Kielder Water in Northumberland is the largest man made reservoir in Europe and at first glance is a rather daunting choice for fly fishing in Northumberland.
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.
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 largest 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 Center, 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 WaterNorthumberland
Address:
Kielder Water
Kielder
Northumberland
NE48 1BX
Telephone: 01434 250294