Mixed Fortunes

I concentrated my efforts this week on fishing the Irwell, checking out some of last years favourite haunts. I caught the sum total of 1 minnow in evening sessions. Looks to me as though the cormorants have ravaged the river, as so few people fish these stretches it means that the birds have the freedom of the river and consequently the fishing suffers.

An intense thunder storm resulted in a strange temperature inversion one evening leaving the river bluffs bathed in sunshine but the valley covered in a thick mist – an unusual phenomena at 7pm on a summers evening.

On the second evening there was a huge hatch of flies swarming all over the river but i didnt see a single rising fish.

To get back amongst the fish, i made yet another trip down to the bronx and was rewarded for my bravery/foolhardiness by a bumper bag of roach and bream. I rarely use a keepnet, and therefore have to guess at the weight of fish i catch. My guess this time would be a conservative 50lb in only a few hours. I’m going again with a camera and keepnet on Sunday evening so will hopefully be able to show you what i consider to be the results of a good evening session.

manchester fishing Irwell Ribble Trout