Ladyshore Little Lever 26 Jun 14

On one of my many wanders around the internet I came upon a video on  fishing north country spiders. I have read about people fishing with them without really knowing anything about them or how to do it.
The video is on a site called Fishing with Style  http://www.fishingwithstyle.co.uk/northcountry.htm North Country Spiders are wet flies and the video is about fishing a team of them without droppers.

Having fished with droppers and had some awful tangles and not caught much, I watched the video with interest and decided to give it a go. Not having any spiders I ordered some but could not wait for them arrive before trying the method at Ladyshore today.

What to use as the spiders, I have some Tenkara flies that don't get used, which look a bit like spiders flies, so I put three on as per the instructions. I used a eight foot rod with a floating line with an extra long leader.

I must admit it did not look that promising, but anyway I cast into the rough water below the broken weir and as the flies hit the water I had a take. And what a take, it took me straight across the fast water and twenty yards of line with it. Fifteen minutes later I landed this fat fifteen inch fighter.

 The first fish that I have caught on a Tenkara fly. It took the point fly.

 

  Got it back into the water and thought, this just might be a good idea after all.

Those that have read my earlier blogs about Ladyshore know that I don't catch many fish there I think 3 or 4 in a day are my best. So I was not counting my chickens when I moved above the weir and tried there. I did not mention that the river is low, no rain for quite a while, so I could wade to places that are usually to deep or to fast. I was just trying out the casting, up and across and them letting it go down and back to my side when I hooked my second fish.

 Not as big as the first one just 13 inches this one

Just having a breather before swimming away.

This was the first time I have ever caught a fish from the spot that this one came from, but not the last.

 Getting smaller.

Got this one further up river, not a good photo of the Tenkara fly.

The next one I hooked was a much better fish, but as happens now and again it came off at the net, and then I caught this one to make up for it, not quite.

I caught  a couple more before moving down to one of my better spots from which I caught not a thing, life's like that sometimes.

All in all I was very pleased with the spider fishing and will most definitely be trying it again when the  new flies arrive.

Long Weekend not much fishing 20 to 23 Jun 14

Not able to fish as much as normal as my better half had an operation to her shoulder the week before last and is unable to drive so I have to be available to ferry her about.

Friday I managed to to get out for a few hours and went to the Irwell at Bury Ground. Although we have not had any rain to speak of for awhile the river look quite good, but low. Got in the river and started up with dry fly. Occasional fish rising and manage to get a couple of fish to take a look at my fly without hooking one, until I got to the faster water. Even then I only hooked two small browns.

Decided to make a move to further down river to Wellington Street and fish down towards Warth. Nothing showing down there so did not stay very long.

Did not get out at all on Saturday so up early on Sunday and went to Summerseat for the morning, had a complete blank.

Monday decide I had to catch fish and went to Bradshaw Brook at 7 Acres Park. Geared up for dry fly and walked all the way down to Bury Road without wetting a line, got in the brook and started back up.

 This is where I started, you have to be in the brook to fish and the trees can make it hard work.

 The first photo was looking down stream, this one is from the same place looking up stream, most of the time casts have to be horizontal unless you want to loose a fly nearly every cast. 

The flowers are brambles you don't get much back if you let your cast go in them, the pool by them is always good for a fish and I did catch one there.

A better view of the pool.

A bit further up I caught this one, not big but probably the best that I got.

It came from this stretch which is mostly less than a foot deep.

The Water-crowsfoot is in full flower, Bradshaw Brook down her is full of it. .

I ended up with seven fish not a great day but at least I caught some. I had intended to walk up the middle part of the brook and finish off fishing above the road bridge, but I found Stan, who I had talked to before, fishing and catching. Of course I had to stop for a chat good to meet you again Stan.  

Salford Friendly 17 Jun and River Etherow 18 Jun 14

Went to meet fellow members of Salford Friendly Anglers Society  www.salfordfriendlyanglers.co.uk at the Mark Addy pub in Manchester. The pub is on the bank of the River Irwell in the middle of Manchester, one of the members fished the river whilst we talked and had a couple of drinks. He caught quite a few fish, all roach I believe, I was too busy talking to count.

