This is better.  We have wall to wall sunshine this morning and NO WIND!  It's a chilly start, but at this time of year there will be some warmth in the sun so the ambient temperature should pick up as the morning progresses.

We will try planting the scarecrow at the Tarn later today and see if that has any deterrent effect on the resident population of pterodactyls.  On the topic of large birds the cob is now making life difficult for the larger cygnet which is beginning to look miserable and I guess will soon be driven off.  It's about the right time for the adults to start thinking of nesting again and I doubt if they will want No 1 son involved in proceedings.

My leg feels so good this morning that I think I will have a go at invertebrate monitoring down at New Inn today.  That's providing that Mrs F doesn't throw a wobbly at the thought of me dancing in the river which by the way is now falling off the flood and beginning to clear.

I didn't get round to reading Stewart yesterday so I will come back to this later in the week.

It really is good to see the sun at long last.

Ian

I think that my condition reports must be jinxed as the weather deteriorated rapidly after I wrote my piece yesterday.  By mid morning we had heavy rain and a bitter wind that put paid to any chance of good fishing.  Mind you, that didn't stop a couple of members trying.  Gavin P dropped by at lunchtime to say that he had spent a pretty miserable morning fighting the wind and failing to disturb a single fish.  His presence did disturb the cormorants though as did that of Mark who, clearly made of sterner stuff was seen leaving via Newhouses Lane later in the afternoon.  I know not how he fared, but I admire his persistence.

It's not all bad news from the Tarn as I got an email from a member who shall remain nameless to to save any embarrassment which I repeat in part as follows.

You may be interested in S's and my experience at the tarn yesterday (Friday) afternoon. We came up fully expecting that we'd get only manage a look at the tarn from the road, the river being in flood and the wind and rain dreadful. But we succumbed to the temptation and got the tackle out, with the excuse of also checking how the cygnets have got on over winter - remarkably well, but the larger of the two was being shown the door by its father.
So there you have it.  There are fish to be caught despite the attentions of the black pterodactyls.  Let's see how things change as the weather picks up as it's forecast to do this week.  Currently it's wet and cold with a brisk westerly, but it is scheduled to clear up this morning and we are promised some sun by lunchtime.  The week ahead looks promising with much warmer and brighter weather by mid week.

Finally, Gavin P left me a wonderful book yesterday, a first edition of Stewart's 1857 treatise on fly fishing which I am looking forward to reading enormously.  I will come back to this later.

Ian

We had a hell of a lot of rain yesterday and the river was in full spate by late afternoon.  It's faired up over night and we now have a glorious start to the day with wall to wall sunshine and just a light westerly breeze.  It's not warm, but the sun helps to lift the feel of the weather.  The river is still high and coloured, but should drop back quite quickly provided that the rain keeps off.

I am getting a lot of reports about dire fishing at the Tarn.  I know the weather has been cold and windy, but with fish only stocked a couple of weeks ago one would expect them to be a bit more stupid and take quite readily.  The cormorants are clearly having an impact and whilst I doubt if they have yet take all 200 fish we put in it's quite likely that their presence and continued predation is spooking the fish and putting them down.  All we can do at present is to continue to scare them by various means and the Hon Sec tells me that he knows of a club that has had success using scarecrows.  We intend to try this so don't be surprised if you see a motionless body apparently fishing the Tarn if you visit or drive past next week.  Ingenuity is called for here otherwise we will have no fish left and the fittest cormorants in Yorkshire.

Ian

My weather prognosis yesterday proved a bit optimistic and one member rang me last evening to correct the view that it was relatively mild.  He had spent a fairly miserable morning on the Tarn getting frozen fingers, catching nothing and was only buoyed up by the occasional retreat to the hut to restore circulation to numb extremities.  He also told me that there are now 5 or 6 cormorants resident at the Tarn.  It's vital that we keep a good record of these predators so that we can present compelling evidence to DEFRA that action needs to be taken to preserve our fish stocks.  It does not take any imagination to understand the damage that is being done by 6 of these birds.  They eat voraciously and will feed all day every day given the opportunity.  Our stocks will diminish quickly unless we take action and this is being pursued, but I would ask all members who fish the Tarn to ring me after each visit to report the number of cormorants they see or make a note in the Tarn register.

