River Irwell Chub - Waggler Fishing - 30/12/ 2014.

River Irwell Chub - Waggler Fishing.

I have been itching to have a dangle on this peg for a few weeks. Its situated on  on the middle river and is a section of the River Irwell that is feed by another body of water that is rich in natural food and also, oxygenates that part of the river.These are the two main reasons I wish to have a dangle in this area. It may be possible to fish it with a stickfloat but as I am " waggler rich " lol I will be using this method to try and extract a chub or may be an elusive mid river roach. Casterman has fished it from the other side many moons ago but to do that now would involve a LOT of strimming and cutting out, so, I will take the lazy boy route and fish it with a waggler.......this one to be precise.

A home made beauty. Lets hope it doesn't sink.....LMAO

Casterman informs me it was only shallow in 1892. That was when he first fished the peg......pmsl.

( But ignore the Irwell Master at your peril :-)

I have a feeling the feeder stream - not in shot - may have carved a hole in the river bed over the years and I was banking on this being a holding feature for chub. There are also a few willows overhanging on the other side and it was something of a challenge to fish this with a waggler and get the presentation right but I am up for it.

I started over depth with about three inches dragging the bottom to begin with.

My swim for the morning without giving too much away......... :)

I have learnt to my cost on the middle Irwell that it is VERY easy to over feed in the winter. 

Filling the place in like it is the Severn or the Ribble is not the way. Little and not to often are the key words on this stretch of the river because there simply are not sufficient fish stocks to be able to fish that way. Just ensure there is a regular supply of feed. You are trying to get the fish to compete for the bait so remember that when you feed. - Feeding is a skill on its own and any budding angler would do well to observe feeding fish and apply that knowledge to there winter fishing adjusting the feed levels where necessary.

It was bloody cold. The rings on my rod were freezing. Note to self : Must get some glycerine to prevent this.

This invasive species - Hogweed - is still growing, now, in the winter. Its un-stoppable.

Armed only with a pint of mixed maggots I started feeding the swim after I had cut out - Don't think you will find pegs on the Irwell ready cut out for you. Us anglers are a secretive bunch an we will even try to hide our pegs from other anglers. You will have to make your own peg on many occations.

The morning didn' start off too well. I had a tangle before I put a bloody hook on. Once I got into the swing of waggler fishing again there was no stopping me though. I can only describe my new floats as FANTASTIC. I am over the moon with their performance as well as their aesthetics - might even put a couple on ebay, you never know.

I was admiring my trotting technique and the way my new float performed when my concentration was broken by a bite ......lol. Instant connection and a head shake, gotta be a brownie I thought. A couple of minutes later a lovely little brown trout graced my net. This is the first fish I have ever caught on one of my own hand made floats. It's that little bit more satisfying when you have put an hour or three into making your own float and then catch using it.

Feeling very please with myself i picked up my catapult and fired a few more maggots to the far bank next to my float and again admired the float meandering down the river on a cold and frosty winters morning. I was into my groove now and fish tight, cast, feed position, trot. I had a nice warm feeling inside. The kind of feeling you get when all the pieces of the puzzle have come together. On the next cast just as my float was passing under the branches of a nude willow tree my float disappeared, I struck and the line went solid. A steady thump and pull, thump and pull synonymous with only one river fish I know.......the chub. This is what I came for, this was my quarry and I had hooked a large specimen. It took me a while to bring the fish upstream and as I brought her to the net all I could see was a big pair of white lips and a small maggot nicked very delicately in her upper lip. " Jesus " I thought she is very lightly hooked. I gave her a lot more respect for the rest of the fight. I need a shot of this fish to show the casterman that there is still good fish to be had at one off his old stomping grounds. Slowly, slowly, catchy monkey and eventually she was netted. A good 3.5 - 4.0 lb
( no scales ) in my book. Well worth getting cold for.

This is my first decent waggler caught River Irwell Chub.

The float is a foot long by the way.

One more chub of around 3 lb graced the net then nothing for 45 mins by which time I was due a bacon sanrnie and a cuppa.

A good couple of hours spent. Information gained for the collective and more importantly a successful field trial of my new straight wagglers. Not bad for a winters morning considering it was - 3℃.........

A double dodgy selfie  before I go. :)

I look like an ageing Noddy - Note to self get some better winter clobber or someone might put me in their garden next to the daffodils.......

Neilpeel, Duane I think I need selfie lessons......LOL

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If you would like to look at all of the hand crafted floats I make please click on the link below and it will take you to my float page.

http://purplepeanut007.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/hand-crafted-floats-float-making-by.html?m=1

TTFN.

Peanut.