Lawyer and renowned angler of the time WH Aldam was among the founders of the club and later was the club secretary. He was also an honorary member of the Chatsworth fly-fishery and founder, honorary member and late honorary secretary of the Darleydale fly-fishing club.
Aldam released the classic book “A Quaint Treatise on “Flees and the Artyfichall Flee Making” by and old man well known on the streams as a first-class fly-fisher a century ago which was published in 1876 and contained examples oftied flies and samples of the materials required to make them. It was the very first book of this nature ever published.
In his introduction he states that “this is published at the request of many friends and of the present members of the Derwent Fly Fishing Club; also in affectionate remembrance of many esteemed members, long gone to their rest, who aided the editor in the formation of this club in the year 1838”.