We had a lot of rain yesterday that persisted most of the night.  It seems to have eased off now, but it's still overcast and the lack of any appreciable wind means that the cloud will hang around for a while.  The river is well up now and still seems to be rising so fishing here will be better in a few hours as it begins to fall again.

I sat down yesterday and put together a summer MAA Newsletter which I have emailed to the Secretary for comment, approval and subsequent distribution to members.  Regular readers of this diary will find much of the content familiar, but we do have many members for whom computers are the devils devices and welcome the occasional update on what has been happening on their fishery.  When you come to write it up it's a surprising amount all hopefully aimed at producing a healthy, sustainable and viable fishery that promotes the well being of all native species that make this river such an ecologically rich environment.

I am more than ever convinced that if it were not for the presence of the MAA at Horton the upper Ribble would be a much poorer environment.  The club has nurtured the river for nearly 130 years as attitudes, approaches and values have changed, but one constant has been to promote the well being and breeding of native trout which are such a crucial element in the ecology of the river corridor.  This season has seen that work reach new levels with the re-opening of the hatchery and the start of a comprehensive riverfly monitoring programme.  The club has much to be proud of.

Ian