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

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

Sarah - Sam & Mike - A Chance Meeting The Mrs was off to Bury today to get some bits and bobs as we were going out larging it. Which nowadays adds up to going out for a curry at the Lime Tree Indian Restaurant in Prestwich - Very nice to - ( There is your Plug Johnny. Free beers tonight ....... lol ) I usually work on Saturday but due to the Christmas holidays I was off and getting under Mrs Peanuts feet. " Why don't you bugger off for a walk " says Mrs Nut........Well you lot know me. Off for a walk was the peanut with my 10g dropshot rod, a telescopic landing net and my lure bag in the boot of my car..........lol. My setup.  Berkley 10g lure rod Rod. Shimano 1010 Reel & 6lb Maxima Line Plus A 15 lb Trace. I stopped at Elton tackle in Radcliffe - your plug to fellas ....lol - for some traces and spare lures then I high tailed it off to the local reservoir for a spot of lure fishing before "The one Who Must Be Obeyed " got home..

A BaldEagal - A Chub - And A Little Jigg. I have been fishing and drinking with John Doran AKA Baldeagal on and off for over 30 years, so, we are good mates as well fishing buddies. Today on The Chub Peg. In the Welcome Pub - Whitefield. From Left To Right, Me, Eagal & Horlicks. I love the Irwell even though its bloody hard going. Eagle gets out on it in the winter months sometimes but he hasn' t been on for a while - think he was a bit jealous of the chub I have bagged this season to be honest.....lol, anyway, I received a text off the Eagle saying he was going to have a dangle on the River Irwell for the chub. He had a two hour window to bag one. Not a lot of time but enough to have a good go at one peg.  I was a little late arriving at Eagles peg - I was on a Black Opps session for the pike in the reservoir above the river. "How you diddling Eagal" I shouted as I approached his peg though the bushes. His behatted bald napper tu

River Ribble,  Caught More Friends Than Fish !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Got a fishing pass off the Mrs so a quick tinckle to the Casterman and a trip out to Church Deeps on the River Ribble was formulated and put into action. Arrived in good time with Casterman five minutes behind me. We parked up behind the Shaws Arms Pub at Walton- Le-Dale and walked up to the sand bank pegs. Unfortunately there were already a couple of anglers on the best sand bank pegs and I don't like fishing shoulder to shoulder. Casterman managed to get on the fence peg but I chose to fish in the shallows further down stream. Armed with my own personal wagglers I was set up and fishing in good time. I new it was shallow down this end but I didn' realise how shallow. It was about 2.5 foot deep ...... :( ....... however, I was already set up so .........in for a penny in for a pound and I gave it a bash. The idea of moving away from the sand bank pegs was not one of my brightes

River Croal Chubbing - A First For The Peanut. I've bee sensible lately and instead of burning all my brass on anew Drennan Acolyte I bought some Ron Thompson Neoprene Waders instead. I have needed these for a while. There is nothing worse when one of your pals tells u he has found a new banker peg and the dredded words come forth - but you need waders - well ..... I have now so ....... Up ya frock boys ...... :P   (Salford Pete said I look like an ageing Teleytubby.....lol ) I decided to try a new river to me - The Croal at Mosses Gate - This is a River Irwell tributary. I didn' Even know it was a seperate river - I got there about 14.00 and was set up for about 14.30. Fishing with my trusty 14 ft daiwa connoisssuer X, centerpin reel, 6 NO 4 Stick float, 16s hook and 4lb main line I quite fanced my chances of a chub or to today.  I had been offering some loose feed while settting up, hopefully, to get a fish first cast ............it was not to

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

Float Making 2 The picture below is of the first inserted waggler I have ever made. It is a Christmas present for "Roachman" ....... AKA Phil Clayton. "Bloody Hell"........... I dropped it on the way to my car and chipped it. Lesson learnt. Do not transport newly made floats until they are fully hardend. I will have to do a touch up jod for the Roachman!!!!!!!!!! The photos don't do the float justice. I am over the moon with how they have turnd. Neilpeel has shown me the way regarding the eye issue on the base of the float  (cheers pal) they will look better than their shop bought brothers and hopfully last a LOT LONGER....WELL HAPPY . Had to perform a small surgery on Phils float today. I ran out of sexy pink pal you will have to make do with fluorescent orange.... My first straight waggler using glow in the dark (GITD) yellow - looks the part. The colur cmbination of the above looks the