Fly Fishing the River Tees: Wild Fish and a Weathered Dale

Oct 04, 2026

Gone Fishing is heading to the Tees. The ninth series of Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing has an episode on the river, and a fair few people who've never held a fly rod are about to wonder what it's like to stand in it.

Olly Shepherd can tell them. He's a fly-fishing guide, he's worked with the Gone Fishing team, and the Tees is his home river. Ask what he'd say to someone who's never fished it and he doesn't take long.

"The Tees feels like the greatest hidden gem. Great flows, dark water, stunning scenery and free rising fish. Perfect. It's a must fish river."

Most of what sits behind that is in his own words below.

The dale nobody's queuing for

Teesdale gets overshadowed by the Yorkshire Dales. Olly reckons that works in the river's favour.

"It's the dale that is sometimes overshadowed by the Yorkshire Dales. This comes with two advantages:

1. It keeps it very quiet for us.

2. It means the river doesn't get overfished. The Tees is also a wild river, no stocking, no interference, just pure wild fishing... heaven!"

Wild fish and a river with a story

Brown trout and grayling are the safe bets. "You can be very confident in fishing for brown trout and grayling," says Olly. Salmon turn up in autumn too, but only if you're in the right place at the right time.

The trout are the real draw. High Force, the big waterfall in Upper Teesdale, stops fish moving upstream, so the trout above it have their own genetics. Olly told Fish and Fly they "even look prehistoric with blunt faces and unnaturally dark eyes." Widdybank is his pick of the water up there.

"Widdybank in the Upper Tees is truly special, genetically some of the wildest brown trout in Britain, and the scenery is like nothing else in England."

Lower down it's a different game. "It's hard to pick out one particular section, different sections provide different sport." Middleton-in-Teesdale is where he tries for the so-called elusive salmon, and he's pleased to say he gets a lot of them each season. The Middle Tees, he says, is "brilliant for hunting big browns and amazing numbers of grayling." His own best on the river is a 7lb wild brown and grayling over 3lb, plus one salmon day when he landed six and lost another six.

He calls the Tees "the people's river" as a large share of the river is club-owned and fishable for reasonable sums.

A landscape with weather in it

Olly's clear about what sets Teesdale's scenery apart from its famous neighbour.

"I love Teesdale, because unlike the Yorkshire Dales, it's weathered. It looks like the weather has really taken its toll on it. I personally love that type of character, it feels more genuine, more rugged, just so much more character."

The river changes fast too, and it catches his clients out.

"I think something that all clients are sometimes so surprised about is how the character changes so quickly. You can fish gentle middle sections of farmland, then move to woodland, then gorges, to moorland, all in a very short space of driving time."

He's fished almost every stretch of fly water on the Tees and is yet to find one that doesn't look stunning. "To put it simply... it's the prettiest river you will ever fish."

What a good day looks like

Ask Olly about a good day and he talks about flies and birds long before he mentions the size of a fish.

"To me, a really good day's fly fishing will involve these methods; dry fly fishing sedges at dusk, or fishing streamers for those very special specimens. The wildlife is always the biggest bonus, dippers, kingfishers, occasional otters. As we're not an overpopulated dale, you can quietly become part of it."
Could someone have a good day and catch very little? "Yes, sometimes the fishing is secondary."

Thomas Robinson, who owns Headlam Hall, found the same on a day in Upper Teesdale with Olly a few years back.

"The fabulous scenery and feeling of 'escaping' was the overriding memory for me."

Autumn or spring?

Autumn is Olly's favourite time in Teesdale.

"The colours are incredible, for me as a fly fisherman, it's the smell of autumn, the colours, and the potential of catching a salmon."
Ask which season a first-timer should pick, though, and he doesn't say autumn.

"Springtime. What's not to love... hungry trout, nesting river birds, trees and shrubs bursting into life. You feel like the river has been reset from the winter. The river is clean, the water cold, and full of optimism."

Summer, for the record, means long warm days and "stunning evening fishing", though the fish can be lethargic. Winter brings an unpredictable river, ice-cold water, short days and feeding grayling. So if the programme has you tempted to try it yourself, spring is where he'd send you.

You don't need to be an expert

"Guiding and instructing my whole career, one thing that rings true is that the river is for everyone, from beginner to advanced. It's all very achievable, it's just a question of getting stuck in and giving it a go."

Some people turn up expecting to stand still and not do much.

"They always go away pleasantly surprised, we never stop moving, we do put people in the middle of a big river, they will learn a new skill, they will absolutely learn about the ecology of a river, they will never look at a river the same again."

What makes a good guide?

"Patience, local knowledge, understanding the river and the fish. The advantages are massive." His advice on flies is refreshingly short on kit. He tells anglers that 10 or 20 patterns at most is all they'll ever need, and to look at "nature's fly box where everything is small, dark and dull. There's no tinsel in nature."

His guiding is catch and release only, and he's got a good line on why:

"How do you know that your big fish is not a gift from a previous angler who has had the wisdom to release it?"

Permits are simple. The Tees Angling Passport, a scheme Olly's been involved in himself, is an online system he calls "brilliant". Angling clubs are always looking for new members, and most offer full membership for less than £100. "Bargain!" he adds. And if it's been years since you last fished:

"Don't be scared to ask for advice. Friends, professionals, we all want everyone fishing."

Making a trip of it

You don't have to fish to enjoy Teesdale. Thomas says guests at Headlam Hall range from experienced anglers to people who "just want to see remote parts of the countryside and enjoy the great outdoors", and for some the scenery "is as much a draw as the fishing."

Olly agrees that fishing goes well beyond the fishing.

"We all know that fishing is so much more than fishing. I think Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer have proven that. It's adventure, friendship, riverside picnics, local people, scenery, wildlife and not forgetting the fish."

For the days off the river he has a short list.

"I think Teesdale is amazing for its walks, home to the best waterfalls in Britain. Outdoor activities for all ages. The pubs for their food, and local attractions for the history."

Thomas sees the results in the evenings.

"We have a couple who stay four or five times a year to go fishing with Olly and I often see them on the evening after their day looking relaxed and content with life!"

As for the practicalities, Thomas puts it like this:

"Headlam is just 10 minutes from the A1(M) and sits less than a mile from the River Tees. It is at the doorway to Teesdale and the varied locations on the river."

Wet gear can be dried out at the hotel afterwards. Guided days on the Tees are with Olly or his colleague Richie Morris, and the price covers tackle, waders, rod licence, day ticket and travel to and from the hotel. Details are on Headlam Hall's guided fly fishing page.

Olly's home river

Ask Olly for the one day that sums up the Tees and he doesn't pick one.

"The Tees is my home river, I'm proud of it. My greatest fishing days are on this river, and hopefully there are many more to come."

Olly is qualified as a Professional Game Angling Instructor (GAIA), an accredited Level 2 Sport England Coach, a Field Consultant for Schoffel, a Riverfly Partnership Monitor and a Trustee of the Tees Rivers Trust.

Olly Sheperd Fly-fishing guide and instructor