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Last updated: Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Our guide to places to fish in Derbyshire including details of venues, and contact details.

Beechwood Park, Alvaston
Kingfisher Lake is proving very consistent, with meat, corn and pellet the baits to try. For a pleasure session, Oak Lake is most productive, with smaller carp coming to pellet and corn every cast. More…Swan Lakes are prolific, especially Swan 1, which has seen the introduction of thousands of baby carp- a great place to take a junior, or just to polish up those speed fishing skills! Maggot or pellet will get these small fish going all day. Warren is slower, but the fish run bigger. Meat fished against the far bank will get them.
Colin Beech is the owner, and can be contacted on 07973 562689.

Birch House Fishery, Brailsford
The Silver Fish Lake is still the one for consistent sport, with the F1’s falling to just about anything you put in front of them! Micro pellet as a feed will hold them in your peg all day, if you feed regularly. These fish have a liking for feeding shallow, and will do so on surprisingly cool days! Pellet and meat are doing the business. Lakes 2 and 3 are steady pegs, with some big bream coming from peg two. Meat, pellet and corn will work for these, although worm is ever reliable for all species. 07786 530389 is the number for Mick and Pat, the fishery managers.

Erewash Canal, Sandiacre and Ilkeston
Plenty of big skimmers to be caught on the sandiacre length around pegs 50-70. Some nice and sized hybrids being caught on the maggot as well. Plenty of roach and skimmers around the bridges at Stanton lock. Some nice nets of roach being taken on the Notts Fed length at Ilkeston - Potters and the greens being the best sections. Try the hemp or bread punch for best results. Info: 01159 199500.

River Derwent
The stretch through Belper is fishing well again, following the floods. The hoards of minnow were washed downstream, and now the resident perch are feeding on worm and maggot instead, leading to some very big specimens turning up in matches!! Further downstream at Duffield the river is shallower and faster, and chub and grayling are providing good sport. Both these stretches are controlled by Belper AC, with day tickets available from Belper Gun and Tackle in the town. The Derby town to Borrowash stretch is steady, with chub the main target, although some nice bream are showing from the deeper swims. Maggot, caster and hemp are the baits to take all along this river. Pride of Derby have stretches around Shardlow, and can be contacted on 01283 702701, and earl of Harrington AC control much of the Borrowash area call into Fort Angling in the village for details.

River Dove
Reports of big barbel abound, with fish up to 16lb being caught from all the usual barbel pegs. The omni-present halibut pellet is the number one bait for these fish, although good old fashioned luncheon meat has also taken one or two mighty specimens. Small fish sport continues to improve, especially around Tutbury, where chub and dace can be found in the steady glides. Burton Mutual details from Derek at Burton Angling Supplies, on 01283 548540.

River Trent
Roach and chub are the target species in the Burton area, with barbel showing from Burton Mutuals stretch at Dovemouth, just downstream of the town. This is membership only fishing, so a Mutual ticket is a must. Call into Burton Angling Supplies or Livens Tackle shop in the town for details. The free stretches in the town haven’t fished too well, but the gudgeon are back, and a surprisingly big weight of these little fish can be built, if you get it right!

Rycroft Fishery, Hemington
Pellet and maggot are the baits to take along here. Clover in particular seems to actually improve as the weather cools, with a glance at old results showing weights up to 44lb taken during the one and only snowstorm of the year! The Canal Lake is ever consistent, with corn, meat and pellet scoring well in match weights up to 38lb. On the Carp Lake a remarkable match weight of 37lb was recently recorded- remarkable as it consisted purely of rudd, caught shallow on maggot! Otherwise, feeder tactics are bringing carp up to high teens, with method feeder and maggot the best. Fishery manager Mark is the man for details, or to book into the opens 07816 052 235 is the number.

Springwood Fishery, Melbourne
Pellet and paste is working well, although in the colder weather maggot and caster come into play more. The 5 hour match record now stands at 66-8, taken by the ever present Barry Walters from Bottom Lake. For details log onto www.springwoodfisheries.com, or give owner Colin a ring on 01332 864331 or 01530 273301.

Trent and Mersey Canal
The Clay Mills “Woodyard” stretch is the best bet on here, particularly towards the A38 end. Roach, chub and the odd bream are the targets here. The Barton under Needwood area is fishing very well, both the Oakamore Café stretch and at Barton Turns - although watch out for boats at the entrance to the marina- some of them take a very wide line as they turn! Burton Mutual control all the canal in this area, with day tickets from Burton Angling Supplies in the town.

Weston Moat Fishery, Weston-on-Trent
The second phase of the restocking programme is about to go ahead, with 5-600 bream on their way, all around the 10 to 12 inch size, and a similar number of small carp as well. In the meantime, sport has been very good, with the carp anglers fishing nights taking 5 or 6 fish each session, up to 20lb. The resident giant, a carp from the original stock about 20 years ago, has recently paid a rare visit to the bank, weighing in at 37lb! This is a wise old fish, and has only ever been caught a couple of times, and only on natural baits. Popped up worm over a bed of cockles did for him this time. The roach sport is good , 15lb bags are still possible, fishing hemp and tares, or try bread punch hard on the deck. Regular feeding of small amounts of pellet and maggot, with single maggot on the hook will bring stockie sized carp all day. Wayne Steele is the owner, and can be contacted on 07815 097333.

Wood House Fishery, Longford
Carwood Lake is, as ever consistent, with 50 -60lb bags commonplace in pleasure sessions. Pellet is the most reliable bait, but a bigger section of worm will withstand the attentions of the hoards of little tench better. Mind you, you won’t want to avoid them when they’ve grown up! The main lake produces the bigger carp, especially from the deeper water at the bottom end. The Match Length behind the main lake is fishing well with the fish well spread out. Carp can now be caught all along this length, even right up at the very pretty top end. Worm over choppie and caster or a bed of pellets is the way to go here. Fishery owner Frank can be contacted on 07831 443454.