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WENSLEYDALE WEATHER FORECAST
The Wensleydale
Weather forecast
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 Fly fishing on the River Ure is as good as it gets in England, especially if you hit it just right! The River Ure rises in the hills above Hawes in Wensleydale and
flows 45 miles to
its confluence with the River Swale at Boroughbridge. In my opinion, and the opinion of many others, the River Ure is the best trout and grayling river, certainly in Yorkshire and maybe the whole of England.
Yes it really is that good! It holds good stocks of brown trout and huge stocks of grayling. The River Ure is unique among the main Yorkshire Dales rivers in that it does not share its name with the dale
that it flows through e.g. the River Wharfe in Wharfedale and the River Nidd in Nidderdale etc. The River Ure flows through Wensleydale and provides us with some fine fly fishing.
Fly fishing on the River Ure improves significantly below Aysgarth Falls. This is not to say that the fishing above is poor because it certainly is not, but below the falls, for some 20 miles, is prime River Ure
fly fishing where trout and grayling are prolific. I have access to two of these prime stretches of the River Ure below Aysgarth Falls, including the famous
Masham Angling Club waters and another stretch upstream, equally as good but less well known. Both these stretches are private with no day tickets and long waiting
lists for membership. I give fly fishing tuition and I offer a fly fishing guiding service on the River Ure, but availability is strictly limited for these quality stretches and I am only able to offer them on a 'first come,
first served' basis. Both stretches fish well throughout the year but late April/May and September/October are probably the prime months.
 The middle
Ure here is a medium sized river with fantastic hatches of fly right through the season, but with particularly good hatches of large dark olive, yellow may dun, pale wateries, stoneflies and sedges. Fly fishing on the
River Ure, 'matching the hatch', can be particularly rewarding, though not always easy! Dry fly fishing for grayling from early summer through until mid-winter is top class, with grayling reaching close to the magic
2lb weight. Small flies such as midge imitations and small CDC flies are usually key to your success. Czech nymphing, (or bugging) is also a useful tactic when the water is carrying some colour,
a method that the brown trout are fond of too.
The River Ure has 2 tributaries well worth fly fishing in Upper Wensleydale; the River Cover and the River Bain. Both these small rivers offer good fly fishing for
small wild brown trout. I have read that there are grayling in the Bain and Cover, but I have never caught one or heard of any being caught. Chances are that you won't see another angler all day on these rivers. For more
information please take a look at the Other Yorkshire Dales Rivers page.
RIVER URE GUIDING AND FLY FISHING HOLIDAYS
 With all of the best fly fishing on the River Ure unavailable to day ticket visitors it is essential to have a guide who has access to these areas if you are to make the most of your visit to
Wensleydale or fly fishing holiday. I can guide you on 2 of the very best stretches of the river that are well placed to provide good fly fishing whatever the conditions. My first stretch is in the Aysgarth area, which is
upper River Ure, or Upper Wensleydale. This beat can fish well the day after rain when the lower river is un-fishable, but is slightly exposed if it is windy and does drop very low during prolonged dry weather.
The River Ure at Masham is almost 20 miles downstream and has the main advantage in the summer months of not dropping very low. It is also quite sheltered in places
from the wind. So not only do I have access to the best fishing on the River Ure, but I have flexibility to work around adverse conditions. I can also guide you on the River Ure to many day ticket stretches. This is
still good quality fishing; don't be put off by what I have said above. It is just a case of the middle river being the cream of the fishing on the River Ure and because it has a larger population of grayling. A careful
approach and rivercraft are needed on the 'smaller' upper Ure and I can help you with this. Some of my earliest exploits with a fly rod were in these parts and I know what is required to catch the sometimes
difficult trout and grayling here.
Wensleydale is probably my favourite of the Yorkshire Dales. It does not quite equal the breathtaking beauty of Wharfedale or the contrasting landscapes of Nidderdale, but it does have that certain
something that you can't put your finger on. A warm feeling that draws you back time and again. It is quieter than some of the other dales; the fact that it is further away from the bigger towns and cities of industrial
Yorkshire must be a contributing factor in this. It does have all the characteristics of the other dales; the steep valley sides, evidence of the underlying limestone rock protruding through the fields and hills,
sheep, meadows, disused stone barns... Maybe it is none of these things, maybe it is just the fisherman in me and the River Ure that draws me back?
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