[Durbs]

Due to a curiously well timed bit of getting preggers activity, 3 of us blokes are looking to get away for a weekend before our other-halves see sense and don't let us out again until the small screaming things are older.

So we're coming to the Peak this coming weekend for some walking, a spot of bouldering (Probably Roaches) and then hoped to also catch some dinner.

One of us is a very good sea angler, I used to coarse fish (but not for many years) and the other is a novice.

So basically after recommendations as to where the three of us can go, have a chat and catch some trout which we can eat...

Will need a rod licence (obviously), and to hire all gear.
First, possibly dumb, question - do you have to catch trout with fly? I prefer the idea of just hiring the gear, maybe a boat on Ladybower and dropping a float over the side. If we have to fly fish, I suspect we'll need a lesson to learn how to cast...

[bigtuboflard]

I'm sure you've already seen this but Ladybower looks like a reasonable option

http://www.ladybowerfisheries.co.uk/prices/

no mention of being able to hire rods and tackle though.

[Monolith]

Why not take a Lagerstarfish Troutanator™ lesson in casting and watercraft prior to the big day? If this isn't possible, try taking a casting lesson before you have a session fishing. You'd love it. Nothing beats taking your first trout on the fly.

[Durbs]

Did look at lessons, but just wondered if that would take too much of the day? Is it something that can be taught in an hour?

I was taught to cast by my gramps years ago, and then inherited lots of his old gear - could never really get the hang of it and haven't picked up a fly rod for 15 years.


Ladybower looks ace, and they'll hire us the boats and 2 rods (only 2 people fishing at a time in a boat apparently) - but it has to be fly fishing...

[fatneck]

http://www.barnsleytroutclub.co.uk/]This[/url] is the only place I could find that offers any method trout fishing and may be a bit out of your way... Having said that it's only 3 miles outside the Peak District according to their blurb...

Barlows Fishery is well run and offers trout and coarse fishing as well as camping etc Not sure about gear hire at either of these places though...

Good luck!

[lagerstarfish]

Barlow is pretty forgiving of poor casting due to the ponds being small - you could suspend a buzzer or bloodworm under a  bite indicator (effectively float fishing) and get away without having to cast too much - and there's a cafe

a bit out of your way and a bit more expensive is Pennine Trout Fishery - plenty of big fish for a proper Putin style macho fly fishing session. they have gear to rent and could probably sort you out with some lessons. 3lb fish is pretty average there, so even if you only catch two fish between you, you'll be well fed

northumbrian water have some "any" method waters (not much use in this instance), but worth thinking about for future trips

[Durbs]

Wicked stuff thanks.

How easy/hard is fly casting? Obviously it's an art which can take years to master, but would a quick 30 minutes allow us to chuck a fly away from a boat/bank?

[lagerstarfish]

harder on a boat coz you're sitting down and will have two other people getting in your way

30 mins practice without anything sharp on the end could work for someone who has used a rod and line before - if you find yourself thrashing the water into a foam, you're doing it wrong

practicing on grass works fine (without the sharp bits on the end of the line)

I taught myself from library books when I was a clumsy 13 year old with a cheap kit from Argos, so anyone with all their fingers and both eyes ought to find it OK after watching a bit of Youtube

playing a fish is different to other sorts of fishing...

stick to small waters at first

[lagerstarfish]

I vaguely remember a sign on the trout ticket office at Barlow saying something about gear hire and tuition

worth calling them

[fatneck]

Having had a look at the Ladybower site, it seems fairly reasonably priced and I wondered if anyone fancied meeting up for a spot of fluff flinging before the end of the season? Share boat hire costs etc? My fly casting is coming on and I'd be keen to pick the brains of some more seasoned than I... 

[Durbs]

Agree a smaller bit of water might be an easier start, but it's mostly for the fun of hanging on a boat with mates as opposed to the fishing itself (although obviously we'll go home hungry and sad if we blank).

I too was pleasantly surprised by the Ladybower costs - 3 people in a boat, with all the gear and 2 fish each (if we're lucky) for about £20pp for an afternoon.

[bigtuboflard]

Agree a smaller bit of water might be an easier start, but it's mostly for the fun of hanging on a boat with mates as opposed to the fishing itself (although obviously we'll go home hungry and sad if we blank).

I too was pleasantly surprised by the Ladybower costs - 3 people in a boat, with all the gear and 2 fish each (if we're lucky) for about £20pp for an afternoon.

If you don't land anything i could be persuaded to drop a fish off from the supermarket for a couple of staged photos by the jetty. Can't guarantee it'll be the "right" sort of fish, or even a freshwater one for that matter though 

[fatneck]

How was it?

[Durbs]

Enjoyable, though ultimately unsuccessful.

Not sure if this was entirely our fault - I gather not everyone was catching that day either.

Plus side, I had a curry and learnt how to cast.

[rich d]

Did you end up renting the gear and having a lesson? Do you mind me asking how much it worked out at?

[Durbs]

We did - they slightly fluffed our reservation, but came good on the day, so 3 of us ended up with a boat, 2 1-day rod licenses, 2 rods ( + reels, flies, net etc) and a quick 30 minute casting lesson on the bank (waiting for a boat to come back) for about £22 each for an afternoon (12:30-ish to 5pm)

The price we paid included 2 fish per person, so we could've saved £10 had we not wanted to keep the fish (had we in fact caught any).

Nice guys running the place - very friendly and helpful.

In the end it was a pleasant afternoon chilling in a boat in a nice lake failing to catch anything. Good times :D

[rich d]

Cheers.

[fatneck]

Nice one! Sounds like you were well looked after. Shame about the fishing!

[Durbs]

Having never properly fly-fished before, it was hard to know whether we were just unlucky, using the wrong flies, fishing in the wrong area or our casts weren't soft enough to not scare off the quarry.

There wasn't much activity on the water - couple of tail-swishes, but they reckoned they were all about 3-foot down...