Doesn't time fly when you are having fun?  Here we are, the last day of the brown trout season already and the past seven months seem to have flown by.  I will be in retrospective mood tomorrow, but all in all it doesn't seem to have been a bad fishing season.

We did some electrofishing on the main river yesterday.  After a false start that found us scratching our heads by the river just above the football field and contemplating a boulder strewn broad channel that was clearly going to be a nightmare to survey we decided that discretion was the better part of valour and decamped to Drain Mires where we could get the waggon right down to the river bank along side some very good salmon spawning gravel.  This area is very open and windswept with almost no bank side cover and some poaching of the banks by livestock so we had some apprehension about what we would find.  Certainly no brown trout as this is not good trout habitat.  In a 30 meter length we got over 30 salmon fry and a single salmon parr together with a host of minnow, bullhead and stone loach.  Not a bad result for 3 hours work, but it's evident that with a bit of judicial habitat work this area could become a super salmon and trout nursery.  The west bank here is well fenced already and the east bank is fairly high with a good uncut margin before it merges with the meadow behind.  A bit of bank protection and a few willows here would work wonders for both salmon and trout recruitment.

Depending on how the weather shapes up we may try to survey another river site early next week.  The aim is to get some reliable data about salmon recruitment on the higher reaches of the river before the hydro scheme becomes operative at Settle so that any changes in recruitment can be referenced against the situation without the scheme in place.  My big concern at present is that the work currently being done at Settle has closed the fish pass on Settle weir so if we do get some decent water over the next few weeks our salmon will find their progress up stream severely restricted.  The fish pass needs to be opened up as soon as possible and I find it rather surprising that the EA allowed work to be carried out here during the migration season.

Ian

We had a slight change of plan yesterday.  Instead of electrofishing the main river we went up to Nether Lodge and did Cam Beck just below the farm.  This is an unfenced, tree lined length with a cobble and boulder bottom.  Not easy to net, but we got some quite interesting results.  As well as a good number of bull head, minnow and stone loach (they seem to be everywhere) we also found a dozen or so trout parr up to 4 inches.  The real surprise was a large salmon parr which was taken in one of the small pools.  The fish in this beck are very dark in colour, not so brightly spotted as those in Brants Ghyll an take a great deal of concentration to spot and bring to the net once the current has stunned them.

The plan now is to do the main river this morning, but it will be a challenge to find enough water on a narrow riffle of sufficient length to make this viable.

It's yet another grey and cloudy day with just a light breeze.  We are promised a little rain later, but this is likely to arrive too late to make the last day of the season a sensible fishing option.

Ian

The main crayfish survey concluded yesterday with a total catch for the six days of just shy of 900.  When the recaptures are added in then well over a thousand creatures came into the traps.  This is a staggering total and well over twice as many as were recorded the last time a population density survey was done here in 2002.

Those members who visit the Tarn over the next few days will notice a number of coloured pegs set around the margins of the tarn.  These are marking out 25 and 50 meter intervals so that exact locations can be plotted.  The plan is to lamp the Tarn late one evening this week, probably Thursday and record the number of crayfish active between each peg.  This data will show how well the population is distributed at the Tarn and whether the population total extrapolated from the trapping results is skewed due to traps being set at the most densely populated locations.  The pegs should cause no interference with fishing so please be patient and leave them in place.

It's back to the very depleted river this morning as we plan to electrofish one of the riffles upstream from Austin's pools.  I am not aware that any electrofishing has ever been done this far up the Ribble so the results whatever they show will be interesting.

We seem to have a fair number booked for the Hot Pot Supper on Friday, but there is still time to get your name in to Michael if you wish to attend.  It should be an enjoyable evening.

Ian

I spent a fascinating morning yesterday helping the Ribble Catchment Conservation Trust to do an electrofishing survey of Brants Ghyll.  This was a full qualitative survey unlike the five minute quantitative survey that we did here last autumn.  First we set a couple of stop nets 30 meters apart to define the survey area.  Then the area within the nets was fished from top to bottom. This took about three quarters of an hour and produced a fair bucket full of fish.  Whilst we waited for the escapees to settle down and take up station the catch was processed.  The result was a very healthy population of trout and salmon parr together with a reasonable number of trout and salmon fry.

