Cromford Fly-fishers club turns 150 this year and its members have been looking back on the club's history, how it has evolved over time, and their ongoing fight to look after their stretch of the Derwent river.

The origins of the club can be traced back to the days of Sir Richard Arkwright, who had built a Grade II listed fishing lodge alongside the remains of the Bridge Chapel by Cromford Bridge, which the club members today have access to.

“I’m a great believer in the mental health benefits of fishing and being outdoors and interacting with nature is a great way of rebalancing your life”, said club chairman Stephen Taylor.

Stephen was new to fishing when he joined the club after retiring around six years ago.

On May 15, a team of club members spent the evening collecting rubbish on the bank and in the river. Here's what they pulled out.

placeholder image — On May 15, a team of club members spent the evening collecting rubbish on the bank and in the river. Here's what they pulled out.

The chairman said: “As I was approaching retirement various people suggested to me that I perhaps ought to slow down a bit and get a bit of a balance in life.

“Fishing is one of those things that does just that really.”

Stephen was soon hooked on the sport and dispelled the misconception that fishing is boring.

He said: “Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s one of those sports where, when you are doing it, it takes your mind off of everything else at the same time. So it is both relaxing but all-consuming all at once.

Cromford Fly-fishers Club committee member Stephen Dalby showing off one of his catches

“I hadn’t been born into this at all, I was completely a novice at it. You think it must be very complicated and yes there are complications to it but they’re fairly easy to get on with. It is all-absorbing and yet amazingly tranquil.”

Stephen became chairman of the club in March 2022 after the previous chairman stepped down.

Stephen said one of the biggest challenges he has faced as chairman of the club is the perception that fishing is just an “old man’s sport.”

He said: “The club has got a wide variety of members – and we are very proud of that – ranging from binmen to bankers.”

Club member Jamie Curtis landing a brown trout which was safely returned to the water.

Though membership to the club is currently limited to 100 ordinary members and 10 juniors, it is open to absolutely everyone. The ages of current members vary, with the youngest member being 15 year old, Oliver Bridges and the oldest being 100 year old retired jazz musician, Tommy Saville.

The Chairman said: “Male or female, young or old as well. Our youngest member is actually 15, so it’s as good for the teenage mind as it is for the older ones.

“And I read something the other day about some fly fishing clubs that don’t let women in which is absolutely ridiculous. We would welcome women with open arms. The late Queen Mother was an avid fisherwoman and it's just as good for women as it is for men. It's a sport for everyone.”

Membership to the club provides access to three miles of double fly-fishing banks on the Derwent river in the Derwent Valley World Heritage site beginning at Cromford Bridge. The stretch of river is home to a number of species including, brown trout, barbel, chub and even the rare brook lamprey.

Oliver Bridges, the clubs youngest member at 15 with a big catch.

Ian Evetts is another member of the Cromford Fly-fishers club. A Cromford resident, Ian has been fishing for around 40 years, and got involved with the club when he moved to the area over 12 years ago.

Ian said: “I’ve always been not just fly-fishing but doing all sorts of fishing, even deep sea fishing. The club always had a very good reputation. It’s not an elite club, it's just a club of keen fishermen and that's all you want really”.

The Cromford resident is also heavily involved in the environmental side of the club.

The club has long seen itself as stewards of the Derwent, looking after their stretch of the river. There is evidence of this dating back to a social event hosted on November 23 1949 where a guest speaker gave a talk on river pollution.

Ian said: “Pollution has always been a preoccupation of the club. When you’re fishing a river you are fishing for something that’s got to exist so it needs the conditions to live and thrive, so that means the whole river needs to be in good condition.”

The club is part of the riverfly monitoring scheme doing monthly kick sampling surveys, where the silt on the river bed is kicked up in order to collect a sample of the invertebrate life living in the river. This gives a good indication of the quality of water. They also take a monthly water quality sample at two locations along the river. This measures the levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the water.

The club also does its part in removing a fair share of litter from the river. On May 15, a team led by Matlock angler Jonathan Park spent the evening collecting rubbish on the bank and in the water. They were happy with their “catch” which included a wooden chair, empty cans, a piece of broken pipe and lots of hay bale plastic caught in the trees.

As part of celebrating 150 years of the Cromford Fly-fishers, club members will also be planting 150 trees near the river. So far the club has planted 30 trees.

Ian said: “They’re native species as well. There’s one particular bit of the river where there’s an island and we’re trying to stop it being washed away by the floods so we’re planting Osier Willows.

“The roots will hopefully bind the soil and protect the island from washing away.”

The club also owns a nearby field which they are hoping to convert into a wildflower meadow.