Archives for March 2014

Late last summer Drinkwater Park Lake had a 95% covering with blanket weed. It made fishing impossible for most anglers, and we were extremely worried that it would pose a significant health risk to fish stocks once it started to die off and rot in the winter months.

We organised various small work parties through August and September 2013 to try to rake out as much of it as we could, but it grew back quicker than we could take it out.

So on Sunday the 25th March – we have placed 7 large sausages of barley straw in the water – (which emit a natural herbicide as it rots down) and hopefully this will prevent the dreaded blanket weed from taking a hold again.

Many thank to those who turned out to help.

We also held a smaller work party on the Old River earlier in the month – with the sole purpose of replacing rotten timbers on some of the pegs. Again – many thanks to Phil Clayton, John Jones, and Phil Cantliff for their help.

We have one more work party planned in Spring 2014 – on the River Irwell in Lower Broughton when we intend to have a planting session of water crows foot. This is likely to take place on Sunday the 13th April – more details to follow on this work party in the week leading up to the event

After last nights rain I wasn’t expecting to find a river that was fish able, checked the EA river levels, not as high as I thought they would be.

As the forecast was for showers I decide not to travel to far, but check out Bradshaw Brook and the Tonge where they meet at Leverhulme Park. Both were up and muddy, though not too bad.

Spoke to a chap who was packing up he told me he had a good trout on a Klinkhammer below the road bridge. Had a chat about joining Salford Friendly he said he would.

 

Decided to go to the Valley and fish Eagley Brook down from Hall i’ th’ Wood and behind the new flats.  Parked by the cinema and fished dry fly, nothing rising and no takes. Changed to a Nymph and started off down stream.

The nymph I put on came to me last week when I went to visit my older brother, he used to fish for salmon and trout but he is in his eighties and not able to fish anymore. Anyway, he gave me a box of flies, mostly salmon flies and some big streamers, but in the box there was also a few nymphs. Mostly nothing like what I use, anyway one of them was hairy black and red lump. As the stream was murky I though I would give it a try.

Had two takes and missed then both, had a good look at the nymph, which left very little if the hook showing, so I gave it a trim. The next take stayed on, nice fish no photo as I was in the middle of the stream. Had another three before I got to the road bridge, this was the last one.

Moved on down behind the flats, not been there for over a year, had a couple more, still in the middle of the stream so no photos again.

 

Like the Irwell, Eagley Brook has lots of sewer over flows, in the half mile that I fished was the following.

 

 

This one next to the cinema has a sign that says “Outlet” not sure what comes out of it.