Posted on

Work Parties, Peg Creation & Improvements – 2021

River Derwent peg improvement works during December work parties

Once again, the Club was privileged to have some hard-working members giving up their free time to make improvements which benefit all anglers on our waters, as well as the Club.

Here we take a look back at some of the superb work undertaken during work parties on our venues last year.

May 2021

More pegs were completed on the sewerage works section below the railway bridge, with around another 5 to put timber on as well. This will give us 30 pegs on this section of the river. Great work by our volunteers!

River Derwent peg improvement works during May work parties
River Derwent peg improvement works during May work parties
River Derwent peg improvement works during May work parties
River Derwent peg improvement works during May work parties
River Derwent peg improvement works during May work parties
River Derwent peg improvement works during May work parties
River Derwent peg improvement works during May work parties

Another project undertaken over the past 6 months, previously the last peg on this stretch of the River Derwent was peg 16, this was due to further access being blocked by boggy ground and a jungle of dead trees. Trees were removed and a raised walkway installed, which gives anglers access to another 5 pegs up to the railway bridge and also pegs above the bridge towards the pumphouse and beyond. Many thanks to our volunteers!

The Facebook video below shows a number of these swims and pegs, in our lovely, peaceful setting, upstream of Belper town centre. It’s best viewed fullscreen.

June 2021

Three more pegs completed on the sewerage works section, with thanks to Elliott, Adi and Martin.

River Derwent peg improvement works during June work parties
River Derwent peg improvement works during June work parties
River Derwent peg improvement works during June work parties

Strimming was done around the parking area of the sewerage works section, along with pegs 1 to 14, in readiness for the river opening on June 16th. There was also a new peg installed below the railway bridge on the Willows section. Great work thanks to Stefan Harhat, Adi and Martin.

Strimming work done by our volunteers, in the car parking area on the Sewerage Works section of the Derwent, Belper
Strimming around the pegs on the Sewerage Works section of the River Derwent, in readiness for anglers on June 16th opening day

Another peg was completed on the pond field section – this one is the new peg number 3, downstream of the bridge.

River Derwent peg improvement works during June work parties
River Derwent peg improvement works during June work parties

July 2021

Peg 1 on the pond field section has benefited from a new walkway, great work by Phil Hoad and Tony Carline!

River Derwent peg improvement works during July work parties

August 2021

The walkway to peg 4 was completed, on the river alongside the pond. Great work once again by Phil Hoad and Tony Carline!

River Derwent peg improvement works during August work parties

September 2021

Another peg was created by Martin and Elliott, on the top stretch above the pond. This gives us a total of 22 pegs from the pond gate entrance to this peg; just below the railway bridge.

River Derwent peg improvement works during September work parties

November 2021

Peg 11 on the pond has now been replaced, great work by Phil Hoad, Tony Carline and Sandra Hoad!

River Derwent peg improvement works during November work parties

December 2021

Peg 17 was completed on the top stretch, whilst the walkway on peg 10 was replaced and a small extension added to get from under the tree canopy, above and nearer the flow. Great work by our volunteers, Adi, Elliott, Roger and Martin!

River Derwent peg improvement works during December work parties
River Derwent peg improvement works during December work parties

On stretch at the back of Morrisons, we have chopped out the first peg above the wires, which has produced barbel and chub in the past. More pegs will be developed in the coming months.

Wyver Lane Pond, Belper, peg improvement works during December work parties
Wyver Lane Pond, Belper, peg improvement works during December work parties

Peg 19 on Wyver Lane Pond was sorted. Great work by Tony Carline,  Phil Hoad , Adi Ingram  Bob Large,  Roger Stone and Sandra Hoad. Many hands make light work!

River Derwent peg improvement works during December work parties
River Derwent peg improvement works during December work parties

If you would like to participate in future work parties, to maintain and improve our venues, please contact the club directly to express your interest and provide details of availibility, along with any skills and equipment you can provide.

Posted on

Wyver Lane Pond Closed due to Floods

Wyver Lane Pond will be CLOSED FOR FISHING until at least 1st December, due to the damage and debris left by flooding. Conditions will be reassed in late November with a view to reopening the pond.

A work party is arranged for Sunday 24th November to clear the mess, and members are urged to attend and lend a hand if possible.

Proposed work to take place is – removal of debris around the otter fence, clearing path of silt and sludge, and refilling pegs with stone.

Volunteers are most welcome to come and help out, we will be meeting at 8.30 in the pond car park. 

The Committee

The road to Wyver Lane Pond car park flooded beneath the railway bridge. 10th November 2019.
Posted on

River Derwent fishing peg improvements – new platforms installed on Sewerage Works section at Belper

Stepped fishing pegs created at Belper on the River Derwent

This year, and particularly over the river close season, a small group of committee and club members have been extremely busy on our stretch of the Derbyshire Derwent; particularly the area known as the “Sewerage Works” section – downstream of Morrisons & the rubgy club in Belper. View a slideshow carousel of photos of the work.

Thanks to the hard work of these volunteers, new fishing pegs have been created and several existing pegs have been vastly improved – both upstream & downstream of the famous pipe bridge/foot bridge which crosses out stretch here. These fishing pegs will benefit match anglers, pleasure anglers and specialists alike – making it more comfortable to fish some of our most popular and productive swims; noted for chub, bream, perch and barbel.

Please visit these pegs, fish from them and let us know what you catch using our online catch report form.

Particular thanks must be given to Adi, Martin and Peter, who attended all or most of the work parties. This work would not have happened without them and the club is extremely grateful for their efforts. Other special mentions must go to Phil, Phil’s wife, Robert , Martin and Wayne; who each helped out at one or more of the peg improvement working parties.

This is a continuation of work undertaken in 2018 to replace and improve the fishing platforms on our members-only stretch of the Derwent beside Wyver Lane Pond.

If you would like to help with future working parties, please get in touch via our Facebook page or our contact form. We are always in need of extra pairs of hands and we encourage all members who have the time and are physically able, to help at as many work parties as possible. Great work, which benefits all members, is done during these days and we are always grateful for any help we receive.

The club plans to continue this work to increase and improve the pegs on our stretch of the Derwent. Much of which is under-fished, partly due to its “wild” nature. We’re hopeful that this programme of peg creation will increase the number of anglers wanting to fish the stretch and improve match turnout for any future events held on the river.

With the 2019/20 river season about to start, why not get down to fish the Derwent and try out our improved pegs, which can be fished on day ticket or season permit (all tickets must be purchased in advance – no tickets are sold on the bank).

Posted on

River Derwent fishing peg improvements – new platforms installed at Belper

Fishing peg improvement work on the River Derwent at Belper

Over the weekend the club has been working hard making improvements to fishing pegs on our stretch of the River Derwent at Belper.

Club and committee members made a fantastic contribution to river access during the club’s latest work party. Some of our wooden fishing platforms were rotten and in disrepair, so our team worked tirelessly to remove the old platforms and replace them with two brand-new platforms.

These platforms allow anglers to float fish the river with ease, as they move the peg out several feet from the bank. Of course, this benefits leger and swimfeeder fishermen too, but this extra distance from the bank makes float control whilst trotting so much easier.

These platforms also benefit anglers with reduced mobility, providing a safe, flat and comfortable platform to enable bank fishing for all.

These peg improvements are the latest part of our wider work to improve river access and fishing pegs along our most popular stretches of the Derbyshire Derwent. We’ll provide further updates as and when more improvements are made. If you’re a club member who would like to provide your time to help on future work parties, please get in touch.