River Roach

River Roach, this has been  one of my favourite quests over the last few year's and the pinacle being to catch a 2lb roach from the river Ribble.  I have come very close and I could easily have fooled myself and I'm sure others with some of the fish I have landed. A few fish have been worth a re weigh and even a shake of the scales, which still always seem to settle a oz or two under the magic figure


The truth of the matter may well be my other great love is watching a float. Since I was a young lad I have been almost hypnotised. Session by session hour upon hour, transfixed by the site of a stick float wandering it's way down the river. I have promised myself to spend some time feeder fishing.  I would imagine that if I had spent more hours,  maybe only a tenth of the time on a static then my goal would have been reached.

So it may well be the case that a few sessions into the evening when the light fades into darkness  is when and how my target would be reached? Or maybe not!  The fish that realy counts, the one I am sure to remember will be on the float. I'm sure when it comes I will recall all the detail .....line used, hook, the float, rod, weather, most defiantly the swim and I will more than likley remember every little thing from the specoal day.
I seem to be fishing well enough, the main problem is the amount of smaller fish making my caster hemp approach difficult. Even tares are picked off by the chublet, which is a bitter sweet thing. Bitter..... it's a bit of a pain when my well placed and presented bait is smashed within a few seconds of its trot.  Sweet...... it's  good to see so many small chub in the river again.
A few thoughts on my approach.  I have found a two to three gram inline pole float is very good.  I love the stick but when your fishing a few rod lengths out and you need to slow the bait this is the best way. I now just need to fall on things in my favour. A dropping river with a touch of colour, a gentle up stream breeze,  to just hold that float a little and of coarse the main thing some hungry redfin!   The rod and reel, Drennan Accolyte  Ultra rod  is spot on for this kind of work and a mix of old and new when it's married up with an old Abu 506 closed face reel.
The best line for the reel is Drennan float fish, it does all that's needed very well, its robust, floats well and does not kink.
I stick with a general rule of thumb for roach when picking my swim steady water,half walking pace with decent depth it's also worth looking for areas they can find refuge in both from predation and flood. I would use a no4 shot per foot of water. I use a shirt button style paturn with shot  but depending on the wind and how even the depth and flow this style may be compacted, for example shirt button from half depth.  I use a Matrix twin swivel just above the hooklength and a couple of no 10s shot nipped on for perfect presantation . I realy like the new Matrix hooks to nylon,  the line is very tough for its breaking strain and the hooks are also spot on for this fishing, fine sharp and strong for example I landed an 8lb barbel while fishing this way. I would use  fishing maggot buried on a size 20s. Caster doubled up on 18s. These hooks are tied to 1.3lb or 1.5lb depending on the hook, silverfish or pole fish.  I have  16s/14s  for corn and some 12's for bread flake again these are on either the 1.5lb or 2.1lb hook length. The rest is down to time and a little luck!

Life!!!!

