Interesting stuff. just had a barbel out tonight on the York side of the river. Very low and clear at the moment and got it at last knockings. Just fishing for the odd one or two per session (if lucky) on the Nidd but its a beautiful location. Looking forward to September and October when the vegetation will die back a bit
What a contrast with when we cut those top pegs less than 3 months ago on a Leeds working party (same as we did at Kirk Hammerton less than 2 weeks ago), but it's only balsam and found it fairly easy to get through as far as you reached. And it's only 5 weeks since I was fishing a few pegs further above the last one you reached - up to the outlet is another 300 yards, and that's as far as we got towards KH. There were about 5 more decent pegs (including my personal favourite) plus 2 or 3 precarious ones. this is my first ever barbel season, and my first ever barbel - a 7-7 on 19th June was from one of the pegs that's now deep in the balsam there - back then it was just nettles. So it's a special place for me. As for the first 2 fields, there are matches booked just about every weekend this month so particularly some of those numbered pegs will be well used, if the matches do actually take place (the Leeds match booking system is chaotic - don't hold your breath, but it might one day enter the late 20th century - who knows). Thanks Tom for another very useful video. I like this guidebook style best of all your vid's (Now that I've finally registered here to comment, I should thank you too for being the first to draw me to the beauty of Middleham). Nige
there is a free stretch down mother shiptons cave. ive had some cracking roach, rudd, barbel ide, trout and grayling. no one ever fishes it but its a cracking staretch of river. bes to keep clear at weekends as the rowing boats cause havoc
Tom great informative video looks great for barbel and chub might fish it myself one day as I've not hat a fish out yet from Topcliffe or Asenby this season.
While I applaud your public-spirited attitude, if you enjoy visiting these stretches of river, for the life of me, I really can not understand why you would want to spell it out on the internet and name stretches and swims for the whole world to see, especially in a crowded country where quiet fishing is at a premium. While I am sure it does help some genuine anglers to find good fishing, it also spells it out for the lazy and uncaring types who exploit the internet, and take short cuts to easy fishing. The type of people (I hesitate to call them anglers) who will just take; overfishing certain swims, hammering the fish, and leaving behind litter, upsetting landowners and putting club fishing rights at risk. But then I am old fashioned; I enjoy fishing quiet rivers, where the fish have no names, the banks are clean, and information is hard earned over many years of fishing. I don't go fishing for the "social" side! The wildness and mystery of angling has aways been a large part of the appeal over the last four decades for me. Could you not post your videos without naming actual stretches and swims?
Hi, It is balancing act and I am aware that it is contentious. Most well known pegs were renowned long before I started coarse fishing. When I started the best bit of advice I was given, as I hadn't a clue, was to walk the bank, see which pegs were well worn and fish there. As I make the videos I probably find more than others that I can't get onto a successful peg for a few days but it doesn't last long. A couple of blanks and the anglers you mention go back to commercials. Whilst it is nice to have your own 'secret' peg you tend not to venture into reaches which you wouldn't otherwise fish and where you might find some good undisturbed fish.. The number of river anglers has been falling off a cliff as more and more either die, give up or move to commercials. My club had ten thousand anglers not very long ago. It is now less than two thousand. I don't know where you fish but there are miles of river in Yorkshire which are rarely fished. If clubs can't raise the income they can't pay the rents. Many waters have been taken on by syndicates with limited membership and high fees. There is plenty of room but, I won't deny that there are more popular stretches, mainly because of ease of access. Anglers new to rivers do not want to walk miles and end up with a blank and fish gather where the bait goes in making them even more popular. As for litter and nuisance that's what club bailiffs with the help of good members are there to sort out if they want to keep the fishery. Unfortunately what is not conveyed on the videos is the number of outings where I blank but nobody wants to watch ten sessions of stationary rod tips especially if it's a half mile walk. I you want quiet rivers, wilderness and mystery there is miles of it on the Leeds DASA book. See the web site :) Cheers.
