Week Ending Sunday 9 June 13

Strange week for fishing mostly warm to very warm no rain. At least I  got a good tan, if only to my face and arms.

Mid week tried the Roach near Bury caught 2 good browns but lost a very fine fish at the net. Had him on for over 25 minutes, mostly he just sat on the bottom and I could not move him. I waded up behind him to get him to move which he did, but just farther down river. In the end I had him half in the net when he flipped over went behind me and was gone.
I keep telling myself that I didn't rush him, but perhaps I did.
Trouble is that, I don't want to over play and stress the fish to much, it's a fine balance that I don't seem to have got right at the moment.  

I was using my large net which is 21 inches long and he was quite a bit longer than it. I was in shock and just went back to the car and off home. Was using my 9 foot Masterline carbon with a Shakespeare multiplier (made by JW Young) and a Greenwells Glory dry fly.

Friday tried Ladyshore, after the one that keeps braking me off, no luck.

Today fished the lower beat of Bradshaw Fly Fishers stretch bottom end, 3 boys playing in the stream, left them to it. Moved up to the bend with the sunken trees, took 3 small browns on a dry brown midge.
Had a few takes moving up to the road bridge, but only managed to get 1 to net.. Had 2 better fish under the bridge, still under 8 inches. Used my 6' 6" three weight carbon with a JW Youngs 3 inch Beaudex.

Decided to have a look at Eagley Brook in the Valley, only been there once this season. More water than I expected, but it looked oily and slow, still had a few takes and netted three small browns and had a chat with a couple of watchers. People are still surprised to see someone fly fishing, as long as it stays that way I have it pretty much to myself around here.

I do like Youngs old metal reels, although I do have some of their later composite reels 1400/1500 series, like the Shakespeare multiplier I used on Wednesday.

The River Irwell : Restoration Revolution

Just a quicky, if you want to see me in a film  made for the Environment Agency about the rivers around Manchester click on the following.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lIiFBnzU8E&feature=youtu.be

Or an updated version on Vimeo
https://vimeo.com/68367383

Kick Sampling 1 June 13

Been fishing  ever day this week, trying places that I haven't been to for a while. Some good some not so.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I fished at Ladyshore for part of each day. On Wednesday I got busted off twice and never landed anything. So on Thursday went back with a stronger leader and got bust once again. I don't like leaving flies in fish.

Friday returned with 8 pound tippet, of course never got a touch. That's life. Will be back there later next week.

Saturday is my day to Kick Sample at Ewood Bridge. I expected the insect count to be up on last month but it wasn't. The river is running low and has lots of brown algae over the bed, maybe that is the problem.
Fished up river from the sample spot had five brownies to 11 inches on dry fly, pleasant day with plenty of sun for a change.

Sunday. Thought I would try Kearsley below the weir, cold wind and not much sun and no fish. I can't understand why I don't catch fish there. It looks good plenty of water, an island for some variation in the flow. So why no fish?
Last year I caught two fish, or maybe the same fish twice, just below the weir and that was it. Well if we understood what it was all about we probably wouldn't fish at all.

Gave up on Kearsley and went  to Sion St Radcliffe had a good fish on a Copper John Nymph and then home for tea. Grilled Salmon and a baked potato, my lady wife has gone to see CLIFF RICHARDS, yuch, in Manchester thank God she didn't want me to go. Now I can watch the football in peace( England v Brasil for my none UK followers).  

Wild Trout Trust "Urban Conclave" 24 to 26 May 13

I have just spent Saturday and Sunday at the above. What is it?  Well the Wild Trout Trust bring together people who are improving there rivers or who are trying to begin to do so.

A very interesting weekend that showed me that the problem of cleaning up dirty rivers is widespread and diverse. From the rivers of the mining valleys of South Wales, the underground streams of Bradford and even a chalk stream near Newbury. Also closer to home the higher Ribble valley and the river Douglas near Wigan. Good, or is it bad, to know that we are not on our own with our problems on the Irwell .

After the above I had a quick hour on the Roach, one or two rising, netted a 15 inch brown. Also saw lots of fry in the river which must be a good sign for the future, no matter what they grow into.

I can not finish without mentioning the weather, good for a change, two days of sunshine and higher temperatures, the two best days of the year so far, lets hope we get plenty more, with rain in the night to keep the river good and clear.

   Thought he was much bigger, the way he fought, but still, a fish in  great conditioned and very pleased to net him.

Ladyshore Little Lever 23 May 13

Have fished here since I last wrote about this spot, but have failed to catch.

Thought it was time to give it one last try.

Two Swans on the canal still have the ten young, getting quite big now and looking very healthy.

Started up river fishing Copper John nymph, it was very cold and nothing rising, not a touch until I got to where the weir had been.

Was in two minds to pack in and try somewhere else, thought couple of casts over the remains of the weir.

Third cast a fish took and went off like a rocket, after most of my fly line was off the reel I panicked and tried to slow him down Yes, snapped me off, will I ever learn, no I don't think so.

Good time to leave? Thought just have another couple of casts and then go.

Copper John again and I did get another one, sixteen inches, pleased me but I would rather have landed his big brother.

