Pike fishing on the Don

Pike fishing on the Don

You Tube Video

River Don

The river Don rises in the Peak District, on Great Grains Moss, a millstone grit moorland area between 1,480 and 1,570 feet above sea level. and flows 70 miles eastwards and eventually flows into Ouse at Goole .the lower Don originally meandered in a north-easterly direction across the marshland of Hatfield Chase to enter the Trent just above its junction with the Ouse. A second channel flowed to the north, along a Roman channel called Turnbridgedike The eastern channel formed the boundary between Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. In the Hatfield Level drainage project which started in 1626, the Dutch civil engineer Cornelius Vermuyden diverted the Don northwards along Turnbridgedike.It is known today as the Dutch river The main tributaries of the don are the rivers Loxley, Sheaf,Rother,and the River Dearne.

The Don flows from Winscar Reservoir towards Penistone, Oxspring Deepcar Oughtibridge and onwards towards Sheffield where it flows to the rear of Hillsborough Sheffield Wednesday FC

Across the city and into through Rotherham then across to Mexborough  Sprotbrough then to Doncaster.The river becomes tidal at Crimpsall sluice at Doncaster and these tidal reaches hold some huge fish but local knowledge is a must.

The fishing on the Don is improving year on year It has been transformed in such a relatively short space of time when you consider that the river has been fishless for decades due to pollution from heavy industry and threats from Dam construction in the upper reaches. Today you can take a walk along the riverbank and see fishermen enjoying their sport all along the river.

Around Deepcar Tin mill Angling Club have the fishing right about a mile and a half of fishing on the Don see their website Tin mill year membership is around £35.

The South Yorkshire Police Angling Club SYPAC has plenty of water with lakes and ponds and a nice stretch of the river Don just above Hillsborough stadium perch roach trout and grayling are the order but be careful as the banks can be slippery. to join please see here. join

Further, downstream into Sheffield and Rotherham there are lots of free fishing, and it's worth going to have a look and drive around looking for areas to fish , the forums here are a great help, and a quick search on the river Don will bring up some good spots to fish.

Kilnhurst anglers have a great stretch of river below Rotherham Books are available from fishing republic at Darfield [01226 752300]  at around £17 or from Phoenix and Parkgate  AC The stretch is about a mile long and contains chub good barbel roach pike perch some very good grayling . see here for more details.  Don Kilnhurst   

Downstream of kilnhurst the river flows past Swinton and Mexborough collecting the river Dearne and onto Sprotborough where Rotherham and District Anglers and  Doncaster and District Angling Association have water, Doncaster water is from Sprotborough to Crimpsall Sluice .Rotherham have the opposite bank at the weir. Doncaster 

Below Crimpsall the river is tidal and its local knowledge that comes into its own on how to fish the river. so go along to Stainforth Angling centre 01302 846623 The shop owner is a hive of information and if you fancy a crack on the tidal Don it's always best to get the lowdown.  As with most of the Don, the tidal river is free fishing [subject to permission on private land] The tidal river is a huge and mostly untapped ,there are a few locals who fish it and post in the facebook forum's so that's a great place to start your lower Don fishing.

Facebook pages

Stainforth angling

River Don Catchment 

River Don barbel carp pike

The barbel society Yorkshire 

For videos on the Don see below also see our you tube site for videos on the Don and other Yorkshire rivers click on this link.cheers. UK FISHING

River Don

River Don

The river Don rises in the Peak District, on Great Grains Moss, a millstone grit moorland area between 1,480 and 1,570 feet above sea level. and flows 70 miles eastwards and eventually flows into Ouse at Goole .the lower Don originally meandered in a north-easterly direction across the marshland of Hatfield Chase to enter the Trent just above its junction with the Ouse. A second channel flowed to the north, along a Roman channel called Turnbridgedike The eastern channel formed the boundary between Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. In the Hatfield Level drainage project which started in 1626, the Dutch civil engineer Cornelius Vermuyden diverted the Don northwards along Turnbridgedike.It is known today as the Dutch river The main tributaries of the don are the rivers Loxley, Sheaf,Rother,and the River Dearne.

