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I fished just two rivers in February for Grayling the River Aire and the River Ribble.
Several trips to the River Aire in mainly low water produced Grayling each time but the fishing in the low clear conditions was difficult and the results were slightly disappointing. The Trout in the River Aire started to show in larger numbers some of which were really good fish and this bodes well for the Trout fishing there next season. Of all the Yorkshire Dales rivers I think the River Aire produces both the biggest and best conditioned Trout in Yorkshire.
Fishing on the River Aire can be challenging especially in low water but if you get the conditions right then it can be excellent.
A guided day on the River Ribble produced two fantastic Grayling for one client. Both fish were well over 2 lbs and took his own gold headed spider pattern in reasonably high water, truly a brace of Grayling to remember. I don’t think I have ever seen Grayling as deep in the body anywhere including the Costa Beck which used to produce some really chunky specimens. The River Ribble in the area we fished is full of caddis, snails and pea mussels, all high protein Grayling food.
With the Brown Trout season just a few weeks away there is still plenty to do, fly dressing, oiling reels, ordering line/leaders etc., where does the time go?, it does not seem more than 2 minutes since the start of the last season!
I already have lots of bookings in April, May and June so if you fancy a day Trout fishing in Yorkshire give me a call on 01756 748378 or email me at steve@goflyfishinguk.com.
As you would expect January tends to be a quieter month for both fishing and taking new bookings and this January was no exception.
The month started with a miserable and gloomy day long trotting for Grayling on the River Wharfe at Burnsall. It was one of those half light days that I have never found very good for Grayling, as I have said many times before I much prefer bright days for winter Grayling fishing. The result was predictable, just 3 out of season Wharfe Trout to show for our efforts.
Despite the river being at a good level and fishing pools which normally hold an odd Grayling or two I never felt we were in with much of a chance. I am convinced in conditions like that the vast majority of the Grayling are just not feeding.
A rainy day on the River Aire later in the month with the water high and very clear produced 2 Grayling to trotted worm plus 6 out of season Trout including a couple of big ones.
I have always found the fishing slow in the Yorkshire Dales in January but given decent conditions the fishing often picks up in February, I have had some of my biggest Grayling whilst fishing in February.
To book a day long trotting for Grayling or a day fly fishing for Yorkshire Trout next season please call me on 01756 748378 or email me at steve@goflyfishinguk.com.
Bad weather and high water again blighted the fishing in the Yorkshire Dales in December. A Grayling Society fishing day on the River Wharfe beats at Burnsall and Bolton Abbey had to be cancelled because the river was in full spate, very disappointing for both Brian Clarke who organised the event and all those who had liked forward to catching some Yorkshire Grayling.
Much of my time in December was spent helping out at the Orvis store in Harrogate and dealing with the usual spate of Go Fly Fishing UK Christmas gift voucher bookings which all in all left little time for fishing other than a couple of guided Grayling days.
December was a great month for bookings in all the areas we cover and overall was our best month ever.
The highlight of the fishing in December was a day at the end of the month long trotting for Grayling on the River Hodder at Whitewell with two friends. The River was in perfect order and combined with the sunshine made for a perfect days fishing. We all caught plenty of Grayling trotting worm, I managed 9 to around 1 3/4 lbs.
For more information or to book a day please contact me on 01756 748378 or email me at steve@goflyfishinguk.com.
The Grayling Society AGM held in Perth was a great success and considering the travelling involved for most members was really well attended. Dave Martin and I fished an excellent beat on the River Earn and between us long trotting managed to catch well over 20 grayling to around 1 ľ lbs. Others fared less well especially those who fly fished so I guess we were lucky with the beat we were allocated.
The British Fly Fair International was held the previous weekend and I helped man the Grayling Society stand which was visited by lots of people and helped us gain more than 20 new members. It was great so see so many old friends and Go Fly Fishing UK customers at the show.