I'm Back, well I hope I am!  I will attempt over the next few weeks to update the blog. I would say that the onset of Facebook / twitter, the ease of posting pictures, telling where your going , where you have been,  what you are doing and who with is a reason the blogging has slowed to a stop. It may be  Im just lazy.
This may just be an exercise in dealing with things, who knows, but I have a need to do so.
 The kids are growing, I have the support of my wife who is much more than just that.... I digress.
So this may just be for me, I have found with blogging I have looked back with a smile on things that have happened.  I have a feeling this won't be one but it may have more importance for sure.
So about a year ago I found myself sat at work. I seem to remember bemoaning how busy I was, a few things contributed to this downward day.... I would rather still be on the holiday that we had just returned from, the weather was nice, why was I not fishing?
At this point my hands rested on the back of my head and I stretched, my fingers massaged the stiffness of middle age, then like a thunder cloud it was there .....a lump. I don't know why but at that moment I just knew somthing was wrong, not in the way things had been before. This feeling made me sick to the depths  of me.  Anyway doctors, hospital, tests, surgical procedures and then results. Well even though everyone said
 "oh you will be ok"
It wasn't it was that word, the one you dread
"Cancer" yes the one everyone else gets. The one you try to tell yourself older people get, even though you know deep down your fooling yourself into a false feeling of safety.   Yet here sat before me was the guy who knows such matters telling me.
All my life I have thought about how would I cope with that kind of news. Well I have tried not to think of it to be honest but here it was, as cold as a winters day on the river, but in no way as welcome.
It was strange all I could do was think of the ones I loved, Melanie, the kids, my mum and dad,  how would I tell them?  When should I tell them?  Should I tell them?  It was a haze one thought arguing against another with all the time a nagging feeling in the back of my mind. It was one I had to deal with but was trying to maybe avoid I knew it would come.
Well I seem to think I rang work. I had left an hour earlier hoping for the best and being wished the best, hoping and wishing had not worked and as I told Ste the bad news. I felt more sorry for him than myself.
 "That was hard"
I told myself, how would family and friends be? Well it was not good and from being told the news midweek it was Sunday before the phone stopped ringing and one of the kids or Melanie was not sat by my side. Then it was there I was here on my own with my thoughts and feelings .  How would I cope? It's strange though because the  first questions in my head was just like when I was told not about me it was about Melanie and the kids and that's how it's been a constant battle in my head. Some parts of the day I'm winning every now and again I'm on the ropes raking a beating!
Well the tv was on, it could have been five minutes, it could have been an hour I don't know. I do know though that when on my own the chances are it will be on a sports or the history/discovery chanel.  My head lifted or maybe I just focused and there it was. I have seen it a hundred times and while I have been aware of this and what it meant it had never hit home like now. The thing on the TV was D-day, hundreds of young men, nearly all younger than me at a guess, running up a beach, being shot by other young men who if they had come across in normal life, would have had little to fight over never mind kill.  I was lucky!  Look how lucky I am ....a good family Melanie and the kids my mum and dad good friends. My life as been blessed the more I thought about this the luckier I had been I was now going through time I'm luckier than those I kept telling myself  I felt guilty for being upset so many people would swap me places . I can remember my nan telling me stories of how her young brother had died and her dad coming home.......
"The tears of my father mixed in with the coal dust from the pit he had been called from, making my brothers face black."
She told me. Oh god how lucky  I am.
 That's how I coped, it may not be ideal but that's it I was thankfull.
So treatment goes on, the breaks from the nag at the back of my mind come in the smile of my kids a shared laugh with Melanie. The moment Wigan score a try, or the waiting of the float disappearing on its way down the river.  That's about it for now, I will try to get some fishing related stuff up at some point until then  god bless!

Winter on the pin

A few hours on  the pin and back blogging.

A Year Gone By

As always Roach and Chub off the Ribble I'm now
making a few floats, it's a little like tying flies when
the float dips a real feeling of satisfaction.

Phil with a Barbel  he's now only half the man he was then!!

Sometimes you need to travel to find a fish but not always
fly fishing in Bolton!

He could not hide the joy of finally catching a Flash Tench

Pete with a Grayling with more or less first cast (:

Ok time after time I say I will get back to the blog. Well sometimes you need a bit of a kick up the backside. It's been way to long, a new camera some new waders on the way and the normal veiws of Matt "north country angler", which got me started on this in the first place always inspires. Well with the bad weather I found my time being spent looking on the web. I started making a few floats which I will post about at some point. Then I came across Glen Pointon and his soft touch shrimp again somthing to inspire. I found myself full of interest again, posting a few shody attemps on the fly forums. The next thing Im on here looking forward to a new year with new drive. So here is the soft touch shrimp which as give me the kick up the arse. Search "Glen Pointon" or "soft touch shrimp" his blog as a step by step and video of how to tie it. I will put a link up when I do my next post which will be a best of 2012.

Lucky Sod!!