Thanks for the reply. I did not mean it as a personal criticism, and I admit that I have enjoyed watching some of your river fishing videos. It is indeed a balancing act, and I realise that you are trying to help genuine anglers, and it is not always easy to find a new stretch, as signs tend to disappear. I try to fish all of the rivers in North Yorkshire (except the lower Swale; as I said, I don't go fishing for the social side)! You will have guessed that I fish the Nidd at Skip Bridge (not the Leeds stretch), and I enjoy the wildlife there and the peace; apart from the A59, and you are quite right about that layby! It is best not to hang around too long near the car after dark; I have found some 'interesting' objects there! Reminds me of the old joke about a certain water being a good fishing spot, as "they are pulling them out all sizes"! I do like to fish the Yorkshire Derwent and the Rye (including some of the small tributaries of the Rye). I admit that these rivers are underfished, and I agree that the number of river anglers is falling, and it is sad to see so few young anglers on the banks. Back in the 1980s, it was difficult to get on many river stretches in the summer and autumn due to the number of matches, but now, I admit that many stretches are hard to fish as they are so overgrown, and it is a worry that many clubs will give up some of their river stretches due to falling membership. My main concern was that it could spell it out too much for the lazy idiots and morons that have no respect for other anglers and landowners. Apologies if I come across as selfish (I admit that I am when it comes to enjoying and protecting rivers)! I wish you good luck for the last few days of the season (hope the rivers recover a bit; the lower Ure/Ouse was an awful colour today due to snowmelt).
Interesting stuff. just had a barbel out tonight on the York side of the river. Very low and clear at the moment and got it at last knockings. Just fishing for the odd one or two per session (if lucky) on the Nidd but its a beautiful location. Looking forward to September and October when the vegetation will die back a bit
Great video. A pleasure to watch.
What a great video, all the info you could want. Thanks for that.
What a contrast with when we cut those top pegs less than 3 months ago on a Leeds working party (same as we did at Kirk Hammerton less than 2 weeks ago), but it's only balsam and found it fairly easy to get through as far as you reached. And it's only 5 weeks since I was fishing a few pegs further above the last one you reached - up to the outlet is another 300 yards, and that's as far as we got towards KH. There were about 5 more decent pegs (including my personal favourite) plus 2 or 3 precarious ones.
this is my first ever barbel season, and my first ever barbel - a 7-7 on 19th June was from one of the pegs that's now deep in the balsam there - back then it was just nettles. So it's a special place for me.
As for the first 2 fields, there are matches booked just about every weekend this month so particularly some of those numbered pegs will be well used, if the matches do actually take place (the Leeds match booking system is chaotic - don't hold your breath, but it might one day enter the late 20th century - who knows).
Thanks Tom for another very useful video. I like this guidebook style best of all your vid's (Now that I've finally registered here to comment, I should thank you too for being the first to draw me to the beauty of Middleham).
Nige
Another very useful video Tom👍🏻
Great Vid & Info Thanks for sharing,Graham.
there is a free stretch down mother shiptons cave. ive had some cracking roach, rudd, barbel ide, trout and grayling. no one ever fishes it but its a cracking staretch of river. bes to keep clear at weekends as the rowing boats cause havoc
do you fish this spot on the video if so what do you catch
Zabir, the opposite bank of this stretch is controlled by York and District Amalgamation of Anglers and is a day ticket water.
Hi Charlie great video what did you mean by the lay-by having a dodgy reputation what sort of reputation is that please cheers Kevin
very good video tom keep them coming , could you do one for boston spa and fawdington sometime many thanks enjoy every video you make
ann walker Hi Ann. Barbel Fishing 47 is about Fawdington.
Tom great informative video looks great for barbel and chub might fish it myself one day as I've not hat a fish out yet from Topcliffe or Asenby this season.
What a nice river !
Nice walk thru the jungle Tom.Any Chance of a Video Rod in Hand on the nidd ?
