Salmon on the English bank of the Tweed, wild trout on the East Allen and Wansbeck, and trout lakes

Fly Fishing in Northumberland

The River East Allen and the River Wansbeck, plus 1 more river. 19 bookable beats between them, with prices, seasons and who to book through in one place.

Open the beat map Browse the beats

October on the water

The season turns

Trout beats close through this month and grayling water opens. A transitional few weeks: what is bookable depends on the beat, so check the dates rather than assuming.

Season: Both seasons closed
Typical day rod: £10; from 7 priced beats
Cheapest this month: £10; Allendale Town Beat

Grayling beats Easier beats

Four ways into Northumberland

Most people arrive here with one of these four questions. Pick the one that sounds like yours.

What a day costs Compare prices Month-by-month day-ticket rates across every river we hold pricing for. Stay and fish Fisheries and estates Operators taking bookings, some with rooms and equipment hire. A cheaper day Under £200 Trout-season day tickets at £200 or less.

Where to fly fish in Northumberland

Every beat and fishery we list in the county, plotted against the boundary. Click a river to read what that stretch is like.

Fly fishing rivers in Northumberland

Every river we list in Northumberland, busiest first.

Northumberland

River East Allen

7 beats

Northumberland

River Wansbeck

6 beats

Northumberland

River Tweed

3 beats

What a day actually costs in Northumberland

Typical, lowest and highest full-day rod, from 13 beats with published day rates. Half-day and evening tickets are left out rather than doubled up.

Compare with other rivers

£100 £75 £50 £25 £0

cheapest to dearest typical (median) October, where you are now

A full day in Northumberland typically costs £10, from £8 to £10 across 13 beats with published day rates.

Day-ticket prices by month in Northumberland, from 13 beats with published full-day rates
Month	Cheapest	Typical	Dearest	Beats
January	No published rate	No published rate	No published rate	0
February	£10	£10	£10	7
March	£8	£10	£10	13
April	£8	£10	£10	13
May	£8	£10	£10	13
June	£8	£10	£10	13
July	£8	£10	£10	13
August	£8	£10	£10	13
September	£8	£10	£10	13
October	£10	£10	£10	7
November	No published rate	No published rate	No published rate	0
December	No published rate	No published rate	No published rate	0

£10 in February The trout season is shut, so this is grayling water, the same rivers at a fraction of the summer rate. Grayling beats 13 beats under £200 Out of 13 with published day rates. Good water is not all at the top of the range. Days under £200

Day ticket fly fishing in Northumberland

19 beats in Northumberland

£10 per rod

All 7 on the River East Allen All 6 on the River Wansbeck All 3 on the River Tweed Every beat we list

Fish species in Northumberland

What the beats above hold, and where else in England you can fish for the same species.

Brown Trout

Rainbow Trout

Salmon

Sea Trout

Three different kinds of operator, and most visitors want the first. A fishery or estate owns the water and sells you a day on it. A club or syndicate holds water for its members, sometimes with day tickets alongside. A guide or agent sells days on water somebody else owns, and often comes with you.

Fisheries and estate waters in Northumberland

Fishery operators taking bookings on Northumberland's rivers. Each listing covers tickets, accommodation, and equipment hire where available.

River Tweed

Horncliffe Fishings Tweed

On enquiry 3 beats

Northumberland here means salmon and sea trout on the English bank of the Tweed, two small spate rivers with wild brown trout, and a few stillwaters. It is a short list.

Horncliffe Fishings has three day-ticket beats on the Tweed between Norham and Horncliffe, about six miles inland from Berwick. Rods are booked by the day through FishPal, and the Tweed is the one English river where no Environment Agency rod licence is needed. We have no prices for it, so ask the fishery.

Allen Valley Angling and Conservation holds seven beats on the East Allen in the North Pennines, plus Coatenhill Reservoir. One £10 day permit covers both. On the river, hooks must be barbless and every fish goes back. Wansbeck Angling Association holds seven miles of the Wansbeck from Morpeth to Stakeford: day permits are £8, the bag is two fish and the trout season runs 22 March to 30 September. Thrunton Long Crag Trout Fishery, near Whittingham, has two barbless fly lakes stocked with brown, blue, rainbow and tiger trout. Ask the fishery for prices.

It suits salmon anglers looking at the Tweed, and anyone after wild brown trout on a small river for a modest permit.

Finding fly fishing near you in Northumberland

The map above plots Northumberland's beats and fisheries against the county boundary, so you can see roughly how far a stretch is rather than just its name on a list. Tap a marker for a quick read on price and species before you go further. If you're weighing this county against somewhere else, or want to see every day-ticket beat in the country at once, the full beat map covers all of them.

A day ticket is usually a half day or a full day on the water, so it's worth weighing the drive against how much fishing you'll actually get out of it. A longer trip makes more sense for a full day than for two or three hours in the afternoon.

For scale, the River East Allen rises near Near Allenheads, Northern Pennines, Northumberland, and the River Wansbeck rises near Above Sweethope Lough, Fourlaws Forest, Northumberland. Beats sit further downstream from there, not at the source itself. The map above is the more exact guide to which stretch is closest to you.

FAQ

Northumberland fly fishing FAQs

The questions people ask before booking a day in Northumberland, answered from what we actually list.

01Is all the fly fishing in Northumberland private?

No. Most of the water is privately owned, but a great deal of it is let by the day. We list 19 beats in Northumberland you can book a day rod on without being a member of anything. Beyond that there are syndicates and clubs, which take a season ticket or a membership rather than a day ticket, and some of those run waiting lists.

02What does a day's fly fishing cost in Northumberland?

A typical full-day rod is around £10, from £8 at the cheap end to £10 on the best-known beats in the best weeks. That is across 13 beats with published day rates. Season lets and syndicate rods are priced differently and are not counted here. See how that moves month by month, or browse days under £200.

03When is the fly fishing season in Northumberland?

Most beats run their trout season from around 22 Mar – 30 Sep, though each beat sets its own dates and the listings carry the exact ones.

04Which Northumberland river should I fish first?

The River East Allen has the most beats to choose from, which makes it the easiest to find a day on at short notice. Booking a ghillie for a first outing is worth the money on any of them.

05Do I need a rod licence to fish in Northumberland?

Yes. Anyone aged 13 or over fishing for trout, grayling, salmon or coarse fish in England needs an Environment Agency rod licence, and it is separate from whatever the beat charges you. Buy it online before you go. The beat ticket gives you the right to fish that water; the licence gives you the right to fish at all.