The Grayling fishing in the Yorkshire Dales was mixed during November not helped by again high water and gloomy days. I had days out Grayling fishing on the River Wharfe, River Aire, River Ribble and River Ure. The Ure, Ribble and Aire all fished reasonably well but a day trotting on the River Wharfe at Burnsall early in the month just produced a couple of out of season Trout.
The fact is that there are still low stocks of Grayling in the upper beats of the River Wharfe and they can take some finding, pools I am certain will hold a fish or two often produce nothing although we did manage to find some in October. The trend at Burnsall seems to be that you can find a few in early autumn but they seem to disappear from November onwards. It’s different on the River Ure where they are still present in good numbers and most pools do hold a few fish.
The good news is that the River Aire and perhaps the River Ribble do seem to improving as grayling fisheries.
For more information or to book a day please contact me on 01756 748378 or email me at steve@goflyfishinguk.com.
The settled weather and low river conditions in October were perfect for fly fishing for Grayling and with some good hatches of upwings and stoneflies, fishing with both the dry fly and spiders provided excellent sport. Even the upper Wharfe where Grayling can be hard to find produced a few fish on most visits. The Grayling stocks here are showing signs of increasing with more 1 + and 2 + fish than I have seen there in a long time. Grayling have a habit of suddenly re-appearing and their numbers can increase dramatically in a short space of time, the next couple of years should determine if they are well and truly on their way back.
The River Ure fished really well providing some great sport, on a couple of occasions there were periods when Grayling were rising to a small dry on almost every cast. The problem is hooking the blasted things, I still do not have the solution, answers on a postcard please. The prospects for an excellent winters Grayling fishing on the River Aire are looking good, all the reports I receive are of increasing stocks in the Skipton area.
At last the lakes started to fish reasonably well, those that were affected by algae blooms have started to clear and the Rainbow Trout are again feeding well. One lake produced a number of large out of season Brown Trout including fish to around 4 lbs, all of which were quickly returned safe and well. I have access throughout the winter to good Rainbow Trout fishing so just because the Brown Trout season has now finished there is no reason why you should not take a day on a stillwater.
Early November is usually when I start long trotting, as I have said before it's a great way of fishing for Grayling and very skilful when practiced with a centre pin reel, if I am honest I much prefer this to being stood up to my neck in water Czech nymphing, effective as this method can be. I am really looking forward to it and as I again keep saying if you've not tried it you really must.
November is looking busy both with bookings and other fishy things such as the Fly Fair and the Grayling Society Symposium which is being held in Perth for the first time this year. I am looking forward to "collecting" the River Earn on our fishing day on the Sunday after the Symposium. There are plenty of good opportunities for winter fishing in the Yorkshire Dales especially for Grayling, please contact me for more information on 01756 748378 or email me at steve@goflyfishinguk.com.
As I write the Brown Trout season has just finished and I must say despite the poor summer the Brown Trout fishing on the Yorkshire Dales rivers overall has been excellent this season. Apart from the very high water we had from mid June until the end of July the River Wharfe in particular has fished as well as I have ever know. Every season there appears to be more and more wild fish in the River Wharfe and the Grayling too do seem to be making a slow recovery. There are some big fish too, no doubt crayfish feeders, the best we have had this year was over 4 lbs and I have seen a much bigger fish on two occasions. The best grayling this year so far has been an excellent fish of 18 inches.
A couple of days on the River Ure in September produced plenty of Trout and Grayling and the dry fly fishing both afternoons was great fun. An orange "Supa Pupa" fished dry did most of the damage, the Grayling really love this fly. Two days on the River Skirfare which is always difficult produced fish the best being a wild brownie of 17 inches. A day on the River Ribble in ultra low water and a strong wind made things hard but did turn up a couple of sizeable Grayling and a few small Trout. The River Aire was low for most of September and therefore not really worth fishing. Sport was consistent again on the River Wharfe throughout the month with fish responding well to small dry flies.
Much to my surprise the Rainbow Trout fishing on the stillwaters was still slow throughout September, I don't really know why but this does seem to have been a country wide problem this year. I think the best fishing is yet to come in October and November, these Rainbow Trout must start feeding hard soon and once they turn on sport should be really good. John O'Gaunts reservoir fished well for it's Brown Trout and we had a few very pleasant and productive days there, at least the Brown Trout were acting like they should do in September.
