The Yorkshire Derwent

[John Aston]

Ah the derwent.. My recollection is that it's harder than a old brick !!
Has it changed ??
BSC

Like all rivers it's not as good as in the past. You have to know what you are doing and fish the right areas. When did you fish it?

I find the Derwent a bloody heartbreak water- always have. Problem is that every swim looks like teh best chub or barbel swim you have ever seen. Except it isn't.

Take issue with the comment about all rivers being not as good as the past- not true. Where I grew up I was surrounded by Pennine rivers- Aire , Calder, Don etc. All were clinically dead. Not any more- they are full of fish . Or take the Swale -my records go back to 1972 and it is immeasurably better now- back then you would never see a chub over 3 pounds or a barbel over 4 pounds on a typical trip. Now the chub average nearer 4lbs and the barbel 7- and I catch more of them . Lots more examples fro my records. Catches are down overall only because so few anglers will get off their lazy arses and walk, usually preferring the ersatz sport on offer in commercials !

[Phil Arnott]

As you can see by my catches the Derwent was not always "a bloody hearbreak water" and there is still good fishing in pockets but mostly long stretches with very few fish.

I think the situation of the Aire and similar rivers is that it couldn't have got much worse also urban stretches of rivers and areas where there is human activity which are not predated do hold a better populations of fish. This is the situation with the winter fishing on the Derwent and Hull. As far as roach, dace and some other smaller species are concerned there seems to be a problem on all the rivers I have fished and hear about.

There has been an interesting change in that we get bigger fish of some species that we ever did in the past. I've talked to many about this and nobody seems to know why. If you are fishing for big fish all the time then the situation may be quite good on some rivers. However looking at the overall species profile I would stick to my assessment.

[John Aston]

I am not saying all is rosy but all is not bad either ; two local streams I fish for trout and grayling both produce more and better fish than at any time in the past - according to records going back 100 years plus. Mind you , that doesn't stop some of our older members reminiscing about how it was so much better back in their youth. Re small fish I have noticed a big decline in dace but grayling are everywhere in the same river. The key thing is to rely on factual records - as you are doing of course - as many fishermen's anecdotal evidence is massively flawed . I keep being told that the effing otters have eaten all the chub - strange that my catches of chub have remained the same since they returned...But changes in species certainly happen - what was 1000lb of dace may be 800 of chub and 200 of barbel .

Many years ago at Leeds University we had a cup for the biggest weight caught on aggregate on our club trips to Swale , Nidd, Derwent and Wharfe- the winner- over a dozen or more trips might scrape 50lbs. Not so golden back then for us .

[Phil Arnott]

I think it’s very important to keep records John, not just to look back and reminisce but because they form useful data. I was asked by Hull Uni for my River Hull Catch records and I told at one time that my records of Yorkshire bass catches were the best data available on North Sea bass.

I know what you mean about regarding biomass and I do realise that perch did very well when they eventually recovered from the disease which affected them for many years. It’s just that the small prolific species are nowhere near as prolific as they should be.

I’m pleased your grayling are doing well, the grayling numbers in Driffield Beck quite low at the moment. They are definitely one of my favourite fish. Some anglers seem to struggle to catch them but I’ve been catching for around fifty year now, mainly from the Hull and Driffield Beck and Derwent and Rye. I’ve caught them from most stretches of these rivers and in 2012 had a catch of four fish from the weir at Sutton on Derwent which is the lowest down the river I’ve seen them.

I think some people get the impression from my comments that I don’t like otters which I do. I just have an unsentimental attitude to wildlife conservation. I’d be very interested to see a study to look at the impact on fish stocks.

This is the weir at Sutton on Derwent as it is now and how it was around a century ago.

[John Aston]

Looks lovely ; having bought a Bradford No 1 book this year I will be venturing over to Howsham soon and the pics have whetted my appetite. Re records...I was at an Angling Trust meeting a few months ago about the Wharfe, where catches have been poor , so far as it can be established. Lots of cries for restocking and the reasons it is needed - otters , pollution, cold water etc. I was utterly gobsmacked to hear that hardly anybody is doing invertebrate sampling- how an earth can anybody demand restocking if the basic health of the river isn't being monitored ?

[Phil Arnott]

There's a pocket of roach in the Howsham area John pm me for info. The EA survey match held there recently below the weir produced a few chub and a few smaller fish best weight 2.18K.

One of the members of West Beck Preservation Society (Driffield Beck) is an invertebrate expert. I always thought he was very useful guy to have in the club. He's also an excellent fly caster.

[SeanM]

Interesting post and comments chaps. The Derwent is not a river I've fished much, but like many of the Yorkshire rivers I suspect it is going through a period of change. I can't comment on the Derwent without betraying confidences, but the Swale and Aire are examples of rivers in flux. Those of you who have read my journal will know of my barbel fishing on the Aire. This season I've had over 30 barbel to just under 9lb - a bit different from your days in Castleford eh John? But the barbel are stocked fish and other changes are a result of the steady improvement in water quality. The roach, bream and dace are disappearing from the middle river and it is now the haunt of grayling and big trout.

On the Swale I suspect we are seeing the end of a prolific year class of chub and, certainly on the lower Swale, the average size of chub has reduced a bit over the past year or so. Still better than the eighties and early nineties though!