A very wet day yesterday brought the river back up to full flood last night.  It's dropped during the day despite a few showers and provided that we get no significant rain overnight it should be fishable tomorrow.  Be warned though, the forecast is for a wet week so it's going to be pot luck as to whether you find decent conditions if you plan to fish at Horton over the next few days.

A short while ago I was standing in my back kitchen contemplating the absence of view across the valley when a large raptor landed on a fence post beyond the lane.  Even with binoculars I failed to get a positive identification even though the bird was less than 10 yards away.  It looked like a large hawk with a speckled brown breast an long curved wings.  Too small for a buzzard and too large (and the wrong colour) for a sparrow hawk.  It has me puzzled.

All this precipitation has rather put paid to the regular draw down of the crayfish excluder ponds at Ling Ghyll.  Unless we get an unforeseen anticyclone before early October then I think the plan is to remove the pump and close down the site for the duration of the winter.  Some creatures will inevitably have gone over the falls in all this high water, but the numbers will have been significantly diminished by the presence of the dams.  So there is no real problem.  Next spring everything will be in place for an early start to the programme and given some decent weather a long summer schedule of draw downs should see all traces of plague removed from the river.

Ian

Guess what - yep, you got it, it rained pretty well all day here yesterday and by last evening the river was in full flood.  Precipitation seems to have given over during the night so the flood is now falling back, but the water is heavily coloured and my estimate is that it will be late afternoon before we have decent trout water.  The salmon should be on the move though and it may be worth seeking them on the deeper runs between the pools where they lie up in slacker water.

Apart from all that it's quite windy here at present wit a stiff north westerly sweeping across the valley.  It's also unseasonably cold - definitely two waistcoat weather.

It looks like Simon will need to come out of retirement.  There is a semi resident cormorant at the Tarn and where you have one you fairly soon get others so we will have to do what we can to persuade this particular uninvited guest to move elsewhere and certainly before the final stocking next week.

Ian

After a surprisingly nice day it's back to normal this morning with heavy rain blown along on a stiff westerly wind - the dying convulsions of hurricane Bill. 

I got the invertebrate check at New Inn done yesterday morning which produced few surprises.  Heptagenia are well down in numbers, but a check back reveals that this is a seasonal decrease not something to be concerned about.  Baetis nymphs are plentiful as are gammarus and stoneflies.  What is intriguing is the size of these creatures.  Most are very small compared to the general size profile evident in the samples earlier in the year.  I guess that this is because most are recent hatchings with more mature creatures having emerged into winged adults over the summer.  From a fishing perspective the results suggest that representations of adult olives should do best for rising fish, but nymphing with very small patterns might also produce results.

We have had a few incidents of casual trespass at the Tarn recently, mostly dog walkers who assume that it's their right to swim their dogs.  I have put a notice on the bottom gate stating that there is no public access to this site so we shall see whether that has the desired effect.  With a follower herd in Tarn pasture at present there should be no dogs near the Tarn so if you come across trespassers here you are encouraged to evict them.

Ian

I was up at Turn Dub early this morning dodging the showers to do the August invertebrate check.  In moderately high water I found strong representation in all seven of the usual families present.  There is clearly a seasonal profile to the results as this time there were a lot more gammarus and stonefly than earlier in the season and a check back to the results from last August showed a very similar profile.  So any member planning to nymph the top end should have with them some representation of these two species.

It reaches my ears that two of our illustrious members may be in the process of attempting to recruit a ghilly to row them round the Tarn.  No harm in that I guess and it does help to ease ageing limbs given that the boat can be a real pig to row in even a light breeze.  However, the prospective ghilly in question happens to be a fairly buxom young lady whose normal gainful employment is pulling pints in the Crown Hotel.  My understanding is that she has been promised a fish in exchange for her efforts.  A casual perusal of the fishing log in the hut suggests that if she does "do" for our intrepid  piscators she may be waiting some while for her fish! 

Ian

I have said before that you never quite know what manner of exiting things are going to turn up in your email in box.  Far too often it's stuff you would not choose to allow your wife or servants to read, but every once in a while up pops a genuine email that contains an unexpected surprise.  It's like those old jamboree bags fondly remembered from childhood that sometimes had hidden away inside a small toy that set you in a good mood for the rest of the day and made the other gunge in the bay almost palatable.

