River guide
River Swale in North Yorkshire
12 checked stretches so far — day tickets, club waters and guest tickets, each checked against the club's own pages.
The lowdown
Around Helperby and Brafferton, the River Swale is described as a lowland, slow-meandering river running through pastoral and agricultural surroundings. The club manages three River Swale stretches in this area, including Village Fishery.
It’s coarse and game fishing country, with the club mentioning barbel and chub among the fish sought on its waters. The river fisheries close from 15 March to 15 June inclusive, reopening for the coarse season on 16 June.
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
12 of 12 checked stretches. No rankings — we don't know which is "best" on your day, and neither does anyone else.
River Swale – Village Fishery, Helperby
River Swale · Day ticket
Village Fishery is a proper lowland River Swale stretch near Helperby and Brafferton, run by Helperby & Brafferton Angling Club. It’s available on a £6 day ticket, with the Swing Bridge marking the upper limit for day-ticket anglers.
Checked 7 Oct 2026
Brompton-on-Swale beat, River Swale
River Swale · Day ticket
Brompton-on-Swale is a proper mixed fly and coarse beat on the fast-flowing, flood-prone River Swale. RADAS runs the water, with visiting anglers welcome on a £12.50 day permit.
Checked 7 Oct 2026
Easby Waters, River Swale
River Swale · Day ticket
Easby Waters is a cracking 1.8 km River Swale beat near Richmond, with a mix of fly and coarse fishing beside Easby Abbey and the popular Easby Loop. RADAS holds the fishing rights, with pegs 1–9 covering the main sections.
Checked 7 Oct 2026
River Swale – Skipton Bridge (Holme Farm Length)
River Swale · Day ticket
A cracking left-bank stretch of the River Swale at Skipton Bridge, run by Thirsk Angling Club. Holme Farm gives you four fields and exactly 1 kilometre of fishing, with day tickets at a very tidy £5.
Checked 8 Oct 2026
River Swale – Catterick Bridge
River Swale · Day ticket
Catterick Bridge is a short, localised River Swale beat run by Richmond & District Angling Society. It covers pegs 36–37 on the north bank, fishing upstream from the bridge for roughly 150 metres.
Checked 8 Oct 2026
Broken Brae
River Swale · Day ticket
Broken Brae is a compact day-ticket coarse-fishing beat on the north bank of the River Swale below Richmond. It covers pegs 21 and 22, running downstream from Brompton-on-Swale Caravan Park to Brompton Lakes.
Species not listed by the club.
Checked 8 Oct 2026
The Falls and The Batts, River Swale
River Swale · Day ticket
The Falls and The Batts give you day-ticket fishing on the River Swale around Richmond, with the castle, town and Mercury Bridge adding loads of character. Proper handy if you fancy a fishy wander through one of North Yorkshire’s most historic river settings.
Checked 8 Oct 2026
Marske Waters, River Swale
River Swale · Day ticket
Marske Waters is a proper rural Swale beat below Downholme Bridge, run by Richmond & District Angling Society. It’s fly and worm only, with wild brown trout the main game.
Checked 8 Oct 2026
Round Howe, River Swale
River Swale · Day ticket
Round Howe is a trout-only stretch of the River Swale near Richmond, run by Richmond & District Angling Society. It’s available on a RADAS day permit, with fishing from 6:00am to 10:00pm on your booked date.
Checked 8 Oct 2026
Iron Banks Wood
River Swale · Day ticket
Iron Banks Wood is a cracking 412m beat on the River Swale below Richmond, near Easby, run by Richmond & District Angling Society. It’s Peg 10, with both fly and coarse fishing allowed and plenty of water to explore.
Checked 8 Oct 2026
Green Bridge Waters, River Swale
River Swale · Day ticket
Green Bridge Waters is a cracking little trout beat on the south bank of the River Swale in central Richmond. It runs for roughly 400m from Green Bridge nearly to The Falls, with the riverside footpath running alongside.
Checked 8 Oct 2026
Cundall Lodge Farm Fishery, River Swale
River Swale · Day ticket
Cundall Lodge Farm Fishery gives you about a mile of River Swale bank at Cundall, North Yorkshire, with the adjoining oxbow lake included too. It’s a proper day-ticket venue, nicknamed the “animal farm” for its big barbel.
Checked 8 Oct 2026
Pins mark the access postcode each club gives, not the bank itself. Exact boundary map: see rights holder.
Access & tickets
Village Fishery day ticket
Helperby & Brafferton Angling Club
Available online through the Helperby & Brafferton Angling Club website.
£6 (as listed 07/10/2026)
Covers: River Swale – Village Fishery, Helperby
RADAS day permit
Richmond & District Angling Society (RADAS)
Visiting anglers; valid 6:00am to 10:00pm on the booked date. Individual permit required. No day-ticket concessions.
£12.50 per angler (as listed 07/10/2026)
Covers: Brompton-on-Swale beat, River Swale
RADAS day permit
Richmond & District Angling Society
Online day permit for Easby Waters; valid from 6:00am to 10:00pm on the booked date.
£12.50 per angler (as listed 07/10/2026)
Covers: Easby Waters, River Swale
Day ticket
Thirsk Angling Club
£5 per angler. Available online, from Busby Stoop Garage and from Topcliffe Post Office.
£5 per angler (as listed 08/10/2026)
Covers: River Swale – Skipton Bridge (Holme Farm Length)
RADAS day permit
Richmond & District Angling Society (RADAS)
Date-specific permit purchased online. Day-ticket anglers must carry proof of the permit and submit a catch return within 24 hours.
