Went to Nob End, crossed the Croal and then the Irwell, by the canal aqueduct, and made my way down to the river. I have fished the stretch above and below the Bury Bolton Manchester Canal Aqueduct, but not for some time. The main reason for today’s trip was to make my way down river to where there used to be a weir that was taken out last year.

Quite a change

The Irwell was up a little and still had some colour, in fact it looked a bit sick. The day was overcast and cold, but not as cold as it has been, probably due to there being no wind to speak of, which always helps.

My monthly sample was not much of an improvement on last month and the figures are well down on last year.

Seems strange as it has been a mild winter, which I would have thought would be good the insect life of the river. As far as I know there has been no pollution reported, although there has been a lot of work improving the sewage system up river at Rawtenstall.

Today I noticed that the river had a milky colour which is strange as we have had no rain worth mentioning for a couple of weeks. After I finished the sampling I went up river to look for what might be the cause of the colour, before I had gone half a mile the river became a lot clearer, so what ever it was it had stopped.

 

As usual after the sampling I started fishing, the river was low and has a bed covered in a brown alga which meant that the water was not very clear. It was cold and mostly cloudy with no sign of a hatch, started with a nymph, Goldhead Copper John.

Hooked a couple of tiny three inch browns in the fast water but then I was getting plenty of knocks but could not hook anything. Moved down river and changed to a Goldhead Peasant Tail couple more small fish and then this one.

Getting a little better at the underwater pictures, you can see the Alga on the river bed.

 

Didn’t fancy going fishing this morning, but what to do if I didn’t. No grass to cut, the hedge will not need trimming for a few weeks yet, thought about washing the car. What’s up with me, get the car loaded and go fishing, glad I did.

 

Been thinking about the Douglas for the last few days so that’s where I went. Parked on the A6 and walked down the path and over the railway line.

The Douglas is not very wide and the banks can be pretty high in places, lots of weed in the river already and lots of silt on the inside of the bends must be careful, at least the banks side growth has as yet not got under way. When it does it makes fishing from the bank almost impossible.

 

6’6″ rod, floating line, gold head copper john. Sunny with a cold wind no fish rising, fished down stream from the footbridge. First small pool produced this one, excellent start for a change.

 

 

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.

Been out taking more photos of effluent outflows on the Irwell and Kirklees Brook, which joins the Irwell just above Bury Bridge.

 

Starting on Kirklees, United Utilities list two Storm Sewer Overflows(SSOs).  Unless the first one is under the building or is the small pipe I could find no trace.

 

This one is most definitely in need of some TLC.

 

Back down on the Irwell just above and below Bury Bridge we have two listed SSOs.

 

This one above the bridge is really nasty and should have a screen across it.

 

 

This one below is no better, both seem to run all the time.

 

 

 

These small pipes  are all just above the bridge,  not listed, could be anything.

 

The other problem that is everywhere, is fly tipping. Just a few examples in plain view below Bury Bridge.

If I can see it surely the council can too.

 

 

 

 

 

There is no access to most of the river below Bury Bridge until the end of Wellington St where I cross the river on a footbridge and walk down to a weir where I find my next problem.

 

 

Not listed, the Bury canal used to be up the bank from here now there are some factories

This one is listed,.if there was any doubt about how often it flows, it has worn its own pool in the river side.

You can hear the sewage flowing when you stand near this pipe.

 

Farther down we have this listed SSO at least it has a screen fitted.

 

Nothing much until we get to Warth Bridge.

This below.

Neither are listed.

 

I moved well down river onto Dumers Lane where a path used to let you walk down the river, across from  the Bury Waste Water Treatment Works(Sewage Farm) to Close Park.

 

 

 

Don’t know from where or what this is.

But it has a ladder to get down to it.

 

 

The Path I mentioned has been blocked off with a fence and gate when this was constructed. If it’s meant to replace the drain above it ain’t doing so.

 

 

Managed to bypass the gate and walk down the path, which is now getting overgrown, until I got to the WWTW outflow.

 

 

That’s clean treated effluent.

 

 

 

This is where it comes out  when there is an storm that causes an over flow. Even at the WWTW there is now screening to catch you know what.

 

Still lots to photograph, missed a few on this trip, will get them some other time.

Went to my usual spot at Ewood Bridge on the Irwell and did a kick sample. 12 Cased Caddis and 12 Olives(Baetidae) Nymphs. Up on Caddis but as expected for this time of year, down on nymphs.

Didn’t do a sample at beginning of January as the river was to high.

 

I have been finding and photographing, along with Mike Duddy at Salford Friendly Anglers and others, sewage and industrial outflows into the Irwell.

Also Eagley and Bradshaw Brooks, the rivers Croal, Tonge, Ogden and Roch  which all end up in the Irwell, as do quite a few others.

Mike is going to set up a group in SFA, to chart  the pollution problems in the Irwell catchment and with the help of United Utilities and the Environment Agency, hopefully reduce, if not stop it.

 

It is not always certain what it is that is coming out of pipes and culverts. By the spot that I kick sample is this.

It runs almost all the time, could be a stream that comes off he golf course, a spring, or it could be road run off mixed with the other two. Looks clean but who knows.

A few yards down stream is this dribbling pipe.

Just above the bridge is a different type of outlet.

Never seen much coming out of it, most likely was connected to the old mill that used to be above it.

As were possibly, these smaller ones a few yards up stream.

Is it road run off or something from the new units where the old mill used to be. Mind you road run off is bad enough.

A little further up stream.

Could be a stream, it runs all the time, but  again could be from the new units where the old mill used to be.

Up thirty forty yards on this bank we have.

I have always thought it was a stream or a spring but who knows what’s in there.

 

 

Hard to tell what is going into the river without taking samples , all these are in a 150 yard stretch of the river.

It’s not uncommon to find places that have as many and at times many more than this short stretch.