Some decent rain over the past 48 hours has given us a river that's fishable for the first time in weeks.  A dry day yesterday and light drizzle this morning means that the colour has now dropped from the water whilst levels remain fairly good.  It will take a further wet day or so to provide really decent conditions and since the forecast is for rain today fishing at the weekend should be OK.

I went up to the Tarn early yesterday following a phone call from a member the previous evening about a lose step on the high stile over the far cross wall near where the swans are nesting.  I have made this step safe for the time being, but at least two steps on this stile are rotten at the ends and need replacing.  This will be attended to at the weekend so until then please exercise caution when using the stile as a tumble from the top will hurt.

Whilst I worked here close to the swans nest I was watched with some concern by the cob.  He knows me well by now and made no aggressive move merely keeping himself between me and the nest.  The pen seem totally unconcerned and continued her nap with her head under her wing.  The eggs must be close to hatching now as I have not seen the pen leave the nest for some days.

Ian

The promised rain has arrived this afternoon and it's now falling hard and steadily so we should have some better water in the river by tomorrow after this long spring drought.

Before the rain really set n I did manage to get up to Turn Dub and do the invertebrate check at this site for April. The results were OK considering the poor water conditions and the amount of filament weed and algae in the water.  This made sampling very tedious as after each kick the net contained not only invertebrates but a fair ball of gunk which took time to sort through.  As a result I think the numbers within each family are probably on the low side as it proved almost impossible to get everything out of the gunk.  The detailed results are in the document library on the member's website for those of you who want to see them and have access to the site.  Once again, if you are a member of the MAA and have not yet got a user name and password for the site just let me know.

The Tarn continues to fish quite well.  Catch numbers are lower this week probably a reflection of the lower population density as we approach the next stocking on Saturday week.  Numbers of fish taken as against those returned are slightly up this year and I guess that this is due to the better quality fish we have stocked.  I had one of these on Sunday and was most impressed with the flavour and flesh density.

Paul B called by last night to tell me that he had turned off the pump at Ling Gill and returned the beck to water to see how well the dams performed.  The good news is that they are all totally level and working exactly as planned by impounding 4 nice pools which will progressively capture any crayfish that wash down the beck.  Today should see the installation of the angle irons to stop the creatures climbing over the dams in low water. Then it's a clear up at the site to return it to its former unspoilt condition.

When I was up there with the Hon Sec on Sunday we found a common lizard sunning itself on a rock at the top of the main falls.  Local wisdom suggests that common lizards are not so around here so it was a rare sighting.

We also learn that the forestry company will try to get their harvesting equipment up to Greenfield Forest on Thursday.  So expect some delay if you plan to fish the Tarn on Thursday and watch out for timber waggons on the lane from mid May.

Ian

The first real rain for some weeks fell last night and this morning.  The river has lifted a bit, but we need considerably more rain over the next few days to make a significant difference to the flow and make fishing a viable consideration.  Rain is forecast, but right now the clouds are melting away to give a rather pleasant evening with warm sunshine.

This year's edition of Salmo Trutta the Wild Trout Trust journal landed on my door mat last week.  As usual this is packed with a mix of useful info, enjoyable articles and case studies that fire the enthusiasm to get out and do something practical.  Of particular note is a study of a long term project on a chalk stream in the south.  Just what you can get away with on a benign little spring fed river makes one quite jealous.  Try some of habitat improvements on our river and all your hard work would be floating half a mile off Lytham after the first spate!  However, there is some good stuff in the article about encouraging water plants and this we will follow up over the next few weeks.

I have delayed the Turn Dub invertebrate check in the hope that the recent rain will make sampling a little easier so the check will be done tomorrow morning.

Ian

Sorry for the silence over the past couple of days.  I have been playing catch up with a number of tasks after a fairly busy week.  The weather here continues dry and settled so the river still looks miserable and a mere shadow of what it should be at this time of year.

I went down to New Inn first thing this morning to do the monthly invertebrate check and had real difficulty sampling in such low water.  The results are well down on last month especially baetis nymphs, but as it's almost impossible to kick amongst the boulders where the water is still flowing this result does not unduly concern me.  The creatures will be buried well down amongst the rocks since the gravels at this site which usually contain the bulk of invertebrates, especially gammarus are now dry.  The forecast is for a wet day tomorrow so maybe levels will rise a little.  Still, we have been threatened with rain for some days now that has failed to materialise.

All the concrete dams at Ling Gill are now in place so the project can now move forward to the next phase which is to clear away all the remaining material, fix the irons to the dam edges,clean out the bed of the beck between the dams, remove the pump and restore the flow.  Then it's a case of drawing down every couple of days to remove any crayfish that wash into the dam pools and monitor the site for the next couple of years.