The Don flows from Winscar Reservoir towards Penistone, Oxspring Deepcar Oughtibridge and onwards towards Sheffield where it flows to the rear of Hillsborough Sheffield Wednesday FC

Across the city and into through Rotherham then across to Mexborough  Sprotbrough then to Doncaster.The river becomes tidal at Crimpsall sluice at Doncaster and these tidal reaches hold some huge fish but local knowledge is a must.

The fishing on the Don is improving year on year It has been transformed in such a relatively short space of time when you consider that the river has been fishless for decades due to pollution from heavy industry and threats from Dam construction in the upper reaches. Today you can take a walk along the riverbank and see fishermen enjoying their sport all along the river.

Around Deepcar Tin mill Angling Club have the fishing right about a mile and a half of fishing on the Don see their website Tin mill year membership is around £35.

The South Yorkshire Police Angling Club SYPAC has plenty of water with lakes and ponds and a nice stretch of the river Don just above Hillsborough stadium perch roach trout and grayling are the order but be careful as the banks can be slippery. to join please see here. join

Further, downstream into Sheffield and Rotherham there are lots of free fishing, and it's worth going to have a look and drive around looking for areas to fish , the forums here are a great help, and a quick search on the river Don will bring up some good spots to fish.

Kilnhurst anglers have a great stretch of river below Rotherham Books are available from fishing republic at Darfield [01226 752300]  at around £17 or from Phoenix and Parkgate  AC The stretch is about a mile long and contains chub good barbel roach pike perch some very good grayling . see here for more details.  Don Kilnhurst   

Downstream of kilnhurst the river flows past Swinton and Mexborough collecting the river Dearne and onto Sprotborough where Rotherham and District Anglers and  Doncaster and District Angling Association have water, Doncaster water is from Sprotborough to Crimpsall Sluice .Rotherham have the opposite bank at the weir. Doncaster 

Below Crimpsall the river is tidal and its local knowledge that comes into its own on how to fish the river. so go along to Stainforth Angling centre 01302 846623 The shop owner is a hive of information and if you fancy a crack on the tidal Don it's always best to get the lowdown.  As with most of the Don, the tidal river is free fishing [subject to permission on private land] The tidal river is a huge and mostly untapped ,there are a few locals who fish it and post in the facebook forum's so that's a great place to start your lower Don fishing.

Facebook pages

Stainforth angling

River Don Catchment 

River Don barbel carp pike

The barbel society Yorkshire 

For videos on the Don see below also see our you tube site for videos on the Don and other Yorkshire rivers click on this link.cheers. UK FISHING

River Calder

We had a look at the river a few weeks before in wakefield near chantry bridge , the weir pool and the run off looked inviting , the access didn't, we fished at a good sized peg lower down one evening but only had knocks from small fish so a day was planned to have a proper go at the river,  A Calder day.

River Calder

We fished downstream in the deeper water for a few hours and with only a small perch to show we decided to tool up and don our waders and try and get up to the weir pool near the Hepworth museum, with Russ going first as he had chest waders and I only possessed thigh waders , we edged our way but I was soon out of my depth so plan B came into operation

The weather was good so we were dry and had a minimum of tackle. We crossed the road  [which was some feat in itself] and jumped over the bridge wall and fought our way to the river  we did this but it was very steep and the bushes took some getting through so plan B wasn't a good idea but it got us there , we decided plan C was the better option for getting out after fishing ; jump the wall into the museum grounds and walk out .!

myself fishing the Calder

We tried various methods in the weir pool from fishing with a ledger bouncing it off the wall to float fishing and freelined pellet and worm it made a nice change to fish a run off from a weir and try these great methods of fishing and an afternoon passed with some nice fish and lots of laughs,

We chatted to a few local anglers and they were all saying that the barbel were not as abundant  but there were roach chub grayling perch trout dace ,I'm sure there are barbel there or lower down the river but getting them out is another thing entirely , we did have chub perch and trout so we were happy with the day,s fishing so as the afternoon started to turn into early evening we jumped over the museum wall and drove home talking about a future visit to this interesting river.