Always a pleasure to watch ur vids
Tight Lines
Ralph (a brummy)
Ralph Cutler Hi Ralph. The three pegs I fancy are a long walk. One day :)
Can this be fished on a day ticket. Tx
***** Sorry, Year Book holders only.
16min jungle fishin 10 feet high more like 4 an your 4pound fish you catch.
While I applaud your public-spirited attitude, if you enjoy visiting these stretches of river, for the life of me, I really can not understand why you would want to spell it out on the internet and name stretches and swims for the whole world to see, especially in a crowded country where quiet fishing is at a premium. While I am sure it does help some genuine anglers to find good fishing, it also spells it out for the lazy and uncaring types who exploit the internet, and take short cuts to easy fishing. The type of people (I hesitate to call them anglers) who will just take; overfishing certain swims, hammering the fish, and leaving behind litter, upsetting landowners and putting club fishing rights at risk. But then I am old fashioned; I enjoy fishing quiet rivers, where the fish have no names, the banks are clean, and information is hard earned over many years of fishing. I don't go fishing for the "social" side! The wildness and mystery of angling has aways been a large part of the appeal over the last four decades for me. Could you not post your videos without naming actual stretches and swims?
Hi,
It is balancing act and I am aware that it is contentious. Most well known pegs were renowned long before I started coarse fishing. When I started the best bit of advice I was given, as I hadn't a clue, was to walk the bank, see which pegs were well worn and fish there. As I make the videos I probably find more than others that I can't get onto a successful peg for a few days but it doesn't last long. A couple of blanks and the anglers you mention go back to commercials. Whilst it is nice to have your own 'secret' peg you tend not to venture into reaches which you wouldn't otherwise fish and where you might find some good undisturbed fish.. The number of river anglers has been falling off a cliff as more and more either die, give up or move to commercials. My club had ten thousand anglers not very long ago. It is now less than two thousand. I don't know where you fish but there are miles of river in Yorkshire which are rarely fished. If clubs can't raise the income they can't pay the rents. Many waters have been taken on by syndicates with limited membership and high fees. There is plenty of room but, I won't deny that there are more popular stretches, mainly because of ease of access. Anglers new to rivers do not want to walk miles and end up with a blank and fish gather where the bait goes in making them even more popular. As for litter and nuisance that's what club bailiffs with the help of good members are there to sort out if they want to keep the fishery.
Unfortunately what is not conveyed on the videos is the number of outings where I blank but nobody wants to watch ten sessions of stationary rod tips especially if it's a half mile walk.
I you want quiet rivers, wilderness and mystery there is miles of it on the Leeds DASA book. See the web site :)
Cheers.
Thanks for the reply. I did not mean it as a personal criticism, and I admit that I have enjoyed watching some of your river fishing videos. It is indeed a balancing act, and I realise that you are trying to help genuine anglers, and it is not always easy to find a new stretch, as signs tend to disappear. I try to fish all of the rivers in North Yorkshire (except the lower Swale; as I said, I don't go fishing for the social side)! You will have guessed that I fish the Nidd at Skip Bridge (not the Leeds stretch), and I enjoy the wildlife there and the peace; apart from the A59, and you are quite right about that layby! It is best not to hang around too long near the car after dark; I have found some 'interesting' objects there! Reminds me of the old joke about a certain water being a good fishing spot, as "they are pulling them out all sizes"!
I do like to fish the Yorkshire Derwent and the Rye (including some of the small tributaries of the Rye). I admit that these rivers are underfished, and I agree that the number of river anglers is falling, and it is sad to see so few young anglers on the banks. Back in the 1980s, it was difficult to get on many river stretches in the summer and autumn due to the number of matches, but now, I admit that many stretches are hard to fish as they are so overgrown, and it is a worry that many clubs will give up some of their river stretches due to falling membership. My main concern was that it could spell it out too much for the lazy idiots and morons that have no respect for other anglers and landowners. Apologies if I come across as selfish (I admit that I am when it comes to enjoying and protecting rivers)! I wish you good luck for the last few days of the season (hope the rivers recover a bit; the lower Ure/Ouse was an awful colour today due to snowmelt).