My reference to Arthur Ransome a few days ago prompted such an email from a relative of Nat Hunt.  We know that AR fished at Horton, but until now I have never seen tangible proof that he fished the Tarn.  Here is an email and attachment that dispels any lingering doubt.



Anyone familiar with Ransome's books will instantly recognise the style

Thanks, John I'm in your debt.

Ian

As my Mother is so fond of saying "if it's not one thing it's another" having confidently claimed a low river yesterday it happened to rain all night after a fairly damp afternoon and the river is now pretty full, fast flowing and coloured.  It's been a fairly dry day today after a few heavy showers this morning so the early weekend should see some good conditions provided that we get no more heavy rain tonight.  Looking at the local forecast I see that it may be fairly bright tomorrow before more heavy and prolonged showers move in to upset things on Sunday.

I have been slightly concerned that catch returns on the Tarn of late have been disappointing with the ratio of catch to visits well down on results from back in July.  Talking around I learn that this pattern is being witnessed on still waters across North Yorkshire so it's probably down to the weather rather than any local issue with the Tarn.  Talking to members who have fished here over the past few days reveals that dry fly are being taken , but quite a few fish are being lost mainly due to rather desultory feeding habits.  The fly is being sucked in and expelled before a strike can be made.  Perhaps the flavour is not to the liking of our resident rainbows.  Does anyone know what damsel fly tastes like?

Ian

Another damp and dismal day here at Horton.  Just enough rain to be a pest without really adding much benefit to a rather low river.  Still, it's good to see one new member having some success with our wild fish yesterday afternoon despite conditions being far from ideal.  Barry P has put an article on the club website asking for a few tips to help improve his success on the river.  A short article from one of our river experts would be very welcome on the website particularly as the club is now recruiting an increasing number of new members who are unfamiliar with the capriciousness of the upper Ribble.  So come on there must be a frustrated author out there bursting to share hard won knowledge.

I have been laid up all this week with a dodgy knee which seems to have been caused by an allergic reaction to midge bites.  Since Sunday I have been hobbling around and unable to get to either river or Tarn.  Happy to say that it seems to be getting better so a day spent mink spotting and catching up on other jobs is planned for tomorrow.

Ian

It's a bit of a dour day.  No rain so far, but it's cloudy and very humid.  The river is now past its best, but just about fishable on the better pools.  It seemed to fish well last night and prompted Gavin P to email me with further observation apropos whether we have an increasing population of young trout or young salmon.  Gavin tells me that:

With you having raised the question of possible miss identification of some of our Ribble young fish, and last night having fished the pool across  from the Crown pub it made me look a little closer at the fish we where catching. The 3 fish that I caught where most certainly trout and comparing the pictures posted on the club web site named home grown it was interesting to note that the fish last night and others all show quiet remarkably long pectoral fins compared to the example picture of a trout par. These fish are different from the Wharfe fish in my experience which show rounded stubbier fins in this area probably due to them being stocked fish or on the other hand the trout on the Wharfe perhaps do not have to endure the spate conditions that the fish in the upper Ribble often have to put up with.

The finage on our Ribble fish if this was the only means of identification then it would be difficult to tell both juveniles apart. With you commenting on identification I looked to see if I had a trout parr picture as small as the young salmon picture that I have posted. It might be possible that some member might have in there albums a picture of a small trout parr from the Ribble so that comparison can be made between the two more closely.

This might be going over old ground put good pictures on the club site must be off benefit to all who fish

So it seems pretty certain that the young fish that have been so abundant this season are wild brown trout.

For a long time now I have been going on about "Anglers' Evenings" the three volume collection of papers published by the club in its early years.  For those of you who don't have a copy and have never read these fascinating insights into the minds of our earliest forebears here is a treat.  If you go to http://www.archive.org/stream/anglersevngs00manciala/anglersevngs00manciala_djvu.txt  and http://www.archive.org/stream/anglerseveningsp00manciala/anglerseveningsp00manciala_djvu.txt 
you will find the complete text of the first and third volumes of these books.  The second volume is there to.  If you look to the left of the website page you will see a button marked "view other formats" click on that and you will see a little flashing book.  If you click on the book you can open a facsimile copy of the volume complete with pictures. It looks as if you can also open and save the books as a PDF document.  Thanks to David M for spotting this site and alerting me to its whereabouts.  I have put these links on the club website.