[mapsmarker marker="143"]

Calder Weir in Wakefield

The river is very fishable and a Calder day is well worth a go if you fancy it , it is largely untapped with huge sections of it that never see a rod , so if you fancy being an intrepid angler and go exploring then the Calder is for you , the fish are there. There are also clubs with good sections of the river on their books. please see below a list of the clubs that have water on the Calder.

http://www.riverangler.co.uk/brighouse

http://www.riverangler.co.uk/ryburnandhalifax

http://www.riverangler.co.uk/mirfield

http://www.riverangler.co.uk/wakefield

Follow @andyriverangler

Early morning on the river Dearne

early morning on the Dearne
We were up for an early morning on the river Dearne it was just getting light on a cool misty morning we walked as quick as we could travelling as light as possible as it was a good distance to be burdened down by loads of kit.misty river Dearne

As we tackled up we were chatting about our quarry chub was on the cards or maybe a barbel passing through as it didn't look very barbely, carp could be a possibility too, we knew our stuff Russ and myself had years of putting in the legwork on this river.

It was a very eerie misty morning and it felt good to be on the river bank we set the rods and like every other angler sat back and waited in anticipation,

It wasn't long perhaps 15 minutes and the rod tip quivered at first then shot round ,I grabbed the rod and thought yes a typical barbel bite ,but this felt heavy and wasn't the usual savage runs that barbel do this fish was big for the Dearne and it just wanted to go slowly it swam upstream and pulled and pulled it was then I knew we had a carp on Russ came running with the net and camera , it rolled on the surface It made a good fight but I was glad I had the tackle to tame it.river Dearne

Two happy anglers one 16lb river carp banked, Russ had it on video for our websites after a couple of photos it was returned and swam off strongly. the rest of the morning passed without a bite .

Carp on the river Dearne are spread everywhere keep a look out for slower water, snags overhanging trees and deep holes , go and fish the river and get to know it, a day fishing 2 or 3 swims trotting a float is the best way. you get to know the depth the flow the snags and you may see fish top or roll on the surface, you get to chat to other anglers and slowly build a picture of the river.

Dearne anglers know what I mean especially the barbel boys, they know their stretch of river like the back of their hands so don't ask where their secret swim is go and find one for yourself and have fun doing it.
Dearne Carp

river swale grange farm myton

River Swale
grange farm river swale
Grange farm fishery is a beautiful part of the world situated in Myton near Helperby in North Yorkshire.This is the lower river Swale just above the meeting with the river Ure. It has everything for the river angler sweeping bends deep holes shallows with streamer weed and lots of far bank cover for the chub and barbel, safe parking and a short walk to the river.grange farm river swale

The river here is day ticket, and the stretch is over a half a mile from the farm upstream with some great looking swims. To get to the farm from The A1 take the Boroughbridge turn off go through the town over the river Ure then take the second exit off the roundabout . After a couple of hundred meters take the right turn and follow the road through Milby then to Thornton then take a right at the junction over the Swale bridge and into Helperby turn right at the junction and travel through the village after about half a mile after the village take the right-hand turn signposted Myton. The road is narrow so take care. The first farm on the right-hand side is Grange farm ,

Pass the big barn doors and turn right into the farm and park between the stable doors still facing the way you drove in .Go through double doors signposted fishermen pay in porch sign in red and put £5 pound per angler in the provided brown envelope put your car reg number on the envelope and post it in the honesty box.keep moving in the same direction over the field to the river making sure you close the gates after you .

river swale myton

I fished with and my good friend Russ Barker from UK fishing we fished this stretch in September 2016 it was an overcast day but dry.First we had a good walk of the river its a lovely part of the world with bends shallows deep pools and plenty of cover. The countryside is typical of the area, green and lush farm land

It is very rural and its also nice to see not a scrap of litter to be found anywhere. This is a reflection on the anglers that fish here True Anglers interested in catching fish not leaving litter. So all you anglers that fish here Well Done .river swale fishing

