Holiday fishing in S. Derbyshire? Help!?

I've been offered a break near Wirksworth (near Matlock) in early/mid August.
Please could anyone who knows the area suggest any fishing?
Coarse or trout, though the obvious trout fishery, Carsington, is too pricey for me - no bank fishing, and all attempts at walking on water prove I'd need a boat.
Family days out mean I'd be looking for a few hours at dusk or dawn, nothing too serious!
Sizeable ("netter", not specimen) crucians and rudd particularly sought, but if it has fins, I'll chase it.

P.M. me if you feel happier, though the Derbyshire tourist industry might be happier to see any ideas on open forum!

I have only just moved away from Derbyshire though all my fishing was near derby.
I can tell you that the most popular commercial fishery near derby is :

Birch House Lakes

Ednaston
Brailsford
Ashbourne
Derbyshire
DE6 3AB
Really friendly and well run they will put you onto the fish from the cabin not just say everywhere is fishing well like allot of commercials.
But this would be around 35 minutes drive from matlock their silverfish lake is brilliant for crucians and very strange looking f1's (top left corner red maggot size 18 animal hooks strike at every twitch on ledger rod)

The carp only horseshoe lake is best avoided in the middle of the day from 11 till 4 but very good the rest of the time, best method is fishing 1ft away from bank as far away from you as possible with meat. surprisingly the best swim is the one at the top end of the car park on the corner but you would be lucky to get this.I would say this is a good bet to get a few 4-10 pound carp turning up for a few hours after 4 is a winner the bread roll trick and/or floating bread crust down the margin works well.

At matlock you are within 35-45 minutes drive of the biggest concentration of commercial fisheries in the country if you go over the boarder /M1 to notts.But I have not fished any of them.

The free/council run stretches of the derwent are very hard to fish but have large barbel in the most likely looking stretches be prepared to loose loads of tackle and blank though .

Of the three council controlled/free lakes allestree is supposed to be the best and is the only one the council look after, but I have personally only caught when it 's going dark and there are permanent cormorants in residence .

Markeaton park was 85% weed last time I was there and very deep silt everywhere loads of rubish but has lots of things for a family to do wile you fish . very intensively fished all year round so the fish can be very hard to fool but they are there ,one of the best spots is opposite the boats for perch.

The other one at allenton park looks like a waste of time and would not be worth it rubbish,scum floating and concrete bank all around more of a feed the ducks pond.

There are others but they are even further away most of the fishing up matlock way that I know of is fly for trout or mega bucks season ticket on the dove there must be more though.

Good luck .

The pub next to the Derwent in Whatstandwell (on the A6 to the right of Wirksworth) sell day tickets for the river stretch they control. I think you can fish for coarse or game providing you have the correct rod licences.

There are deffo trout up there and I am pretty sure you'll find chub and barbel too.

Further south, as in south of Derby city centre, you can fish the river on the Earl of Harrigton day ticket for £2 or £2.50 all the way down to Borrowash bridge, after which it is club tickets only all the way to the Trent.

Thank you both very much, Gentlemen.
Plenty to shake a stick at there!

Press Manor, trout lake and coarse lake a 5lb perch came out of it last year, thats at Wirksworth or is it Winkworth

It just gets better! Thanks, Morespiders.

Paul H, I'm guessing at Pedigree and Bakewell for best beer and pudding, but what's the best cheese?

Stilton can only be produced in derbys,notts and leics.
Peak District Town or Village :: Hartington :: Derbyshire Cheese and Fine Ales

Not a big fan of Pedigree myself, besides, Marstons and Burton-on-Trent are in Staffordshire.

Here's some nice Derbyshire beers.

Mmmmm.... Stilton....

Just throw in some big, crunchy pickled onions and maybe a pickled egg for good measure.

The Bakewell pudding shop (in Bakewell - duh...) is well worth a visit. I always stop and buy one if I'm up that way. Warmed and served with double cream (after your beer, cheese and pickle feast).

Oops! It's just that the most perfect pint I ever had was draught Pedigree, in the pub nearest Youlgreave Youth Hostel. My taste buds are still pining for it, twenty-five years on!
I might enjoy re-educating myself...

Does the battle of Pudding versus Tart - or was it Pie? - still rage in Bakewell?
And can you really take a Bakewell pudding far enough for it to need warming? Every time I've tried, it's been nibbled before the car door's closed, and gone before the engine's started!

Some great links there, for which many thanks to all.

Pudding vs tart, pudding all the way.

You'll find Pedigree in 90% of the pubs around Derby I'd imagine.

I like Marstons Old Empire IPA much better than Peddie even if it is brewed over the border in Marsden country.

:wh

fishing in derbys

hi there. I live part time in Ashbourne and lived in Matlock for 30 yrs before that. Press manor course or fly well worth a visit altho` the course lake is small Soft pellets the best bait although maggots will get loads of roach.
My personal favourite commercial by a long way is Longford Lakes and I am a frequent visitor. This lies south of Ashbourne off the A515 en route to Lichfield. Take left turn into Cubley, turn r. after about 1 mile into Alkmonton and then L. to Longford. along this road you will see a metal carp hanging from a tree on the right and a gate with a good track to the waters There are about 5 lakes and all good for mixed species but many carp sub10 lb I fish this light with my centre pin and meat,pellets etc are v. good but SMALL baits on a 14/l12 hook. I usualuly get 30 - 40lb and really enjoy the place.
Enjoy your holiday Peter Barton

wirksworth ,then it has too be alton manor/derbyshire trout fishery 1m or so down the b5023 (southwards) signposted belper ,its on the right hand side ,nice place with three small pools

for coarse fishing theres matlock bath ,the river stretch or belper on the derwent or the water gardens (belper tackle on A6 south bound in town)

Hi, Gents,I thought I'd better report back, even though not much happened- weather and "Dad's Taxi" duties knackered my chances.
A bit of web checking put me off Alton Manor, we did have a squint at Carsington, but only six of the twenty boats were out, on a beautiful day in the school holidays, and the catch average for the week was two fish - suggesting everyone who knew the place had found better things to do. Swerved.
My only other chance came on the last evening; went to Belper, found the river, eventually found a swim where I could reach the water with my landing-net.
Discovered 7-9 feet of water under the rod tip - clear, green and lovely. Fed Mashed bread while tackling up, fished over it, nuffin. Scaled down - minnow. Tried further out - another minnow. Back to proper bits of flake - nuffin. Ninety minutes of my two hours gone; set up a spinning outfit. Nuffin. Oh, well. Two hours and dropping into the first cut-out swim you find is never the best way to explore a new fishery!
The Derwent is a much bigger, deeper, slower river than I was expecting to find so near the spine of the country.

Bakewell Puddings a delight; Chesterfield charming; draught Marston's a joy; Wirksworth and Cromford fascinating, ruined only by the parking fees.

Must rush, computer's real owner wants it back. Many thanks for all the advice, I'll save it all, for I hope to return.