The cygnet murderer has been spotted.  On Thursday evening as Gavin P was locking the hut he had a confrontation with what appeared to be a large dark dog fox that was making its way along the bank of the Tarn from the direction of the river. I have alerted the farmer to the presence of this fox as Tarn pasture is full of young lambs so Reynard's days may be numbered and the next batch of cygnets may survive. It's all part of the natural cycle of life and death, but a bold dog fox in this pastoral economy is something we can do without.

Speaking of nature red in tooth and  claw there have been some amazing pictures on Springwatch of Ospreys catching trout at a fish farm in the Highlands.  These raptors put our own fishing efforts to shame.  They are incredible to watch especially as they are taking someone elses fish, I'm not sure how I would feel if they were fishing the Tarn.

Is it just my impression or has that bearded tit Bill Oddy toned down the stupid cuddly bunny routine a bit this season?  There seems to be more emphasis on discussion of animal behaviour and less on the cuteness of what we are watching.  And whilst on the subject of animal behaviour a report in the paper yesterday must take the prize for behaviour gone awry.  It seems that a Pacific hump backed salmon has been caught on the Tweed in Scotland.  This is clearly a case of the sat nav having gone completely haywire and one can only speculate as to how a salmon managed to migrate from the Pacific west coast of the USA to the east coast of Scotland.  One mightily confused fish (and one stunned angler, I should imagine)!

It's very warm and bright here this morning, sunny at first, but it's clouding over a bit now.  This is high altitude cloud so we will probably not get the rain that we so desperately need.  I was standing by New Inn Bridge at about 9.45 yesterday evening and fish were rising continuously to a fall of spinners so when we do get some rain there should be plenty of trout around.

Two final things.  I reported a pollution incident to the EA yesterday which I hope has been promptly dealt with by United Utilities.  The sewer pipe at Rowe End has been discharging into the river again and in this low water the effect could be fatal for the fish holed up in the shrinking pools below the spillage.  I am told by the EA that UU have cleaned the grease filters at the sewage works and that they are physically checking the pipe between the works and Rowe End so hopefully the blockage has been cleared.

And lastly the Crown Hotel has now changed hands.  After more years than I care to remember Richard Hargreaves has passed the hotel on to the care of Sandra and Thomas Millman.  I have spoken to Sandra and she is very happy to continue to host the Hot Pot Supper so I have reserved the evening of Friday 3 October the traditional first Friday in the month.

No blog tomorrow as we are off to Halifax for a Christening at first light.  Best bib and tucker unfortunately.

Ian

It's been a very long time since so many members fished the Tarn in any one day as they did yesterday.  I know of at least eight who were up there at various times throughout the day and by all accounts the Tarn gave good sport with plenty of fish landed.

Peter M called by at lunchtime with an upwinged fly in a tin box which he thought I might identify.  Unfortunately, on opening the box the fly made a bid for freedom and was last seen heading for the river.  I did get a good glimpse though and my first thought was that by colour and conformity it looked like an iron blue.  On reflection it did seem rather large for what is usually a rather diminutive fly and it may be a large dark olive.  Anyway the fly had two tails, a dark claret body with olive banding, barrel shaped thorax and grey wings.  Peter tells me that they were hatching in large numbers on the Tarn during late morning.

The prize for persistence in the face of adversity yesterday must go to two members who came up from the west-country driven north by high water on the chalk streams only to find our northern spate rivers devoid of water.  They did seem to enjoy the Tarn though so all was not lost.

The mystery of the plastic coated bamboo is solved with the discovery of the head of a dipping net in the reeds by the tarn.  So we have amateur naturalists visiting the Tarn despite the signs indicating that this is private land.

The sad news this morning is that Reynard has been busy overnight, taken all the recently hatched cygnets and destroyed the remaining eggs.  I had hoped that last year's disaster was a one off, but it seems that Mr fox has other ideas.  The swans have mated again so let's hope that a late clutch fares better as they did in 2007.

Ian

I had a fairly lengthy exchange of email correspondence yesterday evening with a member who fishes lower down the Ribble as well as at Horton.  We were musing about the causes of the persistent low water in the river, the algae at Settle and what might be done to mitigate this.  As I was writing another member called by to report on success at the Tarn and by chance this member is a senior academic specialising in river catchments.  The upshot is that we may well be able to test the water here for levels of nitrate and other potential pollutants and maybe see how this varies month by month and if we get any significant "spikes" after muck and slurry spreading.  My uninformed view is that nitrate pollution from farmyard muck is not a major problem up here as few fields bordering the river are treated this way and very little chemical nitrate is used to enhance pastures.  Evidence from our riverfly monitoring suggests that pollution is low if present at all, but as I have written before I have no real benchmark against which to compare our results.  It will be interesting to get a professional view when we do the refresher course with the entomologist here in August.

