A Day in the Yorkshire Dales

I decided having looked at the weather forecast to take the kids for a day out in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Our destination was Hawes (Wallace & Gromit country), which is about 20 miles north of Settle.
Although the temperature didn’t get above 1oC it was a beautiful sunny day with hardly a cloud in the sky.
My thoughts again turned to the forthcoming fishing season, so enquiries were made as to the cost and availability of fishing on the River Ure and Gayle Beck, which flows into the Ure about ½ mile from Hawes towards Hardraw where there is a spectacular waterfall, which is accessed through the Green Dragon Pub. Unfortunately I didn’t get to the waterfalls on this occasion.
Anyway back to the fishing costs. I enquired at the Three Peaks walking shop in Hawes who sell tickets on behalf of Hawes & High Abbotside Angling Association and was informed that a day ticket on the Ure is £16.00, a weekly ticket is £30.00 and a season ticket is £60.00. There is 15 miles of fishing available on this ticket and the waters look great even though the River Ure was frozen over in places. The River Ure is stocked with Brown Trout and also has a head of Wild Brownies, it also has a very good head of Grayling with some fantastic sport at this time of year if the water is not frozen over.

Tying Evening

I attended the latest tying class of Lakeland Fly Dressers Guild on Wednesday, this is held at the Club Inn at Endmoor near Kendal.
The patterns that we were tying this week were the shuttlecock buzzer and the bloodworm.
I have never tied or even tried these patterns when I have been out fishing, but I was told they are very effective in rivers, especially the rivers of South Lakeland. I had to get some of the materials for these patterns although some of the materials were supplied by the Guild.
My attempt at the bloodworm is pictured above. I am quite please with this attempt and will tie up some more to use in the coming season.

Looking Forward

Being off work at the moment due to the hotel being refurbished, I have plenty time on my hands to think ahead and plan for next season’s fishing.

So today I went for a walk to a river that I have driven past on many occasions and thought it looked fishy. The river in question is the River Sprint near Kendal. I walked along the bank of the river looking for likely places that would hold fish, of which there are plenty. This river has crystal clear water and a gravely bed, with a slow to medium flow when not in spate, perfect wading water, I reckon the water quality is better than some of the well known Southern Chalk Streams. It joins the River Kent just south of Burneside and this is then joined by the river Mint at the gravel trap.

Burnesdie Angling Association runs this stretch of the river and day tickets are available from the Jolly Angler Pub in Burneside. I am looking forward to a couple of days out river trouting on this magnificent looking river.

Flytying & me

I have been fly tying on and off for a few years now, but have never been a good tyer although my fly’s have caught fish.
I was delighted to find that there was a branch of the Fly Dressers Guild close to me. I joined the Guild a few weeks ago following an invite from a fishing friend. He informed me that there was a beginners tying class held each week during the winter and that I would come on in leaps and bounds by attending these classes.
As you can see my flies are not perfect, but this is a huge improvement on what I used to tie. The encouragement I have been given at the tying classes has been invaluable to me, and as such I would recommend that anyone wishing to start flytying should contact their nearest branch of the Fly Dressers Guild and attend their tying evenings.

A Hidden Gem!

Think of the Lake District and immediately you would associate the area with hillwalking, Berghaus jackets, gift shops and Kendal mint cake but you would not be thinking like an angler
This beautiful corner of Cumbria has much more to offer than rambling and sticky sweeties.
Surprisingly enough the area has many fishing opportunities its not called the Lake District for nothing you know .As well as the larger lakes such as Windermere and Derwent water the area has many smaller tarns and reservoirs which offer the game fisher the chance of great sport set in wild scenic locations.
I would like to share with you my favourite Lake District still water, Ghyll Head.
I have fished Ghyll Head on several occasions over the years and have always enjoyed my days there even on the couple of occasions that I have blanked.
This beautiful 11-acre water is situated in the hills above the South East end of Lake Windermere. Ghyll Head commands panoramic views over the nearby Southern Lakeland fells. It’s quite a narrow stretch of water set in a deep-sided valley. The tarn is fed by a number of small becks which enter along its entire length. The small dam area and the adjoining central basin has the deepest water where the fish can be found both in the colder months and in the heat of high summer. The tarn is managed and stocked by The Windermere, Ambleside and district Angling Association who stock the tarn regularly with good quality rainbow trout. The water also has an indigenous head of wild brown trout which anglers are encouraged to return safely to the water.
It has been my experience to fish the early months of the season deep in the central basin area with weighted flies such as the gold ribbed hares ear and such like. With the warmth of May Greenwells and olive patterns are worth a try .In the summer modern dries such as cdc patterns come to the fore with hoppers and daddies also being successful .It pays to explore the tarn thoroughly to find the feeding levels as unseen underwater springs oxygenate the water during the spells of hot weather.
I particularly would recommend the evening fishing at the shallow south end of the tarn where I have had most success on this lovely water.
Day permits are available from Bowness tourist information centre and local filling stations.
Day Permits are £16 with a two fish limit. Catch and release is encouraged. Ghyll Head is open from the 15th Match to 31st December.

The River Kent

The River Kent is one of the foremost Salmon and Sea Trout rivers in the northwest of England. It is also one of the few places where you will find native White Clawed crayfish and Fresh Water White Pearl Mussels, and as such has been designated an SSSI by English Nature.

I was out walking down by the river today and it got me thinking about the recent flooding of the river. I came upon a wall plaque which shows the river levels during various floods.

The highest recorded on the plaque was approx 5ft above the current pathway, this was 1898. During the recent flooding the river was about 2ft above the current pathway. The plaque was put up by the North West Water Authority (now United Utillities)in 1978, after the completion of the flood defence work done on the river to help stop the flooding. the measures taken included widening the river and insatalling weirs and dredging the bottom.

This is the second time that the river has burst it's banks in 10years.