Yes indeed. The Estate gives a pre-release allocation to the regular rods - especially those who have helped with the promotion of the fishery - before the main release onto FishPal, where the premium late-season weeks get book very quickly. In contrast Bolton Hall downstream books much more slowly.

 

Interesting to know thanks Michael, hopefully I will get on at some point. Booked onto Bolton Hall in a couple of weeks time so will report on how I get on there.

 

Ben,

have a look at the Bolton Hall beat guides on J1W. The Lord's Pool by the hut is always reliable, then upstream at the Ash Tree. Near the top of the beat is a corner pool, which the old Lord Bolton (the current incumbent's grandfather) believed could hold every fish in the river: the two runs directly downstream are very interesting.

 

Been out around the Masham area today before the rain this afternoon and saw a dozen moving upstream. Now time to wash two filthy springers.

 

Ben,
one point of note is that the Ash Tree pool has improved considerably since I wrote the guide. The shape has changed and the tail is now deeper and more capable of holding fish, so merits greater fishing attention than before. Nonetheless, th Elie beside the prominent rock remains a banker. Also, if the water is up, you need to fish the head of the pool where it exits into the fast water, which is some distance upstream from the tree.

 

Many thanks for this info Michael, I will definitely take this on board. Looking forward to getting back out on the Ure again, for this weekend it will likely be a day on the South Tyne.

 

Two of us fished Abbey beat on Friday. River falling nicely but didn’t see or contact anything. Beautiful day out but rather too sunny, possibly.
Will

 

I was on Bolton Hall with a friend yesterday on what seemed near to perfect water. Unfortunately nothing seen but still good fun and I’m looking forward to fishing it more next year and getting my first Yorkshire salmon 🤞

 

Saw a photo on Instagram of a lovely fish captured by Simon Britton on the Ure this weekend. Not sure which beat however at least they are in there are in there somewhere!

 

The interesting thing has been the high average weight of the fish caught on the upper water: on Swinnithwaite 19 & 12; on Thoresby 18 & the fish I caught on Sunday.

 

They certainly are! Caught on Thoresby on Sunday.

Guess the weight: helpful hint 37.5" from fork to natural bone line (not tip of nose).

 

Cracker

 

Well done that man

 

18.5 lbs

 

Nice fish, my guess 18lbs

 

Beautiful fish Michael! Very well done. I have seen a photo of another fish caught from Swinton that was posted today. It seems they have finally arrived!

 

Well done Michael.

 

Delighted for you Michael, haven't seen a better fish caught in England this Autumn!

 

Belting fish

 

On your fly Michael???

 

Yes indeed: MCX Dark 1" conehead tube

 

Anyone been out since the big lift or heard/seen anything positive? Been out a couple of times, thought I’d cracked it Sunday pm above Masham, had a nice take swinging a couple of shrimp patterns in a perfect looking S pool, lifted and thought this def seems too big for anything other than a salmon or big ST. Excitement and nervousness soared…….what a 5 mins they were 😀. Turned out it was too big for a single g or a t, as first one then a second v large out of season brown came to the net on the same cast...….thankfully didn’t land any others on either trip. River felt a bit high still Sunday (?) and Monday eve v warm and sunny, excuses a plenty…… As per Michael’s previous advice on Ure spates, presumably such a big lift will have tickled some in the estuary who may yet have arrived so worth persevering for the next week?

 

Unfortunately not had chance to get out on the Ure. Had a lovely fish of 15lbs off the South Tyne At the weekend though. Booked onto Bolton Hall for the next two Saturdays so will report on how I get on, although it looks like we need a little rain for it to be optimal.

 

Fished Bolton Hall today, sadly nothing to report aside from a Grayling and an out of season Brownie. Wasn't expecting much given the low water conditions so used the day as an opportunity to explore the beat and scope out any useful spots for next time. Lovely stretch of water, I can see how it would be a great place to be when the conditions are right. - Despite all of the rods being booked on Fishpal we had the place to ourselves. Didn't see any signs of Salmon but a couple of the pools, namely Lords Bridge Pool and the Corner Pool looked like they would hold a decent number of fish. Have next weekend booked however given the lack of rain forecast I will likely be looking to fish elsewhere. The quest for a Yorkshire Salmon continues...

