I thought that the fishing on the river would be good yesterday provided that the rain kept to a minimum. So it proved to be.  Alan M dropped by just before 5pm to say that he had just spent a cracking 4 hours fishing down stream to Helwith Bridge and had caught 11 fish.  These were clearly all wild fish and ranged in size from 6 inch fingerlings to mature fish that would probably tip the scales at around a pound.  Not only is this great news as regards numbers of fish, but it also shows without question that our wild fish are recruiting as the fingerlings are likely to be the result of 2007 ova and 2008 hatchings.  There's no reason to doubt  that fry from this year's hatchings are in the river so it's hoped that the overall population of wild brownies will continue to increase.

When members do fish the river can I make a plea that you record your catch on the member's website (Angli Vespers) under "fishing returns". This not only provides me with a picture of how the river is fishing and helps to flag up any emerging problems (or otherwise), but it also shows newer members where good sport may be had and which fly may tempt our cautious little brownies into a take.

It's a cloudy start to the holiday weekend with the prospect of showers during the morning.  The forecast remains good for the coming week though so a trip to Horton should be rewarded with ideal fishing conditions.

I have postponed the main riverfly check scheduled for tomorrow to 20 June as so many of the riverfly group are indisposed.  I will do a monthly bankside check to ensure that all is still in order with our invertebrates.  Any member is welcome to come along to the main check to see what goes on and learn more about the main food source for our fish.  It's a fascinating way to spend a morning and the outcome could be knowledge that leads to greater success when fishing the river.

Thanks to Alan M I now have  a copy of the menu for the MAA centenary dinner held back in 1978 which I will copy and put on Angli Vespers to complement and contrast with the 1893 menu that already on there.

Ian