direct rail link from London to Skipton makes it easy to visit even from the south of England. Collection from Skipton station or Leeds/Bradford airport can be arranged.

Cost

A guided day or fly fishing lessons in the Yorkshire Dales starts from as little as £169 for one person.

What to expect

The Yorkshire Dales rivers are spate or what’s known in the US as freestone rivers and vary in level depending on the weather conditions, no two days are the same fishing on these rivers. Normally they are a series of runs, pools and glides and so offer a multitude of different types of water so demand many different fly fishing skills and methods. Much of the time the more "prospecting" style approach pays dividends, upstream dry or nymph, New Zealand style, spider fishing, high sticking and Czech nymphing are all techniques we use and can teach our customers. Learn the subtle techniques of line control, watercraft and method/fly selection.

Modern river fly fishing is continually evolving, over the last couple of years certain "presentation" techniques have been developed such as "French Nymphing", "Leader to Hand" and most recently the traditional way of fishing in Japan with a long rod and no reel known as "Tenkara", Steve has the specialist rods, leaders and knowledge to teach you these cutting edge techniques.

Much of the "North Country" fly fishing traditions and techniques, particularly "spider" fishing were developed on the Yorkshire Dales rivers by past masters such as Pritt, Edmonds & Lee and Walbran to name but a few. Their writings rightly take their place in our angling lore and history. The flies and techniques they used are still used today to great effect and modern day masters such as Oliver Edwards continue to refine and develop the way we fly fish the Yorkshire Dales rivers.

For more detailed information on the Yorkshire Dales please click here.

Contact Steve at our Yorkshire Dales office for further information or to book your day - telephone 01756 748378 / 07717 533177 or email steve@goflyfishinguk.com.

Happy Clients

"I just wanted to drop you a quick note to thank you once again for such a wonderful day out on the River Wharfe last Tuesday. To have an expert talk me through the different methods and techniques was so helpful. I now find myself mentally rehearsing my upstream nymphing skills when stuck in traffic jams on the M60. It was a truly memorable experience and one that left me wondering why I had never tried river fishing before, I certainly plan to give it another go !"
Martin Passey - Guided day River Wharfe.