 

Hi all. Is the Ure likely to be worth a trip up on Tuesday (last day of the season)? I'd be limited to whatever is available on FishPal, currently Bolton or Swinton.

 

We wee

Hi all. Is the Ure likely to be worth a trip up on Tuesday (last day of the season)? I'd be limited to whatever is available on FishPal, currently Bolton or Swinton.

We were on Swinton yesterday and had two fish, one banked the other got off annoyingly. Water was in good, clear fettle on arrival and throughout the morning but it did rain all day and the levels inevitably crept up and the Ure coloured up. The fish switched off at the same time!

 

Well, I'm hoping it will be good on Tuesday as I shall be out on Thoresby. I wouldn't normally be fishing so late in the month, but this year, in a desperate attempt to find dates to suit my younger son between his business travels I booked a wide slew of days, including next Monday and Tuesday. Looking at the forecast, with rain due on Sunday we may be seated off on Monday, but in that event it should fine and clear for Tuesday, and be a good height for fishing Bolton Hall if there are rods available.

 

Good luck Michael but all this extra rain will make things tricky I suspect. Btw, did I hear a whisper that the Ure is now slowly switching into an early season river?

Anyway, that its for my salmon season, salmon rods away now until 2024. Best wishes for Christmas and the NY.

 

Thanks for all the feedback and best of luck Michael!

 

Just got home from a day at Swinton. Whole beat to myself, perfect water but unfortunately no fish seen or caught. Nice to end the season on my favourite Ure beat, a fish would have been a nice bonus, maybe next time.

 

So ends a very flat and disappointing season on the Ure. The number of fish in evidence was well below historic norms and as a result catches were very small. The low flows during May and June ruled out a summer run, but when the autumn rain did come we didn't see the strong influx of salmon we witnessed after the drought of 2022. The one bright light in the general gloom was the very high average weight, with 3 fish on Thoresby/Swinnithwaite in the range 18-20lbs.

With so many other rivers faring badly in 2023 we shall have to wait to see whether this is a one-off, just coincidence, or part of a wider trend. In any event I shall be back on the Ure in 2024, fishing hopefully.

 

Do you mind me asking, if you managed to fish on the last two days of the season? I noticed Kilgram was around 0.9m - 1.0m on those days, which I am not sure is still fishable. At Bolton, 0.7 certainly is. Thanks

 

I fished on the 30th, when Kilgram was up around 0.85.0.9, but the water at Thoresby was just a bit above perfect, slightly coloured and clearing, catching one salmon. Up there the Bainbridge gauge provides the best guide, where you're looking for 0.3-0.8. You need plenty of water at Bolton for it to fish well, which makes colour a key determinant.

On the 31st the water at Thoresby was absolutely perfect, but the weather was awful and I just couldn't force my 85 year old guest out into the rain, so we abandoned. In any event the water started rising at around 1100, which for Rutlander put off the fish down at Bolton.

 

I fished on the 30th, when Kilgram was up around 0.85.0.9, but the water at Thoresby was just a bit above perfect, slightly coloured and clearing, catching one salmon. Up there the Bainbridge gauge provides the best guide, where you're looking for 0.3-0.8. You need plenty of water at Bolton for it to fish well, which makes colour a key determinant.

On the 31st the water at Thoresby was absolutely perfect, but the weather was awful and I just couldn't force my 85 year old guest out into the rain, so we abandoned. In any event the water started rising at around 1100, which for Outlander put off the fish down at Bolton.

Thanks Michael, I have never bothered to follow the Bainbridge levels for some reason. Your last day sounds frustration all round, but to catch a fish on Monday was no mean feat, all things considered. The lack of Ure fish cant be at the hands of fish farm sea lice infestation, as their migration route must be the most dispersed in the UK.