 Not the prettiest spot on the river. 

 Here he is bringing a fish in.

Whilst there I was given the heads up on the River Etherow as a very likely places for trout. It was the first time that I had heard of the river, when I got home I googled down on it and it looked good, worked out a route and decided to visit the next day.

This morning off I went A666, M61, M62, M60 and M67 traffic wasn't bad until the A57. Anyway I arrived and did not park at the station as advised and glad that I didn't. The walk down would have been bad enough, but I doubt I would have made back up in my chest waders and wading boots after a day in the river. I found a place to park down a long and winding lane near to the river.

Had a quick look and was surprised how big it was, I had expected a stream, but found a very nice river. Tackled up my 7 foot 3 weight, should have taken my 8 foot, and got into the river. Worked up stream with a dry fly, nothing rising, until I came to high cliff and had to turn round. 

Put on a copper john nymph and started back down, plenty of likely spots.

This is where I entered the river.

 This is my first fish just under 12 inches.

And this is where I caught it.

Lots of really fishy looking pools and glides on the way down but no fish rising, caught a further six fish on nymph, but nothing as big as the first one. I eventually arrived at a foot bridge with a large deep pool under and below it, the only way passed it was over barbed wire, I tried that last week and ended up with having to repair my waders.

Put on a pair of dry flies and started back up, nearly back to where I started before finding rising fish. Had one or two come for a look before a good fish took my point fly, but it did not stay on very long and took both my flies and my tippet. Not sure if it was the knot or 1 kg line was too light and that was it for the day.

When I got home I had made a round trip of 60 miles, can't be doing that on a regular basis, but I am glad I went and I am sure there are plenty of better fish than the few that I caught.

Thanks for the heads up see you soon.

Poor Weekend Good Monday 9 Jun 14

Could not be bothered to blog Saturday and Sunday as both were poor for fish.

Saturday I stood in Bradshaw Brook in the pouring rain for 4 small trout, at least I know my new wading jacket is water proof.

Sunday I had better weather for a trip to the Roch in Bury, went to the Irwell first but it looked to up and coloured to fish so I did not bother. It's good having two rivers in Bury with sources a long way apart, if one is unfishable it does not mean the other will be the same, which was the case  yesterday.

 The good thing about England, or is it the bad thing, is the changeable weather. Saturday until tea time was miserable and wet, and yet the evening was clear and sunny, as was Sunday, until tea time when it started to rain.

The Roch looked fine for fishing but as it turned out not for catching. I fished nymph and did have a couple of knocks and did hook two fish, which both came off in quick time.

After 4 hours of no fish I changed to dry fly for my trip back to the car, I was nearly there when I  saw a fish rise between two rocks by the far bank, third cast it took, the result below. Not a very big one but very very welcome.

Monday the River Douglas had the pleasure of my company for an evening of dry fly. The weather was changeable as usual but I managed not to get wet, not quite true as all my fishing was done in the river which was deeper than when I last fished it.
I used a 6' 6" rod with an Iron Blue Dun and caught some fine trout. The Douglas never ceases to amaze me with the quality of the trout in, what is, a very small river. As I have mentioned in earlier blogs the problem or is it the pleasure, is the difficulty in getting in and out of the river to get a fly to the fish.
A few examples of the fish caught are below. Not all that I caught and not the biggest (honest).

At one point I had a large audience of very interested youngsters who came down to the edge of the river to watch me fish, as usual whilst they were watching I managed to catch not a thing.
I apologized gave them a wave and moved on, I hope they don't think all fishermen are as bad as me.

 I did not get much response from them, just the occasional  MOO.

 As you can see from the picture below there is very little bank fishing and great care needs to be taken as to where your back cast is going. 

I did manage to start and finish with the same fly, although I did have to replace a tangled tippet. 

