BIBLIOGRAPHY

This section, created by Chris McCully, offers members a selection of sources, books and publications, with web links where available, for interesting information relating to our river. If other members wish to add to this section, please contact the Secretary.

The Club

Cameron, J.R. (1983) The Ryedale Anglers Club and its Keepers. Petergate, York: Privately printed.

Essential reading about the early history of the club. Highly interesting maps and images, with a great section on Arthur Storey and his view of the trout and grayling fishing on the river in the second third of the 20th century.

The John Storey

Overfield, T. Donald (1980) Fifty Favourite Dry Flies. Tonbridge: Ernest Benn.

Notes on the history and tying of the John Storey will be found under pattern 11, pp.38-9

YouTube segment with Davie McPhail tying a John Storey:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nan39jKLwnE

The segment includes a few useful paragraphs about the history of the fly and the Storey family.

The fly pattern has been used successfully all over the world – see e.g.  https://smallstreamreflections.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-john-storey-fly-that-earned-place.html an American piece about the John Storey’s success when used for brook trout). Closer to home, it underlay the development of the Sweet William, a fly favoured by some on the River Nidd (https://www.fishandfly.com/the-sweet-william-fly-and-norman-greenwood/

The river, town and region

Bradley, Tom (1988) The Rye and the Riccall. [First edition c. earlier C20th.] Leeds: Old Hall Press.

This little book was part of a series on the major Yorkshire rivers published by the respected angler and writer Tom Bradley. It’s not specifically a fishing title but it does contain some snippets of information about angling on the river(s).

English Heritage do a useful guidebook to Helmsley Castle (a fortification originally established by Walter Espec in 1120) written by Jonathan Clark. This is obtainable through shops and tourist centres in and around Helmsley. A similar guidebook is available on Rievaulx Abbey and its history.

McDonnell, J. (ed., 1963) A History of Helmsley, Rievaulx and District. York: The Stonegate Press.

Read, Herbert (2011) Between the Riccall and the Rye. [Anthologised excerpts from various of Read’s writings.] Mitcham, Surrey: The Orage Press.

[Read was an influential 20th-centry art historian, critic and poet. This is an often charming set of recollections of growing up in the vale in the earlier 20th century.]

Rushton, John (2003) The History of Ryedale. Pickering, Yorkshire: The Blackthorn Press.