Yet another day when the sun has cracked the flags here, but we had a strange phenomenon earlier this afternoon.  For a couple of hours a near gale force wind blew out of the south east tearing the laundry from the line and raising dust in veritable devils. It's all calm again now and setting in for a super evening.

Last evening was similar except that we had a stiff easterly breeze that turned the Tarn choppy and kept the fish low.  I was up there till quite late watching the Hon Sec wet a fly or two. Just as I was leaving at around 8.45 the wind dropped and the air filled with buzzers and sedge.  Right on cue the fish began to rise and feed eagerly.  My guess is that they were pretty hungry as the two fish caught and spooned showed that they had eaten very little during the day, possibly because of the very bright, but windy conditions.

Coots are often regarded as the secret thugs of the waterways.  They look diminutive and as if butter wouldn't melt etc., but in reality they are more than capable of a spot of GBH.  I managed to get some video yesterday of two Tarn coots having a right old ding dong.  Whilst this battle royal was raging a third coot arrived and joined in just like a lads night out in Leeds.  The fight ended with one or the protagonists scuttling across the Tarn hotly pursued by the victor.  This unseemly behaviour impressed the swans on a jot.  They watched from a distance clearly unimpressed with the way the neighbourhood had gone to pot.  The three cygnets hid behind the cob until things settled down. 

I also got some video of a mayfly that landed on the Hon Sec's rod clearly mistaking the artificial clipped into the keeper ring as a potential mate.  It's all very well fooling a rather thick rainbow trout with a well dressed fly,  but to deceive a more discerning spinner is quite an achievement.

On the subject of well dressed flies, the hut now boasts a good supply of tools and materials for those of you who realise that the killer fly in the box you meant to slip into your pocket is still on the table at home.  You can now while away a few minutes creating the pattern that no 4lb rainbow could possibly resist.  Please leave the boxes of materials, hooks, etc. for others to use after you.

Ian