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.
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
0.20 m
Lifting fast
Water temp14.9°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather17°C
WindN 23 km/h
Pressure1008 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.8 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
15°C est.ideal 4–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Grayling
When
Autumn into winter is prime — September through February. Cold-water tolerant; midday warmth in cold months brings fish up. Yorkshire grayling fishing is a winter tradition.
Where
Faster water at the heads of riffles, gravel runs, deeper glide tails. Below Bolton Abbey holds grayling reliably; the upper Wharfe runs harder pocket water.
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 — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Caddisflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 12h

12h(now) — Heather Fly

Stage: Terrestrials on topApproach: Dry flyActivity: 40%
Also:Reed Smut36%
Peak emergence window9 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

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

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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
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Hawthorn FlyHatch
2
2
GrannomHatch
2
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: 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
26 km
Rainbow trout
Leighton Reservoir
26 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
Water quality details
  • Dissolved oxygen: High
  • Ammonia (Phys-Chem): High
  • pH: High
  • Phosphate: High
  • Temperature: High

EA (England) · UKGB104027064258

The full read · show the working · for Grayling · confidence 90%
How the 87 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 activity70 × 12%8.4
Conditions total= 87
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

    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