Derbyshire On The Fly: River Derwent

I spent today on the Derwent and on arrival the river was alive with rising fish, with baited breath I slipped my waders on and jumped into the fray. There are a good head of Rainbows and browns in this stretch and both were very obliging. Wading is extremely dangerous and without tons of wading experience and felt bottom wading boots, this stretch should not even be considered, I would rate it 9/10 for difficulty. The water is dark/peaty so sudden drops are frequent and with the large slippy boulders underfoot, good balance is essential and before thinking trying to avoid wading here, forget it! chest waders are a must, just to attempt fishing at this venue. This venue is to be considered extreme fly fishing - Beware!
The banks are tree lined and there is a canopy in places and although you could scrape through with a 9ft rod with a few tangles, I'd recommend a 7-8ft rod to avoid having to manoeuvre more than necessary.

As expected the dries were being taken with venom and my Ballon Caddis, Elk Hair Caddis, Grey Duster all took browns successfully and below are a couple of the browns I landed. The fish here are really scattered everywhere due to the abundance of riverbed cover, fan casting pays dividends, so no need to work along banks etc.

I noticed a few Daddies scattered about and for some reason the Rainbows loved them, especially in the faster water where they tend to hang out, just on the tail end of a riffle. These Rainbows were a welcomed addition to my days fishing and all were in great condition and packed with unlimited stamina. Using my net or taking a long shower where the only options as they didn't know when to stop fighting, and although all my browns were all taken by hand, the rainbows had to be netted. Below are a few pics of the Rainbows I caught and although my pursuit is always brown trout, these feisty rainbows made a pleasant change

Although I have a few scrapes and bruises and feel physically drained and exhausted, this day rates highly on my memorable days list - possibly top 3 but you wouldn't want to fish here to often - believe me.