Ian

Now here is a treat for those of you who like their fishing spiced with a little intrigue.  Many of you will know that club folklore has it that Arthur Ransome fished at Horton frequently and I have it on good authority that he was a regular visitor to my illustrious predecessor Nat Hunt who would tie flies for Ransome to use on the River and at the Tarn.  Ransome is a fascinating character about whom much has been written down the years since his death in 1967.  A new biography has recently been published that attempts to chart the time he spent in Russia as a correspondent for the Daily News.  It's an established fact that Ransome was an MI6 agent, but this book claims that there is evidence that he may have been a double agent supplying information on British foreign policy to the Bolsheviks. 

Certainly Ransome was pretty close to the main players in the Bolshevik revolution and married Trotsky's secretary, but there is strong evidence that he was fiercely loyal to England although his miserable existence as a schoolboy at Rugby school left him with a deep distrust of authority.  When asked by an MI5 officer tasked with debriefing him what his politics were he replied "fishing".

What's slightly weird is that his main base whist reporting on Russian affairs was a Hotel in Tallinn called the Golden Lion.  Many years later he would once again be based at the Golden Lion, but this time at Horton in Ribblesdale.

So why not add "The Last Englishman: The double Life of Arthur Ransome" by Roland Chambers to your Christmas list and the next time you fish down from Horton or stand by the Tarn reflect on the fact that you may well be standing in the boot prints of a man who witnessed at first hand one of the most momentous events of the early 20th Century, spied for his country and went on to write the most enchanting series of children's books in the English language.

Turning to matters a little more prosaic.  It's been wet this past 48 hours so the river whilst not at its best is just about fishable.  The forecast is for warmer more settled weather over the next couple of days so if you do come up to Horton you may find the fish obliging.

Ian

The wet weather that we were promised on Friday arrived rather breathless and looking sheepish this morning.  It's been raining on and off all day with quite a stiff south west wind this afternoon.  The river is up a bit, but still well below its best and the cold, windy conditions has deterred riverfly from hatching.

I got an email yesterday from a member that had me laughing out loud.  for those of you who can't or don't visit the club web page here it is in full.

Hi Ian,
   Some while ago when heading to the local newsagent for my morning paper, I was amazed to spot a small roach of about three inches long stuck on the windscreen of a neighbours Jag.It being rather early in the day - about 7am - I rubbed my eyes and did a double take, and thinking that the three pints of Thwaites's consumed the night before were the strongest I'd ever supped, checked again. Sure enough a freshly dead silver fish glued by it's slime, was stuck on the window of the car. Being quite early in the day I failed to spot anyone to confirm what I had spotted, and so carried on to buy my Daily Mail still doubting my own eyes. On the return journey I spotted the owner of the car emerging from his abode about to set off to work,"Phil",I called,"just a minute.Have you seen that fish stuck on your windscreen?" With a not surprisingly puzzled look on his face he asked me to repeat the question."Have you seen the roach stuck on your windscreen"? All the time getting nearer to where the Jag was parked, on arrival at the vehicle I was again stunned, as the pesky piscatorial had just as miraculously disappeared again. Needless to say neighbour Phil was looking at me rather strangely, and not surprisingly slightly backing away from me with a dubious look in his eye as I attempted to describe to him what I had seen not ten minutes before on my outward journey. But lo and behold !
Exactly where I "thought" I saw a fish was the shape of a the missing roach in fish slime on the glass. "Ah! that proves I haven't imagined it", but where on earth has it disappeared to!          The only feasible explanation I could come up with, apart from a very elaborate hoax by an unknown prankster was "birds"! A heron or more likely a gull had picked up the fish from a nearby millpond and dropped it whilst flying over that spot. Then when I moved on descended to pick up its dropped breakfast.Birds are notorious for moving things from place to place in the fishing world, fish spawn, frog spawn, diseases.They have over the ages been blamed for - and probably rightly so-all manner of "Whence It Came" theories and could, quite conceivably, be responsible for fry in the Tarn.If not then at least I got to share my little story with you.

That's a very discerning roach.  If you have to get stuck on a windscreen make sure that the car is one on which you don't mind being seen dead.  I suppose a trout would have nothing less than a Range Rover or Roller.