We baited up a couple of swims and walked back to the first one to try our luck.We saw a quad bike with dog go passed [the farmer we thought] and 20 minutes later back he came giving us a wave with lots of sheep following ,[farmer sheep and Dog] in that order. Our quarry was barbel but we would take anything that came along as this part of the Swale was new to us.
We chatted with a few anglers who had fished here before and after a good discussion we were armed with a few tips for future reference. The swim looked barbely but after a couple of fishless hours we moved to plan b.Plan b was shallower faster water with far bank cover and looked fantastic. Russ like me had a silly grin on his face ,looks good here he said ! I agreed so we baited up and cast in and waited in anticipation. We were chatting about the fishing and then I saw it or rather them ! 2 otters making their way upstream towards us I shouted out to scare them away get out of it or words to that effect and they both turned and ventured back downstream.river swale chubb

Despite the otters It wasn't too long when Russ had a nice chub then we both had a few small fish. Then the tip swung round with more vigour I thought Barbel ? but after a few, seconds I realised that this was a chub , not an ordinary chub but one of some big proportions for the lower Swale. We weighed it at 51b12 oz a pb for me and a superb specimen it was too. We left the fishery chatting and smiling planning the next days fishing as we were both off work on annual holidays,River Swale again tomorrow Russ or another river ?. We discussed the options and decided that there's one thing that is certain ,we will be revisiting grange farm on the river Swale sooner rather than later.

Please see the video of the day's fishing below.

http://www.riverangler.co.uk/more-from-the-nidd-at-tockwith/

more from the Nidd at Tockwith
Yet another session at Tockwith with my old friend russ who has his own you tube site called UK fishing and you don't have to take my word just take a look its well worth it.

Well we baited a couple of areas up and `settled into a swim but things were slow and with a couple of missed bites later we moved swims to the most barbely swim you could imagine, we were full of confidence and hope but you can guess what happened .yes a big fat blank, so upwards and onwards as they say, so back to a few pegs down from our original choice of swim and within



seconds Russ had a screamer the reel just peeled off the line downstream it went and there was not a hope in hell of stopping it ,


it by the way we presumed was a big carp it hid in a snag and no matter what we did [pulled from the other side of the swim] we tried but had no chance we didn't even get a glimpse of the fish which is a shame but we did catch a few fish earlier on trotting a 4 number 4 float with casters, dace and bleak were all we ended up with but hey that's fishing and we will be back.

w

We are on the bank once again searching for fish I say fish and not a specific species as I often walk the river banks fist before deciding on what to fish for ,Its a day for the roach and dace for me fishing off a bend in the river as the river is up and coloured,

I roll a maggot feeder out into the river between the slack and the main flow ,I was just thinking a couple of weeks ago I had 4 chub from this swim on meat ,well you never know ! I tackled the float rod up in preparation and filled the castor bait tub with water , Hmm A nice shoulders stick of about 5 BB ? shirt buttonabout 5 feet or so and a hook length of 4. 2 1b I put the rod on the rest and concentrated for the next couple of hours on the tip.A perch was the first obliging fish for my friend then I was into small dace mixed with gudgeon and minnow and missed bites were becoming very frustrating,I cast my mind back to a couple of months back on the river swale I fished off a bend with the trotting rod only to blank but this as then looked perfect so out it came and I started to feed caster

We are on the bank once again searching for fish I say fish and not a specific species as I often walk the river banks fist before deciding on what to fish for ,Its a day for the roach and dace for me fishing off a bend in the river as the river is up and coloured,



I roll a maggot feeder out into the river between the slack and the main flow ,I was just thinking a couple of weeks ago I had 4 chub from this swim on meat ,well you never know ! I tackled the float rod up in preparation and filled the castor bait tub with water , Hmm A nice shoulders stick of about 5 BB ? shirt buttonabout 5 feet or so and a hook length of 4. 2 1b I put the rod on the rest and concentrated for the next couple of hours on the tip.A perch was the first obliging fish for my friend then I was into small dace mixed with gudgeon and minnow and missed bites were becoming very frustrating,I cast my mind back to a couple of months back on the river swale I fished off a bend with the trotting rod only to blank but this as then looked perfect so out it came and I started to feed caster

