Long leaders and small flies are the order of the day on the rivers at the minute. On the Peacock stretch of the Wye, small sedges are taking plenty of fish. Good spinner hatches in the evening and the angler that fishes until dark will be rewarded.

Despite a lack of rain the Derwent is running with a slight amount of colour. Mixed reports coming from this River.

It’s a similar story on the upper Dove. The river is a good 6 inches lower than it’s normal summer level but running with a slight amount of colour. Despite this, there are plenty of fish to be caught. Hatches of spinners and medium olives are coming off. Lots of rising fish in the more shaded areas.

Stillwaters

At Foremark the average fish per angler was 5.1 for week ending 8/8/10. The aerators are on and it’s no surprise to know that the fish are congregating around these. Dries, crunchers and cdc buzzers are taking the majority of fish.

Errwood Reservoir near Buxton has been fishing well. West Bank still fishing well to small nymphs. Some good fish showing around the 3lb mark.

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Rivers

 
As I type this report we are getting a good downpour, however I fear it won’t be enough to get the rivers back upto normal level.  The rivers haven’t been this low for quite sometime.  Despite this, good fish are still being caught on the Wye for those prepared to fish small and fine.  Long leaders are the order of the day.  Presenting a fly on a drag free drift should provide rewards.  The angler who is prepared to stay late will fare better.

The Derwent is very low and running slightly off colour making fishing tricky.  The odd good Grayling has been caught though.

We are hearing similar stories from the Peak Passport waters.  The low water is making fishing tricky on these tiny streams.  The fish tend to be more concentrated so look for well oxygenated water.

Stillwaters

On the Stillwater scene.  Barlow has lots of fish bulging under the surface.  With good caenis hatches we are guessing they are taking the nymphs prior to breaking through the meniscus.  A small caenis fished static for long periods can prove productive.

At Carsington good hatches of buzzers have been reported.  Plenty of fish are moving out in the main basin.

At Foremark the average fish per angler was 2.6 for week ending 25/7/10.  The aerators are on and it’s no surprise to know that the fish are congregating around these.  The cascade is also producing good catches.  Patterns producing the goods are daddies, hoppers and damsel nymphs.

Errwood Reservoir near Buxton has been fishing well on the west bank, duffers bank and on the island.  Some good wild browns have been taken.  Dries, Klinkhammers and daddies are doing the business.

A Southern Iron Blue sub-species of the insect, was discovered during restoration work on to the rivers Dove and Manifold. It has two tails, a dark brown body and grey-blue coloured wings but has been described as in decline.

It is the first time the species has been recorded in the area, located within the Peak District National Park and near to Ilam.

Craig Macadam, national co-ordinator of the Mayfly Recording Scheme, described the discovery as “incredibly important”.

“The Southern Iron Blue Mayfly has suffered a huge decline in numbers in recent years,” he told the Derby Telegraph.

“This new sighting gives hope that it can be discovered in other watercourses in the Dove catchment and beyond.”

The Environment Agency’s David Ottewell added, “We now need to understand whether it has just come to Derbyshire, or whether it has always been there but there has been no record of it.”

Despite the lack of rain the rivers are fishing suprisingly well.  The Wye at dusk is absolutely boiling with fish.  Fish rising to BWO and spinners.  Don’t get suckered in to fishing at the same rising fish.  Keep on the move and casting at fresh fish.

Derwent anglers are reporting some mixed fortunes.  Lots of fish around including some big Grayling.  Anything small and well presented would be a good bet.

Stillwaters

It’s the time of year when the stillwaters start to get hard.  The dog days of July and August can test even the most skilled anglers.  Carsington is fishing well to small sedges presented on a light leader.

Foremark is hard at the minute.

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Rivers are low at the minute due to the lack of rain. We will need more than the downpour we had overnight to bring them back up their rightful level. Despite this the fishing has been very good on our rivers. On the Derwent, lot’s of small stuff including greenfly, medium olives including spinners and of course mayfly have been taking fish.

On the Wye plenty of good size fish have been coming to olives and mayfly.

Also worth trying  small sedge pattern in the evening in the faster runs.

On the Peak Passport waters, some good size fish have been coming out of the upper stretches of the Dove with one exceptional fish of over 20 inch being caught. Some good size Grayling have also been spotted. They are currently out of season but should provide good sport come Autumn.

