Bolton Abbey

The Bolton Abbey Estate gets its name from the splendid 12th century Priory which was established by the Augustine monks in 1120. Situated in the heart of the Wharfe Valley, the estate water extends from Burnsall downstream to Addingham, offering approximately 5 miles of double bank fishing.

The Wharfe is a spate river which always has a touch of colour, even when it is running low and clear. It offers superb brown trout and grayling fishing and there is a mix of glides, pocket water and fast streamy runs. With this variety of water you can learn the whole range of techniques available to the modern river fly angler.

North country spider patterns were developed by Wharfe anglers, and there is rarely an occasion when when you will not have the opportunity to catch fish using these patterns sometime during the day - many local anglers fish nothing else! But there is a host of other techniques which generally allow us to fish much more effectively, such as the duo or trio technique, upstream-nymphing and czech and french nymphing. We will discuss equipment and leader make up for these various approaches, and help you to identify the best method for a particular swim.

The river is also the ideal place to learn more advanced fly casting techniques, such as double and single Spey casts, snap casts and snake roll cast. Improving your casting will improve your catch rate as you discover the quickest way to place your fly precisely where you want, so the fly spends more time in the water, where the fish are, and less in the air. Improved casting also adds enormously to your enjoyment of fishing as you discover just how little effort is needed to propel your fly to its target.