England’s biggest county, known to its proud inhabitants as the Broad Acres, is as rich in stillwaters as it is in rivers. There is only one snag. There are an awful lot of Yorkshiremen with the result that many waters in the county are extremely heavily fished, a situation which makes for shy fish and tremendous pressure on some waters, particularly those close to the industrial towns and cities in the West Riding. Despite this, visitors are welcome at many waters in the county, including some of the best there are. Whether your interest be trout or coarse fish, the choice is more than reasonable.
Readers are reminded that coarse fishing in Yorkshire begins a fortnight earlier than everywhere else in England, thanks to determined efforts by angling administrators in the 20s.
NORTH YORKSHIRE
BAINBRIDGE
Semerwater This large lake is best known for the huge bags of bream it can produce. It also contains roach, perch, and small troutM
DT: K (C. Peacock; Countersett. NB: house overlooks lake) or AP (Rose and Crown, Bainbridge)YWA
BUCKDEN
Greenfield LakeT-
DT: (L8)AP(BuckInn, Buckden, near Skipton) Apr 1-Sept (BT)YWA
ELVINGTON
Elvington LakeM
DT:Kapr1-Feb28YWAe
FAIRBURN
Fairburn Ings LIC
DT: ATS (Castleford)YWA
HARROGATE
Fewston, Swinsty & Thruscross Reservoirs Though not noted for the size of their trout – fish here average less than 1 lb – these waters are a popular amenity in this part of the county.
Fewston & Swinsty ReservoirsTMat Fewston; minnow & fly permitted at Swinsty) DT: TM (at Keeper’s Lodge, Fewston)Apr1-Sept29YWAe
Thruscross ReservoirT
DT: TM (at Keeper’s Lodge)=Apr 1-Sept29YWAe
MALHAM
Malham TarnLT-
DT: TO (Malham Tarn Field
Centre) – May 1-Sept30YWA
MALTON
Castle Howard Great Lake A fine stately home coarse fishery, Castle Howard has produced some enormous catches of tench with individual fish going specimen weight. It can also offer excellent sport with bream, perch, pike and roachC
DT:(L40)BKYWA
OSMOTHERBY
Cod Beck Reservoir Offering one of the few opportunities for trout fishing in this part of Yorkshire, Cod Beck’s fish do not run big, averaging only 1 lb. It is stocked only once a seasonT?-DT:(L6)ARO(Hambleton District Council, 72, High Street, Northallerton)YWAe
RIPON
Rogers QuarryGPC
WT: A (B. Wain, 82, Bondgate. Ripon) P (Brewers Arms. 2, Bondgate Green, Ripon)YWA SCARBOROUGH Scarborough Mere L C DT:BYWAe WHITBY
Scaling Dam ReservoirT
DT: TOApr 1-Sept 30 (BT); Apr 1-Oct14(RT)YWAe
SOUTH YORKSHIRE
BRAITHWELL Fordholes Farm PondC
DT: (L 10)ATS (T. E. Grice & Son,
Rotherham)STWA
CUSWORTH
Cusworth Hall Lakes (2)C
DT: BYWA
DONCASTER
Askern LakeiC
DT:BTO vYWAe
Cusworth ParkP(2)C
DT:BYWAe
ELSECAR
Elsecar Dam lC
DT: BYWA
EWDEN VILLAGE
More Hall Reservoir Set in a delightful wooded valley a few miles to the north of Sheffield, this is a fine fly fishery which offers the chance of some big brown trout.