I suppose I always consider October as the start of the Grayling season proper and with access to a few new waters for this winter I am looking forward to it, the early signs are that it should be a good winter for Grayling fishing. I usually start "long trotting" for them in November, a method I love and cannot understand why more fly fishers don't give this a try throughout the harder months of winter. Book a day it's easy to do once you know how and is a great way of catching Grayling
I am almost fully booked in October but still have a few days free at the back end of the month and have reasonable availability in November, there is still plenty of good fishing to be had this year. Things are already looking very, very busy for next season so my best advice is to book your day/s early. To discuss your requirements or to make a booking call me on 01756 748378 or email me at steve@goflyfishinguk.com.
The first ten days in August saw me in Scotland taking a well earned break, not a fishing holiday although I did have a couple of short sessions sea fishing from the boat when the wind let up enough for us to get out. Fly fishing every day can be both physically and mentally hard and having been out almost every day since April it was good to recharge the batteries.
At least by the time I returned the weather had improved and saw the Yorkshire Dales rivers at a more normal level. They fished well and days on the River Aire, Wharfe and Ure produced plenty of action with good hatches of fly most days and on at least 3 occasions a good fall of Black Gnat. The fish were really on the Black Gnats and responded well to a small dry imitation and also to a variety of black spider patterns. Pale Watery were also starting to hatch in numbers and the Poult Bloa took it's fair share of fish.
The Grayling are now starting to show and most days on the Wharfe produced one or two generally in the 1/2 to 3/4 lb class which are good to see. I have no doubt that their numbers are increasing at Burnsall but they still could not be described as prolific. Next month should see the River Wharfe producing even more and with a few days planned with clients on the on the River Ure which is a much more productive Grayling river we should be assured have some good sport.
The stillwaters were still difficult but that's usually the case in August but should improve in September and October and my feeling is we should have some really good back end fishing this year. October can be a surprisingly good month on the lakes and I have had many great days fishing at this time of year.
I am really looking forward to the fishing in September, the fish will be starting to feed up in preparation for the winter and I must say there is something really special about fishing on those early autumn days. Perhaps with the exception of May it's my favourite fishing month.
October is just around the corner and as I have already said it is an excellent month for fishing on both the lakes and rivers in the Yorkshire Dales. The Grayling fishing should be good and on some of the waters I fish it's the start of the "long trotting" season. If you have never tried this method you really should, it's a great way to fish and when practiced well with a centre pin reel very skillful in my opinion. I still have some availability in October so give me call to book your day on 01756 748378 or email me at steve@goflyfishinguk.com.
Fly fishing in the Yorkshire Dales was difficult in July due to the continued exceptionally wet, cold and windy weather. Much of the time the rivers were in flood or far too high for safe and effective fishing. The stillwaters were also effected by the bad weather as their levels increased by in some cases by as much as 6 or 7 feet, the influx of cold water put the fish down and made them more difficult to tempt.
Despite the terrible weather between the floods clients had some good good sport on the rivers. The River Aire fished very well and produced plenty of excellent wild Brown Trout throughout the month. The best fish was a superb wild brownie of 18.5 inches which was caught by an American client. This was his biggest ever Brown Trout despite having fly fished many of the most famous waters in the United States, testimony enough to the quality of fish in the River Aire. One of the benefits of all the water we have had is that the River Aire which needs plenty of water to fish well has been in almost perfect condition much of the time. I think it may be many years before it fishes as well as it has this summer
The River Wharfe fished well on the days it was not too high and provided good sport to most methods. I am very please to see a continued increase in the smaller wild Brown Trout population in the river which seems to have been the trend for the last few years. Hatches of fly have also been very good this year which is also very encouraging. Given more stable levels the Wharfe should fish well for the rest of the season.
