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

 Hi all, I had a short session to test some Mini-Alloy Stem Avons out this morning and ... BOY.......AM I GLAD I DID !!!!!! I hoped down to the SFAs stretch of the Irwell to hopfully grab some grayling pictures with my new trotters. It was a smash and grab raid as I was taking out  T.O.W.M.B.O. (THE ONE WHO MUST BE OBAYED) out for an early Valentines Dinner. (So Im frantically witting this blog as Dudds has put me under some considerable pressure to get it to you tonight) 😆 I got up late to throw a spanner in the works as well. I managed a few coats of paint on some other floats I am currently making then it was off to the river. I had a few grayling within the first ten minutes so my pictures were in the bag early doors. 😁 I checked my pictures and concluded they where what I was after and therefore could now relax for the next hour, enjoying the peace of being out in the fresh air as the new avon meandered along then bobed under  "Hmm another lady I thought"...... the...

 I have had some issues over the last few seasons fishing small overgrown spate rivers.  The summer and autumn tree growth over head has severely hampered my fishing.  I only have fourteen foot float rods so I commissioned Andrew Boyne to create a six foot float rod for me, something a little special to ensure I could fish without being hampered by the encompassing foliage I have been patiently awaiting delivery of my new 6-foot float rod and today I finally got my hands on it. 😊😊 Both myself and Andrew arranged a social distanced fishing session to introduce him to a section of river I know reasonably well and to try out my latest acquisition, the new seven foot stream rod.  (Pictures at the end of the blog) We kept in touch by phone ensuring no contact whatsoever before the moaners start.... lol 🤣  We obviously had to fish local so I/we decided on the River Irwell. Rumours were about of grayling showing in the river which had got our juices flowing !!!! As ...

Today I had another session on the Littleton Road section of the River Irwell In Salford. The sun was bright and baring down on me so I wasn't too hopeful of a good catch but as Mike Duddy says " You have got to be in it to win it " !!!!!!!!!! Rod and reel for the session was a 14 foot Acolyte and an Okuma Centerpin My end tackle was a hand made 10 No6 stick float, 16s hook and 4 lb main line. I was feeding straight from the moment I arrived and on my first trot down hooked into a nice dace of around 3 ounces. I had nothing then for around 10 minutes so used the time to alter my shot pattern and depth, fine tuning my set up for when they arrived. ( Here's hoping ) The continuous feeding of maggot and hemp was slowly starting to work and bites started to materialise. 😁 Small, sharp bobs at first but as I increased the feed more positive bites started to show, then a fish. A nicely conditioned roach.  😁 I was getting into my rhythm ...

After two of my mates cried off this weekend ( Shame on you.....lol )  🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I didn't have a plan of where to go !!!!! I have been struggling to get motivated to fish for quite some time now but I had to go and test out my new stick float so I chose to go local hope for the chub or the newly stocked silvers to show. The wind was up but I chose to use my Trudex pin coupled with an Acolyte Plus. I fancied fishing over depth slowing the bait right down using a large domed stick and the pin is great for this method. The first choice of swim I chose was a bad one. The swim had changed quite a lot since the last time I fished it. It had a lot of depth but with changing currents steams and an eddy on the far side.....very difficult to get in a rhythm and keep your bait in one run. I did manage one trout........but this was the only bite I had in 45 minutes so I packed up and off to the next peg. This run was also very slow...... two bites..... two trout...