River guide
River Ribble in North Yorkshire
9 checked stretches so far — day tickets, club waters and guest tickets, each checked against the club's own pages.
The lowdown
The River Ribble through Lancashire is a proper mixed fishery river, with the Trust describing this beat as offering game fishing alongside a large selection of coarse fish. The water around Great Mitton has the landmarks and natural character to make a cracking day on the bank.
This section links the Ribble with the Calder around Mitton Bridge and Calder Foot. The fishing is seasonal, with game angling from 15 March to 31 October and coarse-fish and grayling fishing from 1 November to 14 March. Check the ticket conditions carefully before setting off, especially for migratory-salmonid methods.
Close season reminder
Coarse fishing on English rivers is closed from 15 March to 15 June inclusive. That's the law for coarse fish on rivers — it's not a club rule, and game-fishing seasons work differently.
GOV.UK — Freshwater rod fishing rules: when and where you can fishStretches
9 of 9 checked stretches. No rankings — we don't know which is "best" on your day, and neither does anyone else.
Arnford Water
River Ribble · Members only or accompanied guest ticket
Arnford Water is a cracking 1.5-mile double-bank stretch of the River Ribble, tucked onto the Arnford Estate at Halton West near Long Preston. It’s wild Ribble trout and grayling water, run by Settle Anglers Association Ltd, with fly fishing only on this stretch.
Checked 10 Oct 2026
Horton in Ribblesdale Fishery
River Ribble · Club members
A cracking, roughly 12-mile stretch of the River Ribble, running from Gearstones down to Helwith Bridge beneath Pen-y-ghent and near Ribblehead Viaduct. It’s Manchester Anglers’ Association water, mainly wild brown trout country with the occasional salmon.
Checked 11 Oct 2026
Long Preston Beat (Mid-Ribble Angling Society)
River Ribble · Members only
Long Preston Beat is a cracking bit of upper Ribble water on the left bank, forming part of the Long Preston Deeps. It looks like one long pool, but is actually four connected pools, with migratory fish gathering here later in the season.
Checked 11 Oct 2026
Knight Stainforth Farm / Caravan Park fishing
River Ribble · Members only, with guests by invitation
Knight Stainforth Farm / Caravan Park is a Settle Anglers’ Association stretch on the right-hand, west bank of the River Ribble. It runs from below Stainforth Packhorse Bridge down to the existing Robin Hoods Wood fishing, with the Foss Pool off-limits.
Checked 11 Oct 2026
Long Preston (Bowland GFA)
River Ribble · Members only
Long Preston is a proper Ribble game-fishing beat run by Bowland Game Fishing Association, with the inspected upper section sitting between Stainforth and Long Preston Beck. There’s slower deep water, varied river habitat and some cracking floodplain-shaped features around the Long Preston Deeps.
Checked 11 Oct 2026
Nappa
River Ribble · Members only
Nappa is a cracking 1.5-mile, single-bank beat on the River Ribble between Gisburn and Long Preston, run by Ribblesdale Angling Association. It’s proper wild game-fishing water, with small pools and recognised salmon, sea-trout, brown-trout and grayling fishing.
Checked 11 Oct 2026
North of Settle & Rathmell Deeps Beats
River Ribble · Members only, with guest tickets
A proper rural Ribble stretch run by Settle Anglers Association, with the Rathmell Deeps section lying downstream of Settle and fishing extending to just above Rathmell Beck. Chub and grayling are the main named residents here, with the odd barbel turning up too.
Checked 11 Oct 2026
River Ribble: Skirbeck
River Ribble · Members only
A cracking 2,500-metre stretch of the River Ribble between Settle and Long Preston, run by Bradford City Angling Association. It’s a mixed fishery with deep meanders at the Preston Deeps, mostly sluggish water and one faster reach for the fly boys.
Checked 11 Oct 2026
Stainforth / Knight Stainforth Farm fishing
River Ribble · Club members and guests
A proper spate-river stretch on the west bank of the Ribble, running from below Stainforth Packhorse Bridge down towards Robin Hoods Wood. It’s members-only water with wild brown trout and a real migratory-fish feel.
Checked 11 Oct 2026
Pins mark the access postcode each club gives, not the bank itself. Exact boundary map: see rights holder.
Access & tickets
2026 entrance fee
Settle Anglers Association Ltd
Association membership entrance fee; non-refundable.
£270 (as listed 10/10/2026)
Covers: Arnford Water
2026 annual subscription
Settle Anglers Association Ltd
Settle Anglers Association membership subscription.
£170 (as listed 10/10/2026)
Covers: Arnford Water
Guest invitation ticket
Settle Anglers Association Ltd
Members may use invitation tickets for guests on Ribble waters. Guests must be accompanied by the member.
£10 (as listed 10/10/2026)
Covers: Arnford Water
Association membership
Manchester Anglers' Association
Manchester Anglers’ Association membership is open to all applicants. Annual and joining fees apply.
Covers: Horton in Ribblesdale Fishery
Mid Ribble Angling Society membership
Mid Ribble Angling Society
Membership water. Vacancies may arise, but membership is not guaranteed.
Covers: Long Preston Beat (Mid-Ribble Angling Society)
Ribble invitation ticket
Settle Anglers Association Ltd
Members may use nine £10 invitation tickets on the Ribble each year. Four are available from 15 March to 30 October, and five from 1 November to 14 March.
£10 (as listed 11/10/2026)
Covers: Knight Stainforth Farm / Caravan Park fishing
Owner-discretion ticket
Settle Anglers Association Ltd
The owners may allow two tickets at their discretion.
Covers: Knight Stainforth Farm / Caravan Park fishing
BGFA membership
Bowland Game Fishing Association
Normal association fishing access for the Long Preston BGFA beat. Application requires a proposer and seconder or a suitable reference.