A day on the River Ribble in perfect water produced plenty of fish to spiders and I am very impressed with the quality of the fishing on this river. It's a great option for anyone wanting to have a day on another Dales river.
The stillwaters were difficult but the majority of clients managed a few fish but sport was slower than you would usually expect at this time of year. The exception was Barden Reservoir which fished very well and produced some superbly conditioned and sizeable Blue and Rainbow Trout.
The fishing next month should be good on the rivers as they will have benefitted from the extra water and should be in almost spring like condition. Hopefully the stillwater fishing should also improve. The fishing on both the rivers and lakes can also be very good in September and October so there is still plenty of time to get a day or two booked. Why not a call me on 01756 748378 or email me at steve@goflyfishinguk.com to arrange a great fly fishing experience.
Fishing on both the rivers in the Yorkshire Dales continued to be really good during the first two weeks of July. A party of 6 French anglers from Planet Fly Fishing in Paris had 6 days fishing both on the River Wharfe, River Cover and the River Ure and had excellent sport every day. Planet Fly Fishing head guide Jean-Pierre Coudoux who hosted the party was very impressed with both the quality of the fishing and the excellent cottage accommodation we arranged.
Coniston Hall Lake fished well during the first half of June with clients catching good numbers of fish on a variety of different methods and double figure bags were the norm. Just before the middle of the month the weather broke and the monsoon arrived putting the rivers up and on many days rendering them unfishable. It became a question of finding a river that was fishable or diverting to a lake or reservoir. Despite this there were only a 3 days which had to be postponed where clients particularly wanted to fish a river rather than a stillwater.
When the rivers were fishable sport was good, a day on the River Skirfare which is never easy produced just one large fish and a couple of small ones but with two other big fish lost it could have been a red letter day by Skirfare standards. Paul Boyes had a great couple of days for his first time fly fishing catching Rainbow Trout to 4 1/2 pounds at Barden Reservoir and a magnificent Brown Trout of well over 3lbs on the River Wharfe at Burnsall. It was the best conditioned wild trout I have ever seen from the Wharfe and was truly an exceptional fish. A couple of days at Malham Tarn proved difficult as usual but one superb fish of close on 4lbs did make a mistake
The River Aire fished well when it was running high and clear and two days here produced plenty of good wild fish. The two largest fish we hooked escaped with the help of the high water and powerful flow, you just cannot stop these fish even in low water.
There was only 2 days in June when I was not booked so even with the 3 days that were postponed due to the conditions I spent 25 full days guiding or teaching clients, the vast majority caught fish which I think was a pretty good result considering the conditions and often foul weather June 2007 brought us.
I am fully booked in July and really do hope that the weather becomes more settled which will make life easier for both myself and our customers. There is still plenty of the season remaining and I have some availability late August and September. The fishing on both the rivers and lakes can also be very good in October so there is still plenty of time to get a day or two booked. Why not a call me on 01756 748378 or email me at steve@goflyfishinguk.com to arrange a great fly fishing experience.
The River Wharfe continued to fish really well throughout May and a lift in the water around the middle of the month freshened things up and helped maintain the excellent fishing conditions. Clients continued to catch good numbers of fish with several double figure bags and yet another 3lb plus fish came from the Busnsall water.
A day on the River Aire with an American fishing guide produced plenty of superb wild fish to around a pound and a half but the bigger fish eluded us that day. On another day a client hooked a fish in the 3 - 4 lb category which with the help of highish water ran to the bottom of the pool, jumped and promptly took his fly. He was left somewhat shaken by the experience !
I was out on the rivers pretty much every day during the first 3 weeks of the month and it was not until the last couple of weeks or so I had clients on the stillwaters. The first day at Coniston Hall Lake was difficult and although we had a few fish they took some finding. Things improved a couple of days later when two customers had 19 fish between them and on another visit 3 days after one customer had 20 fish. We had only one fish in the first couple of hours then found them and in the next hour and a half he had 13 more. Just goes to prove the value of moving if your not catching fish.