Pollution may be more of a problem around Settle.  We shall see.

The Tarn fished well late last evening and the weather is now set from the west for the first time for weeks, we had a little rain in the night so conditions are looking a little more hopeful.


Ian

It's a windy and rather damp start to the morning here in the valley.  We have some real wet today rather than the desultory little shower that popped up first thing yesterday morning.  Judging by the clouds the rain will not last long so its impact on the river is likely to be minimal.  Still, every little helps (as the old woman said).

I don't know whether fly fishing simply attracts really nice people or the art of fly fishing turns otherwise miserable gits into really nice people, but I have to say that the vast majority of those who I have met who practise the art are engaging company, capable of greater than average acts of kindness.  My guest yesterday was no exception.  John L has recently rejoined the club after a prolonged absence.  It's good to welcome him back to an Association to which his father, uncle and brother all belonged.  He arrived with his wife and daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed their company for an hour whilst we discussed the fishery, it's key access points and other matters of interest. I look forward to meeting him again on the river over the coming months and years.

Don't forget the Horton Gala on June 7.  The wind may just have moderated by then, if not Michael will need to fit his ferrets with little lead boots to prevent them being blown out of their tubes like corks from a gun (see an earlier blog for an explanation).

Ian

Guess what?  It's raining!!  Not a lot I grant you and the wind is still out of the east so we may not get much, but this is the first wet we have had since the end of April. 

I was up at the Tarn first thing just checking around and getting the catch figures for last week.  The stocking seems to have brought the catch to visit ratio back up to respectability and now that we are due a change in the weather the ratio should improve still further.  There have been one or two comments about fish with stumpy tails and missing pectorals so if you catch any of these a photo would be appreciated so that I can investigate further.  As far as I am aware all the fish we have stocked this season have been fully equipped with a full complement of fins and well developed tails.  Odd!

There are now three cygnets on the nest and with the pen still sitting tight there is every chance that a couple more eggs will hatch today or tomorrow.  The water is looking surprisingly clear given the lack of recent rain and the pH at 7.6 is well within the bounds of acceptability for rainbow trout.

This afternoon I am due to meet a past member who has rejoined the club after an absence of a few years. I am much looking forward to talking to him.

Ian

I spent a hugely rewarding if rather expensive couple of hours at the Ingleton book fair yesterday afternoon and came away with three volumes which will provide some very pleasurable reading.  Firstly I found a copy of a 1912 edition of "The Natural Trout Fly and its Imitation" by Leonard West. This is a treatise in the same vein as Edmonds and Lee, Halford, Pritt et al. and covers the identification of natural insects of interest to the angler, the materials needed to tie the artificial imitations and how to tie them.  It's a well written book full of practical observation and tried and trusted methods.  West is not  a writer I had previously met, but on thumbing through my second purchase "Trout Fishing From All Angles" by Taverner I find that he is mentioned as an authority on angling entomology.  The Taverner book is one of the Lonsdale Library series and is an absolute cornucopia of fascinating information, well deserving of its title.  It covers every conceivable aspect of fishing for trout including scale reading, fish breeding, entomology, the list is almost endless.

Finally, I found a mint quality copy of a book that I have already read, but the copy I had was on loan and it struck me at the time that it should feature in my own collection.  "Fishing in Wild Places" by David Street is not only a masterfully written account of fishing off the beaten track, but the book itself is a delight to handle with its wonderful pencil illustrations by Terence Lambert and clean, simple publication.  This was the bargain of the day.  It seems never to have been opened and at £5 it was too good to miss.

So, plenty to fill a few evenings sitting in the sun with a glass of malt, that's if this damn wind ever gives up.  As you can guess it's still blowing hard from the east, shredding the leaves from the giant sycamore in the lower garden much to the delight of the goats who pounce on whatever falls in the croft with great glee.  Otherwise it's bright and sunny with a scattering of fluffy cloud. 

The Tarn fished well yesterday despite the wind and Geoff B got 4 good sized fish in fairly short order yesterday evening.  The stockies seem to have settled well and are rising to dry fly.

