Not much until Thursday 6 July 17

Fished every day this week on Bradshaw Brook caught some, lost more than I landed and missed plenty, all with dry fly. Decided at the start of the week to try a Coachman as they had been ignored in my box for a long time. They worked each day, to a point.

 This 12inch fish was as good as I got, not a good photo.

Today,Thursday, decided to have a change. Different rod for a start, 7 foot cane, which like the Coachman had not been out for a while, and up stream nymphing instead of dry fly.

Bad planning from the start, set the rod up at home without really thinking. Went to the top of the lower beat under the road bridge, always fish there. 

 Couple casts and I new I had a problem the cane rod was a 6 weight and the line on the real was far to light, casting like a mad man.

Back to the car, my 3 weight rod was there ready to go with the same fly I had had on all week.

Back to the river but above the road bridge this time, not my favourite bit of the brook but it was close by.  

Not very deep and runs quite quick, watch out for the trees. nothing rising that I could see.

Lost one second cast and then caught this on from the same ripple.

Fished every bit of water no matter how fast or what depth, did quite well.

 Lost a few on the way up, shallow water jumpers nearly always seem to come off. All caught before the bend.

 This is the bend, deeper water under the trees, should hold good fish,but not for me.

 Round the bend, wall all the way up on the right hand side to the weir, I am a left handed so waded up the wall side.

Water a bit deeper and not all as quick as before, same fly getting scruffy but still catching.

These two in the first bit lost two others.

 Moved up and caught this one under the tree.

 Lost a couple more before I got to the weir where I caught the one below.

Wearing a new set of chest waders today "ORVIS" from Glasgow Anglers ordered Tuesday arrived Wednesday by UPS. No postage charge, could have paid £10 for next day delivery GLAD I DIDN'T.

They seem OK, not as sturdy as my old Simms(the cheapest ones), will have to be careful. My Simms are looking very silly with lots of Aquaseal on them and they still leaked a bit, mind they are over 5 years old. They will do for work days on the river.

                                                                    

 

Irwell Kick Sample and Nuttall Park 1 July 17

Did my monthly sample at Ewood Bridge on the Irwell, number of insects going up as expected as the river warms.
 Went down to Nuttall Park on my way home.

Looks perfect, this bit used to be an eyesore, see below, until the Christmas 2015 flood damage caused the Environment  Agency to order the repairs.

Hard to believe that it is the same place but it is. 

Not all good though. The Times on Saturday listed the Irwell at Nuttall Park as a good free spot for trout fishing. I am not saying that there are no trout still, but the poison that got into the river below
Ewood Bridge killed most of  the insect life in the river all the way down to Manchester.

My reason for the visit was to get into the river and check for insects. After a half hour of lifting stones in the river all that I found I could count on one hand. As for fish I saw nothing at all, a chap I chatted with told me he had seen minnows and that the Heron still came to fish in the river. We live in hope.

River Tonge 9 June 16

Intended to fish the Irwell at Radcliffe, river was up a bit and very coloured, then went to check the Roach. Pretty much the same. Back to Bolton and the Tonge, some colour but not enough to be a bother and fish were rising.

Whilst I was getting my kit on a council worker came down the path spraying the non native invasive weeds(Himalayan Balsam). As I do, ended up having a long chat about everything and nothing.

Eventually I got in the river and was having no luck, one or two had a look at my fly but nothing took. A chap asked if it would be OK if he took some pictures of me fishing, said why not, didn't manage to catch for him.

Another chat ensued, as he had a fancy camera I asked what he did the the pictures. Well Simon I am afraid I can not get your pictures to come up on facebook using the details you gave me. never mind I did enjoy our chat. (sorted it out I think)

Back in the river and my first fish soon in the net.

Three fish rising in the pool got this one out without to much disturbance. the other two were soon rising again.

A few more casts to where they had been resulted in nothing, stood and watched for bit. A little disturbance short of the tree on the left, so put the fly there. Ten minutes later with my heart in my mouth I netted the one below

Can not remember having caught a better fish in the Tonge.

Moved up to the pool were I had three good fish from last time, only managed this one this time.

Manged to get two from here the one above and the one below,

Hopefully the Irwell will have settled down by tomorrow and I will see what I can catch there.

Not so, lots more rain that night and the Irwell was even higher.