I took the Hon Sec to the site this morning to see what had been done.  He seemed quite impressed.  We stood by the water gate for a while watching a pied wagtail that's nesting in the bank close by and were surprised to see a newt clinging to a rock that's being washed by the outflow from the pump.  This was pale yellow, about 2 inches long and seemed not to have a crest.

The plan is to do the invertebrate check at Turn Dub late tomorrow morning provided that it's not too wet so I will post up the results of both sites during this coming week.

Ian

After working like Trojans over the past few days we now have two of the four concrete dams erected at Ling Gill and the shuttering in place for the remaining two.  Tomorrow should see all the dams in place and work moving on to clearing the beck bed ready for the water to be returned during next week.

We had a visit from a world expert on crayfish this morning who expressed confidence that the plan will work.  As I have  said before nothing like this has ever been attempted anywhere so Paul is very much at the cutting edge of experiment and learning and the knowledge gained here will influence plague eradication projects all over the world.

I have a day off tomorrow, a chance for aching muscles to recover and my 54 years and 11 months old body to repair itself.

For some time now new members (and some longer standing ones) have been asking for a way of sharing information, knowledge their experience of fishing at Horton, in fact almost anything fishing related. Modern web technology combined with the generosity of Neil P and my own slow progress up a steep learning curve has resulted in a members only intranet which enables registered users to post content through any web browser.

The site launched today at www.angli-vespers.org and all those members whose email address I have are now registered as users and can access the site.  If you haven't received an email from me with your log in details then I have not got an email address for you.  If you are a member of the MAA and want access to the site then just email me at keeper@manchester-anglers.org.uk or phone me on the number on the last club Newsletter.

I have done my bit, it's up to you lot now to make the site a success.

Ian

A much colder, greyer and damp day.  Not enough rain to have any impact on the river, just enough to make fishing the Tarn a bit of a challenge.  Still, one member's guest seemed pleased with his day at the Tarn.  Three fish caught and returned.

Up at Ling Gill work is progressing well.  Fifteen minutes after arriving the breaches we put in the dams to preserve their integrity overnight were repaired and the beck drawn down.  The 2ft diameter pipes to form the flumes which will carry the beck through the dams arrived on site and by earl afternoon we had the beck below the top dam empty of boulders and gravel.  We also had a haul of well on 300 native crayfish rescued from the work area.  All these were measured and sexed before being released some distance further up Cam Beck.  We had a good number of volunteers from the Environment Agency with us today, all practical people well able to crack on with a task and use initiative to get the jobs done efficiently, safely and effectively.

Tomorrow we begin building the semi permanent dams that will be in place all summer so the graft will be shuttering, mixing and pouring bentonite and concrete and setting the flume in place.  By the end of the week I shall be a fully qualified navvy.

Ian

It will be an evening posting here for the next few days whilst we are working at Ling Gill.  Today was a great success.  In glorious weather that is more like July than April we set up, built two temporary dams, drained down the beck and began clearing the bedrock substrate of boulders and gravel.  All larger life is being moved above the dams and we found a few bullhead, their eggs, frogs and frog spawn and a good number of healthy crayfish.

Work was fortified by a generous supply of bacon butties and mid afternoon a trip down to Settle gave us a chance to fortify this unhealthy menu with ice creams.

Tomorrow we should begin building the semi permanent dams that will be in place until the completion of the project.  We may also get in the flume pipes that will carry the beck past the dams and finish clearing down the substrate. 

This really is a wonderful place to work and we seem to have already worked out a regime that makes the job not only rewarding, but also thoroughly enjoyable.

Turning to the fishery.  The sun is tending to put the fish lower in the Tarn so early morning or late evening are probably the best times to fish until the weather breaks.  The forecast is for cloudier weather moving in tomorrow night with rain on Thursday so it's just possible that the river will be fishable again by the weekend.  I'll keep you posted.

Ian

This is a bit more like it, wall to wall sunshine and a much reduced easterly wind.  Yesterday morning it was pretty miserable here in a very strong easterly blow that made fishing the Tarn well nigh impossible.  One member and his guest did try, but spent an hour or so drinking coffee in the hut then gave up and went home without getting the rods out.  It's not often that happens.

I spent a very enjoyable morning up at Ling Gill with Paul B setting up the pumps building dams and finally trying the pumps out to see how well they emptied the beck.  Surprisingly well is the answer.  In less than half an hour we had reduced the flow beyond the trial dam to a mere trickle so with a series of properly constructed dams we will be able to get the beck pretty well dry.  This will enable volunteers to pick out every stone in the bed and remove any resident crayfish and other wildlife to a safe area.  Then the main holding dams can be built which will prevent crayfish from washing over the Ling Gill falls and feeding the plague hot spot at the bottom of the falls.  The main project starts on Monday so this normally peaceful spot will be a hive of activity all next week.

