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My erstwhile fishing buddy Tony and I grabbed a day off between walked up days on the grouse moor to fish one of Yorkshire’s premiere rivers, the Wharfe. Taking local advice from the gents clothing shop in Grassington, we rocked up at The Tennant Arms at 9:30 and joined the queue at the bar. The spit and sawdust fishing bar was populated by similarly attired folk checking leaders and flies before the Kilnsey Angling Club’s secretary distributed beats.
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Having been issued the Netherside Beat and a stunning map of the fishing waters (almost frameable it is so nice), we made our way out onto the water. There were a few fish rising to pale olives, so being the purists we are we both stuck appropriate dryflies on the end of our leaders (mine was an olive Klinkhammer) and waded out. I was fishing with my Orvis Zero Gravity 5 weight. Tony was fishing with his spaniel Tom. Needless to say, Tom and Tony had the first fish, a lovely 10″ brownie.
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While the water was pretty low, and (as it should be) the colour of Yorkshire beer, we still bagged 10 fish between the two of us from 4″ to 1.5lbs in 5 hours of concentrated fishing. Wherever I travel, I pack a rod or two, and slope off to find fishable water. No. 2 claims that I would fish in a dog bowl if it was the only available wet. So no matter where you are headed, business or pleasure, if you fancy an evening’s fluff flicking or a day’s sport fishing, get in touch. I’m bound to know someone with water and sport to spare.
