Ribble 2021

[Occasional salmon fisher]

I guess we need to start a new thread for the 2021 season so here goes.

Good luck to all venturing out this year - hopefully sooner rather than later.

 

[Ribble Rod]

I've had a close look at that fish from the Ribble and the more I was convinced it's a farm escapee . It just doesn't look like a fresh fish. The dorsal fin looks like a second adipose fin, and the head or more the mouth really looks odd.
This may sound daft but above the mouth looks like a hen fish and below the mouth a cock fish. The bottom jaw looks to be slightly overshot. I may be wrong on both counts and I stand to be corrected but to my mind it's a farmed fish. Do we know if it was returned?

 

[Rennie]

Tight lines all for the new season- when it gets here and when and if we're allowed to go !.
That Ribble fish?, quite a quandary isn't it?, if pushed at best I'd say a true winter fish, but in all probability I agree its a farmed fish of sorts.Just dosen't sit right for a Bona Fide Spring article!.I'd also ask the same basic question as Fred too!, without casting aspersions of course!
Pedro.

 

[noeyedeer]

I've had a close look at that fish from the Ribble and the more I was convinced it's a farm escapee . It just doesn't look like a fresh fish. The dorsal fin looks like a second adipose fin, and the head or more the mouth really looks odd.
This may sound daft but above the mouth looks like a hen fish and below the mouth a cock fish. The bottom jaw looks to be slightly overshot. I may be wrong on both counts and I stand to be corrected but to my mind it's a farmed fish. Do we know if it was returned?

Looks a farmer to me Fred (and Happy & Healthy New Year!)

 

[budge]

All the best for the coming season ribble rods let's hope we can get at them.
General consensus on the salmon seems to be a farmed fish. First glances it looks a fat healthy fish but something doesn't look right about the head. Glad it wasn't me who caught it come April

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[SP8]

Tight lines everyone. Looks like I'll have to forget a grayling trip and hope we are open for the trout season

SP8

 

[Andrew B]

Tight lines everyone. Looks like I'll have to forget a grayling trip and hope we are open for the trout season

SP8

You could do the next best thing and read about and see some Martin James latest Grayling from the Ribble?
He runs the Edisford Hall stretch and had some real lunkers over two pounds recently. His write ups on the Ribble are so good to read.

 

[luney]

I've had a close look at that fish from the Ribble and the more I was convinced it's a farm escapee . It just doesn't look like a fresh fish. The dorsal fin looks like a second adipose fin, and the head or more the mouth really looks odd.
This may sound daft but above the mouth looks like a hen fish and below the mouth a cock fish. The bottom jaw looks to be slightly overshot. I may be wrong on both counts and I stand to be corrected but to my mind it's a farmed fish. Do we know if it was returned?

If it was a course fisherman I would imagine that he wouldn't know the difference unless he was also a game angler. So I would imagine that it went back?

 

[castaway]

I've had a close look at that fish from the Ribble and the more I was convinced it's a farm escapee . It just doesn't look like a fresh fish. The dorsal fin looks like a second adipose fin, and the head or more the mouth really looks odd.
This may sound daft but above the mouth looks like a hen fish and below the mouth a cock fish. The bottom jaw looks to be slightly overshot. I may be wrong on both counts and I stand to be corrected but to my mind it's a farmed fish. Do we know if it was returned?

It was returned, it was caught on float fished breadflake.

 

[Occasional salmon fisher]

It was returned, it was caught on float fished breadflake.

Probably looked a bit like a pellet !!

 

[budge]

It was returned, it was caught on float fished breadflake.

Anyone got some white marabou ?

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[noeyedeer]

Anyone got some white marabou ?

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Yes, but I'd go for spun white deer hair, dressed bomber style.
I did a bomber with natural colour to dabble with surface fishing but no results to date!
At least it proves the look up!

Guideline Bomber Tube White/Grizzly

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[wilbert]

I've had a close look at that fish from the Ribble and the more I was convinced it's a farm escapee . It just doesn't look like a fresh fish. The dorsal fin looks like a second adipose fin, and the head or more the mouth really looks odd.
This may sound daft but above the mouth looks like a hen fish and below the mouth a cock fish. The bottom jaw looks to be slightly overshot. I may be wrong on both counts and I stand to be corrected but to my mind it's a farmed fish. Do we know if it was returned?

Fred I had similar thoughts about that fish. From every angle it looks wrong. It looks a bit thin (not typical kelt thin) yet appears in reasonable condition. The jaw looks wrong too, like you say the top half looks like a hen and the lower half a cock fish. Farmed fish usually have small and misshapen heads but it wasn't overly spotty like most farmed fish. If it had recently spawned I would expect to be able to see the vent or some fin damage / battle scars. Certainly not a fresh fish so I'd log it under miscellaneous.

 

[seth]

Maybe salmon like bread, I was throwing some bread in the ribble at low moor for the chub, and a salmon came up and took a piece of the top, nice head and tail rise as well, never expected that.

 

[noeyedeer]

Maybe salmon like bread, I was throwing some bread in the ribble at low moor for the chub, and a salmon came up and took a piece of the top, nice head and tail rise as well, never expected that.

They probably swim through that much human-sourced detritus out at sea, maybe they're getting like urban foxes - eat anything!

