Wayoh & Entwistle Reservoirs 8 Oct 13

Following on from my last blog about Jumbles Reservoir and the sources of Bradshaw Brook today I went to take photos of Wayoh and Entwistle..

Wayoh Dam Wall & United Utilites processing plant.

The original dam was built finished in 1876,  the height of this wall was increased in 1962 to provide more water for Bolton.

When it fills up this will take the extra water down into what will become Bradshaw Brook

The water is pretty low at the moment but it will fill up over the winter if we get our normal rain fall.

The bridge was built in 1847/8 before the reservoir was constructed. It carries the Bolton to Blackburn railway over Bradshaw Brook, at the top end of the Wayoh, and is still in daily use.

A view of Wayoh looking back to the dam wall. Wayoh is a course fishery day tickets can be bought at the Black Bull which is quite close to the dam.

 The Entwistle is another large reservoir much the same as the Wayoh, though one major difference is that it has trout, both brown and stocked rainbows, the fishing is controlled by the "Entwistle Fly Fishers"

View from the dam wall.

Again the level is quite low after the dry summer.

No expense spared in the old days, everything had to be pretty. As far as I know this controls the flow or did when it was built in 1832.

Bradshaw Brook Sewer Pipe, and Jumbles Reservoir 5 Oct 13

At last we can see the completed concrete cover over the pipe.

The lower middle section, which I am told is to allow trout move up stream to spawn, can now be clearly seen. Whether this will work only time will tell, as I have previously said I do not think it is low enough for this to happen.

 There is still some fencing to be erected at each end of the weir and lots of tidying up to be done.

Up stream the brook is dammed by three reservoirs, the one immediately above the stretch that we fish is  Jumbles Reservoir. United Utilities are required to release a minimum amount of water into the brook, so the rise and fall of the level is not as great as it would be on a normal brook.

So this is were nearly all the water in the brook comes from.

  Jumbles, as you can see, is quite low at the moment due to a dry summer. When or if it fills up this winter we could get an increased flow into the brook. Jumbles was built in 1971 to guarantee the supply of water to  Bolton.  

The other two, Wayoh, built in 1876, and Entwistle, 1832, were compensation reservoirs. They were built to ensure a continuous flow of water to the brook throughout the year. Not for drinking water but to ensure that the mills and factories down stream would have a supply of water during the summer. They now supply 50% of  Bolton's drinking water.

Bradshaw Brook Sewer Pipes 3 Oct 13

The trout fishing season has ended, so this is just an update on the sewer pipe work. I expected the work to have been completed, but not so.

  The concrete cover to the pipe is completed, just some further cuts to the pilings below the centre section which was being done as I left. Once that is finished there is some fencing to be erected and a lot of tidying up to be done. Then the next two jobs further down stream.

Although this looks as though it must be leaking sewage, it doesn't. Its a pity it can't be made into a fish pass.

Just hope these two jobs get done with less mess, and don't take as long to finish.

 A lot of sewage is getting into the stream from this which has needed to sorted for quite some time.

Irwell Kersal 27 Sept 13

The banks of the river had been cut so there was lots of flotsam floating down. I fished a 10 foot rod with sinking line and Goldhead Copper John. Nothing for quite a long way down the river then I thought I was caught in weed but then I felt a fish shake its head, off it went off  down river. I was fishing in a strong current and the fish used it to stay well away from me
Took quite a while to get it to the net and I was well pleased when I did.

A 15 inch  Irwell brown trout, I just wish I could catch a few more on each trip.

One worry I have, is that I do not catch any small trout on the lower Irwell. Could it be that the Sawbill Ducks and Cormorants are getting them all, but not the larger fish. 

There are plenty of very small fry in the river, today I must have seen thousands. What they are the fry of, I don't know. They can't all be minnows, or perhaps they are. But then if there are lots of minnows there must be food and conditions for all kinds of fish one would think.



Bradshaw Brook 26 Sept 13

Started at 7 Acres park, went up stream from bridge caught two small browns with blue winged olive, missed a couple as usual.

Brook is still running dirty and was down from yesterday. After I caught these I moved down below the road bridge, it did not look promising, nothing rising, so went to Eagley Brook by Union Road. Only the second time I have tried there since a lot of work had been done under the railway arches. Again not impressed  so Bradshaw Fly fishers beat was my next port of call.

Couple of cast with the B-WO got me nothing so put on a little bug that I don't remember having bought, somebody must have given it to me. Instant result.

Nice fish not sure what happened to the picture. Moved up stream same fly and another fish.

 Had a few more casts caught a very small one, checked the fly, it had come apart so that was the end of that.

Went to see the sewer work site, as you can see the middle section is now finished, the near section must have been completed today and been left to set.

Just the piling to be cut and some tidying up and we should be able to see if there is any chance of fish being able to move up river. I am not that hopeful it looks far to high to me.

When this is completed there are two other jobs which need to be done, hopefully with out as much mess and time as for this one. 

Will report with photos later. 

