A dry start to the day enabled me to get out first thing and do the invertebrate check at New Inn.  Results are good with plenty of heptagenia and baetis nymphs and a lot of small stonefly nymphs.  Water conditions were excellent, a full, fast flow the colour of weak tea.  Anyone planning to fish the river over the next few days should ensure that they have a good supply of very small iron blues as these were hatching from the sample tray as I counted them.

As I have said before, the numbers of individuals in each family included in the check do seem to vary by quite a bit month to month, but looking back over the two plus years that we have been monitoring it's good to see that the results show a good correlation between the same months in different years.  Fly life does not seem to be increasing, but then again it's not decreasing either.

The surprise catch this morning was a 5 inch stone loach, the first of this species that I have caught on the river.  It looked quite shocked to be in the net and up close looked rather primeval.

My plan is to check the Turn dub site tomorrow weather permitting and as the forecast is for some sun with a scattering of showers the plan should come to fruition.

You know, living here and seeing all manner of humanity passing through; most of it off duty, on holiday and therefore often on its worst behaviour you think you have seen most of the peculiarities that people can present to the world.  A sight this morning really took the biscuit though.  A party arrived at the bunkhouse next door and from one car emerged a a bottle blonde female with a very small and peculiarly hairy dog on a lead. Nothing unusual in that I hear you cry.  Wait a mo.  She was wearing a natty pair of ankle boots that were so much like the dog that the could have been related.  I hate to think what might happen if the dog happened to be asleep near these boots when she came to put them on.  I doubt if Dalehead veterinary surgery have ever had a dog presented with a foot stuck up its bum.

Ian