The Reservoirs
The waters leased by Yorkshire Anglers are hidden gems, tucked away in the midst of typically beautiful Yorkshire scenery and are a refreshing tonic to the numerous 'muddy puddles' masquerading as fly fishing lakes.
The two reservoirs and a stretch of the River Wharfe provide ample scope for the discerning fly-fisher to test his skills against fish which very quickly wise up and start feeding naturally.
The reservoirs are situated in a truly beautiful location, 8 miles from Harrogate, 15 miles from Leeds. The banks are accessible only by anglers and this makes for an intimate private fishery!
The largest of the two reservoirs is stocked predominately with rainbow trout up to 1.25lbs with small numbers of 3lb - 4lb fish to spice things up a little - occasionally these live long enough to reach double figures. A percentage of the rainbows are blue trout which have proved immensely popular with members due to their propensity to fight like stink! The water is additionally stocked to a lesser degree with brown trout which are always returned alive.
The maximum area is 22 acres, with a maximun depth 40 feet and, most important of all a water P.H. value that hovers around the neutral mark. This, coupled with the fact that the catchment area is all grazing land, means that the reservoir has plenty of plant life and insect life including mayfly.
Late spring/early summer often sees the reservoir festooned with clouds of buzzers and vertical stacks of dancing mayflies. Larger food items on the menu also include minnow, stickleback and, unusually, native crayfish.
Our other reservoir is a shallower water with gently sloping grassy banks which have no trees. The maximum area is 13 acres and the maximum depth is 20 feet.
Fish stock is exclusively brown trout which includes some large, old fish and this is a catch and release only water. Other characteristics are similar to the larger reservoir, from which it is only separated by a dam.
Fishing here can be challenging but hit it at the right time and you'll have a true red letter day!