Covers: Long Preston (Bowland GFA)
Annual association membership
Ribblesdale Angling Association
Required for fishing Nappa. Current annual membership fee; new members also pay a joining fee. Membership fees may be paid over eight monthly instalments.
£270 annual membership; £150 joining fee for new members (as listed 11/10/2026)
Covers: Nappa
Guest ticket
Ribblesdale Angling Association
Members may receive one guest ticket each season.
Covers: Nappa
2026 association membership
Settle Anglers Association Ltd
Non-returnable entrance fee plus annual subscription
£270 entrance fee; £170 annual subscription (as listed 11/10/2026)
Covers: North of Settle & Rathmell Deeps Beats
Ribble invitation ticket
Settle Anglers Association Ltd
For guests invited by members, under the association’s stated conditions
£10 (as listed 11/10/2026)
Covers: North of Settle & Rathmell Deeps Beats
Adult membership
Bradford City Angling Association
Bradford City Angling Association, 2026 season
£49 (as listed 11/10/2026)
Covers: River Ribble: Skirbeck
Concessionary membership
Bradford City Angling Association
Bradford City Angling Association, 2026 season
£33 (as listed 11/10/2026)
Covers: River Ribble: Skirbeck
Junior and social membership
Bradford City Angling Association
Bradford City Angling Association, 2026 season
£0 (as listed 11/10/2026)
Covers: River Ribble: Skirbeck
Member access
Settle Anglers Association Ltd
Fishing is available to Settle Anglers members on the Knight Stainforth Farm water.
Covers: Stainforth / Knight Stainforth Farm fishing
Guest ticket
Settle Anglers Association Ltd
Three guest tickets are allowed to each member per year, subject to club rules. Members must accompany their guests.
Covers: Stainforth / Knight Stainforth Farm fishing
House-rod ticket
Settle Anglers Association Ltd
Property owners may authorise up to two additional house-rod tickets at their discretion.
Covers: Stainforth / Knight Stainforth Farm fishing
Species
We only tag a stretch with a fish when the club names it. Some clubs name fish across all their water rather than stretch by stretch — those are flagged on the card.
● named by the club for this stretch · ●* named across the club's waters · blank = not named (not "absent").
Rules — who runs what
Settle Anglers Association Ltd
Fishing is through Settle Anglers Association Ltd membership. Members may bring guests on the Arnford water using £10 invitation tickets, but guests must be accompanied by the member.
Club pageManchester Anglers' Association
The fishery is run by Manchester Anglers’ Association, and membership is open to all applicants. Annual and joining fees apply, but current membership prices and a public day-ticket booking route are not published on the official public pages.
Club pageHothersall Beat is available to Mid Ribble Angling Society members. Membership is limited to a maximum of 80 anglers, and a guided visit can be arranged for prospective or new members; contact the society to confirm current access and rules.
Club pageBowland Game Fishing Association
Normal fishing access is through BGFA membership. The official membership application requires a proposer and seconder, or a suitable reference; check with BGFA for the current application process and beat arrangements.
Club pageRibblesdale Angling Association
Ribblesdale Angling Association does not offer day tickets. Fishing is for members, with limited guest access under the association’s rules; each member is normally allowed one guest ticket per season.
Club pageBradford City Angling Association
Bradford City Angling Association does not issue day tickets. You’ll need current BCAA membership, or a pre-booked guest permit from a member.
Club pageFished the river recently?
Pick the stretch you fished and add a 20-second update there — one stretch at a time keeps it useful.
Each stretch page lists its own key rules. You'll need an Environment Agency rod licence on all of them.
River levels
Measured readings straight from the Environment Agency. These are the nearest gauges we've matched — not readings from the stretches themselves.
Measured — Environment Agency
Arnford Weir gauge
Nearest EA gauge we've matched — it isn't on this stretch, so levels on your peg will differ.
Loading latest reading…
We don't publish an "ideal level" — nobody can promise one. Flood water is dangerous: if it's up and coloured, stay well back from the edge. Open River Ready
Measured — Environment Agency
Locks Weir gauge
Nearest EA gauge we've matched — it isn't on this stretch, so levels on your peg will differ.
Loading latest reading…
We don't publish an "ideal level" — nobody can promise one. Flood water is dangerous: if it's up and coloured, stay well back from the edge. Open River Ready
Measured — Environment Agency
Penny Bridge gauge
Nearest EA gauge we've matched — it isn't on this stretch, so levels on your peg will differ.
Loading latest reading…
We don't publish an "ideal level" — nobody can promise one. Flood water is dangerous: if it's up and coloured, stay well back from the edge. Open River Ready
Tips & reports
Our take (editorial, not club advice): on any decent-sized river, a lead that holds bottom without dragging is half the battle — go up in weight before you go up in bait. A bit of extra colour after rain often brings barbel and bream closer in, but a fast-rising, debris-filled river is dangerous; if in doubt, don't. Weather tools built for still lakes don't translate neatly to rivers, so we haven't bolted a lake-style weather score on here.
No angler reports on these stretches yet — we'll only show real ones once our moderated river reports are live.
Where this comes from · checked 10 Oct 2026
- GOV.UK — Freshwater rod fishing rules: when and where you can fish
- Settle Anglers Association Ltd — home (settleanglers.co.uk)
- Manchester Anglers' Association — home (manchester-anglers.org.uk)
- Mid Ribble Angling Society — home (midribble.co.uk)
- Bowland Game Fishing Association — home (bgfa.org.uk)
- Ribblesdale Angling Association — home (ribblesdaleangling.co.uk)
- Bradford City Angling Association — river aire steeton (bradfordcityaa.co.uk)
Rules, prices and ticket availability change — the rights holder's own page always wins.