A three day break on the River Findhorn chasing Salmon had the usual result - nil ! There was no water and no fish but a 5 foot flood on Saturday, my last day, brought the fish in for the lucky people fishing the following week. A friend had 5 on Monday from the same beat - typical !
On the 23rd I did a presentation to the Skipton Angling Association on Grayling as part of their centenary celebrations which went down well with the 40 or so members and guests who attended. I wish them a good season for their 100th year.
Things are still very busy at the moment and I am personally almost fully booked until mid August but we have other experienced guides in the Yorkshire Dales so there is still chance to have a superb fly fishing experience, give me a call on 01756 748378 or email me at steve@goflyfishinguk.com.
What a great start to the Trout season it's been in the Yorkshire Dales, I don't think I can ever remember the fishing on the River Wharfe being as good as it's been this April. The weather has been superb and despite the river being at low summer level most of the month in contrast to last year the fish have been on the top taking fly at every opportunity. There have been excellent hatches of Olives and from the middle of the month good falls of black knat and plenty of aphids towards the end of the month.
Everyone has caught fish and bags of 7 to 10 fish have been common with one customer catching 15 fish for the day which was a roughly equal mix of wild and stocked fish. A few out of season Grayling have also been caught which bodes well for the continued recovery of Grayling stocks in the upper Wharfe. The best Trout was a fish of fully 3lbs which I saw rise a couple of times in a very small pool and eventually he took a nymph fished on a New Zealand dropper under the trusty Klinkhamer and what a merry dance he led his captor.
A day in the River Ure on the exclusive Swinton Park water produced some excellent Trout and another day on a River Ure tributary in very low water turned up plenty of small but perfectly formed wild fish. The River Aire has been a little too low and clear for good fishing but should fish really well once we get some more water.
The stillwaters have been a little more difficult, that said everyone has had fish. Hot bright conditions together with an easterly wind have made the fishing more challenging but there has been some good sport on the lake at Coniston Hall and Beaverdyke Reservoir has fished well despite the conditions. Stocks Reservoir has been more difficult as you would expect of a larger water and the best result on a client day so far has been 9 fish.
Prospects for May look good, with the promise of more water in the Rivers and a westerly wind combined with more overcast conditions the fishing on both the Dales rivers and stillwaters the fishing should get even better.
The Orvis open day I attended at their Harrogate store in April was a great success and in adddition I will be doing a presentation for the Skipton Angling Association on Grayling as part of their centenary celebrations on the evening of the 23rd May at the Skipton Working Men's Club.
Things are really busy at the moment and I am personally almost fully booked until mid July but we have other experienced guides in the Yorkshire Dales so there is still chance to have a superb fly fishing experience, give me a call on 01756 748378 or email me at steve@goflyfishinguk.com
The Grayling fishing in the Yorkshire Dales got off to a great start in March with lower water and good weather. Again on the rivers there were good hatches of Large Dark Olives with a few fish taking them despite that long trotting with a centre pin and worm was the order of the day. Fly fishing at this time of year can still be hard going and the window of opportunity for the fly fisher can be short, often an hour or so each side of midday.
The first guided trotting day on the 3rd of March produced some excellent fish and in the space of half an hour Grayling of 2lb 1oz, 2lb 3oz and a super fish of 2lb 9oz were caught little more than 50 yards of river. Three more trips before the end of the Grayling season turned up another 3 fish over 2lbs the best of which was 2lb 5oz. It was an excellent end to an otherwise disappionting Grayling season in the Yorkshire Dales. Let's hope next winter brings better conditions and less high water
Trout fishing started well on the lake at Coniston Hall and a few visits with complete beginners produced a few fish for them all. A day with a client a Beaverdyke reservoir turned up some excellent fish but perhaps the highlight of the day was seeing a deer swim across the reservoir at it's widest point which must be 400 yards or more. The best of the Trout fishing is still to come and as the weather warms up next month should see more surface activity and good buzzer hatches on the stillwaters. The Trout fishing on the Rivers Wharfe, Ure and Aire should also really get going throughout April and they are in excellent condition after the winter floods.
