Spate · Limestone · Lancashire / Yorkshire Dales, GB-ENG

River Ribble

The River Ribble flowing through open countryside at Settle with a stony riverbed in low summer water.

Fine Lancashire spate river rising in the Yorkshire Dales near Ribblehead — classic northern character with limestone substrate, fast riffles, and excellent hatches (March Browns, olives, sedges, grannom caddis in April).

Good · Brown Trout
Pheasant Tail Nymph · 14-16
Goodlive now
A proper day on the water
River high but settled. Match the colour and fish the seams.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.88 mDropping in the last 6h
  • Water temp17.0°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail Nymph14-16
Upstream, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.88 m
Dropping in the last 6h
Water temp17.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather16°C
WindW 13 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.9 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
17°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Olives through April and May afternoons; sedges through summer; small dark flies into early October. Spate-driven — fish 12 to 24 hours after rain.
Where
Upper Ribble through Settle is classic Pennine pocket water; the middle and lower river widens. Pool tails, riffle heads, undercut banks.
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 8 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read 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
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Sea trout runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
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
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box

A proper northern spate river — it fishes best on the drop, as it clears after rain. The upper river above Settle has a limestone edge and cracking March Brown and olive hatches; dry when they're on, nymph when they're not.

Local classics: March Brown·Waterhen Bloa·Pheasant Tail Nymph
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 3
River Hodder
7.0 km
81
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Lune
44 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Wharfe
47 km
73
Brown trout · Grayling
Gallery · 6
  1. The River Ribble flowing through open countryside at Settle with a stony riverbed in low summer water.
    The River Ribble at Settle
  2. Wide view of the River Ribble at Ribchester showing gravelly shallows and summer low-water riffles.
    The River Ribble, Ribchester
  3. The River Ribble running over limestone ledges and shingle at Settle with the Dales skyline behind.
    The River Ribble at Settle
  4. Clear limestone-green pool and exposed bedrock at Queen's Rock on the River Ribble above Settle.
    Queen's Rock, River Ribble, Settle
  5. The River Ribble in full spate with brown peaty flood water over boulders near Settle.
    The River Ribble in spate, Settle
  6. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Fine Lancashire spate river rising in the Yorkshire Dales near Ribblehead — classic northern character with limestone substrate, fast riffles, and excellent hatches (March Browns, olives, sedges, grannom caddis in April). The upper Ribble above Settle is superb wild brown trout and grayling water. Salmon and sea trout run middle and lower reaches (significant recovery in recent years). Fish as it drops after rain — the Ribble responds quickly and produces best on falling water. Dry fly is productive when hatches are on; nymphing standard between. Long Ribble Fisheries Association and local clubs manage access; day tickets available. 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

  • Limestone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown

EA (England) · UKGB112071065614

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 78 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature77 × 28%21.6
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity61 × 12%7.3
Conditions total= 78
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 February → 31 October
  • Sea trout 3 April → 31 October
  • Trout 22 March → 30 September
  • Grayling 16 June → 14 March

    Statutory window is 16 June – 14 March. Ribble Trust Mitton beat separates game angling (15 March – 31 October) from coarse and grayling (1 November – 14 March). Treat November to mid-March as the working access default on association water.

    Fished once the trout season is over — access typically from 1 November.

    Prime sport 1 November → 28 February

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. Ribble salmon catches collapsed through the 2020s.

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