Cressbrook and Litton Flyfishers Club Ltd

Cressbrook and Litton Flyfishers control eleven miles of the Derbyshire Wye, running from Blackwell, just below Buxton, down to Ashford in the Water, in the heart of the Peak District National Park. The river holds wild brown trout and rainbow trout throughout, and the lower beats carry a good population of grayling. Three river keepers patrol the water day to day, led by head keeper Chris Dore, looking after the banks, the wildlife and the members.

Membership is fly only and sits at 140 rods, with a waiting list. The annual subscription for 2025 is £1,300, with a joining fee of £750. Anyone wanting to go on the waiting list first pays a £100 deposit, non-returnable but deducted from the joining fee if they’re offered a place, and needs to be proposed and seconded by an existing member or by a professional of good standing such as a doctor or a Justice of the Peace.

Visitors don’t need to join to fish here. The club runs a day ticket fishery in Monsal Dale, separate from the members’ water, covering about three quarters of a mile of double bank between Upperdale Bridge and Cressbrook Mill. Tickets start from £70 and an expert guide can be arranged on request; call club secretary David Marriott to book. Guests staying at the Cavendish Hotel in Baslow have their own arrangement: they can fish members’ beats between Ashford in the Water and Monsal Dale, around four miles of double bank, for £150 a day, booked through the hotel alongside their room.