Rae Borras enjoys the river fly fishing around the Yorkshire market town of Ripon in the company of local characters.
Basing himself in the ancient Yorkshire marked town of Ripon on the edge of the Pennines, Rae joins two local characters, Fred Mason and Fred Bainbridge, to explore the accessible river fly-fishing in the area.
WATCH ‘GAME FISHER’S DIARY: RIPON YARNS’

Ken has been a river bailiff in the area for nigh-on 50 years, and knows the waters like no other; while Fred is kind of the ‘Freddie Flintoff’ of fly fishing, an England international and a Yorkshireman through and through.
It’s late September and the boys are taking advantage of the last two days of the trout season. They start on the River Ure, which is low and clear and thus making the river’s grayling and wild brown trout very tough to catch.
The water can be fished by anyone on a day ticket, and holds trout to 6lb and grayling to 3lb; although smaller fish are the mainstay.
Using teams of flies including the Northern Spider, the boys land loads of small grayling, proving the health of the river’s population, before finally, after plenty of laughs and frustration, Fred latches into one of the river’s better wild brownies.
One day two our trio is joined on the lovely River Skell just outside Ripon by a rising star of the fly fishing world in the shape of Scott Nellings.
This is a small, intimate tributary of the Ure that can be fished on a season ticket costing just a few pounds. But as we find out, it’s home to some superb wild brown trout.

It’s free to view in the November 2011 issue of Game Fisher’s Diary – the monthly video magazine for fly anglers everywhere – and available until December 8th.
WATCH ‘GAME FISHER’S DIARY: RIPON YARNS’