I am getting mobile again and within a week should be able to resume more regular visits to the river and the Tarn so can do what I can to keep the cormorants on the move.

Here is a date for your diary.

On Thursday April 17th

At 6pm

At BOLTON ABBEY ( Barden Bridge Car park)

By kind permission of The Duke & Duchess of Devonshire & Chatsworth Settlement Trustees

The evening will be aimed at exploring the fascinating world of river flies and other aquatic life in the River Wharfe with experts from the Environment Agency and the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust.    

River flies are extremely sensitive to chemical changes and are an excellent indicator of the quality of river water and can give an early warning of pollution. The event will be of interest to everyone connected with rivers whether you are an angler, conservationist, riparian owner or just someone who enjoys the Yorkshire Dales Rivers. 

There will be a practical demonstration of how to take a sample, and you will have the opportunity of identifying what is in the catch.  It is hard not to be captivated by this fascinating hidden world.

The Rivers Trust is part of the ‘Riverfly Partnership’ and is looking for volunteers eager to learn more and willing to carry out future monitoring at a variety of sites on the Yorkshire Dales Rivers.  Equipment and further training will be provided.

Guest speakers will include:-

• Marian Wilby – FWAG.  Welcome and introduction.

• John Shillcock – Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust.   The Trust’s involvement with the Riverfly Partnership.

• David Barber – Environment Agency.  Riverflies, their life cycles and how and when to  sample them.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME no need to book just turn up 

For more details please ring 01609 783632  or e-mail dorinda.dixon@fwag.org.uk

 I plan to be there and so may seem some of you.

Ian

Yet again we have a dull, dismal and wet start, but with no wind it feels warmer and on the whole it's not a bad fishing day with the promise of some sun between the showers which should encourage a hatch of fly and a few rising fish.

My comments the other day about problems with crows prompted an email from my regular correspondent.  He well remembers a more collaborative approach to their control by farmers 50 years ago and offered some good advice about outwitting these resourceful and intelligent corvids.

David also recalled the steps that were taken to keep control the numbers of goosander present on the river.  This is interesting as I had thought that the increasing number of these carnivorous tooted duck was a fairly new phenomenon.  I am seeing more and more of these on the river and they must be having a detrimental impact on the number of salmon and trout fry and yearlings as a family of goosander require a fair bit of provender to sustain them.

As with all things it's a question of finding the right balance and intervening where natural balance has become a bit skewed.

I think that it's time to talk to Natural England about both the population of goosander and the cormorants on the Tarn which now seem to be present summer as well as winter. 

Ian

It's a damp and dismal start this morning, but a fair bit warmer than of late with most of the snow now gone and very little breeze.  The river is reasonable with fairly good water on most runs and pools.  The forecast is for rain during the day so all in all not an unreasonable fishing day.

It always saddens me when I get reports that members have had a blank day on both river and Tarn and that was the case yesterday with a new member who made the long trek from east Yorkshire only to find that the fish were uncooperative and the weather was dour.  Getting to know this extensive fishery can be a real challenge for new members and I am always very happy to come out with members to show them the places to park, how to access the river at various points and where the really good beats are.

It's that time of the year again and the Wild Trout Trust to whom we owe so much for their support over the past couple of years are holding their annual on line auction.  Find details on the WTT website www.wildtrout.org  (just click this active link).  There are many great lots including all the fishing breaks you could wish for.  All proceeds go towards enabling the WTT to ensure that our wild trout have a future so bid generously.

Ian

Sorry that today's posting is so late.  Truth is that my broadband connection was on the blink this morning and has only just come back on line.

It's been a fairly quiet Easter on the river.  No doubt partly due to the fact that the holiday is about the earliest it ever gets and the weather has been none too benign over the past few days.  I am not aware that anyone has fished the Tarn much since we stocked last week so the fish will have had plenty of opportunity to settle in and acclimatise to life in the wild.

Geoff B did ring me yesterday morning to check on conditions and he planned to come up later to try his luck on both the river and the Tarn.  I'm not sure if he did so and if he did how he got on.  We had very blustery snow showers throughout the afternoon, some quite heavy.