We also got quite a haul of bull heads which I know from my riverfly work are common in the river and about a dozen very large stone loach.

After placing this processed catch into an aerated bin we did two upstream passes with the gear to ensure that the area had been entirely swept of fish.  These produced a further small haul of parr and fry and a handful of bullhead and loach.

The health of a salmonid population is judged by reference to a standard measure and what we have in Brants Ghyll is a category borderline B/C population where category A is the highest.  This compares to a D category last season so it looks as though both salmon and brown trout are recruiting well in Brants Ghyll.

We will shift our attention to the main river on Monday and take a look at a riffle sequence above the Austin's pools between New Inn and Newhouses.

I then went up to the Tarn to give Paul a hand with the day's crayfish recording.  We now have a catch of around seven hundred creatures most of which have only come once into the traps.  So by Sunday we should have over nine hundred which leaves no doubt that the Tarn is likely to be the healthiest population of native crayfish in the UK.  Just out of curiosity I set two traps right out in the middle of the Tarn.  In the past only the margins have ever been trapped so we thought why not?  let's see what a couple of deep water traps turn up.  I will check these later this morning.  We may get nothing, but who knows.

If you are visiting the Tarn over the next few days please be aware that the boathouse door is parting company with the rest of the boat house and taking the support with it.  A repair is a three man job at least so this will have to wait until we can get a small working party to the Tarn, get the door off, repair the door post and rehang the door.  In the meantime please do be careful if you are taking out the boat.  The door is extremely heavy and should be treated with great caution.

Ian

If you

Not much sign of sun over the past few days and very little rain so the river remains very low and sluggish.  We are going to attempt a spot of electrofishing this morning on Brants Ghyll and a couple of selected pools on the main river.  The objective is to try to build on the work done last autumn on the side becks and establish the nature of the brown trout population on the upper river.  I have a feeling that there may well be just too little water to get any meaningful data, but we shall see.

What is going well is the crayfish survey.  The last two days checks have produced over 150 creatures in the ten traps on each day with very few repeat catches.  So at this half way stage we already have a larger population sample than was got in the whole of the 2002 survey.  This suggests that our native crayfish are recruiting very well which speaks volumes for the overall health of the Tarn and its fish stock.

My belief is that this high density population of crayfish is a significant benefit to the fishery as these omnivores play a vital role in keeping the water clear and clean.  They are scavengers and will soon dispose of any dead matter in the water thus reducing the risk of disease that might affect the resident trout.  The young crayfish probably provide a ready food source for bottom feeding fish through the early spring which is why early all fish irrespective of whether they have just been stocked or are over wintered come to the rod in such good condition.

We shall see what today's check reveals.

Ian

We cleared down the crayfish traps at the Tarn yesterday morning and found an exceptional haul of animals.  The perceived wisdom is that a single crayfish per trap indicates a location with a thriving population.  We got an average of 23 creatures per trap with one trap holding 50 white claws.  This early result suggests that the Tarn may well be the best native crayfish site anywhere in the UK, 

We recorded and numbered each creature checking for disease and any other indicator that problems may be building in the population.  Only two of the 230 animals processed showed signs of white porcelain disease.  Again the rule of thumb is that a 10% rate of infection is accepted as normal so our population is not only exceptinally large it's also seems to be exceptionally healthy. 

There are still 5 days of the study left to run so these are just preliminary findings.  The traps were reset yesterday and will be cleared down again today.  It will be interesting to see how much of the catch consists of re caught animals and how many are fresh catch.  The numbers will tell us and the numbers will also show how mobile the population is as we can relate each numbered creature to the location where it was originally and subsequently caught.

Do look out for numbered crayfish when fishing the Tarn.  Crayfish bingo is always an option to help pass those tedious hours when the trout are not cooperating.

Despite some rain yesterday the river is still too low for decent fishing and with high pressure forecast to build again over the next few days it's doubtful if there will be much decent water before the end of the trouting season next week.

Ian

The first significant rain for a fortnight fell during the night and its a typical equinoctial day so far with a very stiff westerly wind blowing along a lot of dank grey cloud.  The river has risen a touch, but it will take a drop more rain yet to make any real difference to the level.