Bradshaw Brook Flyfishers Beat & sewer works 25 Sept 13

The brook was running dirty as it has been since the sewer repairs started, not that the trout or the flies seem to be bothered.
Started going down river with a copper john nymph. Tried a cast at a rising fish below the footbridge it came but I missed it, gave it a couple of minutes and then tried again. It took as the nymph hit the water and was hooked. Nice fish just 10 inches fair fish for me on the brook. Carried on down stream,  had problems with the trees, so decided to put a dry fly on, Adams, and stared back up.
 I have never fished the stretch above the footbridge where the stream runs along the bottom of someones garden. Decided that I would today. No takes until I was at the top of the garden where there is a nice pool. Missed two or three rises before I hook this small fish.

 Had three other fish all small in the same pool then moved up. 

At the next pool I struck at a fish missed and ended up with my fly in the trees behind me, trying to clear it got me snagged even worse. Clear at last but had to change the tippet and a new fly,B-WO. Then another member came passed so had a chat, then he went to fish further up stream. caught two more small ones, another tangle so moved up to the sewer pipe and took some photos.

 If you have been following the works you can see that the repairs on the left are finished and the piling cut level.

 You can't see here but the middle portion is also finished just needs the piling cut down.

  Not to pleased with the height of the concrete no fish will get up this bit. The middle section is supposed to be four inches lower than the rest, not sure that will be enough to allow fish to move up stream. Time will tell.

Moved up stream caught couple more small fish, but was having problems with the tippet getting very twisted and tangled. So changed to a different tippet line but continued with the same problem.

Moved down to the pool below the works some fish rising caught this one and couple of others.

Still having problems with the tippet twisting and tangling, if I untangled it and had two casts it would be twisted and tangled again, so I decided it was time for home.

Brought the reel home and checked that the fly line was not twisted, didn't seem to be. will try it tomorrow with a new leader and tippet. 

Irwell Ewood Bridge 23 Sept 13 & Radcliffe 24 Sept 13

Monday.
The weather forecast was for white cloud and plenty of sun, what we got was complete cloud cover and drizzle. Am I surprised, not at all. At least it wasn't to cold.
Drove to Ewood Bridge using the top road above Ramsbottom, Peel Tower on Holcombe Hill was shrouded in low cloud.
 The fishing was poor, only one fish on a Adams dry, there were several fish rising in the pool in which I caught him, but his jumping and splashing, put paid to any chance of catching them by the time he was in the net.

Nice fish thought just on 11 inches.

There was a fair rise in progress at the time but it did not last. Two or three fish rising further up stream but no takes to either a Adams or b-wo's even tried a nymph still nothing.

To top of my day  I had a puncture, on a narrow lane with no where to stop, on the way home. So I now need a new tyre.

Tuesday.

Tried the Irwell at Radcliffe today, got nothing to the net and only hook one fish.  Which unhooked is self after its third jump. At least the weather was an improvement on yesterday, warm sunshine almost all day.   

 

Eagley Brook 22 Sept 13

Had a couple of hours in the Valley this afternoon, dry fly again same tackle and method, mostly, as yesterday.
Had plenty of snatches at first then landed two about six inches and then one no more than three
Walked down river looking for rises and seeing nothing. So went home to listen to the football, that was worse than the fishing. Never mind there is always tomorrow.

Irwell Bury Ground 21 Sept 13

After taking the photos of the sewer pipe repairs I went to Bury Ground, river up more than I was expecting, must have rained during the night.
Tackled up an eight foot with floating line and a blue winged olive so I could fish down river dry fly in the long riffle below the weir. I had an extra long, for me,two and a half pound tippet on a nine foot leader.

Nothing at the top end in the broken riffles until I got to the long riffle with the fallen tree half way down. Had a good rise felt the fish but did not hook him. Then my first fish of the day.

It did a lot of jumping and splashing in the shallow water so I had to move down a bit before I got another take. This one was a little better than the first, but I tried to hand him out instead of using the net, slipped through my fingers and was away. Live and Learn, or do I?

Fish down to the slack water and cast at one or two rises without a take, then started back up. Had a couple of fish look but never felt them when I struck. Until I was above the fallen tree, where the riffle is at its quickest I caught my second fish.

 And then my third very soon after.

Didn't fancy fishing back down again so I went to the Roch at Gigg, saw one fish rise but no other sign of fish and I did not catch any or see any flies. Rather strange as it had got warm and sunny as the afternoon went on. They must have had a good feed when the river was up and have been having a rest, who knows what the fish do, not me that's sure. 

Bradshaw Brook Sewer Repair 21 Sept 13

Went to see the works from the other side of the brook and see how they were getting to the work site.

Storage Compound 

 The mud slide from the storage compound to the work site.

 Although it has been graded the mud is more than 6 inches thick in places and very soft. 

and then you get there.

It will take nature quite some time to repair this mess.

The far concrete is now higher than in the pictures from earlier in the week which I did not expect, I thought that it was high enough before the increase. The bit with water on it is hopefully not going to be any higher as this is supposed to be low enough to allow fish move up river. 

More pictures when the work is finished hopefully next week.