Kris Kent makes a road trip to Yorkshire
Every fisherman has special days. Some of them come every year, perhaps the start of the trout or grayling season when the pursuit of a species can commence. Some of them are regular events, perhaps a club’s annual dinner or a national event like the British Fly Fair International where we can bump into old friends and maybe make new ones. I personally always look forward to the Wild Trout Trust’s online auction, Annual Get Together and Grayling Weekend, the Grayling Society’s annual Symposium and the Monnow Rivers Association’s Social. All hold fond memories for me. Some might be special events that mark moments in life, perhaps a big birthday. My then wife treated me to a trip to New Mexico for my 40th birthday. Others might be traditions that have been established over time. Most years a few like-minded friends and I travel abroad for a week fishing foreign waters, fishing escapism. Often it is the capture of a special fish or fishes. I will never forget the 3lb plus grayling from the Rena or the 40 plus grayling caught from the Welsh Wye on a cold winter’s afternoon.
A most memorable fish
It is always interesting to be present at the genesis of a new special event. At the beginning of this season we were fishing on the Skirfare, staying at The Falcon in Arncliffe. The Falcon and the Skirfare have become a regular venue for me over the last four years. The fishing can be tough but the rewards can be significant and the hospitality at the Falcon is legendary. Paul mentioned that he had been at the Falcon at the backend of last season and that a number of the regulars gathered for the last weekend of the trout season. We thought that this seemed like a great way to see out the season and celebrate a year on the river. We had a chat with Steve and Jo, who run The Falcon, and luckily the cottage behind the pub was free. We booked ourselves in without delay.
The cottage, our home from home
Unfortunately come end of September work commitments meant that Paul wouldn’t be able to make the whole week. But on the bright side our mate Charles could join us for the first weekend. I arrived late on the Friday to find Paul and Charles ensconced at the bar drinking whisky having overdone it on the Timothy Taylor’s Landlord. They had also managed to lock themselves out of the cottage. After a pint and a sandwich I tracked down the spare key and we retired.
After Jo’s excellent full breakfast we elected to fish the lower half of the river. We set off with fruit cake and Wensleydale cheese for lunch and a bottle of beer to fortify us. We found the river low and sluggish after a protracted period without any significant rain. We concentrated on the deeper faster runs prospecting with klink & dink. Nothing much happened until we got up in to the trees where we found a few fish rising tight under the Sycamores. Whilst the fish spooked quickly in the low gin clear waters they soon came back on the feed and Charles rose and missed one. Almost back at Arncliffe Charles pricked a fish on a heavy nymph cast in under some roots on a fast run. The fish shot past me up the rapids and into the next pool. The next fish threw Charles’ Caddis leaving it stuck in a branch. It had been a tough day but Charles enjoyed his introduction to fishing freestone rivers.
Charles at the bottom end of the Skirfare
There was a lot of rain Saturday night and we woke to find the Skirfare up and coloured. Luckily there is no fishing at The Falcon on a Sunday so we rested it and headed over to fish the Cover.
Monday the Skirfare was easing back and clearing. Paul had left us so it was just me and Charles. We headed upstream to the top of the beat and then dropped back fishing any likely spots. There was nothing hatching and no rising fish so we searched the water with the klink & dink. Charles also ran a streamer through the deep holes and was rewarded with a couple of good tugs. Below Old Cotes Farm I spotted a rise in a bubble lane running down the far bank.
The Skirfare below Old Cotes
We crossed over and Charles started working up the bubble lane with the klink & dink. Right from the back of the pool Charles started picking up trout on the nymph. I tried a dry fly over the riser but it ebbed away. By the time we reached the top of the pool I’d had two trout and Charles seven.
Skirfare Brownie
Charles needed to get away before the start of rush hour so we headed back to the Falcon for a final celebratory pint. That night the other regulars invited me to join them at their table for dinner. Over a fabulous dinner of pork chops and cauliflower cheese there was much talk of fish and fishing. Eventually I ran out of steam and headed back to the cottage for a much needed good night’s sleep.
Tuesday I headed over to fish the Aire at Gargrave with Steve Rhodes who lives nearby. The rain storms had bypassed the Aire valley and the Aire was low and clear and as it turned out moody. Blustery winds made casting challenging and despite both of us fishing diligently we left the river with two trout and a grayling between us.
The Aire at Gargrave
The absence of fishy success was compensated for by Jo’s lamb shank in red wine and the boisterous camaraderie in the bar after dinner.
The lack of rain Tuesday meant that come Wednesday morning the Skirfare was continuing to drop back. A new arrival fancied fishing the lower river so I said I was happy to go upstream. I stood on the bridge peering down at the long run stretching upstream towards the confluence with Cowside Beck. Nothing stirred so I headed up into the trees. The forecast was for better weather, the forecasters got it wrong. As I walked up, squally showers blew through, rain rattling down on the leaves overhead. I tossed a nymph into every run and under every tree, to no avail. Then halfway down a shallow run I picked up two small trout on a quill nymph.Things were looking up.