Stillwaters

It’s s a similar tale at most stillwaters with lots of fishing moving just out of range of the average cast.  If you are fishing one of the big reservoirs it’s at this time of year when boat fishing starts to come into it’s own.  If you are bank fishing try hanging on until dusk when the fish should move closer to the bank to feed. Sport has slowed down at Ogston however good bags of fish are still being taken. Fish are feeding on pin fry in the shallows. Fish a small fry pattern or a gold head nymph pulled through the fry. Lot’s of good buzzers hatching late in the evening along with pond olives. Some good Perch are being taken and also quality roach on buzzers fished at the last knockings on the shallows.Press Manor is fishing well. Fish taking dries all over the lake. Try a small sedge or a small black gnat under the trees. Don’t be tempted to fish too far out as there are a lot of fish in the edge here.

Week Ahead

As the mayfly peter out on the rivers, the BWO’s should start coming back into their own. Also we should expect to see some good spinner falls in the evening. More rain is expected mid-week which should liven up the rivers and stillwaters with temperatures more on the cool side which should make fishing more enjoyable. On the rivers keep an eye out for Iron Blue’s during the wet weather.

The Trent Rivers Trust is working hard to protect and improve river habitat and water quality by working in partnership with landowners, farmers, statutory bodies, angling clubs and other organisations. The angling passport scheme is an important part of this work and the aims of the scheme are to bring income to areas where river habitat improvement works have been carried out or are planned, by providing access for anglers. By providing a sustainable income to farmers and landowners we hope it will help to protect the rivers for the future.

As these beats are on private property please remember that access is by kind permission of the landowner. The success of the scheme relies on trust, both on the part of the angler and the landowner.

Andrew Heath is the Trent Rivers Trust Project Officer responsible for organising the Peak Angling Passport scheme and environmental improvements on rivers in this part of the Peak District. Look out for him on the river bank and show him your tokens and licence, and he will give you the latest news on which beats are fishing well, flies and tactics.

How it works

The Peak Angling Passport is a scheme providing flexible access to a number of fishing beats through a payment system using tokens. There is a wide choice of fishing on offer from fast-flowing moorland streams with quick-rising fish to slower meandering beats where there is a chance of a specimen. Wild brown trout are the target species, although there are one or two good grayling in some of the beats.

Peak Angling Passport tokens cost 2.50 each and are available in books of five (12.50 per book) or ten (25.00).  To buy tokens visite our online shop.  The tokens are valid for any beat but can be used only once. The beats are rated according to their quality and amount of fishing available, and the number of tokens required to fish each beat varies, check the individual beat descriptions.

Tokens come in two parts, the first is posted in a marked token box before fishing, located near or adjacent to the designated parking place. The second part of the tokens is the catch return to be completed and posted in the same token box when you have finished fishing. Please make sure you complete a catch
return (even if it is a nil return), this information is essential for monitoring the progress of our river improvement works.

Please note that there are different arrangements for accessing the Raikes beat and Cottons Fishing House beat on the Dove. These are only available on certain days and must be prebooked. Please check the individual beat descriptions.

Beats

Please note the links below take you to an external website.

River Dove – Vicarage
River Dove – Bank Top
River Dove – Mill Lane
River Dove – Raikes
River Dove – Cotton’s Fishing House
River Manifold – Windy Arbour Bridge
River Manifold – Froghall
River Manifold & Blake Brook – Rewlach
River Manifold – Marsh House
River Manifold – Hulme End Bridge
River Hamps – Fold Farm
River Sence – Tuckers Holt

Despite the fact the rivers are low, the Wye and the Derwent are both fishing their respective heads off at the minute.  Lots of mayfly around now, and the fish are on them.  Discount other flies at your peril though.  Good fish have been taken on greenfly, with midges and medium olives around in abundance. The Olives are showing later in the afternoon. There is still the odd hawthorn about too.

Keep an eye out for those tiny rises as they can yield some surprising results.  Good luck to all those who have been lucky to get a ticket on the Wye at this special time of year.

Stillwaters

Foremark has been fishing well with good sized fish between four and six pounds. Best areas for boats, Ticknall Bank, Heron Bay, Cascade and Flamingo Bay. On the bank, Hut Point, Sunblest Bay and Bramble Bay. Flies worth a try at the minute are Booby’s, Damsels, black or olive Buzzers.

We put this rod to the test on Grafham and Rutland where we caught Zander close to double figures and Pike upto twenty pound.

The rods have a serious amount of backbone, and when you pick one up for the first time it you’re left wondering whether it’s too stiff and will be uncompromising whne playing fish.  But make no mistake, this rod will handle big flies and big fish with comparative ease.

The rod will hopefully get an even better workout later this year when we plan to fish for big Muskies in northern Wisconsin.