£12.50 per angler (as listed 08/10/2026)
Covers: River Swale – Catterick Bridge
RADAS day permit
Richmond & District Angling Society
Individual permit for each angler. Valid from 6:00am until 10:00pm on the booked date.
£12.50 per angler (as listed 08/10/2026)
Covers: Broken Brae
Environment Agency rod-fishing licence
Richmond & District Angling Society
Required in addition to the RADAS day permit.
Covers: Broken Brae
RADAS day permit
Richmond & District Angling Society
Online booking required. Select a fishing date; valid from 6:00am until 10:00pm on that date. Individual permit required. No concessions. Non-refundable and non-transferable.
£12.50 per angler (as listed 08/10/2026)
Covers: The Falls and The Batts, River Swale
Day permit
Richmond & District Angling Society
Available online through the Richmond & District Angling Society website.
£12.50 (as listed 08/10/2026)
Covers: Marske Waters, River Swale
RADAS day permit
Richmond & District Angling Society
Individual permit for one angler. Valid 6:00am–10:00pm on the booked date. No concessions.
£12.50 per angler (as listed 08/10/2026)
Covers: Round Howe, River Swale
RADAS day permit
Richmond & District Angling Society
Day permit for one angler. No day-permit concessions. Individual, non-refundable and non-transferable.
£12.50 per angler (as listed 08/10/2026)
Covers: Iron Banks Wood
Environment Agency rod licence
Richmond & District Angling Society
Required in addition to the RADAS permit.
Covers: Iron Banks Wood
RADAS day permit
Richmond & District Angling Society
Valid from 6:00am until 10:00pm on the booked date. Purchase online through the society website.
£12.50 (as listed 08/10/2026)
Covers: Green Bridge Waters, River Swale
£10 ticket
Cundall Lodge Farm Fishery
Up to six hours of fishing and departure by 9pm, or up to 12 hours of daytime fishing outside 6pm–6am.
£10 (as listed 08/10/2026)
Covers: Cundall Lodge Farm Fishery, River Swale
£15 ticket
Cundall Lodge Farm Fishery
Up to 12 hours of fishing at any time between 6pm and 6am.
£15 (as listed 08/10/2026)
Covers: Cundall Lodge Farm Fishery, River Swale
£20 ticket
Cundall Lodge Farm Fishery
24 hours of day-and-night fishing.
£20 (as listed 08/10/2026)
Covers: Cundall Lodge Farm Fishery, River Swale
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.
| Stretch | Bream | Roach | Pike | Perch | Barbel | Trout | Chub |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Swale – Village Fishery, Helperby | ●* | ●* | ●* | ●* | |||
| Brompton-on-Swale beat, River Swale | ●* | ●* | ●* | ●* | ●* | ||
| Easby Waters, River Swale | ●* | ●* | ●* | ●* | |||
| River Swale – Skipton Bridge (Holme Farm Length) | ●* | ●* | ●* | ●* | |||
| River Swale – Catterick Bridge | ●* | ●* | ●* | ●* | |||
| Broken Brae | |||||||
| The Falls and The Batts, River Swale | ●* | ●* | ●* | ●* | |||
| Marske Waters, River Swale | ● | ||||||
| Round Howe, River Swale | ● | ||||||
| Iron Banks Wood | ● | ● | ● | ● | |||
| Green Bridge Waters, River Swale | ● | ||||||
| Cundall Lodge Farm Fishery, River Swale | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
● named by the club for this stretch · ●* named across the club's waters · blank = not named (not "absent").
Rules — who runs what
Helperby & Brafferton Angling Club
Village Fishery day tickets are available online through the Helperby & Brafferton Angling Club website. The price is £6, and the fishery is open to day tickets throughout the open season.
Club pageRichmond & District Angling Society (RADAS)
RADAS day permits are available to visiting anglers at £12.50 per angler. Each angler must purchase an individual permit; there are no day-ticket concessions.
Club pageRichmond & District Angling Society
RADAS day permits can be bought online and cost £12.50 per angler. They are valid from 6:00am to 10:00pm on the booked date, and include Easby Waters. Anglers also need an Environment Agency rod licence.
Club pageDay tickets cost £5 per angler and can be bought online, or from Busby Stoop Garage and Topcliffe Post Office. Online tickets are virtual products and are issued after payment by BACS; availability is limited around swims and member requirements.
Club pageCundall Lodge Farm Fishery
Pay before fishing in the concrete trough on the access track. Complete all the details and put payment and information in the supplied envelope. The address is Cundall Lodge Farm Fishery, Cundall, York YO61 2RN; the What3Words location is built.dusters.token.
Fished 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
Myton-On-Swale 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
Richmond Lownthwaite 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
Measured — Environment Agency
Maunby 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 7 Oct 2026
- GOV.UK — Freshwater rod fishing rules: when and where you can fish
- Helperby & Brafferton Angling Club — home (helperbyandbraffertonac.co.uk)
- Richmond & District Angling Society (RADAS) — home (richmondangling.org.uk)
- Richmond & District Angling Society — home (richmondangling.org.uk)
- Thirsk Angling Club — home (thirskanglingclub.co.uk)
- Cundall Lodge Farm Fishery — home (cundall-lodgefarmfishery.co.uk)
Rules, prices and ticket availability change — the rights holder's own page always wins.