Fly Fishing at Kielder

With over 2,700 acres of water one could assume that locating the wild brown trout and stocked rainbow trout in this awesome fishery is a challenge. This is not the case.

Hiring one of the excellent motor boats is a must if you are to quickly move between the renowned hot spots of Matthews Lynn, Plashetts Bay, Plashetts Incline or Belling Inlet and get close to the massive 27 miles of shoreline. The motorboats at Kielder Water are very well equipped and Wheelie boats are available for disabled anglers. An anchor is useless here, but selected areas – like Plashetts Incline – have handy mooring slots to secure your boat and prevent drifting.

Kielder Water Fishing

A Kate Mclaren generally does well at Kielder Water, and is particularly effective if ‘ginked up’ when the fish are rising or if you are stalking the brown trout. Dawsons Olive, Orange Fritz and Cat Whisker are also very useful patterns and should be in the fly box of anyone fly fishing in Northumberland. A worm is the preferred method for many anglers, just as is the case at most of the Northumbria Water fisheries.

Kielder Water is now worth a visit following extensive stocking in early 2008. Prior to this it was best avoided so hopefully Northumbria Water will keep up this proactive approach. On a good day this is the most scenic fishery in the UK due to the fact that Kielder Forest is the largest man made forest in Europe. The beautiful site that greets you when drifting in to Mathews Linn on a sunny day is akin to Scandinavia or British Columbia. In bad weather  fly fishing at Kielder Water is more like a scene from ‘The Fog’ or ‘Deadliest Catch’!

Kielder Water and Forest Park is situated at the source of the river North Tyne – England’s greatest Salmon River- some 12 miles to the north west of Bellingham and 29 miles north of Hexham. There are great facilities at Leaplish including log cabins if you really want to tackle the famous Kielder Midge. Beware, the nearest petrol station is 12 miles away. Fly fishing at Kielder Water is available from March to November each year. With a birds of Prey Centre, Kielder Castle , Mountain Biking, Walking, Sailing and even a swimming pool Kielder Water is a great location for a short break if you can find availability at a local Northumberland hotel.

For more information about Kielder Water or fly fishing in Northumberland call 01434 250294.

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Kielder Water, Northumberland

Address:

Kielder Water

Kielder

Northumberland

NE48 1BX

Telephone:  01434 250294

Fontburn Reservoir is set in a beautiful corner of Northumberland close to the Simonside Hills and is open from March to November. Stocked with both Browns and Rainbows, Fontburn Reservoir is not the most popular venue in the north east but is well worth a visit – as long as it isn’t windy.
For more information about Fontburn Reservoir or fly fishing in Northumberland call 01669 621368

Address:
Fontburn Reservoir
Northumberland
NE61 4PN
Tel: 01669 621368

I first visited Sweethope Loch in 1990. I hoped to catch a 15lb Rainbow Trout. Since then I have visited the fishery in Northumberland on more occasions than I could remember. I am still to land a monster trout but have amassed more blanks than I would wish. I have fished both boat and bank, tried dries and wets, fast sinkers and floaters, retrieved quickly and slowly but am yet to figure out how to catch fish regularly at Sweethope Loch.

Has anyone any tips to help me get the best from a trip to the Wannies?

Rainbow Trout and Blue Trout fish are stocked regularly from 2lb upwards. The fly fishing lodge is adjacent to the car park has tea and coffee making facilities plus tackle to buy or hire and a fine selection of North Country fishing flies. With only four boats booking is a must particularly at weekends. Telephone Langley Dam on (01434) 688846 for a great day fly fishing in beautiful surroundings.

A tip for you when fly fishing at Langley Dam… The water was once a course fishery, stocked with a variety of species including Carp. If you fish near the reeds at Langley, either from the boat or the bank you are likely to be excited by the site of apparently large Rainbow Trout breaking the surface in an almost ever present rise. This distracts many a fly fishing enthusiast, keen on landing a prize trout. It is more likely to be one of the few Carp that remain!