Reet it's been a while the blogs been quiet..... same old..... same old you may say, well enough of the "I'm busy" and so on. I will try to keep this quick, maybe it will help me get on here more often! More than likely though this will end up in a long winded story akin to war and peace. About twenty years back my Mam n Dad gave me a rod for my birthday, that rod was perfect in my eyes, it had a spliced tip spot on for silvers on the river, and enough back bone lower down to tame bigger fish. After some years and some great days, I managed to break the tip on a branch as I made a strike. After an attempt to mend the rod and a few pounds spent on subsitutes, my mind was made up. Now I have had hit outs with some good rods Normark, Greys, Shimano the list goes on and on. I kept browsing the web, e-bay got some hammer!! So when a mint Diawa matchlite stick rod came up I made the move. Rod on the way, the normal worries take over, will it be ok? are my recolections like some fishermans tale? the rod was not really all that!! Well it turned up, it was just well "perfect". Now would it perform? Work had dropped off weather was not bad...... errrrm new rod "Day off!!" So off to the river, some mashed bread and a few bits n bobs, just fish needed. They had other ideas. An hour past, not a touch, then a good take the rod was.... perfect like an old friend, not seen it for a while but comfotable within seconds. Blast a Trout, a few months earlier and on the fly this would have been so welcome not now though. Another hour without a touch and a move. Now Im not bothered with cows normally but these cows had bollocks and when one lowered it's head grunted and pawed the turf, I made a quick return to the water, waded past them not worth the risk I thought. The next swim had a little more depth, a little less flow and I soon had my first Roach. Not a monster but very welcome another half dozen followed before my next strike saw the rod arch over. When the red fin broke the surface my heart quickened it was a better fish. It looked big, my mind went back to a fish I lost some years back, the spliced tip soft middle section of the rod eased my fears and when the fish went nice and safe into the net I was sure the rod was as good as I thought. For a moment I thought could it make the 2lb mark, not quite my scales are a bit funny they dont do oz so the 1.7 made the fish go about 1lb 12oz I think. It was under two but I'm getting there!

So a perfect new but old rod, a nice day and my favourite fish. "Im a lucky sod no doubts!"

No Trout

After last week I could not wait to get
back on the river. The previous weeks visit
had inspired me. So much so that I even found
myself finding time at the vice.

I did manage a Brown on the dry the
week before, and when my first view of
the river brought me the sight of
rising fish, I was hoping for a few
more. The first fish where all
Grayling. Two on the dry for me
and one for Jeff. A change to spiders
and yet another Grayling .....no trout!

I found another nice drop off and
put the old peeping caddis on first
run through and a little jab on the line
my stance and attitude switched to Herron
mode and when the next short run met with the
line stopping mid stream I lifted and a heavy
bang...... bang on the rod let me know this was
a more serious fish. The large fin broke the
surface of the smooth glide, even though out of
season I could only marvel at another Grayling
in great condition, shy of two pound at a guess.
I would take another nice fish but no Trout!!

I did manage a little parr but the lack of
Trout is a both a mystery and worry, the
grayling is most welcome though I just hope it
continues into the future.

It's The Way You Hold Your Mouth!

The start of the Trout season is well under
way and with quite a dry warm start to the
season the fishings been a bit of a mix.
The fish are about, laying up in their
normal streamy feeding spots quite early.
The dry weather and clear water makes hooking
them a little tricky.

I would say we are now blessed a lot
of our local streams and rivers hold
the odd fish, infact our urban trout
that are on the door steps seem to grow
quite large. It's not quite how you
would imagine it, a free urban stream or
a prime stretch of rural water costing
a arm and a leg to fish, which brings
the chance of the better fish?
A fish may lay behind a old tyre or disgarded
home appliance but if you can see behond the
ignorance of man nature as found a way.....
or has it? These fish have found a place
to live without the predatory threat ok
the chance of polution is a constant concern
but the once dirty streams seem devoid of
over predation, pressure may change this
but for the moment certain waterways alow
the Trout to grow and grow. Already though
some are changing and the signs are plain to
see, big fish yes but the numbers of smaller
parr has and is falling.