Turning back to the fishery, the river is now very low and not worth travelling to Horton to fish.  There is little sign of any forecast rain so patience will be needed until we get some prolonged precipitation.  The monthly invertebrate check which I plan to do tomorrow will be a challenge in this low water, but the results do contribute to a better understanding of invertebrate population distribution in all water conditions.

Ian

Its been blowing a veritable gale out of the east over the past few days which has made working out doors rather unpleasant.  It's still very windy this morning, but the forecast is for calmer weather over the weekend,  We could do with some rain as the river is now very low and pretty well unfishable on the shallower runs.

The pumps, pipes and other paraphernalia for the crayfish plague eradication project arrived here yesterday to join the container and clay for the dams that went up to High Birkwith.  Paul is going up to Ling Gill this morning to try out the pumps and have a final think about strategy before work starts in earnest next week.  Nothing quite like this has ever been attempted before so it will be a unique opportunity to record progress and learn as the project proceeds.  I intend to record some of the action on video and if suitable will post short clips here on the blog.

We are going to take a thorough look at the fishery on 9 May and draw up a plan for work to be done over the summer.  This will include stile repairs, habitat improvement, tree pruning and planting and establishment of native water plants in suitable areas.

If members have any thoughts about this work then please do comment on the blog or email me direct.

Ian

Our native wildlife can go about its business by the river at Selside a little safer this morning.  After a six hour vigil which included narrowly avoiding being covered in clart by muck spreading operations as he was so well hidden the Hon sec caught his mink.  This turned out to be a large, fit and very healthy female.  Since she showed no sign of lactating it's hoped that she has been taken before breeding this season so a major threat to our wild trout and all the other small creatures that house by the water has been removed.

Predator control is always a balance between the interests of the predator and its prey, but mink are an alien species and like their American colleagues the red signal crayfish they simply should not be here and both have a devastating impact on native species if left uncontrolled.

Whilst on the river recently it is noticeable that there are a number of toothed duck (goosanders and mergansers) about.  These fish eating duck do have an impact on fish recruitment as they take young trout and salmon as well as minnow and bullhead.  Unlike mink they are protected by law so controlling their predation is more problematic and they are quite tolerant of human presence.  However,  regular visits to their favourite haunts  can deter them from becoming too comfortably settled so we will have to step up these visits to sites where we know they are present.

Still no sign of rain so the river is well below its best for fishing.  Its dawned a dull, but bright morning with a moderate easterly breeze keeping the temperature on the low side.

Ian

A busy day yesterday.  In the morning the Hon sec and I showed three prospective members around the fishery.  These visits seemed to go well especially as we saw a few fish rising on the river and our first guest was rewarded on arrival at the Tarn with the sight of a member striking a fine rainbow.  The remark was "Gosh, it's a bar of silver".  All three guests seemed very keen to join us.

The late afternoon was spent arranging to deal with a mink problem that has arisen at Selside.  The Hon sec spotted one possibly two of these invaders whilst he was fishing at Coppy Gill.  It or they seemed totally unconcerned by his presence and carried on nosing around the holes and roots in the bank whilst he stood open mouthed watching.  Visits last night to the two farmers with land here has now opened the way to dealing with the problem today.

The river is now quite low after a good few days of dry weather and we could do with a little rain to provide some decent fishing water.  It's a colder, cloudier day today with a fairly stiff east wind.  The sun is breaking through now and then and the forecast is for unsettled weather up to the weekend, but we may not get much in the way of rain this far north.

The Tarn continues to fish as well as it has all month with retained fish being full of sedge.  One I cleaned yesterday had a stomach full to bursting.

Work is due to start tomorrow on the crayfish project and Paul has offered to write a note for members about the objectives and methods so expect more on this shortly.

Ian

Just a quick update this morning as I'm off very shortly to meet the Hon Sec and to show a prospective member around the fishery.

It's yet another glorious morning with plenty of sunshine, a thin smear of cloud and virtually no breeze.  It will be warm later and this still, warm weather should throw up a good fly hatch.  The forecast is for more unsettled weather arriving late in the day possibly with some rain although this looks to be more of an issue for those odd little counties away south than God's own acres.

Further donations to the library arrived yesterday courtesy of Alan M and we are now building quite a varied selection of fishing related tomes at the hut.

I have been working with Neil P on a unique way for members to share information, knowledge and almost anything else that they think will be of interest to colleagues.  Comments so far from those who have seen this work are encouraging and we shall continue to develop the idea further.  I will tell you more about this in the next week or so when the idea is ready to launch.