Ian

The heavy rain that we were promised today failed to put in an appearance so the river is now well past its best.  Instead we have had lowering cloud and a very grey day.

I spent a relaxing few hours yesterday watching fish rise and cricket being played by two talented youth teams.  Despite living close to the Settle - Carlisle railway for a good few years we have never been to Appleby.  So on a whim we went yesterday and what a pleasant little place it is.  Completely unspoilt and nestled in a bend of the river Eden it's what a country town should be like.  After wandering around and taking tea overlooking the river bridge we ended up by the river.  There was a massive hatch of fly on the water much to the delight of the resident brown trout who were gulping them down with great enthusiasm.  Some of the rises seemed to have been made by some hefty fish.  It just goes to show how important bank side cover is for large populations of river fly.  Most of the banks have been left uncut and dense tree cover lines the water on the opposite side to the main town.  Only a small area right by the bridge has been municipalised with close cropped grass to provide a place for sitting and relaxing.  This was patrolled by a large gang of ducks intent on mugging anyone careless enough to leave a sandwich unattended for a few moments.

Whist walking up the river bank we spotted a small furry face with a reed stalk in its mouth.  It sat and watched us for a moment then ran down the bank and entered the water with a distinct "plop".  I know that much effort has been expended in recent years to encourage water voles to populate the Eden and to see one of these elusive creatures in the centre of the town was a rare treat.

The backdrop to the rising trout was an absorbing cricket match on the delightful riverside ground.  Some excellent stroke play, plenty of runs, demon bowling and a steady fall of wickets all contributed to a quintessentially English scene.  Thank you Appleby for a fine day out.

Finally, following my comments the other day about whether the abundance of small fish this year are salmon parr Gavin P has put a couple of excellent photos on the website gallery that clearly show the difference between salmon and trout parr.  The difference is pretty obvious and my own observations when electro fishing last autumn suggest that  Ribble juvenile brown trout are equally distinct from salmon parr as these photos show.

Ian

It's a glorious morning here for a change.  We have an almost cloudless cornflower blue sky, it's warm and virtually windless.  How quickly one forgets the miserable weather of the past weeks on a morning like this.  The river is still in good nick with plenty of clear water on most of the runs.  Flies are out and about already this morning so a trout has everything it needs in life and should be amenable to a little persuasion from a confection of fur and feather.

As I walked down to do the milking this morning I was stunned by the number of dunnock mobbing the bird table by the goat yard.  There were literally dozens of these nondescript little brown birds hanging around in the bushes waiting their turn at the nuts in the feeders. They all took off at my approach and it seemed like a scene from Hitchcock's "The Birds" as this flock spiralled up into the morning air.  I saw a similar scene last week, but this time it was starlings on the mountain ash trees by the garden gate.  These were mostly juveniles, again they were present by the dozen and were busy stripping the bright red berries in a very systematic fashion starting at the to and working down.

It seems to have been a good breeding year for birds.  Perhaps the damp weather has produced a good supply of food enabling more chicks to survive.

Has anyone taken a really close look at these small fish that are regularly being caught on the river this year.  There is a suspicion voiced by some that these may be salmon parr.  Young trout and salmon do look similar, but are distinguishable by the shape of the tail and position of the eye.  It would be good to get a handle on whether we really do have a bumper recruitment of wild brown trout or we are seeing the result of the efforts that the EA have made over the past few years to promote the recruitment of salmon in the Ribble.

Ian

Apropos my comments the other day about young brown trout in the Tarn it seems that it's just possible that some low level breeding may take place from time to time.  In the past fish have been observed trying to spawn in the gravel down by the duck wall and since there is often a flow over this gravel as overspill water leaves the Tarn on its way down towards the bog near Turn Dub from time to time there may be enough oxygen, sufficient flow and the right temperature to enable ova to hatch.  Maybe the wet summer and cold wet winter provided unique conditions and the few residual brownies which we know to be large and fertile found a once in a lifetime opportunity to breed.

The river also is capable of throwing up surprises.  There are kingfishers resident at a number of places below Horton, but yesterday a youngster turned up right outside the Crown.  Those of you who know the river well will be familiar with the large rock that lies just to the lane side of the water just below where the bank side wall finishes.  Yesterday the Hon Sec brought his brother up to Horton to photograph wildlife.  Whist waiting for our esteemed scribe to arrive the intrepid photographer concealed himself just down stream from New Inn bridge and got a superb shot of a young kingfisher sat perkily on this boulder within a few feet of the lane.  It was raining hard at the time so the shot taken with a high power lens is rather atmospheric. 