This put the kibosh on attempts to trim down the large colony of crows which is busy building a multi nest condominium in the top of my giant sycamore.  The son of a past member called late yesterday afternoon to ask if I wanted the colony thinned out. Much as I appreciate wildlife this mob is becoming a real pest as they are breaking down the finer twigs and branches to build their nests and bringing in a vast amount of timber, much of which they drop.  the ground under the tree is littered with the stuff.  They are also a threat to the lambs which will soon be filling the pastures round the house as they are not above pecking the eyes of very young lambs.

So, we decided to deter them with a high powered air rifle.  Some hope!  As soon as they saw my new friend and his gun they were off like rockets towards the river and returned only when they saw his van disappearing down the lane.  Animals are far from stupid and this lot clearly know what a man with a rifle looks like.

Back to the drawing board.

It's cold and bright, but quite cloudy here this morning.  The wind has dropped off and the river has risen a touch with the snow melt.  It looks as though we may get a repeat performance of yesterday with squally snow showers later.

Ian

It's been a fairly quiet Easter on the river.  No doubt partly due to the fact that the holiday is about the earliest it ever gets and the weather has been none too benign over the past few days.  I am not aware that anyone has fished the Tarn much since we stocked last week so the fish will have had plenty of opportunity to settle in and acclimatise to life in the wild.

Geoff B did ring me yesterday morning to check on conditions and he planned to come up later to try his luck on both the river and the Tarn.  I'm not sure if he did so and if he did how he got on.  We had very blustery snow showers throughout the afternoon, some quite heavy.

This put the kibosh on attempts to trim down the large colony of crows which is busy building a multi nest condominium in the top of my giant sycamore.  The son of a past member called late yesterday afternoon to ask if I wanted the colony thinned out. Much as I appreciate wildlife this mob is becoming a real pest as they are breaking down the finer twigs and branches to build their nests and bringing in a vast amount of timber, much of which they drop.  the ground under the tree is littered with the stuff.  They are also a threat to the lambs which will soon be filling the pastures round the house as they are not above pecking the eyes of very young lambs.

So, we decided to deter them with a high powered air rifle.  Some hope!  As soon as they saw my new friend and his gun they were off like rockets towards the river and returned only when they saw his van disappearing down the lane.  Animals are far from stupid and this lot clearly know what a man with a rifle looks like.

Back to the drawing board.

It's cold and bright, but quite cloudy here this morning.  The wind has dropped off and the river has risen a touch with the snow melt.  It looks as though we may get a repeat performance of yesterday with squally snow showers later.

Ian

Rather than describe conditions here this morning here is the scene from my front door.



As you can see it's a white Easter (Happy Easter) and despite the sun, to the north the clouds are building and I suspect that more snow is on its way.

It's good to hear from members especially when they are far from home and yesterday I got two emails from a new member who is currently suffering the privations of American TV in the good old US of A.  I gather that the main thought keeping him sane is the prospect of fishing the Ribble on his return. Good luck to you Mike and I will see you on the river when you get back.

I now seem to be able to walk again without stabilisers so am concentrating on building the muscles in my leg so that I can get further afield as quickly as possible.  I am itching to get out to see how all the trees we planted are getting on.  I know that the fencing we put up this time last year has survived the severe floods we had in January because Dave White stopped by to tell me the good news a couple of weeks ago.  I had fears that the post and rail fencing on the flood plain would have been damaged in the very high water that came down Cam Beck and Gayle Beck to meet here, but it seems that our work has proved up to the task and my only fear is for the hundred or so trees that I planted at this confluence.

The past few weeks have given me far too much time to reflect and one conclusion I have reached is that I really must get out and fish more this season.  My casting is truly appalling so I think a few lessons will be the first priority now that I can stand up without toppling over sideways.

Once again a Happy Easter to you.

Ian

We have a light covering of snow here this morning after fairly regular showers during the night.  The stiff north wind is a real pest and it's bitterly cold outside.  A day for a brisk walk, dressing a few last flies or a good book by the fire rather than trouting on the river or the Tarn.

The glass is rising so maybe the weather in the next few days will be rather kinder. It's a severe welcome for the lambs that are now beginning to fill the folds and pastures around Horton.

I see that the Government has dropped plans to impose a licensing system on sea anglers.  This was a contentious issue that threatened to overturn 800 years of tradition and it is always surprising when entrenched political opinion is changed by effective lobbying.  Apparently DEFRA were unable to show just how the alleged improvements to sea angling accruing from the license fee would be implemented and benefit anglers so the Bill has been dropped.

