Spate · Sandstone · North York Moors / Whitby, GB-ENG

River Esk (North Yorkshire Moors)

The River Esk flowing through a wooded valley below Glaisdale on the North Yorkshire Moors

Moorland spate river where you might catch a trout on a Snipe & Purple in the morning and a sea trout at dusk — versatility is the game.

Today · Closed season
Partridge and Orange
Forecast · Today
Closed season
Out of season. Try elsewhere.
45% projected
Today's fly
Partridge and Orange
Partridge and Orange
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.08 m
Lifting fast
Water temp7.7°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather4°C
WindN 29 km/h
Pressure1013 hPa
Rain · recent6.6 mm
Rain · ahead6.6 mm

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

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Cool — slow
8°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Olives April through May; sedges through summer evenings; small dark flies into October. The Esk is small spate water — fish the drop after rain.
Where
Upper Esk above Glaisdale is tight moorland pocket water; the lower river through Egton holds longer pools. The whole river is small-scale.
Method
Upstream dry or dry-dropper to risers; North Country spider on the swing in cooler water. The Esk is a small river — short casts, careful approach.
Kit
8'6 to 9 ft #4 — small Pennine spate. Floating line, 9 ft leader to 4 lb fluoro. Studded boots.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 37%
Peak emergence window3 food groups active

Peak activity at 11am — Autumn Needle Fly (Autumn Needle Fly, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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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 · November highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Heather FlyHatch
2
2
Autumn DunHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
North Country spider water

A moorland river of two minds — a trout on a spider by morning, a sea trout at dusk. The peat stain forgives a heavier hand and rewards a darker fly.

Local classics: Snipe & Purple·Partridge & Orange·Waterhen Bloa
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 3
Costa Beck
33 km
0
Brown trout
River Rye
38 km
0
Brown trout · Grayling · Sea trout
River Derwent (Yorkshire)
48 km
0
Brown trout · Grayling
Gallery · 2
  1. The River Esk flowing through a wooded valley below Glaisdale on the North Yorkshire Moors
    The River Esk below Glaisdale, North Yorkshire Moors
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Fast response (4 hours) and broken water suit darker flies and bolder presentation than chalk streams. The water often carries peat stain after rain — fish darker spiders and bigger wets when conditions darken. Salmon and sea trout run April–October; brown trout throughout. Flexible access via local ticketing (Danby, Egton Bridge, Ruswarp) — contact ahead for best options. The Esk Fishery Association controls roughly eight miles of named beats including Lealholm, Glaisdale, Limber Hill and Sleights; membership has a joining fee, an annual subscription and (for adults) a waiting list. Visitor day tickets are available only on a limited stretch via boat hire at Ruswarp. Sandstone freestone bedrock underlies this river. Atlantic salmon are assessed by the Environment Agency against each river's Conservation Limit — many principal rivers are classed 'at risk' with mandatory catch-and-release byelaws; check current rules before fishing.

Sea trout here

Summer-autumn runs (June–September), nocturnal peak season pattern

  • Sandstone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Fail
Water quality details
  • Dissolved oxygen: Good
  • Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD): Moderate
  • Ammonia (Phys-Chem): High
  • pH: High
  • Phosphate: High
  • Temperature: Good
  • Physico-chemical quality elements: Good
  • Chemical: Does not require assessment
What this classification means

EA waterbody 'Esk from Sleddale Beck to Ruswarp' (GB104027068150) — the lowest non-tidal main stem of the North York Moors Esk (Sleights/Grosmont down to the Ruswarp tidal limit above Whitby). Latest EA data (Cycle 3, 2022): Good ecological status. Chemical 'Fail' reflects the England-wide ubiquitous-substance failure (mercury and PBDE in biota); the 2022 cycle itself records chemical as 'does not require assessment'. Corrected 2026-06-18 from GB104027068710, which is East Row Beck (a separate coastal beck), not the Esk.

EA (England) · GB104027068150

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature60 × 28%16.8
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity35 × 12%4.2
Conditions total= 67
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
Warmer water — toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the temperature score.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 March → 31 October

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Salmon: Negligible (2026) — EA 2024 Salmon Stocks Assessment classifies this river 'at risk' — egg deposition below Conservation Limit. Conservation priority; not a salmon fishing destination.

Related guides
Yorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methodsTrout Near Londonaccess guideEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

River Esk (North Yorkshire Moors) is a spate river in North York Moors / Whitby, England. Its recorded elevation is about 60 m above sea level and the catchment geology is sandstone. The river is described as roughly 45 km long. Our data lists brown trout, salmon and sea trout here. It is classed as a salmon river. The salmon season is recorded as running from 1 March to 31 October. Best window recorded for anglers: May to September. Core methods listed: Wet fly swing; Upstream nymph; Night sea trout (wet fly). Level and flow data for this water is linked from 2 gauges. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as good. Nearby waters in our listings include Costa Beck at 33 km, River Rye at 38 km and River Derwent (Yorkshire) at 48 km.