Ian

The main feature here over the past few days has been the near gale force east wind that is becoming a real pest.  Like an unwanted guest who knows not when to leave it's trying the patience and making life just that little bit more difficult than it should be.  There is still no rain in prospect and whilst the gale keeps up from the east there won't be which means that the river is a sad reflection of what it should be at this time of year.  Even the Tarn is beginning to suffer with the water level now at least 3 inches below the norm.  Fortunately the temperature of the water is still fairly low and the wind is keeping the surface churning so algae is absent we we really could do with some RAIN!

There was an interesting article in yesterday's paper about the serious decline in the European eel population and the efforts that are being made to try to reverse this decline.  In all that I have read about the Ribble I have yet to find much mention of eels.  I suspect that the bouldery, high incline nature of the river does not offer ideal eel habitat, but since in past times there was a reasonable otter population on the Ribble and otters main diet is eels one might surmise that eels were once present.  I suspect that Stainforth Foss presented no barrier to a creature that can cross significant distance overland.  Perhaps there is just too little weed up here to sustain a health eel population?

I have been planning to do the riverfly check at Turn Dub all week, but it's proving difficult to find sufficient water to make the check viable.  I have analysed the results from the three sites we did last weekend and there is no significant variation from past checks in fact the results we got from Selside show a slight improvement from the previous check last September.  It's far too early in the process to draw any real conclusions.  We need a few years worth of data before a discernible picture emerges, but so far we can be confident that, on our waters at least, the pollution level is low.  The refresher training we are arranging for August will provide a valuable opportunity to discuss with an expert just how health our fly life levels are for this type of river and what we can do to maintain and improve populations.  I still harbour ambitions to breed snails and gammerid as these will provide sustaining food for larger trout especially during the early season when they are coming back into condition after spawning.  I will also try a fly board or two at the hatchery site to encourage baetis to lay eggs.  The boards might survive here as my last two in Turn Dub inlet got washed away in spates.

Ian

We stocked the Tarn yesterday (eventually!) with some super looking rainbow trout.  These are fully finned and fighting fit specimens that left the stocking net like torpedoes.  There is a mix of weights with most coming in at around 2lb and a handful approaching 3lb.  Members may well find a few smaller (1.5lb) fish as these were already in the grading tank at the farm and we got them for nothing.  They do make a good individual serving for those with a smaller appetite.

Judging by the behaviour of the pen there will soon be cygnets at the Tarn.  She is now refusing to leave the nest even for a slice of bread, a sure sign that the eggs are about to hatch. The two survivors from last year's clutch of eggs were last seen heading down river towards Preston.

We need a rain dance.  The river is now looking as sad as it did back in the summer of 2006 with virtually no flow through many of the runs and riffles.  There is still water in the deeper pools, but the trout fry and salmon parr must be having a trying time with so much of the shallow margin cover denied to them.

Can I repeat the plea I made earlier in the week for the return of a landing net to the hut.  Please do check your gear carefully and if you find a net that you don't recognise bring it back.  You will find your net still hanging on the hook by the door.

Ian

All communities have their characters, those individuals whose behaviour adds a touch of colour to an otherwise drab conformity and who live in the memory long after their physical presence is gone.  Horton has had and continues to have its full share of those whose approach to life is at 90% to most of us.  My first visit to the Crown Hotel as a newly installed resident 10 years ago was one of the more surreal experiences of the myriad of new experiences to be enjoyed in this unique community.  There were a number of older characters present on a dour autumn evening and the conversation flowed as if scripted by a writing team of Spike Milligan and Terry Pratchett.  If you could have recorded it you would have made a fortune from the broadcasting rights.

Chief amongst these protagonists was "Perk" or George Mosely Perfect, one time head keeper on the Langcliffe estate on Penygehent.  The Crown was Perk's  "office" and here of an evening he would be found dispensing pearls of rural wisdom to all who would listen.  Perk had a gentle, but wicked sense of humour and many visitors would depart Horton full of information about the area that was in truth not entirely kosher.

Tragically Perk died a few years ago and with his passing a light seemed to go out in the village, the Crown ceased to reverberate with his songs and his tales no longer held an audience captive.  But....

George was well educated (Sedburgh School) and had spent many hours writing up his memories of life in Horton in the mid part of the 20th Century.  After his death  members of his family and other locals got together to put his papers in order and arrange for their publication as a book dedicated to his memory.  "Perk's Book" can be bought from the village store or the 2 pubs in the village.  I would urge you to buy a copy even if you didn't know Perk as it will brighten your day and restore faith in the value of characters in this over regulated nanny state we currently occupy.

