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River Wharfe · access

Yorkshire Dales, England, United Kingdom · United Kingdom

By The Fly Desk · Published 2026-08-28

Licence and rules

Licence and rules. An Environment Agency rod licence covers England and Wales and applies from 13 years old. On the Wharfe, most fishing is club water or day ticket; the Wharfedale and Bradford clubs control long stretches and sell day tickets locally. The critical date for a visitor is the grayling close season: grayling fishing stops on 15 March and reopens on 16 June, which is the opposite of the trout season.

Season

Trout 3 April to 30 September; grayling 16 June to 14 March, which makes winter the local season

Flow

100–600 cfs; the upper dale can rise a metre in six hours after rain

The upper Wharfe is steep and drains limestone, so it rises fast and clears fast: a heavy shower can put a metre on it in six hours and it can be fishable again the next morning. Winter spates are frequent but short, which is why grayling anglers here watch the gauge rather than the forecast. Below Wetherby the river is slower and more affected by long periods of rain.

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