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

 Hi all, I had a few spare bodies staring at me in my blank box over the last few months. In December I finally had a few hours spare to try out a new paint job. (New to me anyway) A few test cards later and some frustrated attempts I decided on three colours to play with, Eath Brown, Hunter Green & Canary Yellow plus Standard White and Fluorescent Orange, all of which I made myself. I kept the threads simple using only two, Yellow/gold and black. There are eight of these floats in total, all in balsa and with hardwood stems. Here is a short video of one float which shows it in great detail. I was expecting to ruin a few floats but luckily I didn't, also, I was not sure about the paint job initially as I usually like things crisp and precise which is the opposite of what I was trying to achieve with these floats, but, for a first attempt, I am rather please with the results. The Avons below have the same diameter balsa body, but, are heavier than the previous Alloy Stem Avons a...

A long over due trip on the  Lower River Irwell  to test out my new stepped stick floats was tonight's mission. Many in our club would like to know where all the silvers and small barbel have gone ? So tonight was a scouting session to try and find them !!!!!!!!!! I opted for my Abu 704 closed faced reel tonight as the wind was a little gusty coupled with my 14 foot Acolyte Plus. Bait was two pints of white maggots, a pint of hemp. Two stepped stick float rigs were knocked up at home and stored on line winders. All was ready for my little experimental session. 😁 It took around 30 minutes or my first bite and fish, a lovely chunky dace of around 5 ounces.  I shallowed my rig a little and placed a No 4s back shot on about 15 centimetres from the float to aid my presentation and got and instant response, small but very welcome. 😁 Felling a little more confident I steadily upped my feed of hemp and maggots hoping to attracted the larger fis...

LEDGERING FOR CHUB. A SMASH AND GRAB RAID BY BALD EAGLE. Bald Eagle phoned me today and said he was having an hour after work on an SFA stretch of the River Irwell. I didn't need telling twice so a quick call to Casterman so he could come down and meet my old mate for the first time. Thirty minutes later I finished off what I was doing - float fiddling -, jumped into the " Mighty Megan " and high tailed it off to Radcliffe to meet the Eagle. When I arrived I nearly missed Eagle he was the well camouflaged in his " Ripped to shreds " fishing suit. We said our hellows and settled down, sitting on Eagles coat to keep my arse dry. Eagle mentioned that the last time he fished this peg he had about 15 bites and no hook ups so he was after revenge. He reeled in and put some liquidezed bread in his feeder then russled in a bag and brought out the smelliest cheese paste I have ever smelt. " Jesus Eagle , what have you put in that"  I asked , grimac...

Salford Pete & The Casterman - A Dream Realised. Approximately thirty five years ago - 1976 ish - I caught the bus every other Saturday with my dad AKA  " Salford Pete "  to the old Victoria Bus Station off Chapel Street in the centre of Manchester. On our walk to the Arndale Centre I would always ask my dad to stop on Victoria Bridge, so I could dreamily look down at the solid, dark depths of the River Irwell and think" One day, one day I will catch fish from this river with my dad " I would then be dropped back down to earth with a bang by my dad as his answer was always the same.....  " It won't happen in my lifetime son ".  This answer always saddened me simply because I new my old man would love to catch fish from the River Irwell as he remembers what it was like in the 50's & 60's, a stinking cesspit !!!!!!! Victoria Bus Station.   Victoria Bridge. Manchester Town Center.   Little did I know tha...