The Golden Tail of the River Ure
Masham's Bend Pool on the River Ure
Masham's Bend Pool on the River Ure is a place anglers name in low voices. Deep water curls beneath an old mill-arch and the riffles upstream cough up Large Dark Olives and March Browns when dusk softens. That seam between glide and riffle is where the tale begins.
The Legend
Local lore speaks of a brown trout with a flash of gold on its tail that appears in spawning season, holding in mill-pools while sedges litter the surface. Fish feed hard on Pale Wateries and yellow may duns; anglers tie size 14–18 dry flies and small emergers for the softer edges. Gear is simple: a well-balanced rod, neat tippets, and solid wading boots for the cobbled banks.
History leans into the myth. The Ure once carried mighty salmon runs, with scores of netting stations and tonnes of silver that drew men to the banks. That past gives the golden-tailed story weight; the river remembers deep-holding trout and the old names whispered over peat fires.
A kitchen note follows the river talk. A pan-fried trout from Ure water needs only a knob of butter, chopped parsley, lemon and a shake of sea salt; brown trout flesh sears quickly, served with new potatoes and a parsley vinaigrette, echoing the river's clean, mineral taste.
Moonlight slides across the Bend Pool, a gold flash under the mill race, then silence as the fly drifts into a seam where the legend still takes a rise.
Recommended: waterproof wading boots