Hello everyone first post but keen to get started fly fishing , in my forties now but was keen course fisher in my teens .

Fly experiance so far is on day on a members water with my uncle (Burton Joyce-Notts area) a couple of days on the river in Darley Abbey with borrowed tackle and a full day tuition with Steve at Loynton Fisheries .

Have landed two fish with Steve but other than that had no luck at all .

Looking for advice on tackle , type and where to buy and also where to fish and at what time of year around Derby .

Hope to eventually fish small rivers etc around Derbyshire but probably start on small stillwaters .

Also about to move house so will be on a budget .

Any advice at all welcome .

Steve

Welcome to the forum Steve. There's a lot of very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable people on here.

Okay, to make a start and
assuming that you will start with a rod that will cover both river and stillwater at a pinch.

you will need
A rod
a reel
a landing net ( a coarse one will do fine for stillwaters and rivers -unless you will be wading)
a fly line and backing
some leader material
some flies
a fly box
scissors and/or clippers
forceps
fishing bag and/or fishing vest and/or waterproof jacket with big pockets. a placky bag will do at a pinch.
A priest - even if you don't intend to keep any fish, you may have to humanely dispose of one.
Floatant and sinkant.
Hat and glasses (to protect your head and eyes)
Maybe waders if you intend to wade. Muck boots or wellies if you don't.

Some of this, you will already have so take it off the list.

So what is your budget?

You might also want to have a couple of fly casting lessons - not everybody agrees but a lot of people will tell you that they are the best money you will spend. Allow £25 -£30 per 1 hour lesson.

__________________
"Take not out your 'ounds on a werry windy day" Surtees.

Pm sent.

Cheers Craig

Have a look through this blog.

richard

__________________
Who resides on the right bank of the Derbyshire Wye and is lulled to sleep each night by the mutterings of a weir, dreaming that "When the rivers and their inhabitants come first, we ALL win..."

Thanks for the replys , i will take a look at the blogs later.

Regarding the budget i was hoping to get a full set up for around £200 and want a 4 piece rod if possible due to small car boot .

Steve at Loynton recommended a 9 foot 5/6 weight .

I must admit even looking at rod / reel and line is baffling .

Hi Steve

Welcome to the forum.

For a good Stillwater I would recommend The Yeavely Estate near Ashbourne. It is quite manageable for someone starting out. The fish respond well to a dry fly.

Eventually,when you wish to fish small rivers. I can recommend Blount Flyfishers. They have about 4 miles of Sutton Brook between Sutton On the Hill and Longford. The website is at blountflyfishers.moonfruit.co.uk. It's worth a look.

Derby Railway Angling Club also have a selection of waters at a reasonable price.

For some of the finest fly fishing, the Peacock at Rowsley has a great stretch with day tickets.

As far as tackle goes, it is good to try some rods to see which you like. You do not have to spend a lot of money. Walkers of Trowell have a good selection and you can try them.

I tend to use a 9' 7wt rod for stillwaters. The best one I have is a Gordon 4 piece by Sharpes of Aberdeen it cost me about £95. A friend has the Orvis Western series which is also nice. They have a shop in Bakewell.

As for reels I don't think you need to spend a lot. Another place that's worth a look is Mullarkeys in Burton on Trent. They specialise in Shakespeare but they do make some good reasonably priced rods. In addition they do some "mill end" fly lines which are cheap.

The best thing though is to read through some of the other posters on this forum. I'm no expert but I've learnt a lot and they offer good friendly advice.

Good luck
Pete

Hi Steve,
I'd add Press Manor to your list of stillwaters and can thoroughly recommend the fly fishing shop in hebden court at Bakewell, Pete the owner is a wealth of information and advice.
Dave.

But do be aware that there is a bad Argulus (fish lice) infestation at Press Manor.
I've contacted the EA who have done precisely nothing about this - neither has Bernie (which is surprising as he is a good bloke) nor Brian the bailiff. I'm not trying to ruin his business, and this is a genuine post from someone who likes the place but will no longer go there (and I've met a few others who are doing the same).

If you do go fishing there, suggest you don't take any fish, or remove the badly liced ones and give them to Brian and let your tackle dry out thoroughly before fishing anywhere else.

Please don't forget the EA rod licence if you will be fishing in England or Wales

Welcome fella you cannot go wrong on here fantastic bunch of people who go an extra mile to help,