River Dove
Cotton's Fishing Temple
Verified beat. Information confirmed by FishingBeats.
Cotton's Fishing Temple is a fishing beat on the River Dove. Day tickets from £35.
Pricing and season
Indicative prices only. This calendar does not show whether a beat is bookable or already booked out, and other prices may apply. Always confirm availability and the final price with the booking provider before you travel.
Price calendar
Fishing details
Cotton's Fishing Temple at a glance
- Rods
- 1 – 3
- Difficulty
- Expert (4/5)
- Length
- 2 miles
- Water type
- main river
Fishing methods
Fly methods
Cotton's Fishing Temple sits in Beresford Dale, near Hartington, on the River Dove in Derbyshire, and takes its name from the fishing house Charles Cotton built here in 1674. The doorway still carries the entwined initials of Cotton and Izaak Walton, with the inscription Piscatoribus Sacrum, and the building stands on the beat to this day. Cotton wrote the fly-fishing half of The Compleat Angler, and there are few places on any English river where that history sits so close to the water.
The beat itself runs 2 miles of double bank, entirely wild: Brown Trout, Grayling, with no stocking on this stretch. Years of habitat work have narrowed the river to an average of 12 to 20 feet, pinching down to as little as 6 feet in places where the bankside growth closes in over summer, so this suits shorter rods and lighter lines: 6ft to 8ft 6in, 2-5wt, stepping up a little in spring and winter. Fish rise freely to good hatches of mayfly, blue-winged olives and a variety of sedges.
The beat suits one or two rods well, or a party of three at most, with a maximum of three rods and no dogs. The keeper is usually on hand to meet rods on the beat and show them round, and the fishery has been steadily improved over the past three years. Wading is possible where preferred, though the beat fishes perfectly well from the bank. The season runs 1 April to 28 February, covering both the trout season and a distinct grayling season from 8 October.
Day tickets start from £65 during the main season. Grayling days are available from £35.
Stocking and fish species
Rules and policies
Amenities
Where Cotton's Fishing Temple is
The beat's boundary, with parking where we have it.
53.12378, -1.80899
The river
River
Rising on Axe Edge Moor near Buxton, the River Dove runs for 45 miles south through the Peak District before meeting the River Trent at Newton Solney, from where its waters reach the North Sea via the Humber Estuary. For most of its course it forms the boundary between Staffordshire and Derbyshire, meandering past…
Similar beats on the River Dove
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FAQ
Cotton's Fishing Temple FAQs
Practical questions anglers ask before fishing Cotton's Fishing Temple, from tickets to tactics.
