What are these monsters?

I always have a little look at the Irwell, on my back from the canal, at the Marriot hotel. Theres a disused lock there which the fish use as a shelter when the rivers up. I got there as it was just dark and the river was alive! Fish were rising everywhere and some were massive. I dunno what the trout are eating at this time of year and the weird thing is they're only topping at the hotel nowhere else up or down stream maybe there's bugs coming off it, maybe from the kitchen!  I had a little go for 10 mins but nothing, trying everything from trotting maggots and floating bread.

Pike fishing the old river

 

The club set up a day of pike fishing on the old river in Irlam. I've never fished it before and was suprised when I landed two pike. Apparently the water was badly polluted a few years and killed everything off, but over a dozen pike were pulled out. The water seems full of fish for the pike to thrive, its nice to see nature having a comeback. I caught both fish on a float fish rudd midwater and were very lively.

A good week off

I've just had a week off and I promised myself I would wet a line a few times. The canal in town was my first port of call to flip a few lures about. I landed a fish of around 5-6lb behind the bridgewater hall. Theres a fountain in the basin here so the water is very aerated and the pike really dance. The only other intrest I had was down castlefield outside the gym. There are two small arms where barges park up, they were crammed full of small roach. Something was having a pop at em, whether it was a small jack or some nice perch but they weren't interested in my arsenal of lures. I had another go the next day and managed two follows up at Piccadilly basin. I managed to spot a tiny pike under a twig, it was no longer than my finger, I ended up watching it for about ten minutes.

On the Wednesday I met Dave (The Meddy Man) for my first session at clayton vale. The river was up and barely fishable but we stuck it out. I was lucky enough to pull out this brownie of about 2lb but no luck for David. I'll definitely back here when the rivers calmed down.

It was back to the canal on friday and fished a little swim at potato wharf. I only stayed for a couple of hours but managed to win half a dozen small roach and a chunky dace.

Saturday made me venture to drinkwater park to rake some weed out with the club. Check out salfordfriendlyanglers.blogspot.com

This post is abit late due to trouble with my internet.

A trip through the city

This saturday I took a wonder up the medlock right through the city centre. I've found a place at the back of the NCP behind the palace hotel where you can hop over the fence into the river, everywhere else is about a 15 foot drop down. I didn't half get some funny looks of people looking down at me. I found two small swims but the river was very low, a few stickleback clung on to my maggots in a deeper hole where I got in. I carried on walking up stream to where the river comes out from under the uni, you could carry on walking to the other side with a torch as the river turns into a 2ft storm drain. This is an amazing swim, I only caught the one chub but it was a chunky fish, I was more intrested in exploring than fishing. I've looked down to this swim in the summer threw bits of my chocy bar in to watch some massive chub snap it up, one looked around the 5-6lb mark, gonna leave this place till summer.

Looking up at two bars just off oxford road.

2011 so far

I started the year off at my grandparents house in south Florida with my girlfriend, and caught plenty of nice bass and endless bluegills. There my favourite fish to catch the really pull back, their like supercharged perch. Using basic waggler tactics you could easily bag up a ton, I don't understand why our fishing methods haven't caught on there. The saltwater fishing is amazing there's endless beaches and canals next to the house. It's the only place I know where you can fish salt and fresh water next to each other. Theres even some weirs where the fresh water canals flow over into the saltwater ones, here you can catch fish from both in the brackish. Some of the fish I pulled out include sharks, jacks, snook, drums, snapper and rays, which one was way over 30lb. You never know what your gonna get. The highlight was a fully grown bullshark which I managed to get in pretty close.

These giant bluegills were my favourite catch. Those pumpkinseed fish are the same family I think.

Paradise why can't I fish here everyday!

The summer has thrown up some nice fish. I've had some amazing sport on the Irwell. The roach fishing is brill and its on my doorstep. My two best fish of the summer from the Irwell, the chub was about 4lb and the trout was even bigger.

 

I've done quite abit on the Medlock and landed some beautiful perch. Also this surprise bream came out, it must of come from the canal overflow.

I've had a few good days lure fishing on the canal as well with this pb lure caught pike.

Brook trout in rochdale

I use to live in Rochdale and when I was younger I found a small tributary of the river roch. It's full of small trout and a real fun place to fish. Theres a few roach and perch that have escaped from a small secret millpond a minute upstream. The pond is rammed with roach and perch I bet theres some right monsters in there. I caught the smallest trout ever and some beautiful looking trout.

Look at the spots on this trout compared to a medlock fish.

I will definitely be coming back here soon.

Winter time!

Not really been out much, I thought I'd be doing alot of piking but I've only been out once. This little begger was my reward.

I normally fish the Irwell seeing as though my apartment is on it, but its been up and unfishable for some time. The lower river gets hammered when it rains anywhere, so I've been to my medlock swim for some guaranteed chub. I caught a few small chub and was pestered by chublets, a little perch popped up to, there's some massive perch in this swim. Some of these chub were in bad shape but then this clonker appeared. This fish is giant for the river, I didn't weigh it but I'm guessing around 3lb. Luckily somebody walked past and took a proper picture for me. I ended the day with a small trout.