How the 'noble art' of fly fishing is thriving on a Yorkshire country estate

Alec Lumley of Methley Fly Fishing Syndicate spends a good deal of his time at Parlour Pit Lake on the Methley Estate and is keen to encourage others that might not be aware of this hidden gem that he refers to as absolutely beautiful, and of the pastime that he has enjoyed for over three decades.

“Just down from the lake there’s Parlour Pit Wood. The trees, the beck, the lake and the fields are just another world. The lake itself is a former quarry and it now has a pathway right around it. The amount of people that walk around has grown enormously.

“You could go down in the morning, have a couple of hours while the sun is shining and if it rains you might go home, have your dinner and come back. All you’ve got is your bag, rod, reel and some flies. You’re not putting a tent up or having to carry lots of kit.

Alec was turned on to fly fishing in the 90s and his love for it is undiminished.

“I used to coarse fish and a friend of mine used to tie flies. Once I’d had a go at that I’ve not done anything since for the past 30 years. There is that something special about fly fishing. For me it’s because of where you are and enjoying being there. It’s not about any kind of competition other than enticing the fish with an artificial fly as the lure.

There are those who say that fly fishing is less about skill and more about spending a lot of time on the water either in the traditional pair of waders or on a boat.

Alec said that regardless of the description, it fits the bill for him and his fellow Methley Fly Fishing Syndicate members who range between 17 and 71.

“Fly fishing isn’t the sort of thing you want to do if you think you are going to catch fish in significant quantity, because it would just send you daft. It’s the atmosphere of being where you are that is the thing.

“You can be stood on a bank, you can have waders on, or you might be in a ‘belly boat’ where you sit in the inner tube of a large tyre and you have a pair of flippers on and you wander up and down on the water fishing from it. You don’t just stay in the same place. You don’t sit down and fish.

While sitting inside an inner tube might not conjure up exactly the image that nineteenth century artists painted of a countryman in tweed jacket casting out in the middle of a river it is all a part of Alec’s world and his syndicate’s membership.

“It’s a lot easier to follow and catch the fish. It doesn’t disturb them either, they all keep going backwards and forwards, you don’t make a big impact on the water.

“You can fly fish here 365 days a year in whichever way you choose. You might catch three or four one day, then maybe none or one another time. It’s about the people that you meet and the people who become a pleasure to talk to, just as much as the fly fishing itself.

“Our syndicate leases the lake from Methley Estate and we stock it with rainbow trout, brown trout and blue trout from Sinnington Trout Farms transported in a tanker. We stock them at around 2lb because anything less makes them vulnerable to cormorants taking them.

“We are always interested in taking on new members and if they have not fly fished before we try to help them. Learning how to fly cast properly takes a little time, but it is like riding a bike, because when you’ve learned how you never lose it.

“The fly you use should represent something that trout eat and one of the most popular is a damsel fly, but you’ve got to look at what time of year it is and all other factors to decide on whatever fly you put on and how you think the fish are going to take to it. The best about now maybe a hawthorn fly.

Alec said he used to travel far and wide with other fly-fishing people, taking in new places and finding some of the best lakes.

“We used to go all over the country, fly fishing in far different but very beautiful places. There would be four or five of us. It was better filling a car up to make it an enjoyable, social day but costs of travel have been partly to blame for not doing the same, quite as regularly today.

“Rutland Water is the big one that every fly fisherman likes to go to. You’ll probably never catch anything there when you go but it is one of those places that is very popular.

“Kilnsey Trout Farm near Kilnsey Crag is a lovely place, another beautiful environment and is certainly somewhere where you should be able to catch them as the owner raises all his fish and then puts them in lakes for people to catch. If you want it a bit easier than normal then you should go there.

Alec said that anyone who is interested in becoming a member of Methley Fly Fishing Syndicate or finding out more about it should contact [email protected]