Fly Fishing on the River Wharfe

The River Wharfe is the premier freestone or spate fly fishing river in the Yorkshire Dales and probably the most famous of all the rivers in the North of England. Much of the "North Country" fly fishing traditions and techniques were developed on the River Wharfe by past masters such as Pritt, Edmonds and Lee and Walbran to name but a few. Their writings are equally as important as those of their Southern chalkstream counterparts and rightly take there 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 fish the Yorkshire Dales rivers.

The best of the fly fishing on the River Wharfe is in the Yorkshire Dales National Park above Bolton Abbey and within easy reach of Leeds, Bradford, Manchester, Harrogate and York. There is a direct rail link to Skipton from London Kings Cross which makes it easy to visit even from the South of England. Running through limestone the River Wharfe is rich in insect life and has excellent hatches of fly. It's interesting and varied water makes the River Wharfe the ideal place to learn all the fly fishing methods and techniques we use today, both modern and traditional.

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Fish species / seasons

The River Wharfe has excellent stocks of both wild and stocked Brown Trout and in recent years a surprising number of exceptionally large Brown Trout have been caught by anglers fly fishing. The beats around Bolton Abbey and Burnsall provide good Grayling fishing and extend the season throughout the Winter months. Go Fly Fishing UK provide long trotting days for Grayling on some beats during the Winter months.

Trout fishing on the River Wharfe starts around the end of March and finishes at the end of September with Grayling fishing starting in mid June and finishing at the end of February. Starting and finishing dates for both Trout and Grayling do vary from beat to beat.

Tackle

A 9 foot rod for between a 4-6 weight line (floating) would be ideal for most fishing situations on the River Wharfe although a 7.5 to 8 foot rod would be useful on some of the higher beats. Waders with ideally felt or felt and studded soles and a wading staff are required with chest high waders being an advantage on most beats.

Tactics

The beauty of the River Wharfe is that it offers the opportunity to practice every technique we use for fly fishing rivers, both modern and traditional.

Dry fly and upstream nymph fishing together with spider fishing are the standby methods and there are plenty of opportunities for fishing New Zealand style, high sticking and Czech nymph fishing plus others.

The nature of the water is varied and interesting making the River Wharfe the ideal river to learn the essential skills of watercraft and line control.

Guides

Our guides in the Yorkshire Dales have many years of fly fishing experience on the River Wharfe and can teach you these techniques and find you fish. All tackle including waders and flies can be supplied or if you prefer you can bring your own. Our guides can provide a local railway station collection and return service and in addition are available to give you a guided tour of the historic sites, towns, cities and many other attractions in the Yorkshire Dales.

If you would like to make your fly fishing part of a short break or holiday in the beautiful Yorkshire countryside we can advise on the best accommodation options. These include 4 star hotels, country house hotels, inns and bed and breakfasts each within a short distance of superb fishing.

Costs

Fly fishing in the Yorkshire Dales is great value, with very few exceptions the prices are as those listed on our costs page. Click here to go directly to our costs page. When fishing from a boat the hire of the boat may be charged extra, if this is the case you will be advised at the time of booking.

For more detailed information about the non-fishing highlights of the River Wharfe area please click here.

Contact Steve at our northern office to discuss your preferred fly fishing location or to make a booking - telephone 01756 748378 / 07717 533177, email steve@goflyfishinguk.com.

"Steve, Just wanted to drop you a quick line to say, again, many thanks for the day out last Wednesday, I learnt a lot and gained some real confidence that I'm sure will help me in the future. On Thursday I tackled Bolton Abbey and, although it was hot and bright, I managed to take four really nice trout up to about 1 1/2 lb. I was really pleased as every other angler I spoke to on the bank was failing to touch a fish. I doubt I'd have caught but for the lessons you taught me the previous day. I'll make sure we get another day together next year too".
Daran Sadler - Guided/Tuition day, River Wharfe, Burnsall.