Bound for the Yorkshire derwent on the 16th of june opening day in search of barbel I was all set got the gear bait is a choice halibut pellets and spam also armed with hemp and caster

I was fishing the middle reachers at Buttercrambe with 2 rods one on meat the other pellet without a knock but then a huge swing of the tip resulted in nothing but a pellet stolen from the hook ,Then round went the other rod and a few minutes later and a quick fight resulted in a chub of around a pound then another slightly larger another one at 4 pound and a good fight from the last chub slightly bigger ,spam 4 pellet nil.

still nothing on the pellet so enough is enough and out came the trotting rod and another swim further downstream with caster for bait the river has a good depth so a nice large stick well shotted down and 3rd cast through a nice dace this continued throughout the afternoon with dace roach gudgeon the odd small perch it was overcast and had been threatening to rain all day with grey skies but it held off a nice day on the river no barbel but they will be another time and possibly another bait to try.

Frustration time

I traveled to the tackle shop with my mind full of the bits and pieces that I need for the upcoming new fishing season yes its that time again 16th of june 2016 approaching. once in the tackle shop i'm absorbed by the amount of tackle on view and soon forget what I had come in for , the line I wanted mmmm not sure that brand may be better and those hooks and shot , well I eventually got outside feeling happy with an arm full of gear but somewhat skint ,

ahh well never mind it will soon be thursday and off I trot to put my new line on my reels ,clean my kit box out check my chair clean everything get all my rods out and inspect them ,that's it all done everything is ready now what ?

Wait wait and wait so frustrating but it will be worth it , I've tramped the riverbank at every opportunity thrown in some bait in a few swims took photos watched the weather there must be something that ive forgot ? yes a little patience its nice to be prepared it will soon be thursday.

Trout time

Its the closed season and the itch is still there to get on the river bank, so out came the fly rod and a selection of flies,I gave the waders a quick look but decided boots were the better option as coarse fish may be present although I had never caught any previously,but stories of chub came my way ? well you never know . I took my granddaughter to the river she loves fishing but casting a fly is still a struggle so it gave me an excellent opportunity to give her a little help without being too pushy to put her off fishing! I took her now and again and she looked forward to the trips we tackled up and found a nice spot with no trees behind us to get snagged up in we persevered for about half an hour then one cast the line gave a little pull and a nice brown trout came to her net , I'm glad she got the fish she will never forget it , I hope she's hooked for life.

A look Back

It seems a long time ago since june 16th 2015 but I found myself on the Yorkshire Derwent at Buttercrambe full of hope , well what else is there ?
I had a good walk along the banks and baited up 3 likely looking swims with the bait dropper I say likely looking swims they all had some cover and a good flow but you couldn't see into the water as it was a little coloured , Lots of hemp and caster and chopped up luncheon meat was the order of the day in the large bait dropper, half a dozen drops on target in each swim enough noise to scare the fish away for miles around.

So back to the first swim that I had blitzed and a slow tackle up a cup of tea from the flask and plonked the first bait in with a nice splosh and settle back and watch the tip of my old milo avon , a few minutes went by then a couple of twangs on the rod saw me hunched up ready to strike but nothing and a lot more of nothing so a quick retrieve and bait still on the hook hmmmm oh well another hour and more nothing so I moved to my next baited up swim and sat for an hour and a half with .. yes you've guessed it nothing so a move to my last baited up swim and a nice hair rigged luncheon meat with a pva bag with hemp and a few small offerings of luncheon meat and settle back in my chair to watch the trusty milo avon and the noisy chaffinches in the tree above when it happened that noise that hard to describe noise of the rod bending over and line stretching a grab of the rod and a few minutes later a nice 4 1b chub was in the net , no brilliant but it was opening day and this was my long awaited fish not a barbel but it would do me.
I finished the day with a couple of hours honing my trotting skills and a few dace later I was packing my tackle in the car with a smile on my face , june the 16th off home and to finish the day a few pints and a natter in the local perfect.

