The Yorkshire Dales Angler’s Guide

A comprehensive guide on where to fish, how and where to obtain tickets or licences, what baits to use throughout the dales. Covers Airedale, Nidderdale, the north western Dales, Ribblesdale, Swaledale, Wensleydale, Wharfedale, plus all resevoirs, still waters and canals within the area.

Spread out a map of the Yorkshire Dales, stretch out the fingers of your right hand and place your palm on the National Park. With your wrist pointing towards the River Ouse, each finger now traces a Dale’s river, one of the major arteries of Pennine Yorkshire. The shorter River Aire lies to the south beneath your thumb and River Swale to the north, underneath the little finger, with the Rivers Wharfe, Nidd and Ure between. Of course many visitors to Yorkshire will know of the great fisheries on the Swale around Topcliffe, for instance, the Wharfe at Tadcaster, the Ure at Boroughbridge, but few will know of the smaller rivers and tributaries, each of them unique and many of them offering the opportunity to wet a line. Clear streams bubbling from limestone fissures near the famous Stump Cross Caverns mingle to create the River Washburn which, in its tortuous course of only twelve miles, has been dammed four times to create the great reservoirs which store water for the people of Leeds. Two of them, Fewston and Swinsty, already established legends in the trout fishing world, offer the visitor day ticket fishing on some of the loveliest trout water in the country and another, Lindley Wood, is open for season ticket holders. In the north of the region, the diminutive Raydale Beck and tributaries flowing through remote Raydale, high above Lake Semerwater, offer some challenging fishing for wild brown trout in a timeless valley virtually unknown to the visitor. Pen-y-Ghent, affectionately known to locals as a Dales mountain although a mere 694 metres high, dominates the central Dales area. Streams crashing down the spectacular Pen-y-Ghent Gill into diminutive Littondale swell the miniature River Skirfare to create yet another demanding fishery, favoured by the roving fly fisherman.

Many other fine fishing rivers start their lives in the Dales, or touch its borders, before continuing on their relentless passage to the sea. The Ribble, one of the Dales’ few salmon fisheries, drains water from the slopes of the great peaks of Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-Ghent before, near Hellifield, turning west into Lancashire. To the north the River Dee, meandering through pastoral Dentdale, and the Clough River tumbling down Garsdale take water from Baugh Fell and Whernside eastwards to Sedbergh, a good base from which to explore the fine fishing opportunities of the north-western dales.

Traditionally Dales trout fishing is about wading in clear streams, swinging a miniature Partridge and Orange wet fly into the inevitable deep pool at the end of a gravely run whilst anticipating the energetic take of a small wild browny. The fish run three, or even four, to the pound, but seem much larger as they perform an aerobatic display that would rival the Red Arrows! If this is what you’re after, try any of the upper reaches of our rivers.

But if you’re searching for bigger prey, the great reservoirs at Fewston and Swinsty, Scar House and Leighton are the places to head for. The waters may be remote and windswept, but they all hold hard fighting trout which have plenty of room to run when hooked. You’ll need strong leaders and good backing to land one of the bigger browns or rainbows from these waters. And then there are the newer waters which, justifiably, continue to make their presence felt. Right across the region, an increasing number of smaller trout waters continue to be created to satisfy the demand for a good day’s sport in pleasant surroundings. To the west, in Ribblesdale, there’s Helwith Bridge Trout Fishery, to the south, Raygill in Lothersdale, in the east you have a choice, Bellflask and Tanfield, to name but two, and in the north, around Richmond, you have an even bigger choice. All of these purpose built fisheries are famous for the fighting trout that lurk in the clear water. And if you’re young and have never caught a trout before, head for Kilnsey Park in Wharfedale. Reserved for beginners, they have a lake full of trout, the tackle to catch them with and an expert to show you how.

But fishing in Yorkshire is not only about trout; the county boasts some of the best coarse fishing in the country, and quite rightly so. The lower reaches of the Nidd below Knaresborough, the Swale below Catterick and the Wharfe below Wetherby are renowned for the quality and size of the barbel, chub, dace, eels and pike that they regularly produce. Few visiting fishermen will not have heard of Topcliffe; the town’s name has appeared in the record books for many decades. If you’re after barbel and chub, the Swale around Topcliffe is unbeatable and much of the water can be fished on a day ticket. The Ure’s also a great river, around Boroughbridge, plus the Nidd around Knaresborough and the Wharfe at Boston Spa and Tadcaster.

If you’re a still water angler searching for that juggernaut of coarse fish, the carp, then try the new fisheries in the Vale of York. Many of them are dedicated to carp fishing, although they hold just about everything else. But if you like your carp in bigger waters, try the larger of the Knotford Lagoons, situated alongside the River Wharfe near Otley. It’s crammed with carp. Bags of ten to fifteen mirrors a day are not uncommon.

For the ever increasing army of pole fishermen, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal is worth a try. Although it’s not strictly in the Yorkshire Dales it does impinge on its borders and has been included in this guide because of the excellent coarse fishing it offers. Then there’s the much shorter but no less prolific Ripon Canal with 2 miles of excellent coarse fishing.

Visitors to the Dales cannot fail to be enchanted by the timeless beauty, tranquillity and apparent stability of the area and fishermen are no exception. Please remember though that the National Park is a fragile resource and it is in effect a working farm. Be aware of livestock and close all gates. Don’t damage drystone walls to gain access to a remote fishery and try not to add to the erosion of riverbanks. Also remember that the Dales rivers are flood rivers. Keep a wary eye on the weather. A sudden violent storm on the steep sides on Pen-y-Ghent, for instance, will quickly bring the River Wharfe into flood, even in summer, so be very careful when wading.

Wherever and whenever you fish in the glorious Dales, enjoy!