I am confident that the Tarn stocking will take place today unless something untoward like a plague of alligators conspires to prevent it.  The weather here is overcast with a stiff easterly breeze that has sent the Thursday gang up to the Tarn muttering.

Ian

I think that it was John Donne who coined the phrase "No man is an island".  Well, Noman is a very lucky chap as all the rest of us have to tolerate a continental existence constantly buffeted and at the mercy of our fellows.  I confidently predicted yesterday that we would stock the Tarn later in the morning. Wrong!  I had a phone call from the supplier at 9 am to tell me that he had a major problem with his feed supplier which he would have to sort out and could he bring the fish up on Thursday?  I suppose that two days is going to make little difference, but one does tend to plan things in advance and when plans are thwarted at the last moment it puts one out of kilter.  Still, the fish have all been graded and should arrive here on Thursday morning.

Whilst on the topic of fish arriving it's time to remind you of this season's not to be missed event.  The Horton Gala will take place on the playing field as usual on Saturday 7 June.  I will be running the "guess the weight of the fish" competition featuring the largest rainbow trout that Washburn Valley trout farm can supply and the Hon Sec is bringing his ferrets who are providing the "ferret popping" competition.  If you haven't seen this done it's highly amusing.  The idea is to introduce colour coded ferrets into a network of pipes with various exits.  The idea is to guess which ferret will emerge from which hole to win a prize.  The ferrets find it hugely entertaining and sometimes enter into the spirit of the occasion by either all trying to exit from the same hole at the same time or just curling up in the pipe for a kip.

Conditions for fishing the tarn today are pretty good with just enough breeze to ripple the surface, a light scattering of cloud and some warmth in the air.  The river is too low to be worth considering.  Bring on the rain!

Ian

If all goes to plan we should be stocking the Tarn later today which will bring fish numbers back up to a density equivalent to this time last year.  Results of visits have been a bit mixed of late, but this probably has more to do with the strong, old east wind that has predominated recently rather than a lack of fish.  The wind has dropped today and it's fine with a scattering of cloud and some sun.  It was very cold last night with a frost which has wrought havoc on my runner beans despite a fleece blanket.  Still, there's time yet to sow again and get a good crop before autumn.  These things happen.

Looking ahead it's quite possible that we will get some rain later in the week which is desperately needed both to lift the river and to encourage the grass to grow.  It's been a poor start to the year for hill farmers with poor weather at lambing time and a drought in May which has retarded the growth of spring grass.  Last year we had summer in April then it all went pear shaped we can only wait and see what this season brings us.

We had a meeting yesterday with the managers of Greenfield forest to get an update on their efforts to find an alternative rout out for their timber avoiding Newhouses lane.  The news is not good as negotiations with Cam woodland to use develop a joint application to the National Park for a rout out to the North have stalled.  We pretty much killed their alternative proposal to seek approval for a by pass to Newhouses along the river bank.  Things are gearing up here once again for a protracted fight to get a rout out that avoids the hamlets and villages of the valley.

I have been invited by the Parish Council to be part of a sub committee convened to consider the plans for the surfacing material that will be used on the Pennine Bridleway that will cross the river at Drain Mires.  My concern here is to ensure that whatever is used does not end up in the river and that drainage from the surface is not directed into the river.  There are important trout spawning gravels at Drain Mires which we must protect.

Ian

I spent an interesting couple of hours this afternoon with Ray B up at Selside doing the invertebrate check.  We were initially disappointed in the number of individuals turning up in the sample net, but then we began to realise that what we lacked in quantity was made up in quality with a lot of species present.  The water was very low, quite warm and only flowing sluggishly through the runs and riffles.

As we worked we were bombarded by small stone flies which regarded us as a handy place to crash land.  Also around were a good number of adult iron blue's, so there are clearly plenty of invertebrates present at this spot.  A quick comparison with the results we got from Selside back in September reveals a very similar picture in fact the results today are rather better, due I suspect to the time of year rather than our efforts at habitat improvement.

Speaking of which it was heartening to see how well the fence has stood up to the severe winter floods.  Most of the trees have also survived, but a few of the bankside alders and willows have been swept away.  The main damage is confined to the massive posts I put in to support the water gate across Cam Beck.  The post on the north bank is fine, but the opposite one nearest the high bluff has been lifted together with the adjacent rail barrier and thrown by the flood high onto the river bank downstream of the confluence.  The mind boggles at the force needed to do this especially when it's also obvious that at least 3 feet of 10 foot high bank have gone as well.  This will need major engineering to remedy not my puny efforts at sinking eight foot long, eight by eight timber posts.  I must think again.  Has anyone got a JCB and an RSJ?

