I posted about this water in spring,asking for advice. I have now completed my first season on it and thought I would feedback to the forum.

What follows is MY PERSONAL OPINION.

1st, the bare facts. Fished 8 times, caught 38 fish. All but 6 were parr - best fish was a 10" Brownie. I did not even SEE a migratory fish moving.

By contrast, had a 1.5 lb Brownie, and a small sea trout (a finnock to you Scots) from a certain free stretch on the Esk.

Although the water is about 5 miles ish, vast tracts are virtually unfishable as the banks are high, with deep silty pools you cant easily get into to wade, and fishing from the high bank is a waste of time. There are some better gravelly pools in some stretches, where fly fishing is possible. There are some great looking pools that just didn't fish............

Overall then it is a pretty poor stretch in my view, but then it's only 20 quid!!!

I am spoilt in that I spend a lot of time in SW Scotland fishing their rivers which are so much bigger and better - partly because it rains there so much!

Part of the problem this year to be fair has been the absymally low rainfall - the Esk was plagued with that green goo algae and low levels.

Having said that I fished the Tees and caught a good few Brownies to 1.5 Lb and Grayling to 3/4 lb.

Will I get a Danby ticket next year??? Yep, it's 20 quid, and with more water -it could produce!

Decided I am going to give it a go again in 2012...............

I've also just had my first season on the Danby ac section of the Esk. The high banks certainly do make for awkward fishing but it's a picturesque little river especially at the Castleton section. Only managed 2 trips but did quite well in terms of numbers totalling 53. Biggest for me was just 9in didn't see any grayling, as the river is open for the trout season only I just wonder if there are any grayling there. I fished it with a long leader down to 0.1 dia with a small unweighted baetis imitation on the point and small spider dropper using coloured mono for an indicator. Also went down to size 20 and 22 flys WD40's which worked well when the fish were rising freely.
We did see one migratory fish at the Castleton section my mates says it was double figures. It hit him in the shin then shot towards the bank and back out again.
I will be joining again in 2012 and hopefully going a few more times.

I fished the Danby water for quite a few years probably about 20 years ago. It is a difficult water but can produce good catches, When the sea trout run they can run quickly right through the lower sections straight up to the Danby water but as you have already realised the river like many spate rivers
is totally reliant on rain and this year has been terrible.

I found the best tactic was to work along the river as early in the day as possible first light was best , a small mepps or a freelined worm in to every pool and pocket and keep moving. A couple or three casts in every bit of water. In the deep pools when the rivers up and coloured try the mepps aglia they work a treat.

Your right about the free stretches they can be very good.

Andy

I am going to try again in 2012 for 3 reasons:-

• It is only 20 quid
• 2011 was a rotten year for rain in this area so not a typical year
• Did I say it is only 20 quid?

I know I listed that it is only 20 quid twice,but then again it's only 20 quid!!!

I know the crack about fishing a wee mepps (size 1 silver I swear by) upstream through the pools..............

I am going to fish smaller flies for brownies (down to size16 or 18) during low water.

Can anyone comment on the free water at Ruswarp and also the day ticket water at Sleights?

If I remember rightly the water at Sleights is very slow moving and it tends to be fished best with a light spinner. I used to fish Danby water years ago, like Andy, and also free stretches at Castleton and even higher up at Westerdale when you could always get a decent number of fish on a worm before the water abstraction started. Glaisdale used to be good but the river seems to be a shadow of its former self these days and I can remember seeing huge numbers of fish moving upstream at the bottom of Limber Hill.