Ian

This is a bit late today as I have only just got around to turning on the PC.  We failed to get the bad weather that was promised to us yesterday so the river is now only moderately full, but still quite fishable.  It's quite a decent day so far with plenty of sunshine, a light breeze and it feels warmer than of late.  We should get a good hatch of fly this afternoon on both Tarn and river.

I went out last evening just as it was getting dark to shut away the hens and watched a display of aerobatics courtesy of the local bat population which has now emerged from hibernation.  These tiny creatures seem attracted to the big sycamore in the garden and I guess that the tree harbours an insect population on which the bats feed.  There seemed to be a good number flying so the hard winter we have just come through has not had too severe impact on their numbers.  This warmer weather will encourage the fly life to take wing and provide a good meal to list the bats body weight after the privations of hibernation.  I have never seen any sign of these creatures in my loft so my assumption is that they roost and breed in the barns around the farm.

Horton is now filling up with Easter visitors so the job for the next few days is a wander to the likely spots on the river to deter the opportunist worm drowner from making merry with our wild trout.

Ian

A fairly nondescript, dull and grey start to the morning.  The forecast is for heavy rain and strong winds for a while this afternoon, but it should clear later to give a bright, sunny and warm day tomorrow.

The fields round about are now full of young lambs and these like nothing better than exploring.  This can get them into trouble especially if they can find a way round or under a gate and out onto the road. Do watch out for them especially on the lane up to the Tarn as they have no road sense and will take the shortest route back to mum even if this involves running straight in front of your car.  We had an incident here last evening when a visitor called at my house to tell me that he had just run over two lambs on the hill above Newhouses.  One little gimmer had lost a lot of flesh from a front leg, but no sign of a break.  Her sister was limping a bit on a hind leg, but well able to run back to mum.  Both, I hope, will survive.  Farmers can ill afford to lose healthy livestock in this way.

The pen is now sitting tight on her nest and I have been unable to persuade her to shift to see how many eggs she now has.  It will be a couple of weeks yet before they hatch so we will just have to wait and see.

It's fingers crossed now for some fine settled weather next week so that work can start on site to try to eradicate the last pocket of crayfish plague on Cam Beck.  Paul has been burning the midnight oil in a frantic bid to get all the necessary permissions in place and looked absolutely shattered when I saw him a couple of days ago.  I will report progress.

Ian

It's been a rather damp and blustery 48 hours so consequently the river is in fairly good water.  It's carrying a bit of colour this morning, but not enough to make fishing difficult.  The day has started grey, but dry and with much less wind.  The forecast for the next couple of days is for changeable conditions, mostly damp and breezy, but the weekend is set to be fine so Easter fishing on the river should be very good.

I went to the monthly Horton History Group meeting last evening to listen to a presentation about Tot Lord.  Now Tot was a renowned local character whose family have lived in Settle since time immemorial.  He was a legendary wheeler dealer who could make money out of virtually any project he turned his hand to.  Above all he was an amateur archaeologist of some repute who had dealings with such professionals as Arthur Raistrick and Sir Arthur Keith the anthropologist.  Tot excavated the caves around Settle collecting and recording and established one of the finest collections of artifacts in the north of England in a museum known as the Pig Yard Club.

What's this got to do with angling I hear you ask.  Well, Tot was also a great countryman keen on shooting and fishing. His long time fishing partner was Peacock the Headmaster of Giggleswick School from the early thirties to late fifties.  Tot's fishing methods were unorthodox in the extreme.  On one occasion Peacock was fishing at Settle and Tot was up on the bank with a shotgun.  You can imagine Peacock's surprise when Tot let fly with his gun close to his legs.  On remonstrating with him Peacock was told to just wait whereupon a large greyling floated to the surface.  On another occasion Tot arrived to fish minus any tackle and simply lobbed a stick of dynamite into a likely pool.

As someone said, they broke the mould after minting Tot.

Finally, I have been contacted by Alan M who is gong to Uist in the summer and still has a couple of places available.  Alan writes:

Uist is truly beautiful and a place never to be forgotten.  You will not regret the trip if you go.

Ian

It rained steadily for most of yesterday afternoon so the river is in moderately good water this morning.  The forecast for the day is for sunshine and showers, a typical April day, so levels should maintain for a while.  There is a light breeze from the west so casting should not be a problem on either the river or the Tarn.

I was awakened early this morning by a particularly noisy dawn chorus.  We have a very large flock of gulls resident in the pastures above the hamlet and these decided to get in on the general symphony that's usually provided by the blackbirds, thrushes and sparrows that have territories around the house.  The effect was a cacophony best imagined than described and certainly put paid to any thoughts of sleep even with double glazing.  Things had quietened down by 7am when I got up and my early livestock chores were accompanied by just the blackbirds and a pair of curlew circling over the river.

