Irwell Roach

Sunday evening saw me on the banks of the River Irwell in Lower Broughton. Not the most scenic of fisheries but the fishing can be terrific when the river conditions are right.

In certain swims its sometimes possible to catch a fish every swim through, though this session only saw me catch a fish every third or fourth run through.

Fishing a single maggot under a 3bb stick float i caught mostly roach to about 12oz plus the occasional dace, rudd and small chub. For a change i used a keepnet to see what weight of fish i could catch in 4 hours fishing. 35lbs wasnt a bad catch at all, but one day if I get the conditions right i am sure that a tonne will be achievable.

There are some thumping big chub in this area, but so far this year I’ve yet to connect with one. Maybe the next time i visit this area, i will fish hemp and caster and see if it improves the quality of fish i catch.

I apologise for the useless photo but i had collected a gallery of locals, one of whom insisted on taking the photos.

I’m sure many of you will be able to recognise this length of river, however out of a length more than about 800yds long there are only about 6 fishable swims as the river is shallow and full of snags/ironmongery. If you are thinking of going down and giving it a try then its best to park your car at the local shopping parade as this is the only area with cctv coverage. You have been warned! (see earlier post pissed & stoned).

manchester fishing Irwell Ribble Trout