This season promises to be busier than ever and with plenty of new waters for clients to fish the prospects for a really great Trout fishing season are very good indeed. It's a tough life being out fishing almost every day of the season but as they say "someone has to do it" ! As an Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide I will be at the Orvis store in Harrogate for their open day on Saturday 21st April so if you fancy a chat why not pop in, I will be in their fly fishing department upstairs all day.
Why not try fly fishing in the Yorkshire Dales this season ?, I can take you to some great places with some fantastic fly fishing so give me a call on 01756 748378 or email steve@goflyfishinguk.com
As hoped February in the Yorkshire Dales saw some better weather and more stable river levels and the fishing improved. Some days were almost spring like and most days on the river saw a hatch of a few Large Dark Olives with odd fish taking them. It always excites me to see the first Large Dark's coming off, it tells me the start of the spring Trout fishing not too far away and brings back happy memories of spring trouting in the Yorkshire Dales in seasons past.
The first outing in February on the River Ribble at Settle was disappointing, a low clear river and a dull and cool day produced just one Trout to trotted worm, the river had that dead and lifeless look about it that in my experience never produces good sport. The next few outings saw better conditions and on a tributary of the River Ure we caught plenty of Grayling and a fair number of out of season Trout. The Grayling were of good average size, mostly over a pound with a few around the pound and a half mark.
The fishing highlight of the month was a perfect day on the River Hodder, things were just right, the river was clear but a decent height and a bright warm day made conditions to dream about. We had a total of 21 Grayling, all a good size with the best two going 2lb 1oz and 2lb 3oz respectively. A friend had fished this length a few times this winter without much success and was beginning to wonder if the Grayling were still there in decent numbers, it just goes to prove a long held theory of mine that if the conditions aren't just right the better Grayling can be very difficult to catch. Over the years I have also been convinced that later in the winter Grayling do feed better in bright conditions, something that's been in short supply this winter.
Some of this month has been spent sourcing some new fishing and for this coming Trout season I have secured access to three new river beats on different rivers and a couple more stillwater options. I feel it's important to offer a wide variety of fishing especially to repeat clients, not least so they can gain experience fly fishing different places and have the challenge of fishing more varied types of water. One of the great things about fishing in the Yorkshire Dales is the variety of top quality fly fishing it has to offer, after a lifetime of fishing in the Dales there are still plenty of places even I have not fished.
The Yorkshire Dales has something to offer every fly fisher, to find out more give me a call on 01756 748378 or email steve@goflyfishinguk.com
My apologies for the delay in writing up my Yorkshire Dales January report this was due to a problem with my computer when the hard drive blew up!
The Grayling fishing prospects in Yorkshire improved somewhat but only towards the end of January simply due to the fact that some more clement weather finally arrived and the rivers were at at last at a fishable level. Typically shooting and other domestic commitments left little spare time for fishing during this period this but I suppose you have to catch up on these things sometime.
A mid month trip to the River Aire in lower water found Grayling again hard to find with just one caught and another lost. Another day on the River Ure at the end of the month produced good numbers of smaller Grayling to trotted worm and a couple of hours on a River Ure tributary on the same day turned up 8 nice grayling to about a pound and a half.
January was an excellent month for enquiries and new bookings for the coming trout season. We have had many new customers booking for the first time plus good numbers of repeat bookings. Many of our customers return time after time to increase and develop their fly fishing skills, it's one of the most satisfying parts of the job seeing the progress they are making and getting updated with their stories of their fly fishing trials and tribulations.
The prospects for February look much better with the weather looking as though it may have finally settled down. Hopefully my next report should firstly be on time and and secondly bring better news regarding the fishing.
To discuss your 2007 fly fishing give me a call on 01756 748378 oe email me at steve@goflyfishinguk.com
Happy New Year and my very best wishes to all our friends and customers for 2007, let’s hope it’s a great year for fly fishing.
