I spent a couple of hours up at the Tarn yesterday morning doing a few much neglected jobs.  I have put up a new rubbish bag holder which was donated by a member.  Please use this for sandwich remains, old mono, expired fishermen etc rather than the floor (see Mike Harding's comments below).  I have put Simon away in summer/winter quarters and cleaned the boat of all the accumulated swallow crap.  It was one of the nicest mornings we have had for a while so I sat in the grass for a while watching the squadrons of damsel flies patrolling the water margin mostly avoiding the lunges of one or two large rainbows that were hunting in the shallows.  Damsel fly is clearly a favourite dish of the bigger trout as on a few occasions a fish would heave itself three quarters out of the water to take a damsel above the water.

I had a call from Jeff B who tells me that a couple of days ago he got an eight pound salmon on Walker's run just below Cragghill Farm.  This was a fine fish, slightly coloured, but in good shape and can only have been in the river a comparatively short while.  The fish went back where it came from to add its genes to the ever increasing pool of Ribble salmon stock.

It's best described as a "soft" morning here in the valley, very little breeze and a fine heavy mizzle that is shrouding the fells all round.  The forecast is looking good for next week with more settled weather and the promise of some sun.  We shall see.

Ian