The rain persisted for most of yesterday and the weather now is best described as dreich so fishing conditions for the remainder of the week should be quite good on the river provided that the breeze does not strengthen.

By the way, I have in my possession a blue fleece top that was found between the Tarn and the lower parking place.  If anyone is missing this item you are welcome to collect it.
Ian

The fells are veiled in mist and low cloud this morning and it's currently raining hard so any members planning to fish tomorrow should find rather better conditions on the river than of late (you timed it right Brian).

Here's a conundrum to set you thinking over your morning shreddies.  I had a call yesterday evening from crayfish Paul reporting back on the night-time visit to the Tarn that he and his students made on Saturday to observe the crayfish doing crayfishy things.  Whilst peering into the water near the boathouse with lamps they spotted a fish about 12cm long just wandering around by itself.  First thoughts were that this was either a minnow or stone loach, but minnows usually travel in gangs and you can't really mistake a loach for any other fish.  The consensus amongst the group which contained a number of EA fisheries officers was that this was a young brown trout. 

Now, we have always assumed that trout do not breed in the Tarn because there is no surface inflow and no spawning gravel.  Our stock fish are all hand graded so it did not arrive via a stocking.  We have put no brown trout in the Tarn for about 5 years so whence came this fish?

I await with interest any thoughts you may have.

Some good results were seen today when the students got the crayfish traps out.  They contained an abundance of creatures to examine and record as well as a very large specimen.  It's back up to the Tarn around midnight tonight to watch a bit of white clawed crayfish socialising.  The warm, still conditions we have here today should be ideal for this exercise.  Mind you, since a spot of human socialising will have been done in the Crown prior to the trek up to the Tarn it may be that focusing on these small creatures will present a problem for some.

One of the real joys of doing this job is that you never know what fascination will crop up from a knock on the door.  I was contemplating life the universe and everything on my front doorstep this afternoon when 2 people whose visits always bring delightful conversation and  often fascinating items of club and local history dropped by.  Into my hand was pressed a slim volume that I have not seen or even heard of.  A T R Houghton's book on the Ribble Salmon Fisheries was published in 1952 on the cusp of the creation of the Lancs River Board and the winding up of the old Conservators who had existed since the 1860's.  I shall read this book with great interest containing as it does a cornucopia of information about the history of the preservation of salmon and sea trout on our river.  It provides a unique insight into the way in which migratory fish have been managed on the Ribble down the ages and helps to explain why we have the fishery we enjoy today.

After another dry day the river is fairly low and with just light showers forecast for tomorrow the prospect is for little change in conditions over the next few days.

Ian

A couple of weeks ago I had an exchange of correspondence with a member about our respective experiences with stoats.  These creatures when cornered have a habit of playing dead only to make a miraculous resurrection hen either danger has passed or they believe that a full frontal attack will prove a better strategy.  It seems that we both bear scars from having picked up a seemingly 'dead' stoat only to have the little blighter fasten its gnashers to a digit and refuse to let go.  Mind you, I have had the same experience with a ferret only this time the offending mustilid clamped onto my hand.

To return to stoats, I read today that one in Lincolnshire decided to seek a new career as a car mascot.  A sports car driver was surprised to find that a stoat that he thought he had inadvertently run over had travelled for 32 miles clinging to the radiator grill.  The traveller was treated for minor dehydration at an animal sanctuary and released back into the wild.

On a similar theme (stoats like dark holes) I get a strong attack of the Victor Meldrew's when firms fail to keep promises.  The latest episode centres around my drains of which I have referred before.  Having dismally failed to clear a recalcitrant blockage I rang a drain company yesterday morning who cheerfully informed me that they would be along by 1.30.  By 3pm I was getting a mite tetchy so got on the blower and was told that the engineer was just finishing his last job and would be with me shortly.  At 6pm I get a phone call to say that the engineer will be with me at 10 today.  I thought of telling them not to bother, but let it go.