The prolonged spell of wet and windy weather continued throughout December in the Yorkshire Dales with the River Wharfe and River Aire maintaining high levels if not in full spate for most of the month. Strong to gale force winds have not helped on the days when the rivers were at a fishable level. As I said last month the positive side is that the Dales rivers should be in super condition for the start of the 2007 Trout season.
Grayling are still proving difficult to find, one day on the River Wharfe at Burnsall produced 4 and a couple lost all from one pool plus quite a few out of season Brown Trout. Most other pools that day turned up nothing which just illustrates how important it is to keep on the move and cover as much water as possible especially at this time of year. A pre Christmas day on the River Aire with Dave turned up 12 grayling in total which was an encouraging result especially as they were all in the 10 – 12 inch range, a year class that’s been missing from the upper reaches of the Yorkshire Dales rivers over the past few years.
A Grayling Society fishing day organised by Brian Clarke and myself on the Burnsall and Bolton Abbey beats of the River Wharfe proved a great success with around 25 Grayling Society members attending. We were very lucky with the conditions, two days before the river was well up and the following day more rain brought a huge flood making fishing impossible for the next few days. On the day however we had high but clear water making fly fishing challenging, the real pain was the wind but despite that many of the members managed to winkle out a Grayling or two. The fishing was followed by a splendid buffet at the Craven Arms in Appletreewick and we hope to arrange a similar event next December.
In May and June I was delighted to assist in the production of 3 new “Essential Skills with Oliver Edwards” DVD’s which were filmed on the Burnsall and Bolton Abbey beats of the River Wharfe. I spent several days with both Oliver and Mark Gardiner from DGP Productions advising on suitable locations for filming the fishing sequences and “guiding” Oliver on some of my favourite pools on the Burnsall beats. The DVD’s were finished at the end of November and went on sale in mid December and are superb. The series of three cover in detail all the techniques and methods you need for successful fly fishing on the Yorkshire Dales rivers and really are “essential” viewing. As always Oliver is at the cutting edge of innovation in both fly dressing and fly fishing techniques and any fly fisher regardless of experience will benefit from watching these. Further details can be obtained from Essential Skills by Oliver Edwards.
Prospects for good Grayling fishing in January will rely on more stable river levels and settled weather. Remember Grayling are a cold water species and the un-seasonally mild weather, (no doubt due to Global Warming, I think not !) may not suit them, frost and harder conditions may sharpen their appetite.
Now’s the time to start thinking about booking your day/s for the 2007 Trout season, give me a call on 01756 748378 or drop me an email at steve@goflyfishinguk.com.
Welcome to our new Go Fly Fishing UK Ltd. website which went live in mid-October. This is my second entry since we started our diary pages and I hope those of you read my first entry in October found it of interest
The fishing in the Yorkshire Dales during November has been difficult to say the least, I cannot remember the last time the Dales rivers ran as high for as long at this time of year. As I write it's monsoon conditions outside and the River Aire has broken it's banks at Coniston Cold yet again. The River Wharfe at Burnsall was at least two feet up yesterday and with the rain we had during the night and with more today I would expect the Wharfe to be exceptionally high for the next few days. On the plus side these conditions give the rivers a really good flushing through, cleaning the gravel and creating new pools which should mean next Spring they are in tip top condition for the start of the Trout season.
Grayling have been hard to find especially with the fly but on the days when the rivers have been in half decent condition I have been encouraged both on the River Wharfe and River Aire by the numbers of smaller Grayling we have been catching, this bodes well for the future and hopefully it will not be too long before Grayling stocks return to the levels we remember 20 or more years ago. The better Grayling have come to the trotted worm with several over one and a half pounds and it's only a matter of time before a lucky customer catches a much bigger fish from one of the Dales rivers. Long trotting is a great way to catch Grayling, it makes a nice change from fly fishing and if practiced with a centre pin reel in many respects every bit as skillful, if you have not tried it before you really must have a go, we can supply all the equipment you need.
Prospects for Grayling fishing should be good given stable river levels, this is often the case later into December and into the New Year when I have often had some of the best sport of the Winter. Location is the key as the Grayling shoals can be concentrated in to a very small area, I remember one occasion on the River Wharfe at Burnsall when a friend and I caught 17 all over a pound from no more than a couple of square yards of water.
