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Peter Dunbar

Member
Hi all,
I've always loved fishing and was brought up on the Bridgewater canal round Eccles and Trafford park.
After moving house 3 years ago to a small town in Radcliffe, I have the river Irwell behind my house (Croal/Irwell confluence) which I have fished on a number of occasions but catching only trout and grayling (recently caught a pretty large trout trotting maggots, easy 2ft long) but it's the very elusive barbel I'm after (very very few in numbers) so I've got myself a number of new rods, the new sonik 2lb twin tip xtractor for feeder/ledger and a guru n gauge pro 14ft rod for floats (got acolytes but already snapped the tip on a 14ft plus version).
My mate who lives near me is a member on here and has had barbel from the irwell, but not recently.
Any tips for rigs (float and ledger) and areas to try? Anyone fished the irwell at all with any joy?
Thanks in advance.
Mark.
Ps my proper name is Peter Mark but have always been called Mark.
 
Welcome Peter, I would suggest you tube search for barbel fishing loads of tips on there. Can't help with Irwell as when I moved out of Manchester a long time ago nobody would have fished th Irwell for anything as it was so polluted.
 
Yeah, I've done youtube to death 🤣.
Location is the most crucial thing, as is with all fishing, but as there are so few barbel in the irwell it becomes even more critical.
I think I got snapped off a barbel once on the irwell, was on 4lb line and it tore off like a missile and we parted ways, it could have been a large trout but it felt different to any trout I've caught.
I'm confident I'll get to catch one, and join a small band of anglers who have grafted and got the result.
 
Peter Dunbar said:
Hi all,
I've always loved fishing and was brought up on the Bridgewater canal round Eccles and Trafford park.
After moving house 3 years ago to a small town in Radcliffe, I have the river Irwell behind my house (Croal/Irwell confluence) which I have fished on a number of occasions but catching only trout and grayling (recently caught a pretty large trout trotting maggots, easy 2ft long) but it's the very elusive barbel I'm after (very very few in numbers) so I've got myself a number of new rods, the new sonik 2lb twin tip xtractor for feeder/ledger and a guru n gauge pro 14ft rod for floats (got acolytes but already snapped the tip on a 14ft plus version).
My mate who lives near me is a member on here and has had barbel from the irwell, but not recently.
Any tips for rigs (float and ledger) and areas to try? Anyone fished the irwell at all with any joy?
Thanks in advance.
Mark.
Ps my proper name is Peter Mark but have always been called Mark.
Click to expand...
Hi Peter/Mark,

Welcome to BFW !!
My sister lives not far from you in Little Lever, so I will be intrigued by your endeavours !!
 
Peter Dunbar said:
Hi all,
I've always loved fishing and was brought up on the Bridgewater canal round Eccles and Trafford park.
After moving house 3 years ago to a small town in Radcliffe, I have the river Irwell behind my house (Croal/Irwell confluence) which I have fished on a number of occasions but catching only trout and grayling (recently caught a pretty large trout trotting maggots, easy 2ft long) but it's the very elusive barbel I'm after (very very few in numbers) so I've got myself a number of new rods, the new sonik 2lb twin tip xtractor for feeder/ledger and a guru n gauge pro 14ft rod for floats (got acolytes but already snapped the tip on a 14ft plus version).
My mate who lives near me is a member on here and has had barbel from the irwell, but not recently.
Any tips for rigs (float and ledger) and areas to try? Anyone fished the irwell at all with any joy?
Thanks in advance.
Mark.
Ps my proper name is Peter Mark but have always been called Mark.
Click to expand...
YouTube is full of brilliant & easy to follow cintent. I have picked up do many tips & ideas on there & saved the best uploads for future references.

Welcome to the site! 😊
 
Welcome to the forum, Peter.
I live in Manchester and spent quite a few years targeting the Goyt, around Stockport, with some success. Following the installation of an archimedean screw (electricity generator) on a weir I used to love the fishing dropped off considerably - I think because the building work disturbed tons of soil that lay dormant, and contained chemicals from the bygone industrial age, for decades and then was tipped into the river.
Anyway, I have since ventured further afield and now mainly fish the Dove, upper and (more latterly) the middle Trent.
I've never tried the Irwell but Salford Angling have a FB page, where you might find more information. I only manage max. twenty five sessions a season so prefer to fish where the rewards are better, in terms of fish size and/or numbers.
Good luck!
 
Richard Parsons said:
Welcome to the forum, Peter.
I live in Manchester and spent quite a few years targeting the Goyt, around Stockport, with some success. Following the installation of an archimedean screw (electricity generator) on a weir I used to love the fishing dropped off considerably - I think because the building work disturbed tons of soil that lay dormant, and contained chemicals from the bygone industrial age, for decades and then was tipped into the river.
Anyway, I have since ventured further afield and now mainly fish the Dove, upper and (more latterly) the middle Trent.
I've never tried the Irwell but Salford Angling have a FB page, where you might find more information. I only manage max. twenty five sessions a season so prefer to fish where the rewards are better, in terms of fish size and/or numbers.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Yeah I'm friends with Mike, salford friendly anglers chairman. He's still after an irwell barbel after many years of trying.
I must be a sucker for punishment as I love the challenge, knowing there are so few of them in there.
 
Richard Parsons said:
Welcome to the forum, Peter.
I live in Manchester and spent quite a few years targeting the Goyt, around Stockport, with some success. Following the installation of an archimedean screw (electricity generator) on a weir I used to love the fishing dropped off considerably - I think because the building work disturbed tons of soil that lay dormant, and contained chemicals from the bygone industrial age, for decades and then was tipped into the river.
Click to expand...
I remember in the 80's how silty the river was behind weir sill and it backed up right around the bend at Chadkirk.

The river was largely dead then, I would catch the odd small roach or skimmer and when there were fish kills (which seemed quite often) the only fish that floated up were small, presumably fish that were stocked a year or two beforehand. It wasn't uncommon to see a shean of rainbow colours on the surface no doubt the result of another pollution those factories (remember those?) around New Mills.

Those sediments and silts must have been loaded with all sorts of nasty pollutants and 'forever chemicals' that had accumulate, as you say, back from the industrial age. Absolutely scandalous to have allowed that hydro generator to be have been built given the circumstances.
 
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