Well, here we are, the last day of the season and we awake this morning to a covering of white on the fells.  There is a bitterly cold north wind blowing down the valley, but it's now bright and sunny with just a few clouds away over Ribblehead.

Time to think about shutting up for the winter, battening down the hatches to prepare for the winter storms and think about the season to come.

I suppose that this season will go down as the summer that never was, when the river ran full for most weeks and was fishable more often than not.  It will be interesting to see what the returns are like when they come in.  My real concern is the effect that the severe spates may have had on the viability of trout fry early on.  We won't know for some time, but the electro fishing planned for the main river next summer should tell us a little more about the numbers of young fish and give some indication as to the general level of recruitment.  There is certainly enough food to maintain a good population of wild fish over the winter so let's hope for a really successful breeding season and plenty of fry next spring.

As for the Tarn it's now really a case of watching and monitoring, keeping a check on cormorants and generally tidying up.  The main job this winter will be the refurbishment of the hut so that we can start the 2009 season in some style and comfort.

The next post will be on Sunday and each Sunday thereafter until March 2009.