 

[Rennie]

Not strictly related, but a tale none the less. When I 1st started fished as snotty little yoof, I'd fish the Burns round Coupar Angus for trout with worm and a bubble float. One year the burn was choked with weed and I caught trout on bread flake, floated on the top.Soon twigged a bit of white foam lasted all day, never came off and you could catch more than one fish on it.Didn't need to scrounge bread either!.
Should be able to Speycast a bit of foam,lol!
Pedro.

 

[Occasional salmon fisher]

Similar principle to dog biscuit and bread flies for carp !

 

[Ribble Rod]

Here are the fish counts through Waddow in December
We had a total of 8 fish up and 23 fish down. The up counts were 3 fish under 4lbs and 5 fish over 4lbs.
The total number for the year was fish 2875.

The numbers of fish over 4lbs in (2020) was 1379 compared with 787 in ( 2019) 991 in ( 2018) and 1600 in (2017)

Fish under 4lbs are (2020) 993 (2019) 1458. (2018) 999 and (2017) 1661

 

[budge]

Not strictly related, but a tale none the less. When I 1st started fished as snotty little yoof, I'd fish the Burns round Coupar Angus for trout with worm and a bubble float. One year the burn was choked with weed and I caught trout on bread flake, floated on the top.Soon twigged a bit of white foam lasted all day, never came off and you could catch more than one fish on it.Didn't need to scrounge bread either!.
Should be able to Speycast a bit of foam,lol!
Pedro.

Stayed in a caravan down Wales when I was a lad and there was a small stream/ drain ran at the back. Method was a hook, swanshot and a piece of cheese for the trout and eels ! Don't know why but it was better than worms ?

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[Occasional salmon fisher]

Anyone know if Stocks Reservoir has new management in place yet ? Hope so as it is a popular venue for North West anglers having been built up by the previous managers over 25 years.

 

[Andrew B]

Not strictly related, but a tale none the less. When I 1st started fished as snotty little yoof, I'd fish the Burns round Coupar Angus for trout with worm and a bubble float. One year the burn was choked with weed and I caught trout on bread flake, floated on the top.Soon twigged a bit of white foam lasted all day, never came off and you could catch more than one fish on it.Didn't need to scrounge bread either!.
Should be able to Speycast a bit of foam,lol!
Pedro.

Lol I remember kids using polystyrene on my local beck when the angling club used to stock it with one pound browns.

 

[Andrew B]

Here are the fish counts through Waddow in December
We had a total of 8 fish up and 23 fish down. The up counts were 3 fish under 4lbs and 5 fish over 4lbs.
The total number for the year was fish 2875.

The numbers of fish over 4lbs in (2020) was 1379 compared with 787 in ( 2019) 991 in ( 2018) and 1600 in (2017)

Fish under 4lbs are (2020) 993 (2019) 1458. (2018) 999 and (2017) 1661

Shame they don’t have the Winkley counts anymore?

 

[Ribble Rod]

Shame they don’t have the Winkley counts anymore?

I agree Andrew, and it would be a lot more positive for us anglers if we had a better idea of just how many migratory fish run the Hodder, but that's never going to happen these days.
If you look at the Web cam on the Hodder at Winkley you can see that a lot of the stone work of the weir has now been washed away and the fish pass is redundant. Fish for many years now have been able to run through the weir without actually having to go through the counting channel making it redundant.

I am always wondering just how long the E.A. will carry on with the main and only counter left on the Ribble at Waddow ? Its never been checked or calibrated as far as I know for a long time and the fish trapping chamber is full to the top with silt. This trap was last used a few years ago now when the Ribble Trust carried out a spring fish tagging project. It was very useful and showed where most springers spawned. Those of us who were involved in this project found it immensely interesting and seeing all those lovely large springers very rewarding.

 

[Andrew B]

I agree Andrew, and it would be a lot more positive for us anglers if we had a better idea of just how many migratory fish run the Hodder, but that's never going to happen these days.
If you look at the Web cam on the Hodder at Winkley you can see that a lot of the stone work of the weir has now been washed away and the fish pass is redundant. Fish for many years now have been able to run through the weir without actually having to go through the counting channel making it redundant.

I am always wondering just how long the E.A. will carry on with the main and only counter left on the Ribble at Waddow ? Its never been checked or calibrated as far as I know for a long time and the fish trapping chamber is full to the top with silt. This trap was last used a few years ago now when the Ribble Trust carried out a spring fish tagging project. It was very useful and showed where most springers spawned. Those of us who were involved in this project found it immensely interesting and seeing all those lovely large springers very rewarding.

Oh Fred I’ve followed your reports from when you started and you’ve always made so interesting for me as oppose to just reporting on catches?
I thought I’d misremembered for a minute about that counter at Winkley so I’m glad you confirmed it as there was often some really interesting data such as a run of herling or sea trout well out of season and of course the late running

The Springer project which I followed closely was absolutely fascinating as regards to where they go? I remember an old bloke in Settle telling me the really early ones would often run up as high as the Foss and then would drop back down to Clitheroe and below? That some of those tagged springers ( some very large) would stay rooted all season in one spot regardless of rain, really surprised me.
Martin James someone you’ve reported on in the past at Mitton has a really good “blog” and updates on his own fishing exploits on the Ribble albeit most of it course fishing, his recent catch of big specimen Grayling is some feat imo?

 

[Tardyrover]

Fred, I did manage to get hold of the book you recommended, 'Ribble salmon fisheries'. it is a fascinating read. unbelievable the amount of fish taken by nets in the 1800's.