Ian

Let's start with the weather here this morning since despite all the dire predictions is glorious at present.  We have wall to wall sunshine with not a cloud in the sky, but we do have a biting northerly breeze which is keeping the temperature little on the fresh side.  Not ideal conditions for a day spent at the Tarn.  A little more cloud and a warmer breeze would be better, but perfect conditions for to see the dales at their best.

This is probably not a subject that you have often contemplated when "standing in a river waving a stick" as John Geirach put it, but since most creatures spend at least some (if not most) of their lives asleep what about fish?  Recent research has demonstrated that indeed fish do need a regular nights sleep and seem to enjoy a good lie in.  Researchers have now been able to show conclusively not only that fish sleep, but that they can suffer from sleep deprivation and insomnia.  By repeatedly disturbing fish using mild electric shocks, researchers were able to keep popular aquarium species awake at night.  Those fish that had suffered a disturbed night were found to catch up on their sleep as soon as the opportunity arose.

So, next time you stand by the Tarn or crouch in anticipation by the river and the trout seem absent perhaps they are just enjoying a late lie in after a particularly good party the night before and do remember to tip toe quietly along the river if you happen to be there after dark.

Ian

What a contrast.  I stood outside my front porch yesterday in the warm sun listening to the first curlew I have heard this spring watching, the blackbirds busy building in the clematis that covers the front of the house and thinking that summer is not far off.  How wrong can you be?  This morning we have rain, heavy cloud and a chill in the air together with a strong and gusting westerly wind.  Not a good day to be out on the river which is rising and colouring.  The forecast for the next couple of days is none too promising either, but it looks as though we are due some settled, high pressure weather  early next week.  Still, the river could do with a bit of a freshen up.  It's been a bit low these last couple of days and I doubt if we will get enough rain to bring on a spate.

News has also reached me that salmon anglers are being warned to watch out for a potentially deadly parasite that is increasingly infecting river run wild salmon and could be dangerous to people.  CEFAS are urgently investigating the increase in the number of cases of wild salmon found with swollen and bleeding vents.  Male and female fish affected. The parasite known as Anisakis simplex has been known for some years and is ingested by salmon when feeding at sea.  Some 15% of fish caught on the River Dee last year were found to be infected and even greater numbers have been found on the Itchen.

Eating a live worm from an infected fish can cause severe problems in humans including erratic heartbeat, unconsciousness and respiratory failure, possibly leading to death.  The bad news is that even dead parasites when cooked can cause anaphylactic shock.

You have been warned.  The best advice is to check any fish you intend to keep and eat very carefully and remove any parasites.  Any fish intended for consumption should be frozen first or cooked at at least 70 degrees C as this will kill any parasite and their eggs.

Any member concerned about this should contact me for a copy of the full article.

Ian

Let's start with the weather here this morning.  It's a bright and sunny start with a slight frost and no wind.  Cloud is building from the north west, but this seems to be high and hazy rather than threatening rain.  Taken together this should provide reasonable conditions on the river today with enough sun to encourage a hatch and sufficient cloud to prevent the fish from being too spooked.

The Tarn stocking has taken place.  I was most impressed with the quality of the fish supplied.  These are all big deep bodied rainbows with clear iridescent markings and showed little sign of fin wear.  All are around the 2lb mark with a handful at 3lb or just over.  They should delight all those members who visit the Tarn in the early season.  All is ready now for the first day on Friday.

I read in the paper that one enterprising Leeds chip shop owner is seeking to pay off his mortgage by auctioning the pickled fish that has hung on the wall of his shop for many years.  In these times of financial turmoil it's perhaps something that we might emulate with a few pickled rainbows from the Tarn, but then again the pickler in the above case was an impoverished art student called Damien Hurst so perhaps a 4lb trout pickled by a member of the MAA would not command the same return at auction.  still, worth a thought?

The forecast is for a return to wet and windy weather tomorrow with the wind veering round to the north and bringing snow on Saturday.  I will keep you posted.