Any spare time at this time of year is spent preparing for next season, mainly tying flies, all the old faithfull's plus a few new designs and ideas, some of these will work and others will be forgotten only to be invented again in a few years time. Next season is already looking very busy with many old and indeed new customers already having booked for 2007, so as the old saying goes "book early to avoid disappiontment !
We have some really great fishing opportunities here in the Yorkshire Dales and if you would like to discuss the options give me a call on 01756 748378 or drop me an email at steve@goflyfishinguk.com.
‘Tight lines' and best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.
Steve.
Welcome to our new Go Fly Fishing UK Ltd. website which went live in mid-October. This is my first diary entry since we created our new web site and I thought you may be interested in a brief summary of how the trout season progressed through 2006 here in Yorkshire. I am based near Skipton in the Yorkshire Dales and have spent pretty much every day since the start of the season guiding or teaching on the many superb rivers and lakes we are fortunate have here in the Yorkshire Dales. It has been an interesting season with extremes of weather and often difficult conditions making the fishing challenging, despite that the vast majority of clients, often complete beginners managed to catch fish.
The rivers started well and the River Wharfe at Burnsall where I spend much of my time we had nice water and good hatches of Large Dark Olives, the nymph was taking most of the fish but spiders and dries also had their share. For the first couple of months we had a surprising number of wild Brown Trout including some large fish which shows the river is in good heart. The fishing in June was good but slowed in July with the very hot weather and low water but by fishing the faster more oxygenated water mainly "New Zealand Style" clients were still catching fish with several double figure bags. The weather broke in August bringing more water and more consistent fishing, a couple of days on the River Aire provided excellent sport with some superb fish. The better Grayling started to show in the second half of August and September with a few turning up on most days the best a fish of around 1lb 14oz which took a small bead head nymph. The season ended on the Wharfe with the river fishing well to spider patterns and as many small Grayling as I have seen for many years.
The stillwater fishing started with some excellent fishing at Coniston Hall lake with the fish taking buzzers well and by the end of April we were having great sport to the dry fly. A day in May saw one of the best rises to buzzers I have ever seen with more than 30 fish coming to the boat in little more than 3 hours fishing, Diawl Bach's being the killer pattern. Hot weather at the beginning of June made fishing more difficult but fish were still responding well to small dries throughout the month. The July heatwave saw fish go down and start feeding on Daphnia, a small orange lure fished "on the hang" 10 to 12 feet down was the answer and despite the adverse conditions plus Daphnia feeding fish we had some really good days. With cooler weather fishing in August picked up but it was September before things really started to get going again with fish moving into the shallower water and feeding on snails and pea mussles which didn't stop them taking buzzers Diawl Bach's or again a small orange lure. Our last day on the lake this season brought 12 fish plus another 4 or 5 losses and two very happy customers ! A handful of trips to Malham Tarn, which must be one of the hardest waters I know turned up 3lb plus wild Brown Trout for each of two delighted clients. Barden Reservoir fished really well in August and September, the best fish being fighting fit rainbows with two weighing 4lb 9oz and one weighing 4lb 10oz.
As I write the first frosts have just arrived which should help concentrate the Grayling and sharpen their appetite, a couple of hours trotting on the River Aire yesterday turned up two good Grayling with another lost in addition to numerous out of season Brown Trout. Long trotting with a centre pin reel is a skilful and very effective technique and can provide good sport in even the hardest of the winter weather, why not give it a try I can teach you this in addition to the usual winter fly fishing techniques such as Czech Nymphing.
I'll let you know in my next diary update at the end of November how the grayling fishing is going in the Yorkshire Dales but if you fancy a chat give me a call on 01756 748378 or drop me an email at steve@goflyfishinguk.com.
‘Good fishing’ Steve
Steve Rhodes and Dave Martin the proprietors of Go Fly Fishing UK are Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guides.
Steve Rhodes is chairman of the Grayling Society