So the first visit a few fish could be seen
and after some hard work Phil took a nice
fish on his new coiled leader. My first clumsy
attempts lacked any hook ups, a few plucks and
the odd flash was as close as I got.
I worked my way down river trying every
pot and fihy looking spot, now it may be
early season but the numbers of small
fish are just not like a few years back.
When the line darted and a good fish
broke the surface I was not surprised.
You always got these fish, normally you
would have had a dozen 5inch to 10inch fish
first, these fish are not around or at least
dont seem to be.

Well my peeping caddis, when all else fails
I turn to this fished upstream on a short line
the takes are hard and fast. It's now been refined
a little, I lose a few so quick and easy to to tie
is a must for me I can wip one up in two minutes
which is about it for me.

I'm not sure if this bug is the reason
I catch many fish on it. Let me explain
I soon turn to this fly so it spends more
time passing fish. I also know how to fish
it........practice makes perfect!!
Last my concentration picks up as I expect
to catch on it. So I may well catch on
other flies just as often if I only gave
them a chance. I do think it's a good mix
it looks buggy, the dubbing, tungsten gold
bead are all tried and tested fish takers
the grub part is easy and looks good.
All you need is some wool knot it and burn
the loose end down to the knot and thats
it tied in with some phesant tail legs
dub and done!

So on to the rural setting and I expected....
well nothing to be honest! Nice surroundings
and a nagging wandering of how such water
is so devoid of fish??Well what a plesant
surprise the river was low, clear and beautiful
as normal. Aftera good walk I saw a fish rise,
a short wait eyes searching and again.
At least one in the river at least one!!
Now for my I'm not quite sure what to use fly.

I'm on new water here, nothing much to
see and so I cover a few bases. From
being a bit of a mix this fly can be fished
in all manner of ways it's a good size to
cover several things it's a good weight
not to heavy but by lowering and raising my
rod I can get it to search if needed. Oh
and the most important thing I catch fish on
it and so it spends plenty of time wet!

After a bit of searching and wading I found
some water, you know the kind, all your senses
intensify you expect a fish... my first run.
Now even though this water must have fish
Im still saying looks good but "Nah" I can see
the drop off, the water looks spot on. I leave the
rod high and then lower it, Im seeing the fly
in my mind and how it travels along, now I lift
the rod again watching the tip of the line and
trying to keep in contact without efecting the
flys path in too much of a dramatic way, just
as I imagine the fly is lifting the line darts
a little and the thud of a fish!! It's on long
enough but off again to soon,I feel like I may
have missed the chance but next run and again
as I let the fly lift a fish is on I can see it's
not a trout but a grayling a good one, again the hook
looses it's grip.... &*%£ !
So I let the fly wander it's way dwn again and
this time a little perfect grayling
comes to hand. I had lost another and caught
one more before Phil made his way down. We had
a chat and rested the water a little.

After my succsess I was keen to find more
and on my way down stream I came across
not one but two rising fish the dry F-Fly
was nipped on and moments later my first Trout
lay in the net.

So not the Trout we set out for but a
good few out of saeson Grayling which
is good to see two happy fishermen made
our way back home.
Now it could be luck maybe a tiny bit
of skill or and most likley
"it's the way you hold your mouth"

Upper Crust

Well I managed to snatch a few hours at
weekend. The normal story of a busy morning,
a quick phone call, chuck some stuff in the
boot and a dash down the motorway followed.
Arriving with limited time but the hope of
at least watching until the float disapears
once or twice. Even better that the thing
making that little red tip vanish is a fishy
critter helps me through the week.

The thing is I often reguard the lower river
as well...... not really a river. It's slower
deaper, wider and more populated banks are in
the main avoided by me. You may say it's a bit
snobby, but I like to escape from people when
I get the chance. Not the ones who have the same
thoughts on angling as I do, as I now often fish
in company. We often talk all the way to the river,
then a hour or two can pass without a word. The odd
decent fish, a bit of advice or a quick bite and drink
is the other time for words until the journey home.