Ian

Having never had the time or inclination to watch day time television last evening was the first time I have watched Countryfile in its new evening slot and I did so more out of curiosity than expectation.  The programme celebrated 60 years of National Parks in England and focused on the Lake District.  A topic familiar to us here at Horton was the first item, erosion of footpaths caused by walkers who will insist on walking on grassy path margins rather than the often uneven path itself.  In the Three Peaks we are plagued with legions of sponsored walkers all intent on doing their bit for a worthy cause.  One or two of these events a year would pose no problem, but over the past ten years or so the number of events has grown to such an extent that almost every weekend from Easter through to Michaelmas sees a virtual army of brightly clad enthusiasts setting off from Horton with a gleam of determination in their eyes.  The cumulative impact of all these feet are motorway sized scars running up the three hills.  From my kitchen window I can clearly see the track coming off Ingleborogh as a wide white ribbon.  I am a passionate advocate of individual freedom and no lover of state control, but I do think that the time has come for some sensitive and sensible measure of limitation on the growth of these events.

Most participants have no real interest in their surroundings.  Their sole objective is to do the walk and collect the cash for their chosen good cause.  You see them, head down, striding forward intent solely on reaching the end of what has often become a waking nightmare.  They have even less interest in the village, it's merely a place to park and change footware.  Very few ever use the pubs or shop.  The campsite gets a bit of trade, but on the whole the impact on Horton is negative.

One way forward might be to levy a small percentage charge (one or two percent) on the gross income of each event to be used on footpath maintenance and to benefit the communities which struggle to cope with this tidal wave of humanity. Contentious I know, but things are getting a wee bit out of hand.

So, what of Countryfile after that digression?  Not as bad as I feared, but it would certainly benefit from an informed presenter such as Robin Page.  The sequence on lambing was good largely because it was done by an articulate farmer who gave a no nonsense demonstration free from the usual banal comments and questions.  Lets see if and how they handle angling and other country sports.

We missed the rain that was promised last night and it's a quiet day here so far with a light north easterly breeze and high cloud.  It may turn wet later on a strengthening southerly wind, but as usual we shall have to wait and see what we get.

Ian

It was a cold, bright start this morning with quite a heavy frost after rain and cold wind yesterday.  It's now warmed up appreciably to give a decent if rather cloudy afternoon.

The Tarn continues to fish very well and the stats fore last week give me no cause for concern at all.  Most visits have resulted in healthy catches and compliments continue to come in about the quality of the fish and their willingness to fight hard.  Do remember hat there are some blue trout amongst the rainbows.  If you land one just record it  in the register column for browns and put a note in the right hand margin.

Do be careful when crossing the wall beyond the hut.  The stile step here collapsed under one member on Friday prompting a impromptu working party by said member to replace the step.  It's a decent job, but the wall adjacent to the stile is collapsing and until I can get to rebuild it do treat the stile with extreme caution as 2 ton of stone on your foot will limit future mobility.

The Telegraph ran an article on 1 April claiming that scientists have discovered a way of generating electricity through the movement of fish in a river.  Experiments have allegedly shown that different species are capable of generating different amounts of power with chub at the lower end of the scale and salmonids at the top.  The process involves fish fining past receptors placed on the river bank and could lead to almost unlimited amounts of free energy.  Regrettably the date of this article dooms it as a spoof so it's back to the horse and windlass for us yokels!

The local forecast is for more rain tomorrow and a very wet day on Tuesday leading up to a wet Easter weekend.  The river should be in good water by Good Friday.

Ian

It's a foggy morning so far, but the sun keeps threatening to burn through so the prospects for another fine sunny day look fairly good.  Yesterday was a stunner and the warm weather brought a number of members to the Tarn and river albeit with mixed results.  One member discovered the impossibility of catching trout if you have only half a hook on the end of your leader.  This problem was compounded by the later discovery that on a subsequent dressing the hook had closed up.  To cap a fairly eventful day he also had the bad luck to lose a fish that had been brought to hand on the leader when a further fish hit the dropper hard and dislodged the hooked fish.  Not the best of days.

We now have the start of a decent little library at the hut thanks to the generosity of Rob S.  There are a few very good books available for those times when the fish refuse to cooperate or the weather necessitates a hasty retreat to the hut.  I have complemented these books with a fair few Trout and Salmon Magazines.

I am getting some very positive comments about the quality of the fish we stocked into the Tarn last month.  There is general consensus that these are the best fish we have had for many years being of very solid body, fighting fit and ready feeders.  They seem to be a bit to eager to take at present as some visits have resulted in a full catch quota in short order, but the answer is to take a more relaxed approach and enjoy the comfort of the hut, interspersing  your fishing with quiet periods of reflection and some edifying reading.

