The Evenings are getting shorter and the mist rolls in!

Went down to the cricket pitch at 1830 and fished along the caravan park up towards Bar Brook. Plenty of olives and sedge about and fish rising. The river was clear and the recent rain had not affected it. Started off with a JT olive and got a rise straight away but it didn't stay on. Then the next fish stayed on, a nice brown, a stockie. Changed to a Nanas fly and got another brown and lost 1. Managed to get nearly up to Bar Brook before the wading got too deep so fished back towards the car park. Changed to a 22 caenis as a lot of tiny flies about as well and raised a fish but it didn't stay on then a big rainbow hit it but was soon off. Offset the hook point as read somewhere this is effective and the next take did stay on, another good rainbow.

Noticed the temperature dropping by 2030 and turned around and looked upstream to see this.

Finished by 2045 as the fish stopped rising again and the fly had all but disappeared.

Monday 17th August - The Last Hour (and twisted fins)

Went over the road below Baslow Old Bridge for the last hour. The river was in superb condition, clear as a bell. Only the odd fish rising though as it had been a hot day, covered the first one and a brown came shooting up like a missile for my griffiths gnat! Needless to say it didn't connect properly. Covered the second fish in mid stream and got a nice grayling around a pound, noticed another rise in the same place so covered it again and got a second grayling of a similar size, they say they hang around in shoals but this is the first time I have caught 2 grayling from the same "swim", both on the griffiths gnat. As the light was fading fast a few sedges put in an appearance and a few more fish started to rise so switched to a brown sedge and got a decent brown of about a pound and a half however it was a stockie probably from last year as the fins were all perfect apart from the 2 pectoral fins which were quite twisted. Does anybody know if fish ever recover from having abnormal or twisted fins?
Carried on for another 15 minutes or so and got a cloncking rainbow however it did not give a good account of itself as it came in like taking a dog for a walk. I don't even think it knew if it had been hooked, very odd, as it was totally fin perfect with a spade of a tail. Probably a bit p!ssed off at being hooked.
Anyway chalk me up another enjoyable hour, better than watching the goggle box.

Sedges everywhere!

My wife had gone down to see family but I was on call so couldn't go, did some gardening and had lunch outside as it was a lovely warm day. So at 1600 I thought 50d the garden I'm going fishing! Decided to go above the works as there is a lot of fast water so "me thinking maybe them fishes be thur". The only problem about going above the works is you have to walk past it and on hot days it is slightly ripe to say the least anyway met another member who was finishing and passed the time of day, he informed me he couldn't get anything on the dry but managed some on the nymph. I had already tackled up with a size 18 nanas fly so started in the fast run at the top of the sycamore pool. The river was in excellent condition clear as a bell the only problem was the upstream wind but this hadn't put the fish down completely. Managed to rise a few but none stayed on until this grayling took.

Surprisingly there was not much fly about. About 1800 the sedges put in an appearance, they were everywhere, clouds and clouds of them and then the fish found them and started rising too.


Changed to a size 16 black sedge as the sedge about were silverhorns or longhorns, black body and grey wings. I had tied some following my previous visit so here goes, Managed to land a rainbow and a couple of browns. I was covering a lot of rising fish but they were not entirely switched on to my fly so changed it for a size 16 cdc black sedge.

Picked up another couple of browns but still something not quite right, think maybe a size 18 or even a 20 may have been better but I hadn't tied any. Met Tim half way doen the pool who informs me he keeps up with my blog as he can catch up with the river when he hasn't been for a while, thanks Tim. Tim started at the top of the pool and followed me down. The black sedge took some fish but as I have said not quite right so changed to a size 18 dark brown elk hair caddis and raised a few fish immediately, cracked it! Ended up with 8 fish from the pool before retreating to my car to pickup a fleece as the temperature had dropped but the sedge were still about.

Decided to fish the willow pool for the last hour and the sedge were still about picked up another rainbow and covered loads of rising fish resulting in another 3 good browns all to the brown sedge. Finished at 2000 as it had got decidedly nippy and being up to your waist in the derwent for over 3 hours eventually gets to you.

Tuesday - Mary's Bower

As the wind was dropping now I decided to go down to Mary's Bower in the park having a cast at the willow stump on my way but nothing doing there. The odd fish showing by the bower, then Matthew the river keeper came down, told me Derek, Don and David had been there and fished up to the deer boom all day, brilliant no wonder there wasn't much doing. If there were ever 3 fisherman you would not want to follow up a river it is these guys, all great fisherman and friends. Thought might as well pack in now! After a chat decided to move up swiftly only casting to rising fish, nothing. Put on a sedge pupa by the willow stump and got a lively rainbow.

