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

Work has been getting me down lately so a chance call from Derek Kenyon was most welcome and saw us meeting up at some new pegs " The boys " . . . .  Derek Casterman Kenyon & Dave Hovis  have cut out on the Middle Irwell which gave me the motivation I needed. Arriving first I had the pick one of the pegs. I picked one that visually looked the best but after two or three trots down I realised that the run was a little shallow and moved up one to try it out. The new swim was much deeper and I was more comfortable with it. By this time a deep thoated  “ Aye up lad “  echoes through the undergrowth and a head popped out of the foliage It was  . . .  “ The Casterman “  He was buzzin as was I.  We haven’t been out together for a VERY long time and very fitting it should be on the Irwell. We both new I had the best peg. Casterman was talking me through his last Irwell session when his phone sings into life . . . .. . It was Phil Clayton returning Dereks call.  (

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

Hello again, I don't know about you but I loose disgorgers all the time on the river. They fall out of my bait apron all the time so I thought of a novel way to keep them with me all the time by incorporating them into a Stick Float design. I thought I would produce a quick video to show how I use my Stick Float Disgorgers. I hope it explains everything.......😉 The proof is in the pudding so the saying goes.😉 Until the next time………. TTFN Peanut. If you would like to look at all of the hand crafted floats I make please click on the link below and it will take you to my float page. http://purplepeanut007.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/hand-crafted-floats-float-making-by.html?m=1 Join Salford Friendly Anglers for free and help us fight pollution. http://salfordfriendlyanglers.co.uk/join/

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

Andrew Boyne has written a nice guest piece regarding my new loafer float . . . . .  . . Good result . . . . . . 😉 Andrew write up folks . . . 😊 " Had a few hours on the Ribble this evening, hoping to find it in better form than when Mike and I last visited. Unfortunately it wasn't, in fact it was even worse! An hour each in 3 of my banker swims produced a hand full of small chub. Trudging back to the car i decided to have a look at a swim I've not fished since last season. A couple of trees had gone down since i last dropped in there and their branches laying out over the water looked like a classic fish holding spot. Access close to the snags was dodgy but a peg 30yds above provided a nice spot to fish. It was impossible to chuck down with the tip due to overhanging trees - thankfully i had my trotting gear, and Mikes Loafer with me! Bait was to be a lump of paste wrapped around a size 8 Raptor Big T - no messing in the fast water. You need a big float to

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