The river remains in quite good water despite the recent lack of rain.  It's certainly fishable above Horton although, as yet, our wild brownies are not rushing to the take.

Ian

I stood by the Tarn at about 5pm yesterday and watched an amazing display of heading and tailing as fish all across the water gorged themselves on hatching caenis.  For about 20 minutes this display went on and no doubt continued after I left.

Earlier on in the afternoon Fred B called by to report on a rewarding afternoons fishing, say some good things about the quality of the fish and to show me one specimen with a mouth crammed full of what looked like caenis.  I have just got back from an early morning wander up to the Tarn and it looks stunning in the crystal clear air and bright sun.  I shot some video and will try to post this up once I master the editing software that came with the camera.  Fish were rising.  Not in the numbers and with such enthusiasm as last night, but an early caenis hatch was tempting a few early feeders.

The swans are definitely nesting and the pen has most likely laid eggs as she seems very reluctant to leave the nest.  To be careful as you cross the stile over the far wall as the nest is right below this point and the cob is becoming very protective. As I said a few days ago, it might just be possible to provide some protection for the nest this year in the hope that we can deter the usual fox predation.

The forecast is for a cloudless, windless day so fishing will not be easy on the mirror surface of the Tarn.  The river is in just enough water to make it worth a try and this may be the better bet in these calm conditions especially as the promise is for a warm day which should bring on a good baetis hatch.

Ian

It's a grand start to April, a wee bit cloudy, but quite warm and the promise of much sun as the morning advances.  There is virtually no wind and the river still has good water although the level is falling quite quickly.

The Tarn seems to be fishing well after the recent stocking with most visits resulting in good catches.  There have been some small hatches of sedge over the past couple of days so fish are beginning to rise freely to take advantage of this source of food.

Paul B called in yesterday afternoon with Emma the local EA ecologist.  We now have  a provisional start date of 20 April for the crayfish plague eradication project which hopefully will lead to the reintroduction of native crayfish later in due course.  It will be interesting to see what results are obtained from the electrofishing programme planned for this summer.  The timing is perfect as it will give a baseline result for fish distribution and ages in a river sans crayfish against which we can compare results for future years when hopefully native crayfish will be present.  It should then be possible to measure to some extent the part that crayfish play in promoting the presence of larger fish and perhaps the overall recruitment of wild trout.  It may be that trout recruitment will show a slight drop initially as crayfish are likely to predate on fish eggs and alevins, but in short order a natural balance should be achieved.  There may well be an impact on invertebrates, but on the evidence from the Tarn with it's massive hatches of sedge, damsel flies and caenis despite a very large population of crayfish this impact is almost certain to be minimal.  Much food for thought here.

Finally, news does reach me on this day that the EA are contemplating a flood relief project for Settle which will involve diverting the Ribble at Helwith Bridge back to its old pre glaciation course to flow down through Wharfe and Austwick to join the course of the Wenning.  Just as well for Settle Anglers' that they own fishing on the Wenning!

Ian

It's another rather grey start today, but once again the promise is for the sun to break through later just as it did yesterday.  It feels appreciably warmer so there may well be a worthwhile hatch of fly this afternoon. 

It looks as though the Salmon and Trout Association may well put their considerable campaigning weight behind efforts to control the spread of alien crayfish.  Paul B has written to them outlining the dangers that these creatures pose to salmonid ecosystems and the devastating effect that infestations of red signal crayfish in particular can have on salmon and trout recruitment. 

I have acquired a high definition video camera so with a bit of luck this blog may feature video clips in the near future.  That's if I can master the intricacies of the thing and the art of editing whatever I do manage to record.  They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but I think that the two media need to complement each other so this will not become an extension of YouTube.

I have fixed a cork fly board in the hut so members are invited to put on it any river or Tarn pattern that they would like to share with others.  I will leave a note book on the fly bench for you to record any notes about these patterns that you wish to pass on. 

Ian

It's a misty moisty start to the working week after all the fun of the sun yesterday.  In fact it's very foggy here at present and the river is veiled from my kitchen window.  It does feel a tad warmer though and the sun is forecast to break through later so it should be quite a good day for fishing either the river or the Tarn. 

If you find yourself housebound today why not log on to the Wild Trout Trust website www.wildtrout.org.  This organisation that is dedicated to ensuring that our wild brown trout have a future is running its annual on line and postal auction starting today.  On the front page of the website you will find a link to the ebay site where the auction is hosted.  Here you will see a host of lots to suite most budgets and interests including books, prints, flies and fishing visits both at home and overseas.  Treat yourself, get bidding, grab a bargain and help to ensure that there will always be wild brown trout in our UK rivers.