Made it to the cricket pitch by 2030 then the fish started to put in an appearance, sedge everywhere with the occaisional rusty spinner, changed the nymph to a rusty spinner and picked up a decent brown. Started covering loads of fish but they were not interested in the spinner anymore so on went a size 18 brown sedge and immediatley started to rise fish although they were only on then off! A massive "swarm" of sedge came downstream dragged by the brreeze and I quickly wafted my net through it and caught a few. These were pickled, when I got home, like the one from last week and are now on their way to Stuart Crofts, I think they are silverhorns. Managed 4 more decent browns all to the brown sedge before it was too dark to see.

Overall not a bad evening considering the initial report.

catch a fly, identify it, tie it, fish it, catch fish!!!!

The caddis I trapped on Wednesday, I tied a rough copy of it with an elk wing and a couple with a cdc wing, both with orange/ginger/rusty body.

Went down to the hut at Beeley on Saturday evening and was surprised that the Derwent was up by about 6" and peaty coloured. Started in the pool above the hut with the sedge and picked up a brown and a rather emaciated rainbow. Both fish taken where no fish rising. Suprisingly had to wait till about 2030 for any appreciable rise to start. Noticed a few rusty spinners on the surface so on went the old faithful rusty spinner and immediatley started to rise and hook a few nice browns, a nice grayling and yet another emaciated rainbow, I don't know what's wrong with them but I have not seen this before. The rise lasted for about 45 minutes and then the switch was thrown and the temperature dropped and the fish went to bed. I continued for another 15 minutes but as nothing was rising called it a day at 2130. Its really amazing how the fish know when the temperature drops and they stop rising even though there are frequently spinners and sedge still on the water. How do they know?

Found this massive moth on my car boot when I left any ideas?

Chalk me up another enjoyable evening please.

Above the 1 arch bridge and below the bottom weir

Went below the bottom weir this evening as it had been a warm day so was expecting a bumper hatch, unfortunatley it failed to materialise. No spinners about but plenty of sedge, trapped a large-ish one at the close (5-7mm body) and on closer inspection, at home, it had an orange body. Have pickled it in some unknown brew my son brought back from abroad which smells pretty powerful. Must get it in the post to Stuart Crofts. Used my seine net which attaches to my landing net (a handy little gadget!) to try and find out if there was anything else but absolutley ziltch! Started off working my up into the fast water with one of my "nana's" fly and got a grayling and a brown, then nothing. Changed to a Larry's pride and picked up another couple of browns and a rainbow. Spoke to Malcolm the keeper who said that there had been a heavy hatch of black ants further upstream by the cricket pitch and the fish were going mad. Sounds familiar, wrong place wrong time! Fish were still rising here and there, looked like they were taking something about to hatch going by the rises, head and tailing, so switched to a sedge pupa fished in the top couple of inches and picked up another rainbow and a couple more browns. Fininshed around 2130 as the temperature had dropped a bit and the fish stopped rising, so wended my way home after another enjoyable evening. The difference in the park a couple of hours can make, I probably saw a max of 10 people walking through the park all evening, very peaceful!

Willow Pool

Run in at the top of Willow Pool



View up to the top of Willow Pool

As Sunday was a sunny day and there was no more rain in the night, checked the river at 1800 and it looked fishable although it was up by about 6" and still carrying a bit of colour. Went down to the willow pool again as its just round the corner. Got there about 2000 and already there were plenty of fish rising. Tried my half-half fly, tied on a size 12 klinkhammer hook, the bottom half a nymph and the top half a hatching dun. Raised a fish on the first cast, woo hoo! Raised and hooked a brown soon after then shortly again another brown, maybe I have got something here!

Carried on with the same fly and raised only the odd one although I was covering fish. Decided to change to a trusty rusty spinner as there were a few on the water together with a few sedge and what looked like pale wateries. Managed another couple of browns. I was in quite deep now and noticed I had gone just a tad too far and my nymph box was now full of water! Even my C&F so-called waterproof box was decidedly un-waterproof, brilliant, everything soaked.

Fish were going mad now but I did not think there were that many rusties on the water to bring up this amount of fish. They must have been taking the 'pale wateries' if thats what they were?

Fish rising everywhere!

Good brown.

Went up to the head of the pool and fished down as far as I could get to without shipping water. Fish were still coming up, managed a rainbow and a grayling to a cdc sedge and finally finished with another brown fishing back up to the fast water at the run in. All-in-all not a bad evening considering I only decided to go at the last minute.

Rain rain rain rain rain

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Derwent definitely out.
Wye looks ok at Water-cum-jolly.

Fly desk the best bet!