Ian

When I came home from hospital last month I spent many hours reading whilst waiting to regain some semblance of mobility.  Most of these books were discourses on fly fishing, mainly by American authors and as I reported at the time they were variable in their power to inspire and explain.  One book that stood out by virtue of the poetry of its prose and the way it painted images in the mind of the landscape and lives it describes is A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean.  This is a novella that deserves to be read for sheer pleasure by all fishers who seek to explore what fishing means to them and how it shapes their lives and the lives of those around them.  Why do I bring this up now?  Well, last night Sheila was out at a Council meeting so with 3 hours to amuse and entertain myself I sat down and watched the film of the book that Robert Redford directed back in 1992.

My verdict.  It's a refreshingly sensitive Hollywood interpretation of the story.  The characters are well drawn in the script, are very well acted (often understated)  and remain true to the spirit of the book.  The storyline and events in the lives of the main family are not always faithful to the original, but the departures make sense in helping to provide a narrative structure to the tale and rarely detract from the enjoyment of the film in its own right.  The film lacks some of the richness and depth that make the book such a compelling read, but what stands out above all else is the stunning Montana landscape with its mountains, forests and turbulent trouty rivers.  The fishing sequences are quite well done.  There is drama and the casting and technique is, on the whole fairly believable. You really do want to see if a fish is caught.  It would seem that Orvis were heavily involved in advising on these sequences so one would tend to expect a degree of faithfulness.

This was a couple of hours well spent, a rare admission for someone who watches films only when forced to do so.

So, what of Horton today.  Hardly the majesty and splendour of Montana, but the river looks good in its own quiet little way, the weather is fairly benign with more cloud than yesterday and occasional glimpses of sun.  The wind is light and from the north west so there is every chance that fishing could be rewarded today.

Ian

The good news this morning is that the bitter north east wind has dropped and gone round to the west so conditions here are much more favourable than they were over the weekend.  Not only has the wind gone, but the clouds have lifted and it's bright and sunny with the promise of a bit of warmth later in the day which should encourage a more generous hatch of fly.

I am going to try to get the riverfly check done this week.  My leg is slowly healing and I am now allowed to put weight on it so a gentle paddle should be within my capabilities since water levels are fairly low now. 

The Tarn is still looking in fine form and it lifts the heart to sit up there listening to the oyster catchers piping, watching the goldeneye dabbling away at the margins and waiting for the sound of the plovers that should be arriving any day now.  At times you can almost hear yourself think it can become so quiet and still.  A very rare experience in this noisy and overcrowded island and one of the real delights of time spent at this very precious spot.

Time now to go and feed the blackbirds that I can see bouncing up and down on the bird table.  Clearly the raisins have run out again.

More tomorrow.

Ian

So, the long wait is over and the 2008 season has started.  And what of yesterday?  Well, conditions were challenging because after a cloudy, but calm start a bitter north east wind came up by noon which really put paid to any appreciable hatch of olives.  As a result rises were desultory and the fish were keeping their heads well down.  Despite the challenge fish were caught and I know of at least 3 members who made the trip up to Horton ( two at some ungodly hour).  Two had success during the day and I have seen pictures of two fish that had their portraits recorded for posterity before they were returned to the water.

I am greatly heartened by the condition of these fish.  One was about one and threequater pound full bodied, butter yellow belly with golden pectorals and large bright spots on an olive back.  A cracking wild fish for the first day.  The other was smaller, about half to threequater pound, again butter yellow below.  A fat and healthy little wild brown trout.  It would seem that the winter has been kind and the volume of food that we now know to be present in the river is being used effectively by both spawning fish and their young brethren.  To see fish of this quality so early in March on this cold river is remarkable.  Keep the pictures coming!

We still have the bitingly cold north easterly which will make fishing difficult today.  There has been no rain overnight and the forecast is for a dry day.  It looks as if the sun may break through later so on beats that are sheltered from the strong wind there is just a chance of a hatch and a bit of a rise.

Be warned, if you are coming up to Horton today wear thermals!

Here is a short update on water levels and conditions here at Horton for those members planning to fish on the first day of the season tomorrow.

It's been fine and warm with little or no breeze all day. cloud cover has been at about 70% for most of the day.  As I came past New Inn bridge at 4.30pm there was a steady sipping  rise to what appeared to be olives.  We are due some rain tonight and tomorrow which will inevitably raise the river a touch , but how much and whether it colours up really depends on the amount of rain that we get.

