I was up at the Tarn this morning attending to a few jobs watched with avid interest by the swan family.  It's heartening to see how well the cygnets are growing.  All three are around the same size, all look healthy and are feeding well.  It will be some considerable time before they are completely safe from predators, but each week that passes takes them closer to survival.

We had a lot of rain here last night so the river is in good shape and with more thundery showers this evening conditions are likely to remain good towards the weekend.  I met Neil Handy (Fisheries Officer) by the Tarn and he tells me that he has noticed a marked increase in young trout below Horton.  This accords with my own observations and the  catch returns that have been posted on the club web site.  It's good to know that Neil's expert view is so similar to our own observations.  The decision to cease stocking the club's waters  is clearly having a beneficial impact on wild fish recruitment and the next couple of years should see a lot more adult fish throughout the fishery.  This ought to lead to even more juveniles as more wild fish reach breeding age.  I am greatly heartened by my conversation with Neil.

Ian