Looking forward to june ? take a look at the Wharfe

Looking forward to june ? take a look at the Wharfe
River Wharfe

The River Wharfe starts its life near Langstrothdale near Beckermonds where Oughtershaw Beck and Green Field Beck meet it ends 60 miles away at the Village of Cawood near selby. The river in part forms the border of North and West Yorkshire and is arguably the most picturesque river in the County.

The river flows through the valley which bears the same name' Wharfedale ' passing through the Yorkshire Dales National park and some idyllic towns and villages such as Kettlewell Grassington Bolton Abbey Addingham Burley in Wharfedale Otley Wetherby and Tadcaster , the river is tidal from ulleskelf and the lower river has a very different character from the rest of the river but it still retains its angling quality .

The strid on the river wharfe

On the reaches near bolton abbey there is the notorious 'strid' a series of waterfalls where the river narrows up considerably and it looks all too easy to make the jump across to the other side but many have died doing so, the river undercuts both banks and has channels with fast underwater currents.

Bolton Abbey river wharfe
Bolton Abbey
Fishing

At Buckden there is a beautiful stretch of the river near to the source this is controlled by Bradford city angling association there are no day tickets but with year books at £ 38 it must be a bargain considering the rest of the water that Bradford have. bradford city

Kilnsey angling club have the river wharfe at kilnsey near conistone with day tickets around £ 35 kilnsey is one of the oldest clubs in the country for more details please Phone 01756 752301 (Tennant Arms)

Appletreewick barden and burnsall angling club have around 7 miles of fishing above Bolton Abbey Tickets from the red lion Burnsall 01756 720204 (Red Lion)

There is about 5 miles of double bank fishing at Bolton Abbey controlled by the Chatsworth estate see this link for full details it's over £30 for trout and about £20 for grayling bolton abbey

barbel in the woodland river wharfe
old Bradford stretch at boston spa
At Addingham The Addingham angling association have around 3 miles of trout fishing see their website for further info 'Addingham'

Also at Pool in Wharfedale Leeds and District Amalgamated Society of Anglers has about 4 miles of fishing from the river Washburn to the viaduct day tickets from the Garage or yearbooks. Leeds DASA

river wharfe boston spa
Wharfe at Boston Spa
Coarse fish inhabit the water around ilkley so as well as trout and grayling you have the pleasure of seeing chub in your nets but possibly pool is the area that you have a chance of a barbel, well so I am told by a few locals so who am I to disagree, further downstream at Linton Collingham and Wetherby the fishing is run by different clubs day tickets are available from the post office and the garage at collingham. Wetherby and District Angling Club day tickets in advance from the newsagents in Collingham also Wetherby sports association next to the swimming pool, Rodgers tackle shop at Seacroft york road, JBK's Convenience store Boston Spa ,J & M Wines Beancroft road Castleford, see their website for further information Wetherby

Downstream from Wetherby at Boston Spa Bingley Anglers have a very good stretch of water with some big barbel present Bingley have about a mile of fishing right bank opposite wray wood that use to be Bradford No1 water until the area was developed from a farm to a private luxury house with all the fringe benefits including a bridge over the river and the barring of anglers ?anyway Bingley hold the right bank take a look at the website there is some good fishing to be had.

river wharfe boston spa
Boston Spa


Bradford no1 also have water at boston spa, Some big barbel are present here and all the way down to Newton Kyme along with big chub also roach and dace. The top length the spa bath length is shallower and noted for its early season big barbel the river at Newton Kyme is packed with features and deserves some exploring and the patient angler can expect big chub and barbel in my opinion it is the best part of this fantastic river ,Day tickets can be bought from the paper shop next to costcutters in Boston Spa.

The River Wharfe at Tadcaster has some good chub and big barbel fishing, day tickets are available from the "Chocolate Box" news agency and the sweet shop at 28 Kirkgate Tadcaster, please note that the fishing between the Bridge and the weir is limited to members only.From below Tadcaster water at Grimston Park and Ulleskelf is Leeds DASA have most of the water, with matches fished a lot at the weekends Pegs 1 to 25 are left free for the use of pleasure anglers on Saturdays, the railway field pegs 76 to 100 strictly members only, Tickets from the Ulleskelf Arms