By 12 noon today still no sign of Drainpipe Dan so on the phone we get again to be told that I will get a call back in a couple of minutes.  Half an hour passes so sod this for a game of soldiers I think and ring another firm.  "We will have Richard with you in 2 hours" I am told. An hour and half later Richard arrives and does a brilliant job.  I now have sparkling clean drains, have seen more of my drains than I knew I had  thanks to a large endoscope and am a happy bunny. so yah boo sucks to EconomyRod and a big whoopee for MetroRod.

The river is now past its best due to an incredible run of 4 days without rain.  A record for this summer.  It's a glorious evening and I'm off to the Tarn now to help set traps for the final crayfish course of the year.  The plan is to take the students up to the Tarn again late tomorrow evening to see crayfish doing crayfish things.

Ian

All went well yesterday with the procedure on my left eye and I can now see better that at any time in my life.  It's amazing what medical science is capable of now.  My problem stemmed from the thickness of the envelope that holds the lens in front of the eye.  Since my cataract operation I no longer have a front to this envelope, but at the rear of the new lens it is thick enough to cause significant blurring of sight.  Literally 3 minutes in front of a small laser removed the back of the envelope and I now have almost pin sharp focus.

What I can't fathom is how you target the laser to remove just the offending tissue.  One imagines that you would walk away with several small holes drilled right through your skull admitting daylight to those parts never intended to be illuminated.

As for conditions here.  The river continues to fish well in moderately high flow and today has seen less wind which has made casting less of a challenge.  I see from the club website that most of our recent visitors have had success using olive CDC dun, tan klinkhammer and bead headed nymph, but with such cold and windy conditions recently fly hatches have been sparse so what you use is really going to be a matter of trial and error.

Now that I can at long last see a fly on a leader I shall have to give the river a go myself.

Ian

Further sightings of salmon this afternoon.  This time at the lower end of the marker pool.  This creature was about 6 to 7 lb and running up river in a good flow.  Rob S tells me that he also had eight fish in two hours around the Tay Bridge beats. 

It would seem that the mink have moved up river and one has been spotted near the Tay bridge.  I am pretty certain I know why they have moved and it's nothing to do with my abortive attempts to trap them.  The reason is that the Pipe pool where they were resident is now home to another creature, a native of our rivers, elusive and quite capable of seeing off a family of its cousins.

No blog tomorrow as I am having a minor operation on my left eye at Bradford R I so provided that the NHS doesn't manage to fire the laser right through my brain I will return to the fray on Wednesday.

Ian

Someone once said (and I can't remember who) that all predictions are unreliable especially when they concern the future.  So it would also seem with fishing.  My confident prediction that the river would be in fine form today seemed pretty valid last evening and even this morning after a few showers overnight conditions here looked perfect with plenty of lightly tinged water, scattered cloud and even some sunshine.  Enter upon the scene our upper river expert and his guest both eager to tempt some wild brownies from their lurking places above Lodge Hall.  I asked them to report back when they returned the ticket stub this evening as I was confident of a really successful day.  I could see by the look on his face as I opened the door a little while ago that my confidence was ill founded.  He sayeth unto me "I wish you hadn't asked me to let you know how we got on.  I have just had my worst day on the river since the beginning of the season with just 1 fish of 12 inches and a couple of others just around eight inches.  My guest has had 2 decent fish and we have seen others, but it's been hard work"

I can think of some members who would be fairly happy with a return of  five fish for a few hours work, but since this particular member reckons on a good day being twenty odd fish I can understand his misery.

I will stick to predicting lottery wining numbers in future.  It's much easier!

Ian

Well, here we are August already and the summer fast disappearing.  In the blink of an eye it will be autumn and another year will have bitten the dust.  I remember back in the 70's as a 20 year old dreading the thought of the new millennium because by then I would be mid way through my 40's and within arm's reach of my maker.  Now that milestone is nearly ten years behind us and I don't see myself as being much different from the younger me.  Less hair, more wrinkles, but inside my head I don't seem much different.  Mind you, if I knew then all that I know now the trajectory of my life might have been a little different.  If we were supposed to have hind sight we would have been given eyes in the back of our head.  Enough of this.

It's been drier today and with a fair day forecast for tomorrow the river should be almost perfect from the top end down to Helwith Bridge.  I know that one member is planning to try his luck above Selside tomorrow so it will be interesting to see what sort of show our wild brownies put on along that infrequently fished beat. 

Ian