YORKSHIRE DALES STILLWATER FLYFISHING

In the southwest corner of the Yorkshire Dales we have a little known gem called Coniston Hall Lake, run by Coniston Hall Hotel and stocked with very hard fighting rainbow trout. There are also reasonable numbers of (reputedly) Wild Brown Trout. Coniston is very rich in fly life and is a buzzer or nymph fishers paradise. Early season buzzer (midge) hatches can be phenomenal! Coniston Hall is a perfect size to learn the art of loch style flyfishing (where we drift with the boat angled sideways to the direction of the drift). Coniston Hall is fairly sheltered and is generally quiet, with only two useable rowing boats. Though bank fishing is allowed, in reality a boat is a must, as shallow water extends for some distance from most banks. I use my own electric outboard when fishing there so we don't lose time rowing back and forth. From June to September Coniston Lake becomes too weedy in my opinion so I class it as an early season venue; the fishing April and May can be outstanding with huge buzzers hatching everywhere and the trout gorging on them!

Scar House Reservoir is a remote Wild Brown Trout fishery located at the head of Nidderdale, the headwaters of the River Nidd. The surroundings are stunning with high moors, windswept hills and only the sound of moorland birds disturbing the silence. Scar House provides us with good wild fishing for brown trout from the bank only, but due to its position it is best fished on calmer days. Scar House trout are free rising and give good sport throughout the brown trout season. You can split your day here with fishing for Brown Trout and Grayling on the River Nidd in the valley below (the Nidderdale Angling Club day ticket includes both). Scar House Reservoir is well regarded by the few who fish it. This is the nearest we have in Yorkshire to fly fishing on a Scottish loch. I am confident you will enjoy the fishing and the sense of solitude Scar House Reservoir gives you. If you are wondering about what flies to use, look no further than small, black, traditional wet flies, or small, dry, terrestrials, black again.

Kilnsey Park is set right in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales with Kilnsey Crag, a magnificent limestone crag, as the backdrop. This is small stillwater flyfishing in the best surroundings possible for hard fighting rainbow trout. There can't be a more scenic small stillwater in the country! Kilnsey Park is probably not the place for the more experienced fly fisher, but it is particularly suitable for the beginner and those new to the sport. The two lakes at Kilnsey Park are sheltered from strong winds, have open banks for unrestricted casting, are very well stocked with rainbow trout and there are toilet and cafe facilities on site.

Helwith Bridge Fly Fishery is a 5 acre, spring fed lake, located a few miles northwest of the Yorkshire Dales market town of Settle, in the village of Helwith Bridge. The crystal clear water is a 30 foot deep former quarry, with views of Pen-y-ghent to the northeast. Helwith Bridge is well stocked with Rainbow Trout. With deep water straight off the bank trout have the confidence to swim close, so long casts are not necessary. Helwith Bridge is a good buzzer water and also has a hatch of Lake Olives, which the trout are rather fond of. Another benefit of the deep, spring fed water, is that it stays relatively cool during the warm summer months and, therefore, continues to fish well. Nor does it suffer from weed growth which some shallower lakes can do.

Fewston Reservoir is one of four reservoirs on the impounded River Washburn, in the Washburn Valley, a tributary of the River Wharfe. The surrounding countryside provides a lovely backdrop to a day's fishing at Fewston with a mix of high moors, pine forests and farmland. It's a large reservoir at over 100 acres and may well appear daunting to the inexperienced fly angler - it's not a place I consider suitable for beginners and novices. The water at Fewston Reservoir is peat stained, as are many of our upland lakes and reservoirs. This is a result of the water draining from the surrounding moorland and is typical of upland trout fishing. The water is not the rich larder of food that our rivers and some lakes are, it is acidic and not very fertile, however, through stocking with good quality rainbow trout Fewston is a good fishery where I have had many an enjoyable day in the past. Fewston is well stocked and is the natural progression from small stillwaters for the inexperienced angler. Bank fishing only - no boats.