Many of you will today have returned to work after the short break!
Some of you with memories of Izaak Waltons and others of not being there but feeling part of it through the forums!
Some of you with thoughts of other places you fished, good days and bad days!
I , fortunately (and unfortunately!) am not at work and so let me talk you through my day, hope to share some of it with you and perhaps make the week-ends fishing come closer.

Last Thursday, I told of my visit to my new waters on the Derbyshire Derwent.
I forgot my camera and didn't feel that I did it or you Justice, so I returned today, even though I have 2 more miles of this stretch to discover and 9 more waters!!!

Even the walk to the Derwent is filled with magic!
Passing through an ancient gateway formed of 2 leaning stones, barely 8" apart at the base, you walk down a track, with an open field on your left and a Derbyshire Dry Stone wall on your right, which is the Garden wall of the last visible vestige of human habitation.
At the end of the path is a footbridge that you climb and then descend onto the railway 
track!
Mindful of the Look Listen and Cross Quickly sign, you cross the railway track, descend to a meadow, with the railway fence now way above you and a narrow path winding against a hedge in front!
Suddenly you come across a bridge over a feeder brook of the river! Formed from an old railway sleeper and with a handrail on the right side only, you gingerly cross, feeling as though you may be entering a children's book, or a fairy story.
Keeping the brook to your left, you go onward with increasing anticipation towards the rising sound of tumbling water, caused by the convergence of the brook and the River Derwent.

Re-crossing the brook, you enter a forest trail, more than once ducking low under ivy clad arches of old bent and broken trees , along a narrow , but well-trodden path and the 1st sight of the River glistens at you through tree-lined banks!
And what a River!, relatively narrow, fed by the cold high rainfall of the Pennines!
Rising Nr Buxton, the U.K.s highest Town, the crystal clear waters rush down in search of the Trent, the Humber and their eventual destination, the North Sea!

The purity of the River is legendary, Grayling , Trout , and even the humble ,but fastidious Bullhead, thrive in the gin clear waters. As changeable as any woman, the Derwent can rise into a raging torrent in moments, and her steep sided banks show evidence of recent floods!

Walking along the left river bank you search for a suitable swim, bearing in mind that today is the Trout season time, but ever mindful of fish holding features for the morrow!

And there she is!

Note the steep banks, but there is a small flat beach like ledge beneath our feet.
See the debris 8 to 10 feet high trapped in the tree branches! The flood level reached here recently!
See the fallen tree near bank, behind him a trout may be sheltering from the main current! That has a nice steady glide, pity we cant float fish out of season and note the crease of water far side bank, past the bush on the other side! 
Today, perhaps a trout, come winter a Perch or Chub?
Make a note of the sunken bushes and tree roots! You won't see those after the winter influx of water.

We set up a 9ft 2 piece leger rod, 4lb mainline 3lb hooklength (about 18"). A totally free running John Roberts ring clipped to just a 1/4 oz bomb and look for the rod rest top! Well this is a Zippy story! I had to forget something!

We flick the bomb, loaded with 2 small red worms into the centre of the current and allow the bomb to trundle along the gravel bottom in an arc as it searches for the slack water to rest in.
The tip moves rythmitically, with the occasional flick as it encounters a stone , or a dull bend if weed hits the line, but with none of the unmistakable urgency, signaled by an avid Trout take.

We set up the spinning rod and then discover the Mepps Spoons are still with the rod rest head. I told you this is a true Zippy Story!

We are feeling relaxed despite everything as we wasted an hour this morning, by discovering that , despite all forecasts, it was raining when we did intend to set off, but no sign of rain now!
Then, less than 10 minutes in the water, the tip Dances in frenzied fashion! We strike and yes!!!!! the light rod forms a huge curve and the head shaking rythm of a fighting trout courses up the rod!
Happily , we play the fish to the waiting net and a liquid flash of pure yellow flank bursts to the surface
A BROWN TROUT

Perhaps close to a pound weight, hard fighting , fresh and clean and healthy.

We rebait and check the time! 10 minutes to 9.00, this could be a good day!
By 9.00 exactly a second comes to the net and by 9.25 a 3rd.
The water temperature (Well Alan will want to know!) is 47.3 degs F a full 3 degrees below Izaaks on Saturday, so we are a long way from summer!

As seems to happen with Trout, the bites dry up, even though we continue to explore the whole area of the swim.
Does releasing them back to their pals cause them to leave , we wonder? Do Trout stay on the move in these low water conditions? 11 O'clock comes and goes and then as usual!! 2 in 5 minutes!
We'd been searching further down the swim and both came from the same area, but these are different!!! Rainbows and only about 1/2 a lb each! 
Still they fight nearly as well as their Big Cousins.

Gone Again!! searching the same area for nearly an hour, but no more bites.
Still! We owe it to ourselves to move anyway, so much more to see and so many swims to discover!
As we start to take down the useless Meppless Spinning rod!, we are joined by an excitable Dog!.
For a while there, we had forgotten any other human existed, but obviously the dog has an owner as we can hear some aggrieved calling.
As we are ready to pick -up our rod , the dog disappears and of course a fish rattles the rod tip!
This is better!! and so it duly proves!
Clean and Beautifully Marked

Why in Nature, like the Jay, Magpie etc. and in Fish, The Pike, Perch, Trout ie the Scavengers and Predators always so much more colourful, we muse.
Love Roach, Chub and Bream, but can they compare with these markings?


And so on to the next swim.
We cheat a bit as we've fished this before on Thursday, so It's not new, but we caught last time!

Again, a holding tangle of bushes to our left and across , but a shallower , faster stretch, where Trout should lay in wait at the end of the run.

We find a convenient branch, form a make-shift rod rest and sit back to relax, so immediately catch 2 more in 10 minutes!

The Countryside is never quiet! Birds recognised and birdsongs (some un-recognised) fill the air! 
Ducks, Moorhens and Coots, fly and walk in and out of the River, the Trains pass and Cattle low close by!
Nearly 3.00 , must be late Milking?

In the top of a tree just across the River, A Crow bombards us with insults! He's not happy we are here!
Has he a nest nearby? a piece of Carrion We can't see, but he dare not approach? , or is he just aggressive?
We love the other birds, but this continuous Cawing is annoying, I guess We and the Crow will never be friends

Grumpy




At 3.15 Another bite and another handsome fish to make 9! Shall we reach double figures?, or will this, the biggest be the last, as the car needs to be looked at in Chesterfield in preparation for Ireland on Saturday!
The Biggest Yet!

Sods law, We wait and hope and pray and go overtime LOL, but we do not catch the tenth.
Packing up in 5 minutes, We retrace our magical journey with lighthearted steps,
Over Styles, Walls, Bridges ,Railways, Brooks, Tracks and footpaths, until reaching the car, we are jerked back into the 21st Century!

Well that was April 2nd for me and I hope in part for us!

nearly 8 hours Fishing, only 9 fish, 7 Brown and 2 small Rainbow Trout, only about 5lb of Fish, but I shared it with the magic River, the Birds, the Dog, of course the Fish and I hope in part with You!

I thoroughly enjoyed it 

I hope you will too!


Cheers

Trev