Ian

I decided to postpone putting up today's blog until we had done the riverfly check this morning.  As yet I have not had chance to analyse the results in detail, but overall the check went well. Our numbers were rather depleted due to ill health and other emergencies so five of us (as well as a rare feminine involvement, rare on these exercises, in the shape of Jean M) met at the pavilion and had a quick refresher about technique and method. 

We decided to concentrate on New Inn and Tay bridge sites with Selside reserved for tomorrow.  First we all went down the field to New Inn bridge and did six 30 second kick samples across a very shrunken river.  The results belied the lack of water and produced a good haul of usual suspects consistent with results obtained last May and my monthly check at this site.  Turning stones revealed a healthy crop of cased caddis, particularly from the fast water above the bridge.  As we worked there was a steady hatch of BWO some of which regarded us as appropriate perches to dry damp and crumpled wings

The haul from Tay Bridge was more meagre, but even here there was an abundance of BWO and heptagenia (yellow May dun).  As always, first impressions can be misleading.  When we first looked at the tray containing the washed samples from Tay Bridge we thought it was devoid of life, but not so.  Closer examination revealed a wealth of small invertebrates and some not so small heptagenia.

Ray B and me will do a thorough check at Selside tomorrow afternoon to complete the spring monitoring, then I will sit down, analyse the results and post up the completed data sheets.  The conclusion so far is that the river remains healthy and is providing a good food source for native trout.

Thanks to Peter M, Ray B, Chris M, Brian T for their help and enthusiasm and a special thanks to Jean M for providing a welcome tea break.

As you will gather from the above the river is pretty much 'bare bones' now and promised rain has not materialised so river fishing is rather off the menu until we get some more water.



Ian

The Tarn was looking in good form this morning with rises everywhere you looked.  The fish were feeding on the myriads of midges that are swarming in clouds on this cloudy, still and rather muggy morning.  The sun has gone for the time being and we are promised some rain over the next couple of days which will be welcome.

The swans are so lethargic that the cob could hardly be bothered to lift his head from under his wing as I approached to check the nest.  The pen remained fast asleep so I guess that the eggs are still incubating and we will have to wait a few more days yet before the cygnets emerge.

I have put a folder in the hut containing copies of all the club newsletters that have issued over the past couple of years.  Just something to keep members occupied when the sun gets too hot (or the rain too heavy).

There is a strong possibility that we will be rerunning the invertebrate sampling training that we did last May.  This is likely to take place in late July or early August and we can accommodate about 12 participants. so if you did the training last time and would like a refresher or you would like to learn more about riverfly and what lives in the river and feeds fish contact me and I will put you on the list.  The last course was hugely informative and thoroughly enjoyable, a chance to play with lots of bugs and plenty of water.

Finally a plea.  Can all members who have fished the Tarn over the past ten days please check carefully their landing net as a member's personal net has been removed from the hut and replaced with a rather tattier version.  If you find that you have inadvertently acquired a net which you don't recognise can you please return it to the hut at your next visit.  Many thanks.

Ian

I am puzzled.  Poaching is not, so far, a major problem up here in this rather remote valley.  The worst we tend to get is the occasional tripper with a carp pole attempting to bludgeon trout into submission with a plug of worms or local youngsters with more enthusiasm than artistry teaching worms to swim.  But I had delivered into my hands this week a couple of very pretty plastic coated bamboo canes, one bright yellow the other shocking pink which were found by a member by the Tarn.  I can't for the life of me fathom how these would be used to catch trout (unless by virtue of their sheer tastelessness causing the fish to lose the will to live and turn belly up), but I can think of no reason why they should be found by the water unless someone was using them to attempt to catch fish.  All (clean) suggestions gratefully received.

Arrangements are now all in hand for our riverfly monitoring exercise on Saturday.  I have had one additional offer of help, but the more the merrier.  Meet at the pavilion at 10.30.

We still have a cold east wind this morning which is rather ruining a bright and sunny day.  The river is holding up surprisingly well considering how little rain we have had and is still benefiting from the flash flood on Sunday so there must have been a phenomenal amount of rain on South House moor and Ingleborough.  Indeed, one of my friends who lives on a farm that way told me last night that new gulleys have formed on the fell side up there changing the landscape in places. 

