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

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

A long awaited session on the River Ribble finally came off this week. I had arrange to meet Pete Bell A.K.A  " Ribble Pete " A great float angler who knows the lower river like the back of his hand. I arrived at the river at 07.30 . . . . around an hour after sun up. " Ribble Pete "  was there since 06.00 with his usual set up. . .  Tip rod upstream and his stick rod in front. As I arrived Pete was netting a lovely roach of around 10 ounces. " Arite Miiiiike. Long time no see " Came the friendly reply in a broad Bolton accent from beneath the olive green umbrella. " Glad you made it Mike......they are really having it this morning surprising really as the river is well up but if it rise more than another six inches on top of what it is now it will kill the fishing so don't mess about and get fishing next to me. Having received my instructions from the  Ribble float master . . . . . . .  I jumped on the peg upstr

Closed face reels are not for everyone. As a float angler however like them immensely. 😁 These reels are great for catching silvers with on the float but they have a reputation of being poor for specimen fish due to the poor drag associated with the design. This model may change all that though. We shall see! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! All my other closed face reels are Abu's. I have a 506 M for finer fishing ( up to 3 lb line ) A 704 for medium fishing ( up to 5 lb line ) & I have just splashed out on an  Abu 507 Mk2. ( 5 lb plus . . . ) It's for barbel and big chub really and for just £45 new with three spare spools it was just to good a bargain for me to miss out on. 😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉 I much prefer a closed face reel for trotting in the wind. Casting is much quicker and easier using this type of reel and it is easier to strike when stick fishing, for me anyway. A couple of my pals have 507 MK2 and have landed double figure barbel and 5 lb plus chub on

I have been a “ Bad Lad "   on Ebay again .  😈 An Abu 506M Closed Face Real has been on my hit list for a while now for silver fishing on rivers in the winter months. Today I took delivery of one. It is in good condition and ready to use even though it is over 30 years old . . . . 😲 I decided to change the line of course, so,  I took a trip to  “ Elton Tackle “ in Radcliffe  and purchased  two spools of Prestons Reflow Line. One spool for the mainline on the real and another, lighter spool for hook lengths. I prefer pre-stretched lines on closed face reels. They do not have the longevity of some of the standard lines but presentation it vastly improved when the pre-stretched are used as mainlines. I currently have an Abu704, but, from now on it will use this with heavier pre-stretched lines on the Irwell for the big chub and monster brown trout. May be the ribble if I am feeling brave. . . Lol To aid in presentation I apply some silico

Tony Peet very kindly took my " Inserted Stick Float " For a testing session.  Below are the results of his findings. 😊 " I decided to have a quick go on the River Ribble this morning. The sun was just rising and with a clearish sky,  I knew I would need to make the most of the first few hours of the day. The swim I picked was quite deep and the flow about half walking pace. I had decided to fish two lines, one a rod length or so out about 6ft deep, the other would be mid river  11ft.  Before I set up in a swim I know I normally feed it. I was loose feeding hemp corn and maggot. Straight way I had a problem. I had took my best catapult out last week and not replaced it 😣. The only one I had was my winter maggot one for short range feeding. Not the best start!!  I managed twenty or so mini pouches of  bait and BANG the elastic broke!! Well,  I had got some corn across and I could feed the near line by hand, but it didn't stop me bemoa

I had a tiny window on Sunday evening for a few hours fishing so I asked my dad if he would like a few hours trottng on the a local river  . . . . With a . . . . . “ Yes I think I will Son “ 😊  as his answer I phone my mate John Deryshire to see if he fancied it to.  John doesn’t need much persuading and of course agreed to come along. I was having dinner at my mum and dads that evening and in the end was running an hour late. We ended up getting to the river about 18.00 which only gave us a two hour session. John text me before I left asking us where we were. I told him we were both running late so he should start without us. As we pulled up the heavens opened up. "  Not the best start to the session " my old man said. " Better than being stuck in the house though . . . . . and we both agreed on that.  We walked past John on our way to our peg. John had had a nightmare start and left some gear at home and had to go back for it so he was just setting up

I had a few hours spare after work this week and fancied a dangle on a river somewhere. Andre Boyne had kindly invited me up to a stretch of river he knows very well. So with the “ Mighty Megan " all loaded up I high tailed it up to the Ribble where I hoped to catch a barbel or big chub. . . . . on the float of course . . . . . 😉 My new Lofa which is now Andrews new Loafer. LOL The weather forecast wasn’t good . . . . RAIN . . . but the river was not too high and was nicely coloured so things were looking good. Andrew was coming down a little later so I headed over to a fast, shallow stretch of the river the barbel liked to hold in at the moment.  Andrew had already pointed this run out and I had tried it a few days before on a "Barbel Stick" snd a "Lofa".  I had some lovely silvers and a few trout but bumped a brace of barbel which probably killed the swim. Silvers from a previous session ona barbel stick. I was more prepared this