There are a number of free stretches on the tees, apart from the yarm one which everyone seems to go to (and therefore the piking has been impacted). The water in an around stockton is mainly free and upstream to horshoe bend in thornaby, on the yorkshire side, is also free (i believe). understand Preston Park is free water (though previously i understood this was LTA water??). Then you have yarm - there's also another free bit in yarm called goose pastures. Upstream, there's a free peg at middleton one row, a stretch of water at Neasham in the village green, and quite a large stretch between borken scar weirpool and blackwell on the durham bank.
Plenty to go at - the better waters are club waters admittadly, but try telling the fish that