Freestone · Limestone · Nidderdale / Knaresborough

River Nidd

The River Nidd flowing through a wide wooded valley below Summerbridge in Nidderdale in late winter.
Poor · Brown Trout
Pheasant Tail Nymph · 14-16
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
River temperature is the limiting factor today, not the flow. This is not the day to push it. Check the thermal advice above before you head out.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.42 mLast reading 3h ago
  • Water temp23.2°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail Nymph14-16
Upstream, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.42 m
Last reading 3h ago
Water temp23.2°C
ClarityClear
Weather29°C
WindSE 12 km/h
Pressure1021 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
23°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Olives April through May; Mayfly late May into early June; sedges through summer; small dark flies into October.
Where
Pool tails and the seams behind boulders through Nidderdale. The river narrows below Pateley Bridge — read the pocket water carefully.
Method
Upstream dry to risers when olives or sedges are off; North Country spider on the swing in cooler water — Snipe and Purple, Partridge and Orange, Waterhen Bloa. Move upstream slowly, fish each lie properly.
Kit
9 ft #4 — Yorkshire freestone default. Floating line, 9 to 12 ft leader to 4 to 5 lb fluoro. Studded boots for slick stones.
Why this works
Water at 23.2°C. This is the line where catch-and-release kills brown trout. Do not fish for them today.
Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Updated 9 hours ago

Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Grayling seasonSeason
2
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
North Country spider water
Local classics: Waterhen Bloa·Greenwell's Spider·Snipe & Purple
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 4
Probably above the Brown Trout safety line — these are likely cooler, but carry a thermometer.
Tanfield Lodge Lake
23 km
~18°C
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Maran Lakes
17 km
~22°C
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Bellflask Fishery
24 km
~23°C
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Washburn Valley Fisheries
17 km
~23°C
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 5
  1. The River Nidd flowing through a wide wooded valley below Summerbridge in Nidderdale in late winter.
    River Nidd below Summerbridge
  2. The River Nidd running through green summer meadows between Hampsthwaite and Birstwith with wooded banks.
    River Nidd between Hampsthwaite and Birstwith
  3. A broad summer view of the River Nidd at Pateley Bridge with green riverside vegetation and gentle riffles.
    River Nidd, Pateley Bridge
  4. The River Nidd at Pateley Bridge in summer, clear shallow riffles over gravel with lush bankside vegetation.
    River Nidd, Pateley Bridge
  5. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Fail
What this classification means

EA waterbody 'Nidd from Oak Beck to Low Bridge on Briggate' (GB104027068297) — the fished main stem through Knaresborough. Latest EA data (Cycle 3, 2022): Moderate ecological status. Chemical 'Fail' reflects the England-wide ubiquitous-substance failure (mercury and PBDE in biota); the 2022 cycle itself records chemical as 'does not require assessment'. Corrected 2026-06-18 from GB104027063760, which is Oak Beck (a Nidd tributary), not the main stem.

EA (England) · GB104027068297

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 2 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature1 × 28%0.3
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time60 × 13%7.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity48 × 12%5.8
Limiting factor: Water temperature (23.2°C) is outside Brown Trout's preferred range (10–16°C)= 54
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 22 March → 30 September
  • Grayling 16 June → 14 March

    Nidderdale AC allows maggots only between 16 June and 14 March. From 1 October some marked lengths (e.g. Glasshouses) can be fished with bait; some lengths remain fly-only throughout. Check Nidderdale AC rules carefully before choosing tackle.

    Prime sport 1 September → 31 December

    • 16 Jun → 30 Sep · Fly only
    • 1 Oct → 14 Mar · Fly or bait-on-specified lengths
Related guides
Fly Fishing Near Yorkfeatured in this city guideGrayling Playbookgrayling tacticsYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methods
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