Ian

What an amazing start to summertime.  I went up to the Tarn first thing to blow away the cobwebs after a 60th birthday bash last night.  The water was a mirror reflecting the hills and azure blue sky.  The margins had a skim of ice which gave the impression of a cracked and frosted frame.  A heron stood on the duck wall and eyed me with deep suspicion. He (or she) will have trouble with our fat trout.  The stone loach and emerging frogs that inhabit the swampy ground at the foot of the Tarn are likely to be the menu.

The swans seem to be starting a nest close in to the cross wall at the far side of the Tarn.  If they do nest here then it may well prove possible to protect the nest this year by throwing a fence out and back to the wall, encircling the nest site, but leaving access to the water.  We shall see.

The air was crystal clear with no hint of haze and Selside stood out in sharp detail across the valley.  Looking north Whernside loomed large with details picked out in clear relief.  There are two Canada geese in residence at Turn Dub,  Whether they too will nest is uncertain.  A few years ago a paid did nest near the Dub and raised a dozen goslings.  I was surprised to learn last night that these wild geese make good eating.  The meat is very gamy with a hint of liver.  It's dark, but apparently very tasty if cooked very slowly.  Not like the recipe for badger where you joint your badger, put it in a pot with veg, add stock and a stone.  Cook for 12 hours then throw away the badger and eat the veg and the stone.

The river is in almost perfect condition having dropped its colour, but retained good flow after the recent rain.  It's a bit too cold to encourage our trout to free feed freely as it needs to be around 10 degrees for optimum feeding and the temperature this morning in the water was nearer 6 degrees.  However, the sun is making its presence felt and without the wind of the past few days the water should warm slowly.  The forecast for the week is for much more settled and warmer conditions so look forward to some ideal fishing conditions.

Ian

It's a grim start again today with a bitingly cold north west wind blowing along some mean showers.  The forecast gives hope that the wind will drop by this afternoon, but the rain may increase by evening so expect the river to be high and coloured tomorrow.  We should consider ourselves lucky that the weather is about the worst threat to safety whist fishing at Horton.  One member has just emailed me some photos which show in graphic detail the risks posed to fishermen in some parts of the world.  Crocodiles are not common at Horton so we are unlikely to suffer the fate of the individuals or individual in these photos.  They show a captured croc together with its stomach contents which include human arms and legs.  Nice!  Keep a eye out when you are next fishing up a Selside you just never know!

Better news reaches me via Paul B who rang to tell me that all the funding is now agreed for the North Ribblesdale crayfish project and work will start very soon to restore our native crayfish to the river as well as conduct a thorough survey of the Tarn population which has not been done since 2002.  Paul also tells me that a further step has been taken in the battle to control the spread of non native crayfish species so all in all a good week for Austropotamobius pallipes.

Ian

It's been a foul start to the day with strong winds, rain and low temperature.  There is a hint of brightness in the sky as I write this so the day may not be a complete washout. Fishing conditions will be challenging as the heavy overnight rain has raised the river level to just below spate conditions and there is a lot of run off coming from the pastures and meadows colouring the water.

I spent a while yesterday trying to identify my little yellow baetis nymphs, but am still none the wiser.  There seems to be a paucity of information about the colour of riverfly nymphs generally.  I have some pretty comprehensive field guides that should enable identification down to species level, but these rarely mention colour as an identifier so maybe colours vary within species depending on habitat?  I shall persevere.

I forgot to post up a photo sent to me of one of our early season trout (sorry Rob) so here it is just to whet your appetite.



Ian

I did the riverfly check at Turn Dub yesterday and found good representations of all the families included in the monitoring scheme.  Most abundant was baetis with heptagenia a close second.  There were a good number of stoneflies in the sample and just a few gammarus, but this is not an ideal gammarus spot as there is too little detritus present in the river to tempt them.

Once again I found a fair number of sulphur yellow baetis nymphs which I must try to identify.  Two bullhead completed the haul from this site both quite large specimens.

Keeping with things watery, Edward M dropped by yesterday in foul weather on his way to fish the Tarn for the first time this season.  He happened to bring with him a portable water sampling kit complete with data logger.  On his return he reported three good fish caught and sampling results that show just how good the water quality at the Tarn is at present.  The oxygen reading shows super saturation at 110% so our fish will not struggle to breath and decomposition at the bed must be minimal.  The conductivity reading was very low showing that there is little nutrient in the water in the form of phosphates or nitrates.  Again this is good news as algae growth depends on nutrient being present.  pH was 8.2 which tallies well with my own observations and is well within the parameters required by trout for a healthy existence.  Finally, temperature came in at 7.2 again ideal trout conditions.  The plan is to monitor now on a regular basis using this kit so that we can pick up any significant changes and respond to them accordingly.  For example, a low oxygen saturation reading would signify problems for fish breathing and can be countered by mixing the various horizons within in water column so preventing mortality by asphyxiation.  All good stuff.