Went to the River Croal at the top of Moses Gate Park tried to find somewhere to fish, very over grown and the bank is too steep. So went up river to Darcy Lever where Bradshaw and Eagley Brooks meet, not a lot of water. Had three small ones and that was it.

  

The River Roach 21 May13

Can't stay away, the fish and fishing is so good. I will  go somewhere else tomorrow.

Funny old day for weather, started warm and dry, then cold and wet, then dry and sunny. Didn't bother the fish I am glad to say.

I lost a couple, but finished with a dozen or so, the older I get the harder it is to remember just how many I caught. Its not the number but the pleasure of being out on the river.

Mallard with ten ducklings couldn't have been much more than a day old made me smile, but the Mink I also saw will get some of them.

First fish of the day, but  not the last.

This is me making sure he gets away without any problems. Go breed and get bigger.

The River Roach 19 May 13

Went back to the river Roach, spelt Roch on ordnance survey, don't know how they came to calling it that has always been the Roach since I was a child and every one that I ask always say Roach.

Anyway call it what you will, fished it further up stream from Fridays stretch. Only caught two fish, but the best one was some fish and also the biggest brown trout that I have ever caught.

   Twenty one inches of, I am not coming to the net no matter what you do, I don't know how long it took to get him near the net, but it was not quick.
As soon as he saw me and the net off he went to the other side of the river, got him back and into the net but as I started to lift him he jumped out of the net and went twenty yards down stream.

When I finally got him on the bank and laid out for the photo he jumped back into the river, anyway finally got him still as you can see.

You would think after that he would have needed time to recover, but he was away as soon as I put him back in the water.

Like the Irwell trout the roach fish are very light in colour and most do not have a lot of spots, still beautiful fish though.
Nearly forgot, caught him on dry fly Greenwells Glory.

Today (Monday) had one hour and a half on the Irwell at Brookbottoms. Two fish, one was a good thirteen inch fish, on a goldhead pheasant tail nymph.

Then went back to the car to change reels as the line was not working my eight foot glass Pateke Morton 6 weight. Put on a Youngs Beaudex with sinking line and a pheasant tail nymph with out a goldhead and caught two more further down stream.

Well that's it for today, see what the weather does tomorrow before I decide were to fish, by the way the Irwell was running clear as we had next to no rain over the weekend.

Fly Fishing Film on the Irwell in Salford 17 May 13

Mike Duddy asked me to represent Salford Friendly Anglers fly fishing in Salford so that the Enviroment Agency could film and interview me to help show how the river had improved. Went OK except I did not catch anything.Not surprising as after yesterdays rain the river was running muddy brown.

Olly the Eviroment rep. told me that they had removed the weir at Goshen on the river Roach so after the filming I went for a recce. The weir removal is a great improvement, looks like a proper river now, a clean gravel bed and good access for wading. The river was running near clear, a surprise after seeing the colour of the Irwell in Salford.

So I set up my 8 footer with a pridex and a floating line and into the river I went. Tried a gold head pheasant tail by the footbridge at Gigg. Nothing. Then a couple if fish started to rise, so put on a Greenwells Glory, Ginked it up and bang first fish of the day. But not the last, the best day by far that I have had this year and probably last year as well. Fish into double figures in numbers and all of a good size and fight they certainly did.

 

 Like the Irwell trout very light in colour, but all were good condition broad shouldered fish and not damaged like some of the Irwell fish that I have caught this year.

I will be fishing the Roach more this year and that's for sure.

The Enviroment Rep told me that the weir at Kearsley on the Irwell is the next to be worked on, not a complete removal, but a break in the middle. Hopefully the improvement to the river above the weir will be as good as the improvement on the Roach. I will let you know when it happens.

Ewood Bridge 14 May 13

Not been out lately the weather has been wet, cold and windy. Today I decided to fish no matter what the weather.

The rain that I had been waiting for, to clean the rivers, has done its job. The Irwell was up to normal levels and running pretty clear. So I decided to try Ewood Bridge, good choice as it turned out, though not to begin with.

Started below the bridge with a goldhead pheasant tail nymph, nothing at all at what is usually a good spot for fish, so off I went up river.

Met two chaps photographing a dippers nest trying to catch the young birds fledging, left them at it and carried on up to the motorway bridge.

Fish rising above the weir so changed to a Greenwell's Glory and had three nice fish. Moved on up and carried on catching until I caught the on below.

My rod handle is 11 inches, so I think he is around 18 inches.

Caught a couple more then moved down below the motorway bridge and caught a few more.

On my way back to the car came upon a "hide" by the river near to a Kingfishers nest. "Twitchers".

(Just had look at the earlier blog I think this fish could be the same as the one I caught before.)

Bradshaw Fly Fishers Beat 3 May13

Fished Springwater and Ladyshore on Wednesday and Thursday not a touch, the weather was warm and sunny, didn't last back to the cold wind again today.

Did OK today seven fish on the bottom stretch, best 9 inches. Quite happy with that, also mother mallard with her 9 ducklings made me smile,

Moved to top of beat had 2 small browns and cold hands so decided I had had enough.

Met two other members and had a chat about what was catching and what wasn't.

Taking the lady wife out for dinner tonight, trying an old new restaurant, been there for some time, but new decor and I think owners. Definitely new menu wish me luck.

Not decided where to fish tomorrow will see what the weather does.