It's sobering to think as you sit by the river watching a trout lazily waiting for food to drift within reach that fish are one of the oldest life forms on the planet.  I a sense we are descended from fish and one only has to compare a fish embryo with hat of a human to see the link.  Many years ago off the east coast of Africa a unique window into the distant past was opened when a fisherman brought in a "living fossil".  This large blue fish turned out to be a coelacanth which science had assumed died out 70 million years ago and whose fossil record dates back 350 million years.  Now a fisherman in Indonesia has brought in a 4.3ft specimen which is only the second to have been caught in Asia.  This raises the possibility that there are more distinct populations of this strange lobe finned fish.

What is puzzling scientists is the fact that the two populations so far found are genetically different which suggests that they separated some four to five million years ago, however, if you look at the geology of the oceans, it suggests that they should have separated about 30 million years ago.  Research, as they say, continues, but be careful when you next hook that big fish that lurks in the Tarn, it could walk out and give you a good slapping!

It turned showery late last evening.  Not enough to lift the river which is now lower than it has been for weeks.  The day has dawned a bit cloudy, but there are some brighter patches and little or no breeze so Tarn fishing should be OK for the usual Thursday contingent.

Ian