Suitable tackle

A rod rated 4/5 and from 6 to 9 ft can be used on these streams but be prepared in tight corners to use the top section only. Lines should be double tapered to help with the delicate casting which is required. The leader is very important and should also be tapered-you can buy these ready done or make them up yourself. I was advised many years ago that if you use a 6 rated rod the leader should be twice the number at the butt end and half the number at the point end-in this case it would therefore taper from 12lb to 3lb. This may be complete nonsense especially in these days of fluorocarbon lines but it tends to work for me. A good guide for the length of the leader is the length of the rod plus 3 ft-this enables reasonably accurate casts in tight situations and lets the fly land gently on the water.

Reading the water

This is an art that you gain the more streams you fish - remember you are not fishing for stockies on a reservoir. The water in rivers is always moving and therefore currents and back-eddies are always present. Try to think three dimensionally and take time to think before making a cast with a fly. What looks like a still pool very rarely is. It is always a good idea to walk the beats to be fished without a rod but with a pair of polarised sunglasses and make mental notes of any fish seen and likely holding spots. The best time of day for fish spotting is midday when the sun is at it's highest when you have a better chance of seeing into the deepest pools if the water is clear enough. Please do not do this when fishing-you will ruin the fishing for both yourself and any other angler who is fishing the water.

Try to approach stealthily and quietly using any trees and vegetation as cover – this way you are more likely to see fish. If it takes two hours to walk the beat you will need to spend double the time fishing it. It amazes me how many anglers book in for just an hour and then say in the returns that no fish are present or make some other derogatory remark about the fishery. The fault could be their own because they have walked down the beat in full view of all the fish present and sent them fleeing for cover at this first sign of danger and then not given them time to return to their feeding stations-you will never catch a frightened fish. It is always best to keep away from the bank when walking downstream to fish-the fish will always see you before you see them-their survival depends on it.

Fishing the water

Where allowed it is always better to fish from within the river so a pair of chest waders are strongly recommended-it is surprising how deep some parts of these small rivers are. The best way is to always approach from downstream using trees and bank-side vegetation to provide cover for your approach. You also need to move slowly and stealthily into a casting position keeping a low a profile as possible-you may even have to kneel down in the water on occasions-some anglers wear knee pads to enable them to do this comfortably and to stop wear on expensive chest waders. A good percentage of trout in the Club's small streams and rivers are truly wild fish and unless you heed the advice given above most will have bolted for cover before you have chance to cast a line. Always have the correct amount of fly-line stripped from your reel as wild brown trout will not tolerate undo amounts of false casting over their heads. As to the cast itself do not try and cast in a perfectly straight line-if you do it will lead to the fly acting in an unnatural way the moment it touches the water – try a Shepherd's Crook cast or try to create some slack line in your cast. These casts will allow your fly to move in a more natural way for a longer period of time. If a trout takes your fly tighten up to it quickly-do not strike hard or your fly will end up in the undergrowth behind you. Play the fish as quickly as possible trying to avoid underwater snags such as tree roots which the trout will try to head for. It is advisable, especially if you intend returning wild brown trout to use barbless hooks-this makes it easier to unhook the fish in the water-if you remove it from the water a suitable net should be used. Return the fish to the water as quickly as possible.

General advice and flies to use

Try to keep the amount of tackle you carry to the bear minimum which can easily be carried in the pockets of your fishing waistcoat-this not only keeps you more mobile but saves you time wondering where you left your fishing bag as well as making it easier to negotiate stiles and the dreaded barbed wire which you might find on our smaller rivers. If you get your cast completely wrong and end up in the trees (“Fishing for monkeys are we!”) always try to retrieve your line and flies-it not only gives anglers a bad press from the local farmers and the public but can also be dangerous to wildlife especially birds and bats. I tend to carry a small pair of secateurs in my pocket to aid retrieval-it is better to cut off a twig than to leave nylon hanging from trees.

As to what flies to use I find is a personal thing as some flies work better for some people than others and confidence is almost everything in fly fishing. I would suggest a good range of flies in the smaller patterns-size 14's, 16's, 18's and even smaller if you can see to tie then on. As I get older I find it more difficult during late evening in the shade of trees to tie on these smaller flies so the easiest thing to do is go up a size or so when the light begins to fail-the trout don't seem to mind in these conditions. Do not forget to carry patterns which represent both aquatic and terrestrial insects because on these small streams the trout will feed avidly on wind blown offerings from the undergrowth and adjacent trees. Do not worry too much about having to identify all the species of fly life you encounter but do try to match the hatch in size and colour' There is lots of literature about trout gorging themselves on the most abundant food source so if see lots of olives it makes sense to fish an olive or if you see lots of caddis then fish a caddis imitation and so on. Try shaking a tree to see what flies off or drops in the water and after a few visits you will begin to learn what insects are about and what time of the day they are likely to fall in the river and become trout food.

Often trout will rise to your flies and turn away at the last minute – over the years I have come to the conclusion that this is mostly due to the leader. This could be that the leader has a kink in it close to the fly, have a “pigtail” in it or too heavy a leader is being used – sometimes it may be because your leader is floating unnaturally. Where we have smell, touch and sight to locate things trout basically have eyes to see their food and a mouth to see if it is edible and they are not as intelligent as some writers would have us believe – if they were as intelligent as some writers would have us believe they would be running the country instead of Gordon Brown-thinking about it they might do just as well.

All three rivers mentioned in the title of this article have prolific hatches and are in some wonderful Derbyshire/Staffordshire countryside so if fishing is a little slow why not just enjoy the scenery or retire to one of the many good public houses for a spot of lunch and a pint and try the water later in the day-the trout will still be there.

I hope these few words are of use to you and will encourage you to visit these wonderful small river fisheries that are available to all members The more often you go the more you will learn even if you fail on your first couple of visits-remember a day spent fishing is better than a day spent at work and as the old saying goes2there is more to fishing than catching fish.”

To catch one truly wild brown trout is much better that catching lots of stock fish and as mentioned earlier very often the scenery is much better.

That's all folks - you may now go fishing.