The journey to the river is often spent talking fish.
"Oh you should have seen the amount of Dace,
Chub and Roach on the Ribble when I was a kid"
is my normal line.
" Not many 4lb Chub then
but you could catch one after another".
Now the thing is the lower river is now
just like the old days... Full of fish!!
So even though my "upper crust" fishing
ways are part of my ethos the chance to run
a float down stream and that run often ends in a
fish is just to good to miss!

So to the fishing, I now have a constant supply
of dried out bread, as the Mrs would tell you
"It's hung up in bags all over" It works and like
all things with a bit of practice and advise I now
have a good set up. The best place to get advice is
other anglers, now you may like all, some or none of
what they say but the thing is with the blogs that
people keep it's easy and free. One bit of advice on
bread from I think idlers quest? was all about punched
bread, well it works for me its quick, easy, cheap
and doesall I need it to..... catches fish!! I would
suggest you take a look. I had maggots and started off
with them but after ten minutes of no bites I switched
to bread........ good move every run seemed to result
in a fish, nothing big most Chub from a 1.5lb to 2lb
enough to get mewanting more...... Oh and that 2lb
Roach!!!

Pete did catch a few fat Dace, once it
had gone dark!!

This is my favourite picture of Pete for
obvious reasons.

2012

Well happy new year.. 2012 and my first trip
out on the river. It's taken a while after
what seems to have been a month of non stop
rain!!! I did try to get out before 2011 drew
to an end, but we got rained off. A nice gammon
made up for it in the Aspinall Arms at the side
of the Ribble. Think the gammon was on my mind
today as a back up, in case the river was too
high again. Has we made our way out for a spot
of long trotting on the Ribble.
We looked off the bridge and even though still
up a little the river could offer a chance of sport,
gammon would have to wait a much more pressing matter
was at hand.
In fact the unseasonal warm weather after such a heavy
spate filled me full of confidence, not to much, the
fish sometimes, even when everything looks good can
be of a different mind.
So with a few layers to keep out the cold, a warm flask
and with the hat I pinched off Logan I made my way along
the bank with Pete.Looking more like a Russian sniper than
fisherman. The first spot I picked looked as though
it would offer the fish some rest from the strong flow.
Back in fish stalker mode I made my normal approach, a
little feed, then set the rod up, a little more feed,
put the line through the rings "cold fingers already"
feed, float on ..... little more feed and so on. By the
time Im ready to make that first run down the glide the
fish have had twenty to half an hour feeding on freebies.
Those first few runs find you the depth, if a bite
is not forthcoming I play around with the shots
it can just change the way the bait presents itself
to the fish. Not too much needed on this occasion
the float in that special moment burried, without
even the need of thought my hand covers the line
trapping it and the rod is raised with a fick, I should
be able to this, I have practised it so many times in the
flesh but also in dreams and every time I see a river the
thought runs in my head.
The line draws tight the rod arches and the solid but electric
feeling of a hooked fish runs up my fingers... it's good to be
back!!!

After a good scrap a old freind reveals itself and a decent one.
a quick trophy shot and it tips the scales at 4.15lb. I love
Chub not that they are the best fish on the end of a line
but they are crafty and a worthy quarry.

This was a good start, a few more runs and away again this
fish twisted and glided across the swim....
"it's a Grayling"
was the shout to Pete, by this time I had mannaged to get my
line on a branch Pete waded and got it in the net,
"I would have lost that" I said
"I have been helpful then" was his reply.
"well it's once more than last year then" which got
a smile. this one went 1.5lb a few trout out of season
and a couple more lost Grayling before Pete landed
a few.

We moved down stream and Pete found some fish
this looks like it could be a good year even
Pete's catching!!

Pete with one of his brace of Chub.

So a great start to the new year lets hope it's a
good un!! All the very best Tony.