Ian

A little late this morning as I wanted to get some work done in the garden before lunch.  This is now done despite a brisk east wind that's blowing dust and grass clippings in the direction of the river and Ingleborough.

Apart from the irritating wind it's not a bad day with just a few cumulus clouds, plenty of sun and some warmth in spots where the wind can't get.

The river is dropping fast now so fishing the runs will be a challenge until we get a good soaking.  It looks as though the weekend will be wet here so river fishing should be better early next week.

I received an email from Peter M last evening which reflects on the habits of brown trout and their instinct to return home after being disturbed.

It's very much cooler this morning with more cloud than of late and a blustery, but light westerly breeze.  Water levels on the river are dropping yet there should still be good fishing on all the runs above Horton for the rest of the day.

The flash flood we experienced on Sunday was very strange.  No rain at all fell in the Ribble valley as such.  I could see the deluge falling on Ingleborough and we were getting reports of urgent efforts to get to a group of children who were in a party exploring the Alum pot cave system.  This must have been successful as nothing untoward has been reported.  What seems to have happened is that the waters gathered on the flanks of Ingleborough and Park Fell, found their way into the extensive cave systems that underlie the east flank of these fells and emerged very quickly at Turn Dub and Footnaws Hole, which are feeders to the Ribble, causing a flash flood downstream from these resurgences.  The volume of water was colossal as the river from Footnaws downstream came into full spate for a couple of hours.  Even now 48 hours later the river is higher than before the flood.  It just shows how dangerous this seemingly benign little river can become especially when thunderstorms get trapped in these valleys.  Obviously there was a severe storm in Chapel le Dale which did not spread across to Ribblesdale yet because of the complex subterranean pre-glacial drainage Ribblesdale got a hefty share of the water.

Looking ahead, we plan to do the 6 month riverfly check this Saturday 17 May).  The pavilion is booked, all the equipment is ready and the invertebrates are waiting,  all we need are a few more volunteers to get the job done speedily and efficiently.  So, if you haven't yet volunteered it's not too late to do so.  All those who have done it before have found the experience fascinating, enjoyable and highly instructive.  I hope to see you at 10.30 at Horton pavilion.

Ian

It's my birthday and what am I doing?  spending most of the day at Bradford Royal Infirmary where I have an appointment with the eye clinic to check that all is well with the new lenses that replaced my old cataract ridden ones.  Great!!

We had a strange phenomenon her yesterday afternoon.  The valley resounded to repeated rumbles of thunder and spectacular flashes of lightening over towards Whernside.  Nothing unusual in that, but despite the pyrotechnics we had no rain at Newhouses nor was there any as far up the valley as Selside.  Yet at about 6pm I could see the river running in full spate so it must have rained in pretty spectacular style somewhere in the catchment near Ribblehead.  The level has dropped off a bit now, but it does mean that my rather pessimistic assessment of fishing conditions needs to be revised slightly.  This was a flash flood so good water will not last long.

Because I wrote yesterday's blog at the bottom of the garden on the laptop I missed seeing an email from Alan M which gave an account of his fishing exploits on a low river on Saturday.  He did rather well, landing and returning 4 native fish including the specimen below.  A very nice wild brownie with vibrant red spots.

Ian

Just for a change I'm writing this sitting on the old stone seat at the bottom of the lower garden.  This fantastic summer weather continues unabated and we have seen no sign of the promised rain over the weekend.  The river is very low now and not worth the trip up to Horton for its own sake. 

As I sit here I'm being yelled at by the crows in the sycamore which we failed to dissuade from nesting in the spring.  There are now three pairs busy raising young to add to the surfeit of crows in the parish.  I really must get to grips with the carrion next year otherwise I will end up with the largest breeding colony in Horton.  To my right the diminished river is running through the steep sided gully below New houses, to my left the garden rises up to the road and the house and ahead the Ribble valley lies basking in the morning sun with sheep and lambs in every pasture.  All the cows are out now, a sure sign that summer has arrived.  It's as well to stand well back when they are making for the fields for the first time.  The urgency to get out and get grazing means that nothing  stands in the way as my lodger found out to her cost last week.  The stupid woman walked right out of the gate in front of the herd spooking the calves and causing the cows to scatter much to the annoyance of my neighbour .  All part of the general ignorance of townies.

Ian

Just a quick update on conditions here at Horton this morning.  It's again warm and the wind has veered round to the west dropping to a light  breeze.  The river is dropping back now, but with rain forecast over the next 48 hours there should still be good fishing on all runs and pools into next week.

