Spate · Limestone · Swaledale / North Yorkshire, GB-ENG

River Swale

Photo of River Swale
Today · Not the day for it
Partridge and Orange
Forecast · Today
Not the day for it
Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
45% projected
Today's fly
Partridge and Orange
Partridge and Orange
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.03 m
Lifting fast
Water temp14.1°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather16°C
WindN 21 km/h
Pressure1007 hPa
Rain · recent0.2 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

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

Water temperature for Grayling
Warm — slow
14°C est.ideal 4–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Grayling
When
September through February — prime October into December. The Swale's grayling fishing is best below Catterick once water settles.
Where
Below Catterick where the river slows and grayling shoal in the deeper glides and gravel runs.
Method
Upstream wet with North Country spiders — Snipe and Purple, Greenwell's Spider, Dark Watchet. Switch to Euro-nymphing through the deeper pockets. Dry fly when sedges or olives come off.
Kit
9 ft #4 for the wets and dries; 10 ft #3 nymphing rod for the deep pockets. 4 to 5 lb fluoro tippet, 12 ft leader.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Stoneflies
Caddisflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 12h

12h(now) — Heather Fly

Stage: Terrestrials on topApproach: Dry flyActivity: 53%
Also:Reed Smut39%Autumn Dun28%
Peak emergence window7 food groups active

Peak activity at 12h — Heather Fly (Heather Fly, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

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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 · September 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
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
Fly box · Grayling
North Country spider water
Local classics: Snipe & Purple·Partridge & Orange·Waterhen Bloa
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
River Ure
14 km
Brown trout · Grayling
Mainsgill Farm Trout Fishery
15 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
River Tees
17 km
Brown trout · Grayling · Salmon
River Balder
21 km
76
Brown trout · Grayling
Hury Reservoir
22 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Photo of River Swale
    River Swale — image via Wikipedia (River Swale)
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Fail
Water quality details
  • Dissolved oxygen: Moderate
  • Ammonia (Phys-Chem): High
  • pH: High
  • Phosphate: High
  • Temperature: Good
What this classification means

EA waterbody 'Swale from Muker Beck to Clapgate Beck' (GB104027069121) — the upper-Swaledale main stem (Reeth, Grinton, Marske, Downholme). Latest EA data (Cycle 3, 2022): Moderate 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 GB104027069000, which is Colburn/Risedale Beck (a Swale tributary), not the main stem.

EA (England) · GB104027069121

The full read · show the working · for Grayling · confidence 90%
How the 86 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time90 × 13%11.7
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity61 × 12%7.3
Conditions total= 86
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 22 March → 30 September
  • Grayling 16 June → 14 March

    The Swale is an outstanding grayling river. Most association and club water follows the full statutory window. Autumn through December is the classic period. Check Richmond & District Angling Club and local DA rules.

    Prime sport 1 September → 31 December

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