T
DT: ARO (YWA, Castle Market
Building, Exchange Street,
Sheffield)YWA
HATFIELD
Lindholme LakeT?-
DT: ATS (F. G. Gale, 26, Copley
Road, Doncaster; Sportfishers,
High Street, Hatfield)G (Sandtoft
Filling Station) or ARO(B. Lindley,
Haverthward House, Burnham
Road, Epworth)=Mar 18-0ct 16STWAe
HOYLAND Milton PondsC
DT:AP (Milton Arms)YWA
PENISTONE
Scout Dike ReservoirT
DT: TO (weekdays only)A(for weekends)RO (YWA, Castle
Market Building, Exchange Street,
Sheffield)YWA
ROTHERHAM
Bramley FlashPC
DT: A AA (Dormer Sports
AC) YWA
DT: ATS (T. E. Grice, Rotherham;
Mellor’s, Swallownest)YWA
Wentworth Estate LakesC
DT: AK (at hut on bank) or AAA (Sheffield & Dist. AA) YWA
SHEFRELD Arbourthorne Pond C Free fishing (L30)YWAe CrabtreePond’C DT:(L12)K(onsite)or(ifnot available)K(Earl Marshall Recreation Ground, Earl Marshall Road)YWAe
Crookes Valley DamLC
DT: (L 40 from first Sat in April, until last Sun in Oct. From latter date until end of season, maximum is 80)YWAe
Dam Flask Reservoir. Set in the
Loxley Valley on the northern out-skirts of the city, Dam Flask is a popular amenity in a city notorious for its huge angling population, all of which means that the Flask is extremely heavily fished and its fish, especially the bigger ones, are definitely educated. It is a mixed fishery. There are trout, huge can-nibal browns being occasionally reported, and coarse fish. Of the latter, roach predominate though there also are bream and pike, a 20 lb specimen of the latter being a recent captureM DT: TOApr 1-Jan 31 YWA Forge DamM
DT: AC (at Dam)Apr 1-Feb 281 YWA
Frecheville PondC DT:(L32)KYWAe Graves ParkP DT:(L12)KYWAe Rivelin DamsP (7)M DT: (L Hind Wheel, Max and Wolfe Wheel Dams, 30; Rivelin Mill, WalkleyTilt and Havelock Dams, 20;NetherCut, 15)K(onsiteor from Attendant at nearby paddling pool)YWA STOCKSBRIDGE Underbank ReservoirM DT: TOApr 1-Jan 31 YWA WOODSETTS Woodsetts Quarry PondC DT: AK (L Coe, 64, Kilton Glade, Worksop)STWA
WEST YORKSHIRE
BARNSLEY
Worsborough Dam (R) This small water can surprise with the quality of its coarse fish. Its bream shoals have produced some large catches and there are specimen roach, numbers of these fish in excess of 2 lb being reported every seasonC DT: Kjun 1-Feb28YWAe
BRADFORD
Chellow Dene & Leeming Reser-voirs Fishing in these two waters is controlled by Bradford City AA who accept seasonal members. Chellow Dene is a coarse fishery offering a reasonable variety of species while Leeming is a trout fishery stocked with browns only. Fish average } lb though the biggest was a fish of 6i lb. Harold Park LakeM DT: ATS (Bradford) YWA BRIGHOUSE
Cromwell Lake (GP) Not to be confused with the Doncaster Associa- tion’s trout fishery of the same name near Newark in Nottinghamshire, this, like the Doncaster water, is a put-and-take trout fishery. Stocked twice a week with rainbows only, its fish average 1 lb with the biggest so far going nearly 6 lbT
DT: AH (Grove Motel, Elland Road, Brighouse) Apr1-Oct30 YWAe LEEDS
Middleton Park (P)C DT (only when park is open) KYWA Roundhay Park Lakes (L) (2) Sur-prisingly for a city of its size, this is Leeds’ only public fishery. It is coarse fishing on the upper lake, coarse and trout on Waterloo lake. The coarse fishing produces reasonable catches of roach with occasional big fishjM DT: ATS (Leeds) or AAA (Leeds Amalgamated SA)Jun 1-Feb 27 (upperlake); Mar25-Feb27 (Waterloo lake)YWAe MORTON (near Bingley) Sunnydale Reservoir T DT: ATS (at Bingley and Bradford) or AAA (Bingley AC)YWAe OTLEY
Knotford LagoonGPC
DT: ATS (The Gun Shop, Cross Green,Otley)YWAe RYHILL
Wintersett Reservoir C
DT: BYWA
SLAITHWAITE
Hill Top Reservoir C
DT: ATS (Wagstaff’s, Brittania
Road,Slaithwaite)YWA
WAKEFIELD
Nostell Priory This stately home fishery is the subject of new development only just getting under way. There are two coarse fishing lakes, one reserved for season tickets only. Huge tench catches have been taken here, including fish to 6 lb. In addition to other species, there are roach to 2 lb and more. Athird lake is retained for trout fishing on season ticket. Applications for season tickets should be made to Head Bailiff, Foulby Lodge, Nostell Priory, near Wakefield (Yorks) DT (C) : K (Foulby Lodge, Nostell Priory) or ATS (F. Alexander, The Strings, Wakefield)YWA
YEADON Yeadon TarnLM DT: Awebster’s Grocers, High Street, Yeadon; Denison’s Ironmongers, Town Street, Yeadon. Notices give alternative sources on closing days – =-Apr 1-Feb27YWAe
