Places for Coarse Fishing the River Irwell at Little Lever, Radcliffe and Whitefield.

At Salford Friendly Anglers Meeting on 20 November I was asked about places to fish up towards Bury.

I am not saying these are the only places, just the places I know where you can get at the river without to much trouble and it looks like there would be course fish to be caught.

The first one does involve a bit of a walk, all up hill coming back. Google ‘Mytham Road Little Lever’ although it looks like there is a factory by the river, its been knock down..

Drive to the end of the road, there is usually room to park a couple of cars where the road is blocked off..

Walk down the hill passed the filled in canal until you get to the river, doesn’t look much at first.

You have two choices go down river to the tree line, bit of a flow but quite deep. In the summer there is lots of Hog Weed but its ok. now and in the spring

You can get a seat in with care.

 

To go up river to the weir take the rough path over the rubble.

 

Then the path by the building and walk up the feeder. when you get to the end you can either go down to the bottom of the weir.

Or cross the feeder to get to the weir pool.

 The pool above the weir is large and goes up to Ladyshore which also looks pretty good. There is room for three or four pegs even in summer, you just have to chop back some of the bracken. Farther up balsam, knot weed and hog weed are a problem in the summer.

You can walk up to Ladyshore from here but the path is not too good, easier to walk up the canal or drive there, instruction below.

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For Ladyshore Google ‘Ladyshore Road Liitle Lever’.

At the end of Hayward Avenue drive down the cobble road passed the stables to the car park just short of the canal. Walk down the cobbled road over the canal and through the gate. About sixty/seventy yards down there is a path on the left that takes you down to the broken weir.

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This is above the weir, not very deep.

This is below, better.

 

If you had carried on down the cobbled road to the end then gone right you come out here.

If you go up a bit there is lots of knot weed but here is pretty clear even in the summer. Though there is hog weed behind you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A bit further up river is another weir just off  ‘Sion Street Radcliffe’ which becomes Sion Road.  Although its only a few hundred yards from Ladyshore, you need to go to Radcliffe by ASDA to get there. Where the road narrows to single lane I park on the muddy lay-by and cross the river on the footbridge, then scramble down the steep bank to the river.

The footbridge is closed at the moment something to do with electric cables. In season I catch some good trout down there. Hog weed not a problem until the summer when it closes most of the bank.

Down from the footbridge, to take this picture I had to wade across the river, in the summer, not recommended now.

 

I have never fished above the weir, so I went for a look. Not promising at all.

 

 

 

This was the only place that I cold get close to the weir pool, without risking life and limb, must be even harder in the summer. Give it a miss, unless you want to fish on the corner above.

To get here park by the second gate just before the road narrows and walk through the woods, easy walking.

 

 

Next is ‘Springwater Park Whitefield’. There is parking down by the river

Springwater is where the Irwell and the Roch come together. The Radcliffe end has good access to the river.

Gets deeper as you walk down river.

 This is looking up river from where I took the last photo.

 

All photos of the bottom end, got to be fish here.

This is further up, quite deep up the right of the Island, but not easy to get down by the water.

 This is just above the island plenty water , but again difficult to get down the bank.  The far bank all the way down is just Giant Hog weed in the summer.

 Irwell on the left, Roch on the right, Close Park is up river on the left of the Irwell.

 

 

That’s it for now will try to do Warth and Bury over the weekend.

 

 

Comments

  1. Fished the stoneclough stretch of Irwell last week had a couple of small brownies though a few larger topping. Today i decided to try the Clifton end from Stone clough Sewage works down to the m60 ” AND WHAT A MESS ” it stank like a soggy nappy and lots of floating brown foam !! ,i decided to try further down past a large sewer outlet and down to the bck of Clifton Marina along the shoreline the river is bedrock and and again covered in brown slippery sludge again that wet nappy smell all the way and no sign of any fish what so ever .Fact is up stream of the Sewer works the water is clear and down river of it it stinks and is filthy, up river has fish but down river seems lifeless.

  2. Hi no i didnt know the hotline existed but it seems weird that down stream and around the sewer works the water stinks like the sewage works and yet up river far different i recently fished the above mentioned ladyshore and mytham road and no nasty smells and cleaner water also, i will be returning to ladyshore today.PS i have applied to join the club but have no reply as yet ,when is the next meeting and where as i recently fished Bolton Abbey with one of there guides and had a mega day of a browny a cast there catch rate success is amazing ,they have there own wild brown trout hatchery and i think with a little bit of research and some funding the Upper Irwell could have its own hatchery and would like to join the club and get involved in clean ups etc, etc, and perhaps suggest inviting some river guides and estate river keepers in for advice ?.Never know the Duke of Devonshire might throw a few freebies from his hatchery this way ?.

  3. Hi Mark,

    Did you catch anything on either trip from ladyshore?

    Chris

  4. was down at ladyshore today, first time fly fishing so was mainly there for casting, water moves faster than it looks (was up to my knees but im 6ft 8) didn’t see any movement, was hot day but not much in the air, had seen a trout jump at wilsons bridge which is at the back of mine so decided to take up fly fishing as i used to be a course fisherman

  5. Hello years ago I’ve fished upstream of Bolton sewage works about half a mile up river. Walk across the fields. You need waders as the river isn’t deep bagged up on the stick with roach using maggots quite a few pike there too which is a sign there was plenty of fish. Don’t know about recently as I’ve not been maybe cormorants could have done damage, but its worth another look.

  6. Wesley Hayden says

    Beautiful watersmeet is the Croal and Irwell at Nob End.
    Hope to fish it in the near future.

  7. Owen hargreaves says

    Hiya mate have you ever had any luck on nob end where they both meet

  8. Fishing the Irwell for the first time tomorrow. The Radcliffe and Whitefield stretches are where they released the barbel and grayling, I think. Has to produce fish to over 2lbs by now.

  9. has any body fished the river behind clifton marina is it any good

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