My fishing buddy Ray and I have a strict rule. I say a strict rule but it is one we try our very best to adhere to. If we are on the road fishing we try and find somewhere cheap to lay our heads at night. We try and keep it at a maximum of £40 per night and have done so throughout the long time we have fished together. Having said that, Ray and I decided to break the rule when we headed to Derbyshire to fish the River Wye, which runs through Bakewell.
For those who don’t already know the Wye is one of the very few places that you are able to catch what all but the very picky would call a wild rainbow trout.
Due to this particular strain of the rainbows and their spring spawning time they have lived quite happily in the Wye for the last 100 years or so and offer something just a little different for the river angler to cast their fly to.
Our venue for the night was the Peacock Hotel in Rowsley. The room rate had smashed our ceiling level and some but it was Ray’s birthday trip and we had agreed to share a room, keeping the cost down a little.
So after a few days fishing on the nearby Dove, two slightly dishevelled anglers dressed in jeans and dirty T shirts entered the plush entrance of the Peacock.
At first you might feel a little overawed as it does look pretty slick but we were immediately made to feel welcome and sat in the lounge area and took advantage of the free tea and coffee for residents.
Mrs McKenzie who runs the Peacock came and sat with us and explained about the fishing and the rules. No wading, no nymphs and no Klinkhammers. We nodded and I bet Ray was thinking the same as me, what do we do if the fish are sitting on the bottom?
Mrs McKenzie stayed with us a while and we got talking about fishing in the US. I’ve done a fair bit and so has Ray as he is from California. She really lit up telling us about the riding she has done in Montana and the road trips she has made with her husband. It is really worth asking her about them if you meet her.
We had dinner in the bar as we worked on the basis in for a penny and all that. We usually eat junk on our road trips but Ray reckons he had the best pork belly of his life.
We had arranged to meet ESF reader Steve Lee the next day and at nine the next morning he was there. I had a great night’s sleep and Ray politely said he did too over breakfast but I heard him telling Steve about my snoring when he thought I was out of earshot, sorting our fishing permits.
Steve is a member of the Peacock Fly Fishing Club where the hotel does a limited amount of day tickets.
Ray and Steve quickly bonded, no doubt over snoring stories and we headed to one of the lower beats just below where the Lathkill joins the Wye. After the recent rain the river looked like it was pushing to me but it was pretty clear. No nymphs right?
We talked as we walked down the river and Steve told us how he likes to either spot a fish and cast to it or find a riser. At the bottom we went through the gentlemanly bit about who would like the first go. We decided it was Ray and he worked a black gnat upstream across a pool. I walked up with Steve but we were quickly interrupted by Ray who had seen a fish, cast at it and caught it. It turned out to be a really nice brown.
Steve had a go at a fish we had spotted that was sitting deep. It didn’t take, despite several fly changes. No nymphs right?
I walked upstream a bit, prospecting the water. I was working on the basis that the river was pushing and if I were fishing for wild browns in Devon I’d work off of the flow into slacker areas. Thankfully it dawned on me pretty quickly that I was fishing not only for wild browns here but also wild rainbows. When I have caught them in the US I’d fish right on the seam of fast water, no matter the pace of it. The other thought was that I was fishing with my American buddy Ray for American fish. Why not try an American fly?
I tied on a parachute Royal Coachman a US adaptation of the British Coachman fly. I often use it in Devon if the fish aren’t rising. It couldn’t have worked better and I was astounded when a small rainbow came out of nowhere and hit the fly.
I headed round corner and saw Steve working the water. I had loads of Coachman (should that be Coachmen?) flies with me and offered Steve one. What I am about to write probably sounds like some Grade A rubbish but it happened just like this.
Steve made 5 casts and hooked 4 fish. They were all rainbows and 3 came off but we saw them head off of the bottom and take the fly. It was really exciting! No nymphs right?
Lunch turned out to be the earliest Ray and I had on our trip at 3.30pm. We then parked just a bit further upstream and hit a nice little BWO hatch. If the fish weren’t rising to a BWO dry then we tried the Coachman, especially in the fast water. I also had some success on a fly called a Purple Haze that was all the rage in Montana a few years back. I defy you not to hum the riff when you tie it on.
We fished late and Steve was casting to some rising fish. It was one of those pools that if you don’t get perfect drift the fish weren’t going to take.
We gave up when we couldn’t see to tie the flies on any more and after Steve left, Ray and I ate an excellent Chinese on some benches in Bakewell High Street. It gave us the perfect chance to reflect.
Would we stay at the Peacock again? It ain’t cheap but it is seriously good and quality doesn’t ever come cheap. By sharing the room we kept costs down a fair bit but if you have a non fly fishing partner then it would be a great way for you to fish and to pamper them too.
We were fishing on the low season ticket which is £45. We fished from 9.30am to about 9.45pm. That makes the day pretty good value. The high season ticket price is £85 from 12th May to 17th June which is basically mayfly time. Personally speaking I’d rather fish a BWO hatch than mayfly but I am told they are pretty spectacular. Let’s not also forget you’re fishing for wild rainbows, wild brown trout and grayling too. If you have pricing issue then those fish should avert fears. There is no stocking so everything you catch is wild, truly wild.
No nymphs right? In 1865 a rule was brought in on the Haddon Hall waters, where the Peacock Fly Fishing Club is based, stating that to protect the insect life and the sport of those fishing, dry flies only were to be used. There is also no wading either. To be honest I don’t mind those rules at all. If you are twitching to tie a bead head on, then don’t fish there. The fish are free rising and with some thought from the angler, will take a dry. If not, you have over seven miles of water to explore to find a rising or feeding fish.
The other thing is that beats are not allocated. There are 12 anglers allowed on the water each day but all you do is park up take a look and fish on. As long as you don’t barge in just ahead of someone, just head off and find a nice pool. The no wading rule also means you don’t feel like you are following someone up the river and if you do feel that way hop in the car and fish somewhere else.
The banks are kept but by that I mean the grass path is mown. The bankside vegetation is allowed to grow and do its thing. There are plenty of clear hot spots that are a little easier to make a cast from but Ray and I liked to find the hard to cast areas, working on the basis that fish holding there may have not seen as many flies.
When it comes to flies the Klinkhammer is banned. I don’t know why or really care. You can’t use them so we didn’t. It isn’t a life changing rule and a fly I don’t use much these days so it didn’t spoil my day.
Lastly the fishing is run as a catch and release fishery. A long handled net is a must so that you can quickly unhook your fish and get it back.
You might argue that the rules are a little Draconian but I think it is about the sport and putting the odds more in the favour of the fish. As a fly angler I like and respect this and really enjoyed the challenges presented to me.
If you are fishing the water then a 9ft rod would be a good all rounder and make sure you have some slack line casts in your armoury. You’ll need them.
It could be argued that these fish shouldn’t really be here but I think 100 years is long enough to say they do now belong and there is nothing like the pull from these strong well-conditioned fish that you’ll remember a long time after you have caught them.
So would we go back? We did the next day and had just as good a time.
For more details of fishing on the Peacock Hotel click HERE
For fishing info at the Peacock click Here