Ian

My planned meeting with the EA and RCCT which should have taken place this morning has had to be postponed because the new biologist working with the RCCT whom I was due to meet has to attend his wife's grandfathers funeral.

So, here are a couple of quotes to get us thinking about the way in which the values if not the methods employed in fly fishing have changed over the years.

"One advantage of striking is, that should the trout miss the fly it rises at, the angler has still a chance of coming across it with some of the remaining ones (dropper hooks).  In a day's fishing we have frequently killed half a dozen trout hooked by the sides and other parts.  And a trout hooked this way always runs twice as hard as one hooked in the mouth".

And

"All salmon and migratory trout hooked otherwise than in the mouth shall be returned to the water as soon as practicably possible and with little injury as possible".

Now Stewart who penned the first paragraph quoted made little or no distinction between sea and brown trout.  The EA whose North West Region Bylaws supplies the second quote clearly do.

I know of no angler today who deliberately sets out to foul hook a fish, but Stewart clearly regarded a foul hooked fish to provide better sport and was quite prepared to fish with this aim in mind.  Still, when Stewart sat down to write 150 years ago the concept of catch and release was a totally alien one and anything over eight or nine inches went into the basket.

It's a fabulous morning here in the valley with wall to wall sunshine and little or no breeze.  Fishing the Tarn will be a challenge in these conditions and the river is lowering quite fast now so some of the shallower runs will be less productive than last week.  The pools are still well watered though and should hold up for a few days yet until it rains again.

Ian

I took a wander along the river down to Cragghill yesterday evening as there have been one or two reports of illicit fishing just recently.  I saw nothing on this occasion, but now that I am mobile again I intend to do more regular spot checks on this vulnerable section of the river.  It's evident from material left lying on the banks and near the pub that someone is worm fishing here and i intend to catch them.

It was a glorious evening, warm and sunny with a gentle easterly breeze ruffling the water.  I saw no rises, but then again there was little fly life about to tempt the fish to the surface.  I put up a heron down by Pollard's reach which set off towards Helwith Bridge.  No doubt to return later on, but I saw no sign of it when I made my way back up river for a swift one in the Crown.

The east wind is much more of a feature this morning and will challenge the casting skills of the group who are planning to fish the Tarn today.  Otherwise it's once again warm with just a thin smear of high cloud.

Long time readers will recall that we had a few meetings a couple of years ago with the managers of Greenfield forest up above Birkwith.  They are desperate to find a route out for their timber and had proposed a few idiot ideas such as a route along the river to by pass Newhouses.  They have been negotiating a route via Cam onto the Hawes road, but we now understand that this has fallen through so they are once again looking south.  The residents of Newhouses have a meeting planned with the forest manager on 19 May and I intend to make it absolutely clear that not only are they not coming out down Newhouses lane, but any attempt to negotiate a bypass by the river will be fought just as vigorously.  It would cause incalculable damage to the river and its margins along the fine series of pools here, the visual impact will be appalling and any run off from the new road will adversely impact on the invertebrates and fish population here and downstream.

Ian

I'm not sure how well the Tarn fished yesterday as none of the members who fished it called by to tell me.  So I assume that nothing significant one way or the other happened.  The river was fishing well during the morning rise as I saw Gavin P on his way up to the Tarn and he seemed well pleased with his morning's work.

One or two members have mentioned the club newsletters and I thought that it might be helpful to put copies of these in the hut for the benefit of both members and guests.  I have put together a folder containing not only the club newsletters , but also those of the Ribble Fisheries Consultative which deserve a wider readership.  I will try to get hold of a bookcase for the hut int which this stuff can go together with other material that may help to pass the time when fishing is dour or the weather necessitates a hasty retreat to shelter.

No problems with the weather this morning.  It's bright, warm and sunny with only a light south westerly breeze to ripple the surface of the Tarn.

It's good to see that guests are being brought up to fish now that the guest season has opened and especially pleasing to record that the first guest this season is the eight year old grandson of one of the honorary life members.  As I have said before it's important to get youngsters introduced to the wonders of the countryside, its rivers, streams and wildlife There can be few better ways that a few hours spent by the Tarn and river so let's keep up the momentum that Frank F has started and make this a record year for junior guests.

Ian

Just back from an early wander up to the Tarn on a grey and muggy morning.  There were a good few rises out on the water at 8.30 and fish seemed to be feeding well on the surface so fishing on a floating line should produce rewards today.