The river was running fast and clear this afternoon.  Probably about perfect for a trout on a fly.  Let's keep our fingers crossed for conditions tomorrow.  Cloud with a little light rain should give very good conditions.

I have a favour to ask.   I would really welcome a couple of scales from the shoulder of a sample of native trout killed on the river this season together with a note of it's length, estimated weight and where it was caught.  I want to try to get a feel for the growth rate of our native fish and scale readings are a good way of estimating this.  Just pop them in a slip of paper and post them through the letterbox.

Ian

The weather here in the valley this morning is truly atrocious. Strong wind and heavy rain, but it does now seem to be clearing and calming.  The forecast for the first half of the week is none too promising with the threat of more rain and wind up to Wednesday.  Then things calm down a little so the river should be in good form for the first day of the season on Friday.  Fingers crossed!  It will be interesting to see what condition the fish are in after the very cold weather we had back in February.  The river was well iced at the margins for days at a time and the persistent cold will have suppressed the inclination of the fish to feed.  Still, when the sun shone there were some good rises to hatching fly (stone fly and March Brown) so I hope too see some fat little trout at the weekend.

The working party went well yesterday and five members spent the morning cleaning the hut, refurbishing the boat and generally tidying things up ready for Good Friday.  A party of three also went down to the river opposite Parker's Wood and replaced the rotten stile on the stub of fence that drops into the river.  This will make it much easier to enter or leave the riverbank when commencing fishing upstream or finishing a downstream beat.

The bacon butties were a veritable feast made all the more enjoyable by the sun, fresh air and sight of the now very large cygnets patrolling for scraps.

The Tarn water looks clear and in good condition.  We saw no rises all morning, but there was little fly life in the cold sunshine so I guess any overwintered stock are bottom feeding. 

The S30 approval is now through, the fish are ordered and will be in and acclimatised well before the opening day on 21 March.

I will resume a daily update from Saturday so it would be good to hear news of early season experience on the river and good to see members again after the long winter lay off.

Ian

It now feels as though the season is really gearing up to begin.  We have a working party at the Tarn this morning to get things into shape for the opening day here on Good Friday.  The AGM last Friday was judged a great success at its new venue and thoughts are turning to the opening day on the river next Friday (15 March).  It will be good to be back at the Tarn after being housebound for so long.  I am pretty certain that if I take it slowly I can get myself down to the boathouse and whilst I may be unable to do much physical work I can cook breakfast.

Anyway I will post a supplement to this blog later today as I can hear the Hon Sec banging on the door.

Ian

Here we are, March already and spring should be just around the corner.  Mind you this past week has been pretty grim with wet and very wind weather and this morning is nothing to write home about. We have blustery showers and a real chill in the air.  Winter is clearly not finished yet.  The river has been bank full all week which has prevented anyone safely doing an invertebrate check.  This will just have to wait until conditions are such that wading the river is a potentially less life shortening experience.

Isn't it nice when an experience of dealing with a public body proves the exception to the general rule and brings an unexpected warm feeling?  Last week I thought it would be prudent to enquire about the current state of the S30 application I sent to the Environment Agency back in January for permission to stock the Tarn this season.  For some weeks now this has shown as either "pending" or "stopped" on the EA website.  An email to Brampton was duly sent and I expected to have to wait for a less than helpful reply.  Not a bit of it! within hours I had a phone call from a young lady at Brampton who told me that she had spent some time trying to establish the current status of the application, but could not give me a definitive answer because the officer dealing with the application was away.  She did however, spend time explaining the reasons why the application was taking so long to process and apologised profusely that I had not been kept more fully informed.  She could have simply emailed me back to tell me that the application was being dealt with at Preston and I should contact them, but instead she spent considerable time trying to find out the full facts and then took the trouble to ring me. 

I have to say that this kind of helpful response is often my experience of dealing with the EA.  They come in for some severe criticism at times, but credit where it is due the EA clearly has much to teach the rest of the public sector about good empowering management.

I am counting down the days now to 14 March when I should be mobile again.  My leg seems to be healing well and I am finding it easier to get around.  It won't be long now until I can get back to the Tarn and the river.  I really want to see the effect of the recent tree planting.  My spies tell me that the saplings are taking well and have survived the recent floods.  All credit to the planters.

Ian