  

Eagely Brook 7 June 16

Started where I finished on Sunday, it's a part of the brook that I have not fished before. The idea was not only to fish but to photograph the invasive weeds for the Plant Tracker web site. I did catch a few fish but spent more time taking pictures of Giant Hogweed,

Not fully grown as yet, keep well away from this weed, google it and you will find out why.

 Japanese Knotweed.

and Himalayan Balsam.

They are none native invasive weeds that are taking over large parts of our country side, in particular on the sides of our waterways. On the http://www.planttracker.org.uk web site you can see how bad it is in my area.

Fishing.

I had some success, fishing olives of various shapes.  

One more winter and I expect this to break completely, though I have been saying the same for a couple of years.

 

Although it looked quite promising all I seem to get was small ones.

This one was the best of the day.

Some rain promised  for tomorrow, we could do with some. What's that I just heard a rumble of thunder, it is raining now. Saves watering the garden if it keeps going.  

Sunday on Eagley Brook 5 June 16

Very hot and bright, Eagley Brook has lots of tree cover so I was in the shade most of the time.

First fish came third cast to an olive.

 Had plenty of fish rising to the fly and hooked and lost three others, and then nothing for a while.

 Changed to a BWO and this one came second cast.

Lots of cover and not a lot of water.

Next cast from same riffle.

Should have changed fly earlier, never mind, catching now. 

Casting flat on the water if you want to keep out of the trees.

Just a little bigger.

Started to miss fish again and when I hooked the odd one they either came off or were very small.

Called it a day.

That Was the Week that Was.

Funny old week started poor and got better, which is better than the other way round I suppose.

Sunday 29 May went to Ewood Bridge on the Irwell to do a Kick Sample, only my second one  this year. Insect numbers are coming up even though the river was changed a lot by the Boxing Day flood. How the wee creatures survive when just about all the river bed gets moved amazes me. 

After taking the sample went up river for a fish, didn't find any. I was not surprised as most of the places that I used to catch have changed for the worse.

This weir that I always wanted to be removed has become as below.

 Will take some time to settle down, if at  all.

   The pool above the weir is now very different.

  

On Tuesday 31 May I went to Irwell the at Nuttal Park.

At least I caught if only two. 

This bit of the river is much the same as last year, but round the corner it's very different. Can not believe that I did not take any pictures of what was going on.
The council or maybe the Environment Agency, or both are repairing the left bank which partly collapsed in 2013 and must have got worse with the flood. There was two vehicles in the river, one digger changing the river bed and another moving trees. Called it a day.

Thursday 2nd June
Decided I had to catch fish went to Bradshaw Brook and fished up towards Jumbles.
Did not start very well.   It's a fish just about, at least it will grow.
   The flooding had changed most of the pools and quite a few trees had ended up in the brook.

The next one was a lot better.

This was the best of the three. 

Not a great days fishing but it got me out.

Saturday 4 June.

Bradshaw Brook again but much much further down stream.

Started off ok fish rising and me missing them or hooking and loosing them. 

First one a goodish fish for here.

If you are thinking that I was out quite early it was here that I realised that I had not changed the camera to British Summer Time.

Yes that is a settee in the middle of the brook, must have taken some effort to get it there, the mind boggles at what the less than sane will do for fun.


Thirty minutes of more misses and loosing fish before this one gave it's self up.




A lot longer than the thirty minutes before I got this one.
This proved to be the start of better fishing.


Two in quick time, made a nice change.


From the same pool.


And then another, o joy.



and another. Nice fish and they all fight like mad.


Not very wide but plenty deep.

and onother from the same place.




and still they kept coming.

Had to move up after this one.


The last one that came to the net, but not the last that I hooked. Before I caught this one a much better fish ran me around the pool for a while before jumping out and taking my fly with it.



I was hoping that the one that broke me off would take again as there were still fish rising in the same pool so had a sit and a wait.
Put the fly in the fast water at the top of the pool and thought that I had it again until I saw the fish. It was twice the size of the first one and much larger than anything that I have seen in the brook before. After a few minutes of holding the bottom it turned and stripped line as it flew down stream and under the bank. I waded down after it and found it had got tangled in the roots, tried to get it out but to no avail. Sat down and had a cry. No I didn't really felt like it.

I know where it is and shall be back in a few days time.