As I sat on the boardwalk round the hut a monster crayfish scuttled out from under a stone and went sculling across the bottom.  This crustacean was all of 4 inches long and seemed to have  a clear purpose in mind.  The cob floated across to see what I was up to and check out the possibility that I might have bread to offer.  He was out of luck this morning.

I have put a black bin liner in the dustbin in the hut and would encourage members to either take rubbish home with them or put in in the lined bin not in the bucket under the table which, if I don't empty it regularly, will start to mum in the warmer weather that has suddenly come upon us.

Ian

I haven't mentioned Chris Yates for a while mainly because there has been a dearth of articles from him in the Telegraph recently, but yesterday's paper contained a gem.  All about fishing for wild trout on the Loddon.  Chris was musing about a recent trip to fish this small chalk stream in one of those funny little counties that they have down south.  What was interesting was not the number of fish caught which was modest, but the sheer size of some of the wild brownies that managed to find both home and proven in such a small stream.  His first catch was a monster of 5lb to which he added a little brother (sister?) weighing in at a mere 3.5lb.  Both went back to add their considerable tally of genes to the Loddon gene pool.  It got me thinking about what limits the size of trout on specific waters and i suspect it's down to a combination of factors such as availability of food at all seasons, suitable habitat, rate of growth influenced by water temperature and so on.

It will be interesting to discover whether the improvements we are making to the fishery here at Horton has any impact on not only the quantity of wild fish and their recruitment but also the size of wild fish caught year on year.  I expect that the slow growth of our native Ribble trout compared to their southern cousins will mean that over the average lifespan of a wild trout (6 or so years?) we will never see anything heavier than 2lb despite the relative abundance of habitat and invertebrates.  Once a fish reaches an optimum size it can no longer sustain itself on invertebrates alone and we now have very little by way of larger prey other than minnows and smolts to boost a fish into the monster category.  Or is this complete rubbish?

The showers promised to us yesterday were conspicuous by their absence, but today looks like a different kettle of fish.  It's very muggy, cloudy and smells distinctly of rain.  Tomorrow should be brighter.

Ian

The number of swallows at the Tarn and around the hose seem to be increasing exponentially day by day.  There is a flurry of activity outside my office window now with almost constant comings and goings as new arrivals begin the task of refurbishing old nests and building new ones.  It won't be long now before we hear the peeping and chattering of young and see their tiny faces peering out of the nest pocket.  It's always a source of wonder how these little birds manage to find their way back to the same nest after a winter spent in southern Africa.  But ringing and scientific study has revealed that many pairs make the journey many times and usually return to the place where they were born.

The river fished fairly well yesterday despite a chill breeze which kept temperatures a bit low.  It's overcast this morning with the threat of showers, but it feels warmer in a light southerly breeze.  Water levels are still good and any showers that we do get will help to keep them up into next week which looks dryer.

Have a good holiday weekend.

Ian

It's a beautiful morning here in the valley.  The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the lambs are gambolling,  there is no wind and just a smear of cloud bubbling up over Whernside.  The river is in stonking nick with good clear water on all the runs and riffles.  It's cold now, but as the sun warms things up a bit we should get a good hatch of fly later this morning to tempt the trout on to feed.

Otherwise there is not much to report just a walk along the river to look forward to.

Ian

After further overnight rain the river is once again running high. Not so full as yesterday morning, but high enough to make fishing a challenge especially as its dawned dull and damp with little prospect of much sun today so hatches will be sparse and rises even sparser.

I spent another evening with Stewart yesterday and am struck by how much sense he writes. His ruminations on fly patterns are insightful and whilst he can be a bit pedantic his ideas are mostly founded on observation and practical experience.  For example, he is a strong advocate of spider patterns tied sparsely on small hooks.  When he wrote this 150 years ago the idea was fairly controversial as many patterns were of winged fly tied with generous quantities of material.  He advocates concentrating on shape of fly and softness of hackle given that the fish are seeing the presentation against the light so silhouette and movement are the most important factors determining success.  He is not so much bothered by subtlety of colour and advocates bold colour especially yellow when the water is dark. Now days spiders are de rigour especially on these northern freestone rivers like the Ribble.  When you think about it it makes sense a rather static fly may be perfectly visible to a languid trout in a slow flowing, gin clear southern chalk stream, but on a fast and turbulent northern beck carrying a bit of colour movement is needed to attract a trout who may have only a split second to decide whether to take or not.

It's well worth while reading these old writers.  They spent far longer by the water than we tend to do, they were observant, thoughtful and perceptive.  Once you filter out their prejudices you have some very sound ideas.

Ian