We had a lot of rain (and wind) in the night so the river is in better water than of late. It's a slightly better day so far with a hint of brightness, but fairly heavy cloud and a pretty stiff west wind.  The forecast is for unsettled conditions over the next few days.

Ian

It was a grim start to the working week with rain driving in on a strong west wind.  It feels much colder than of late.  However, the rain has now stopped, the sun has broken through and it's a tad warmer.  We still have a very strong west wind though.

My musings yesterday about the elusiveness of Ribble trout prompted a correspondent with a lifetimes experience of the river at Horton to confirm my observations - or lack of them.  The fish here really are difficult to see and you need a degree of faith to believe that the river hosts a good population of brown trout.  This does make fishing tricky as unless you can cast to a fish that you see rising (and many do) fly fishing here is very much a matter of seeking out likely lies and covering these with a pattern of casts.  This ability to read the river only can come with experience, trial and error and demands patience. 

It also seems to me as a very infrequent fisher that to keep a good fishing diary complete with diagrams, comment on conditions, fly life seen, artificials used, etc, etc would be of great benefit and these diaries would provide invaluable information about the state of the fishery helping to inform future actions aimed at maintaining and enhancing its viability.

It's a pity that the club web site is so static otherwise it would be quite possible to utilise this as a way of maintaining an on-line composite diary that all could contribute to.  I do know of a way of achieving this, but it would mean rebuilding the existing website using a content management system as the base program.  Not difficult, but potentially time consuming and only worth doing if it's likely to be used.

Your thoughts are welcome.

Ian

The weather has gone a little pear shaped this morning.  There is a nasty cold north west wind blowing down the valley and the cloud has increased as a precursor to more unsettled conditions forecast for this coming week which should see a drop of rain which will be welcome as the river is now looking quite depleted.

I have often been puzzled by my failure to spot fish lurking in likely lies especially when on visits to other rivers trout can easily be seen holding station behind suitable rocks and debris.  I thought maybe that I was just not tuned in to penetrating the camouflage that our wild trout adopt, but an email yesterday tells me that others have equal difficulty spotting fish lying where they should be.  One member sat for a long while eating his lunch down by the Pipe Pool and failed to spot a single fish yet this is a pool that regularly provides very good fishing.  They do say that if you can't see them you can't catch them and fishing becomes a lottery based on chuck it in and hope.  Perhaps it's just a bit too early in the season and our fish are low down and tucked away under the banks.  It would be good if regular fishers of our waters could share their observations by posting comments on this blog.  I fact my correspondent suggests just that.  He would find it helpful if the river experts could share knowledge with newbies about flies used, places fished, technique used etc. which will build to a body of knowledge about fishing here at Horton.

We have pondered the idea of restarting the old Anglers' Evenings so how about picking an evening in early summer and having as a theme 'good practice fishing at Horton'.  We could start with a brief look at the river then adjourn to the Crown for supper and a series of talks or presentations by the club's master fishermen.  We could even video the session as part of the club archive.

We put 160 really bonny fish into the Tarn yesterday.  I am mightily impressed with the stock from our new supplier.  These are fit, full bodied fish with perfect fins and tails.  All are around the 2lb mark with some up to 3lb.  You will find a few blue trout amongst the rainbows.  These fight well and make superb eating having a firmer flesh than the rainbows.  Do let me have your thoughts and views on your experience with these fish.

Ian

The first day of spring and this glorious weather continues to light up the dales.  I drove up to Ribblehead yesterday and despite the haze the scenery was stunning lit with a golden diffused light under an azure sky.  It's a frosty start here this morning, but the sun is now burning through and warming everything nicely.  Perfect conditions for stocking the Tarn later today and good fishing weather if a little bright.

I connected the water pump in the hut yesterday morning. This will supply water for washing hands, mugs, teapot, etc, but should not be used for drinking as it comes straight out the Tarn and I can't guarantee that the pump will not impart a slight trace of oil.  Ther is a non return valve between the pump and the inlet so no water can siphon back to contaminate the Tarn.  If you use the sink do please remember to empty the waste bucket sensibly after each use - NOT in the Tarn.

The book shelves in the hut are still empty so if members have any suitable volumes surplus to need do please bring them up.

The geese I mentioned the other day were clearly in passage because they had gone by first thing yesterday.  Looking at my bird book suggests to me that these were probably greylag en route to summer quarters.

Despite the very low water the river seemed to fish well yesterday.  Alan M got two below Horton so we now know that there are wild fish present and feeding all the way down the fishery.  I will post up a couple of pictures of the the seasons first fish later today.

Ian