May Fishing
With months of no rain the river are all very low. Anglers who have seen the low water higher up the Wharfe have questioned whether the AAA stretch is worth fishing. We are fortunate insofar as our section of the river doesn’t suffer as dramatically from low water. It is still fishable, although as you would expect some areas that might otherwise be productive are not at the moment.
We are also aware that clubs further up the river have closed some water due to perceived low oxygen levels. The scientific advice that we have received is that there is currently enough oxygen in the water and the water temperature is not too high.
The first week or so in May saw excellent fishing with good fly hatches through the day. The warmer weather that followed has had a negative effect and the fishing has suffered a bit. At the time of writing (mid May) the average catch reported in the catch returns was just over 4 fish each fishing session.
Day Ticket Bookings
The Clubmate booking system for Day Tickets has been improved. Previously, is was only possible to book a Day Ticket up to the day prior to fishing. It is now possible to book on the same day you wish to fish. Follow the instructions in the day ticket section of the website
Bradford City AA Open Day
We are pleased to support our neighbouring angling club Bradford City AA who are holding their annual Open Day on Saturday June 7th. It takes place on the River Aire at Inghey Bridge (at the junction of the A59 and A6069 near Skipton.) The event kicks off around 10am and includes a series of demonstrations on aspects of fly fishing as well as 2 casting instructors who offer individual casting instruction. There is an entrance fee of £5 which entitles entrants to a sausage sandwich and tea.The proceeds are donated to the Wild Trout Trust
May Kick Sample Results
23 May 2025 06.45am
Olives Baetidae x 26
Cased caddis x 1
Caseless caddis x 6
Flat-bodied Heptageniidae x 44
Worms x 4
Stonefly x 14
Blue winged olives x 23
Gammarus x 0
Mayfly x 3
2025 Trout Season
The new season is now well underway. The river level is very low but it is possible to have a decent day
fishing. We saw good hatches of Large Dark Olives in March, followed by March Browns. As of mid April the March Browns
are still hatching in good numbers around mid-day. Unsurprisingly, Waterhen Bloa and March Brown Spider have
been successful patterns and it is worth noting that although trout might not be seen rising in a hatch, traditional
north country spider flies are very effective.
Kick Sample Results – April 22nd
Olive Baetidae x 27
Cased Caddis x 2
Caseless Caddis x 4
Flat Bodied Heptageniidae x 76
Worms x 6
Stonefly x 9
Blue Winged Olives x 4
Gammarus x 2
Washburn Valley Reservoir Fishing
Fishing for Addingham AA members is now permitted from 0630. For day ticket holders it is
0730.
Lambing Season
It is currently lambing season and the landowner for the majority of our river has lost lambs to walkers with dogs. Could
members, guests or day ticket holders please request members of the public to read the signs provided and ensure their dogs
are on a secure lead. Many thanks in advance.
Kick Sample Results – November 11th
We regularly perform kick samples to omintor the insect life in the river and teh results of the latest sample are below which may help with fly choice when chasing autumn grayling…
4 x Stonefly
2 x Caseless Caddis
131 x Flat Bodied Heptageniide
5 x Olives Baetidae
2 x Chironomidae Bloodworm
4 x Mayfly Ephemeridae
3 x Crane Fly Larvae
Some fly patterns to try to imitate these (with no guarantees!)
A Pheasant Tail or Duracell covers a number of bugs in the river at the moment with the latter being a good grayling pattern as it’s a bit flashy, then other options would be Iron Lotus, Black Pheasant Tail or Perdigon and a Sawyers Grayling Bug. Tight lines!
Redd Alert!
we are firtunate to have Graylin in our stretch of the Wharfe which allows us to fish through the colder months. this does however mean anglers are in the river during and after Trout spawning season. The Wild Trout Trust have written an article with an accompanying video to help you familiarise yourself wiuth teh appearance of redds (areas of gravel where trout have laid eggs) and if you are wading, please avoid them to give the next generation of fish the best chance. Click here to view the article
Kick Sample Results – October 23rd
We regularly perform kick samples to monitor the insect life in the river and the results of the latest sample are below which may help with fly choice when chasing autumn grayling. Two predominiat bugs were found with a few outliuers thrown in….
3 x Stonefly
2 x Caseless Caddis
66 x Flat Bodied Heptageniide (mayfly nymphs)
22 x Olives Baetidae (Likely large olives as they have been hatching recently)
2 x Bloodworm
North Country Spider Fishing
On Sunday April 21st 2024, AAA member Steve Cheetham gave a demonstration on North Country Spider fishing to 13 club members. Everyone came away with plenty of useful knowledge about this deadly technique for fishing the Wharfe and any other river.
Click here to see some notes from the event to help you give it a go next time you’re on the water
CATCH RETURNS
Thank you to everyone who has submitted their catch returns so far this season. From the information we have, it would appear that the river is fishing well. The average catch is currently 3.3 fish per session with a predominance of trout in the 7”-12” and over 12” categories.
As the season progresses the smaller trout as well as grayling will probably show up more but we do appear to have good fishing conditions.
Please do continue to enter your returns, including any blank sessions, and if you haven’t done so in the past, please consider submitting your returns in the future.
