Dirty places in Bolton 24 Mar 18

Where I wanted to fish is not easy to get to and there is a lot of the remains of the industrial past along the bank side and in the water

I had to wade down to where I wanted to start fishing trying not to disturb anything on the way. When I got down as far as I could, without risking getting in over my head. I had a rest and my lunch, an apple, before starting fishing back up.

I did it that way as I like to fish dry fly no matter what. I started as usual with a seven foot rod 4/5 weight with a Adams Parachute fly.

 I caught this one after three or four casts thought I could be in for a good day.

I had to do lot of hard wading and casting under trees and around Japanese Knotweed, getting caught on both, before I got to where I saw my first and only rising fish. I was in two minds about changing my fly which was looking pretty battered, I did not want to wait as I had seen the rise. So I left it on and second cast it was taken.

 As near as damn it 18"

I thought that I was loosing it more than once as it got the line rapped round it twice and was out of the water more than enough.

The fly really was in need of changing after the battle. For some reason I put an ordinary Adams and carried on for another hour catching nothing. Feeling the cold I went home.

Fishing when I Can.

20 Mar 2018. Bradshaw Brook Fly Fishers Beat.

Cold and sun shine, for a while, then it got colder. No Fish rising, not a suprise.
Fished dry fly caught one fish, mostly walked and looked.

  Around 12 ", Winter lean.

22 March

Cold as usual not looking very promising.

Lost 4 flies to the trees and caught 2 fish and did a bit of pruning, mostly brambles.
Started with Adams Parachute lost 3 to the trees, put on an normal Adams and caught the two fish.

 This one the best, over 12 inches but again slim.

If you would like to see me catching the 2 go to youtube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIVL5YnwhMOgARoD7_1keiw

New Season Opens 15 March 2018

Started the season on Thursday 15th, cold, wet and windy,  the rain eased in the afternoon but not the wind. Went to Bradshaw Brook, a bit were I knew it would be quiet and mostly out of the wind.

7 foot 4/5 weight with one of my trusty old Young's Beaudex reels. Started with one of Dave Bendles drys which has a ring on the shaft for adding a dropper shrimp, in line. No sign of fish as I started until I got half way up when I saw one jump down stream of me.

Tried a few casts down to it nothing doing. Decided to change to last years favourite fly, Adams parachute which got me a couple looks without getting a touch. 

Carried on up stream into a valley where my luck changed and I caught the one below.

An OK fish just over 8" but quite slim after a hard winter. Turned out to be my only one of the day, never mind it's a start.

Very drab at the moment but spring is on it's way soon.

Saturday 17th

Very very cold with a biting wind and snow flurry's. Same tackle as Thursday with Adams again.

Fished a part of the Tonge that is very hard to get down to and even harder to get out off, that's now. When the Balsam, Knotweed and Hogweed are up it can be a no go area. The effort was in vein, looked OK but nothing doing.

Couldn't go home blank, tried bit of Bradshaw Brook on the way. Only one fish again but very very pleased with it.

    14 " which is a very nice fish for Bradshaw. Like the one on Thursday a bit on the slim side. It did not come to the net easy and had to keep it out of the brambles a couple of times.

I will be very very pleased if I get anything as big again in the brook this season.

This happened while I was typing the blog, not a lot I know but I had thought we had finished with snow for this year.
My youtube channel
 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIVL5YnwhMOgARoD7_1keiw