A trouty run in under the trees
Having threaded my way through the branches of a massive beech tree I emerged into a more open section. As I surveyed the pool a couple of fish rose midstream. I sat on the bank and had a coffee whilst I considered my approach. Snipping off the klink allowed me to add a three foot length of fresh 7X tippet. There was nothing obvious on the water but there were plenty of needle fly around the trees. Earlier in the week there had been a hatch of large upwings so the fish might take a look at a dun imitation. I went for a pattern Gareth Lewis ties for me. It is an F Fly style pattern with a CDC wing, quill body and very long tail fibres. It is a passable imitation of a range of upwings and small stonefly. As I slipped back into the water the rain came back on, big raindrops hit the river and a blustery wind rippled the surface. I cast towards the nearest rise struggling to see the fly in amongst the raindrops. The fly disappeared, I thought it had been drowned by the rain so I lifted off only to find a small trout firmly attached. The trout didn’t seem to mind the conditions and continued to rise right through the rain storm. I worked steadily up the pool targeting the rises with my sights set on a better fish towards the head of the pool where a willow spilled into the river. I had six fish to about 13” before the rain stopped and the rises ceased. This pool is rapidly becoming a favourite having produced a number of fish for Charles a few days previous.
Rapidly becoming a favourite pool
I was wet and several days' fishing followed by late nights in the bar were taking their toll. Rest was needed so I headed back towards The Falcon. My route took me over the bridge in Arncliffe and I spotted a rise as I leaned on the wall so I dropped in and had a few casts. The pool above the bridge is flat and shallow and in the clear waters the fish quickly spooked. They call the pool Heartbreak as it’s a tough section.
Heartbreak
As I was now back in the river I decided to drop down through Church Pool and see if there was anything happening on the Whirl Pool. Three fish were rising intermittently at the tail end below the old dead tree. These fish get a lot of interest as the access is relatively easy and it's near the village. I covered them well but they resented the attention and sunk away into the depths. Feeling a little despondent I keepered my fly and started to head for the pub. As I passed the tail of Church Pool I noticed a small dimpling rise on the far bank under the dry stone wall and just in front of an ash tree bough. I waded a little way out, extended line and dropped the fly a couple of feet above where I thought I saw the rise. The fly was sucked in first drift and as I raised my rod the water erupted. A large trout rolled, turned and disappeared into the depths of the Whirl Pool below. Despite my best efforts to keep the fish under control it had different ideas and after just a few seconds my tippet sprang back at me sans fly and sans trout. Why didn’t I beef up my tippet?
Here lie monsters
Thursday I decided to take a break from fishing. The Skirfare was rising on further rain and the weather forecast was for more rain and 40mph winds. Instead I popped over to Harrogate. A good excuse to pop into Orvis, top up my fly boxes and catch up with Clark Colman who works in the store in between guiding on the local rivers.
Friday was my last day at the Falcon and the last day of the season. Over breakfast I checked the river gauges. The Skirfare was up as was the Wharfe, the Aire and the Ure. The only fishable river was the Nidd. But I didn’t really want to end my visit fishing elsewhere. Just as I was thinking my final day of the season was going to be a wash out the landlord, Steve, said he fancied a walk up Cowside Beck and asked if I would like to join him. Cowside Beck is the major tributary of the Skirfare, joining it just outside Arncliffe. I wasn’t slow to say yes. It was raining as I pulled on my waders but as we set off the skies cleared and the sun broke through. Crossing the bridge the beck looked perfect, a little high but running clean. This is classic pocket water and we busied ourselves casting dry flies and nymphs into every likely run on the walk up.
Steve fishing the Swimming Pool
On the walk back we switched to wet flies and streamers. Steve had a couple of tugs but nothing stayed on. The river started coming up on the return journey which made crossing the beck a little tricky but we were distracted by a fine rainbow stretching out over Arncliffe.
Rainbow over Arncliffe
We didn’t catch anything but we didn’t mind. It was just good to be out in beautiful scenery casting a line. A fishless but fitting finale to my visit and the season.
The Falcon at Arncliffe
The Falcon at Arncliffe is a wonderfully unspoilt Dales inn that serves great local real ales. They have a number of rooms and provide breakfast and dinner if required. There is also a cottage at the rear that sleeps two comfortably, or three if, like Charles, you are happy to sleep on the floor in front of the fire. Fishing on the Skirfare is free to residents. It is also a good base to fish the Wharfe, Cover, Aire and Malham Tarn.
www.thefalconinnskipton.co.uk
Biography:
Kris Kent has been fly fishing and trotting for brown trout and grayling for over 20 years in the UK, Europe and Scandinavia. He is PR Officer for the Grayling Society and helps out The Wild Trout Trust with their online communications and events.