Freestone · Limestone · Yorkshire Dales / West Yorkshire, GB-ENG

River Wharfe

The River Wharfe flowing through a wide gravel-bed channel at Bolton Abbey with tree-lined banks.
Good · Brown Trout
Pheasant Tail Nymph · 14-16
Goodlive now
A proper day on the water
Low and clear — careful approach country. Stay small, stay accurate.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.14 mLast reading 5h ago
  • Water temp17.8°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail Nymph14-16
Upstream, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.14 m
Last reading 5h ago
Water temp17.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather17°C
WindNW 11 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.2 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
18°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Olives off through afternoon hatches April through May; Mayfly into early June where it shows; sedges through summer; small dark flies into early October.
Where
Pool tails, the heads of riffles, and the seams behind boulders. The Wharfe fishes pocket-to-pocket — read the water mark by mark.
Method
Upstream dry to risers when olives or sedges are off; North Country spider on the swing in cooler water — Snipe and Purple, Partridge and Orange, Waterhen Bloa. Move upstream slowly, fish each lie properly.
Kit
9 ft #4 — Yorkshire freestone default. Floating line, 9 to 12 ft leader to 4 to 5 lb fluoro. Studded boots for slick stones.
Why this works
Good — water clarity is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 9 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Grayling seasonSeason
2
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
North Country spider water
Local classics: Waterhen Bloa·Snipe & Purple·Partridge & Orange
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Washburn Valley Fisheries
11 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Raygill Fishing Lakes
16 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Kilnsey Park Estate
17 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Leighton Reservoir
27 km
Rainbow trout
Leighton Reservoir
27 km
Rainbow trout
Gallery · 6
  1. The River Wharfe flowing through a wide gravel-bed channel at Bolton Abbey with tree-lined banks.
    River Wharfe at Bolton Abbey
  2. A wide panoramic view of the River Wharfe flowing through Kettlewell in upper Wharfedale below fell-flanked valley sides.
    River Wharfe in Kettlewell
  3. The River Wharfe meandering through open meadow near Appletreewick with woodland on the far bank.
    The River Wharfe near Appletreewick
  4. Smooth pebbles carpeting the bed and bank of the River Wharfe at Bolton Abbey with shallow clear water behind.
    Bolton Abbey — River Wharfe
  5. Linton Falls on the River Wharfe near Grassington, white water tumbling over limestone ledges.
    Linton Falls, River Wharfe, near Grassington
  6. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown

EA (England) · UKGB104027064258

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 73 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature60 × 28%16.8
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time65 × 13%8.5
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity60 × 12%7.2
Conditions total= 73
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 22 March → 30 September
  • Grayling 16 June → 14 March

    Bolton Abbey and Ilkley AA both list grayling 16 June – 14 March. Fly only on most beats, barbless/de-barbed, all grayling returned. Best fishing is autumn — September through December. Check the specific beat or association for day-ticket availability.

    Prime sport 1 September → 31 December

Related guides
Grayling Playbookgrayling tacticsYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methodsTrout Near Londonaccess guide
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts