Purplepeanut007 PP007 FLOAT MAKING & FISHING ADVENTURES - THE RIVER IRWELL AND BEYOND.

I have been meaning to make some of these floats for a VERY long time. The Porcupine Quill is another pattern that reminds me very much of those long summer days spent a the local lodge with your mates bread fishing for tench and Crucian Carp. I used to use them on the ICI pond to catch tench to 3 lb and Crucian Carp to 1.5 lb on Carvansons lodge in the early 1980's both of which are still on the Unsworth Anglers card. The pair below are replicas of floats passed down to me from my dad who had them handed down to him from my grandad. I believe my grandad may have made them himself, or, had them made for him as I have never seen their like before or since. I remember " Borrowing " 😉 these from my dads float wallet many times  although he did not know it at the time...... Lol I was not allowed to use them in my youth and quite rightly so incase I lost one. To use them I had to sneak them into my wicker basket the night before I went fishing. ...

To day was the day that myself and Salford Pete were heading off over to the wrong side of the hills, up the M67 and over to Yorkshire. Our target for the day were  Yorkshire Ladies . . . .  Ladies if the stream that is . . . . .  Otherwise known as. . . . . GRAYLING !!!!!!!! Being born and bred Mancunians grayling are a foreign species to us and, unfortunately neither of us have bagged one on our travels.  ( Well. . . . . I have had one from Lymm Vale but I don't count still water grayling ) We were meeting a friend of mine and a new member of my float making group on face book, Jordan O'Halloran, a local Yorkshire lad with bags of knowledge regarding ladies. 😉😉😉😉😉😉 ( Dont tell the Mrs.... 🤣 ) We met around 08.00 on the River Don. Unfortunately, the river was high, coloured and pushing through at a fair old rate of knots. Not the best grayling conditions but this trip was planned months ago so we all decided to give it a go. ...

I love the look of these porcupine stemmed bobbers.  This is the second one I have made now and have really enjoyed making it. I can imagine my grandad using one of these on the River Eden bait fishing for trout where allowed. This traditional style bobber has a balsa body, a porcupine quill stem and a brass eye. The threads are black and violet and the paints are plain white and fluorescent pink / red. At home on the river trotting for grayling or in a lake for perch.  These floats are quite versatile and can be used to fish for a number of species. Margin fishing for carp is another popular use. I have a trip soon on which I am targeting grayling, a fish that has eluded me all these years.  Hopefully this float will be fully dry so I can get a traditional fish and float picture. If not.......... I have my childhood bobber on stand by.  😊 Lets hope the weather holds out Jordan. Until the next time. . . . .  TT...

As I was making my last set of baby bobbers . .   The Ivory Set . . . . . http://purplepeanut007.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/ivory-baby-bobbers.html?m=1 I remembered a float from my childhood which was . . .  " The favourite float " of the time. I used it for everything  !!!!!!!!! From tiny squats on a 24 s hook down to a big fat lobworm for tench on a 12s It did not matter if it was suitable for the lake or the conditions . . . . .  it was my lucky float so it was the first one to hit the water every time . . .  lol. I can still remember the lads I used to go fishing with on   Unsworth and Pilsworth Fisheries. Peddling like mad on our grifters, choppers and racers to get to the best pags first . . . . Lol. 🤣 John Doran Gary Robinson Tony Robinson Mark Dickinson Lee Webb To mention but a few. 😊 Six weeks of non - stop fishing in the summer holidays . . . That must have been around 1983. 😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲 Fishing ...