THE DILEMMA OF CATCHING A FISH

Hendrik in the river holding a small brown trout

It seems so simple to catch a fish, particularily when you know they are in the river, and they make their presence known. How is it then I’ve never caught one?

Apart from the endless wardrobe of high performance gear one is urged to wear: waders, glasses, caps, coats etc. there is also seemingly limitless options of rod, reel, line and fly. Assuming you have all of this sorted then there are the things you can’t change like the condition of the water: the colour, the flow, the level and the weather. The time of day and many, many other things which also dictate your choice of the type and size of fly.

However I have come to the conclusion that ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way’, and with helpful local knowledge and a dose of patience, you are bound to succeed.

LOCAL TILL FISHING BEATS

Redscar: This beat lies in the Milfield plain south of Redscar Bridge near Milfield Village and is a very easy beat to fish, with good access and level walks on the river bank. It runs to 1.5 miles with 15 named pools which are long and deep (4 to 8 feet) but are not fast running, comprising of glides.

Upper Tindal: The Upper Tindal beat runs downstream of Etal Village with over 1.5 miles and 16 pools and is where the nature of the Till changes, becoming much faster-flowing over rock with white water streams into deep pools, creating ideal fly water. This stretch is fished from the left bank with limited access to the heavily-wooded right bank. A single handed fly rod will cover the pools. The beat is let day or night from May to August during the main Seatrout run.

Lower Tindal: Lower Tindal runs for 2 miles and is a very attractive length of water set in a wooded gorge with numerous white water streams over rock into deep long pools. The left bank is all woodland and kept quiet as a conservation area. This is a beat for the able-bodied but well worth the effort.

Ford: This beat lies near Ford Village and runs for over 1 mile upstream of Ford Bridge. Fishing is allowed from both banks where woodland areas permit. There are several streams near the bottom of the beat, further upstream the pools are long and flow at a slower pace. 12 pools make up the beat, some of these pools stretch for 200-300 yards.

Contact: Brian Thompson, Fisheries Manager on 01668 216223