  

Bradshaw Brook 6 Jun 14

Warm and sunny for a change, cut the grass in the morning. Two dozen flies that I had ordered arrived, 12 Blue Duns and 12 Iron Blue Duns, removed the barbs and sorted one of my fly boxes to accommodate them.

Did not fancy travelling far and Bradshaw Brook usually provides some sport and it did. 7 foot 3 weight rod and a size 14 Iron blue dun dry fly, one that had arrived  today.

 As soon as I was in the brook gentleman fly fisher walked down the path and we had a conversation across the brook. He was just finishing and said that he had not seen much rising and had not had much sport. As he was leaving I had my first fish quickly followed by three others, the best below.

Caught it in the fast water at the top of the pool.

Although an occasional fish was rising I found that it was best to just cast into the fast water and lift at any sign of a fish rising, as it was not always possible to see the fly, worked for me.

Moved up river casting into the small riffles, missed several before got to the next pool. Continued in the same manner and again had four fish, before moving up.

This was the best of the four.

 The top of the pool where I caught the first four. 

The Water Crowfoot is in full flower and there seems to be more of it than last year.

The riffle where I managed to miss a few and then the second pool where I caught the second four.

Moved up to the broken weir and caught another four, all small ones. Got caught in the undergrowth behind me and snapped my line, was lucky enough to find the fly and part of my line. Put on a new tippet and the same fly and moved above the road bridge.

I had noticed three boys playing near the pool above the bridge so did not expect to catch there, and I was  right. Moved to the riffles short of the next long glide and caught another good fish and several small ones.

 The glide did not look very promising, only an occasional rise but not to my fly until I got three quarters of the way to the top. A fish took my fly I struck, and felt the fish, not sure what happened next. Either the tippet snapped or the the hook came out and the line went over my head I lost the fly in the undergrowth behind me. 

Anyway I put on a second new tippet and fly, a blue dun this time, don't know why I changed. I soon had an audience, an Iraqi man and wife came to watch, don't know how they found me as I was nowhere near a path. Nice chap in muslin attire with worry beads in hand, he had some English and his wife had a nice smile.  I must have hooked a dozen as they watched but did not manage to net a one. Moved down to the bridge with them and still could not catch one for them down there.        

Irwell Summerseat Area 3 Jun 14

 Looks like we had a fair amount of rain over night, should make up for what we were promised yesterday. Arrived at the river to find it up and coloured, not too much in either case. As it was overcast and still I decided to start with a dry fly. Eight Foot rod with a new 5 weight line that I had replaced an old line with last night.

Nothing rising to begin with so just cast to likely spots, nothing doing until I saw a fish rise near the far bank. It was coming up but to what, I as usual, could not make out. The grey dun I had started with was totally ignored, switch to a Adams, then a Greenwells, then a Coachmans and finally Brown Midge. Not even a look and it kept rising as though I was not there, I had had enough and moved on up river, nothing else on the rise, changed to a Copper John Nymph.

I had been fishing a good hour before I had my first take in fast water, knew it was a good fish straight away as it came out of the water like a mad thing. Well worth the wait as it was fourteen inches and in great condition, best fish for a while. I knew the rain would bring them out again.   

 

 Caught it at the bottom of this stretch, not quite as quick as the water in the picture.

There were several fish rising under the bridge tried dry flies again but, again not a look, left them to it.

 Changed back to the Copper John and caught this one, another good fish. As you can see by the time It was two hours since I caught the first fish and I had had only one smaller one in the mean time.

 Still a good fish is a good fish. I had two smaller ones and from the same pool and missed three or four others.

 Next time we have storm this tree will join the others wedged in front of the bridge, something needs to be done before damage or flooding is caused, think I will call the Environment Agency see if they can sort it.

 The building on the bridge was a restaurant, it has been closed since the flood we had 2 years ago on the 22nd of June, the water broke through where you can see the boards and flooded the restaurant. I think the same could happen again if the trees are left where they are.

3 Jun 2045hrs. I have just called the EA they will send someone to have a look and sort it out.