Its been a busy week

What a busy week I’ve had along with fifteen other guys we have been sharing the night shift to combat the poaching of various salmon and sea trout pools which is quite rife at present on the River Ribble. Working in pairs with the aid of modern technology (night sights) which are designed for us to see in the darkness. Each pair are equipped with a searchlight which can turn night into day. When it’s not my turn for the night shift I have been out and about checking mink traps, clearing away rubbish and pruning over hanging branches along various footpaths. One evening working well into the darkness I along with the help of a friendly farmer (Thank you Sam and Andy) with a tractor and chains removed some huge trees from the river. Without the tractor we could never have remove the obstruction. It’s often a holding area for sea trout and salmon. I reckon it might become an excellent chub swim, perhaps producing a six pound chub this winter

Early in the week we had a foot rise on the river which certainly encouraged the fish to feed, several good sea trout and salmon were caught, all returned which is very encouraging. On my stretch of river there has been an increase in the number of partridges, pheasants and hares which is nice to see. With the change in the seasons from summer to autumn on some days there has been quite a drop in the dawn temperatures. On Monday it was my turn along with Derek to do the night shift, around two in the morning for the first time I had to put on my big fleece. Come dawn we occasionally shivered. An hour later back in the cabin the aroma of freshly brewed coffee freshly shot rabbit along with bacon cooking in the pan made us both feel a lot better and ready to face the new day. Roy Pretlove of Manchester had a nice fly caught salmon from the Edisford Hall fishing just upstream of Mitton Bridge

Tuesday I fished for a few hours on the Ribble for roach and dace trotting with casters and feeding hemp, catching a few roach to about twelve ounces and some dace around the half pound mark, the chub offered the best sport. I didn’t have anything bigger than about two and a half pounds, but I must have caught twenty or more fish. I used a Grauvell 13 foot rod, centre pin reel with 4lb Gamma line. A float taking five BB shot and a size 14 hook completed the gear. After tea I collected a couple of fly fishing outfits, one for brown trout the other for sea trout and headed off to the Edisford Hall fishing where I enjoyed a couple of hours brown trout fishing which included a couple of chub on dry flies. After a mug of tea and some toast I then went off to seek the sea trout. Not starting to fish until the bats started hawking the water surface in search of insects I fished down the various pools. In one pool a salmon jump clear of the water, which encouraged me to keep going. With just an occasional owl hooting for company it was so pleasant and peaceful on the river. At around one o’clock in the morning with the temperature dropping it was time to leave.

Wednesday morning I am back on the river Ribble where I decided to try and catch the salmon I had seen moving in a pool the previous evening. I chose a ten foot seven weight rod with a floating line and ten pound leader to which I attached a small double Bloody Butcher tied up by Dave Jones of Bury. I suppose I made thirty or more casts over the fish, and I was on the point of giving up when the fish hit. After some ten minutes I netted a nice hen fish estimated about 6lbs which was quickly returned. I was lucky to get that fish. It was hooked in a small sliver of skin. I reckon if the fish had jumped and shook its head it would have got off. Still we all need a bit of luck. I then moved up to the Clay hole where I had seen a good fish roll but after trying a couple of other patterns I gave up after about two hours. Back home I decided to tidy up the garage. I then sat down listening to the cricket where India won the match by two wickets. Certainly an exciting match I then had my tea. An hour later I was back on the river in search of sea trout with David Jones. I fished until eleven pm then decided it was time to go home, I left the river to the bats and owls that were hooting up the valley. My total catch was one small chub all of eight ounces caught on a Dunkeld. I reckon it was one of the warmest nights I have had on the river all season.

Thursday was a busy day; I started off with a dawn session catching three small brown trout on an Adams pattern. This short 2 hours fishing spell was quite a shock to my system. After breakfast I spent some time gardening, soon it was lunchtime. A quick sandwich a mug of tea, then I worked on my new book. At 3 o’clock I remembered I had to send some books to a buyer in Lincolnshire, it was a quick dash into town; thankfully I arrived in time to get the last posting. The late summer weather is more reminiscence of the summer we had last year with the sunshine and high temperatures. Some people tell me its autumn, not true, the autumnal equinox starts 23rd September, It would have been nice to be at Tewitfield Lake tonight fishing for the rudd, but sadly I have lots of writing to get done and many photographs need to be catalogued.

Friday morning I was back on the river until lunchtime, after lunch I switched on my PC and got some work done for Angling Star, Countryman’s Weekly and Thomas and Thomas fly rod manufacturers in Massachusetts. Having finished dinner I spent an hour reading before going off to the river to meet up with Roger and Paul, as we sat in the cabin drinking tea we discussed the coming Rugby World Cup and England’s chances of winning. Football wasn’t mentioned but the cricket at Lords was certainly discussed and we reckoned England would just sneak a win to take the series.