We set ten traps round the Tarn last evening as part of the crayfish survey and these will be checked this morning.  The plan is to do a 6 day check so the traps will remain in situ until Sunday with daily processing of results.  I will post these up as we get them and try to draw some comparisons with the results obtained from the last survey in 2002.

Ian

A rather depleted group completed the main river fly check this morning.  Mind you, it wasn't just the group that was depleted.  Both the river and the number of beasties caught were on the meagre side.  We did find representations of most of the 7 families that we check at both sites so my guess is that the low numbers are simply due to the time of year (many nymphs have hatched now) and the almost dry conditions.  It was a glorious morning so the three of us spent a very pleasant hour and a half messing about with bugs and water.

Attention transfers to the Tarn tomorrow with plans now set to begin the big crayfish survey. You will notice traps set around the margins of the Tarn most of this week so please try to keep clear of these when fishing.  The results we obtain will hopefully give us an idea of how the population of native crayfish is getting on. Data will be collected on the health, size and sex of the creatures caught.  The total number trapped will also provide a means of extrapolating the total population present.  More on this in due course.

Ian

I have just been watching a small dark olive spinner (male) that is clinging to my kitchen window.  It's only when you have chance to study these tiny creatures at leisure that you can truly appreciate their delicate beauty.  This one is predominately grey with a dark head bright eyes and an orange tip to the abdomen.  the tails are equal to the length of the rest of the body and are such an outstanding feature of the insect that I do wonder just how plausible is the assertion that Roger Fogg makes in his book on wet flies that tails and wings are not important in a dressing.  I know that with his patterns it's movement that really counts, but a trout seeking food and feeding on submerged spent spinners surely has awareness of the overall shape of his food which will be materially affected by the presence of tail and wings?  I leave you to ponder.

I was up at the Tarn at the crack of dawn for a check around.  Son of Simon seems to be working as there was no sign of cormorants.  It was dead calm and the Tarn was mirroring the hills around with barely a distortion.  I should have taken the camera, but stupidly left it on the kitchen table.  There were a few rises as I left although these seemed desultory without any real enthusiasm.  The Tarn fished better last week and seems to be doing well this week.  A great relief after the rather disappointing returns for the start of the month.

Ian

After a dampish start it's turned bright and sunny with a moderate westerly breeze and the local forecast is for much of the same over the next few days.

The Tarn has been hard work again this week with fish seeming reluctant to take and few visible rises.  There could be a number of reasons for this lack of piscine cooperation.  Cormorants have been present so fish may have been spooked by predation, We stocked just over a week ago and the new residents may not yet have dispersed, or it may just be the weather and an exceptionally heavy hatch of sedge that is providing enough sub surface food to make rising not worth the effort.  Much has been written about the mind of fishes, but until we learn how to interpret behaviour with total accuracy (or learn how to communicate in fluent trout) your guess is as good as mine.

We may be a little short of water for the invertebrate check this coming Sunday unless it turns wet later in the week which seems unlikely, but my plan is to go ahead and do the check whatever the prevailing conditions.  The team is a little short on members this time due to absence on fishing trips etc (no sense of priorities some people!) so if any member fancies a couple of hours at Horton on Sunday morning catching and classifying bugs then do come along to the pavilion at 10.30.

Ian

I have back ache today.  We did the draw down up at Ling Ghyll yesterday to check on the crayfish that have been washed into the system in the 7 weeks since the last draw down.  Lugging pumps and rigid pipework around does play havoc with this ageing frame of mine as does a day spent bent double picking angry crayfish from beneath rocks and within crevices.  The great news is that the system is working perfectly.  We have had some very high water levels this summer and our expectation was that we would find significant numbers of white claws in each of the three ponds.  The upper pond is the largest and gave up a population of 310 animals all healthy specimens and a good range of sized indicating robust recruitment.  Pond two contained 80 and in the lower pond we found 20.  By extrapolation this would suggest that a mere 5 creatures have washed through the system in 7 weeks and dispersed into Ling Ghyll.  This is likely to be too few to sustain the presence of plague so the system is doing its job.

The site will now be made dormant for the winter, the big pump removed and nature left to her own devices until next spring.  If we have a decent summer next year then there is every chance that the Ribble will be free of plague by next autumn and thoughts can turn to restocking with creatures from captive breeding programme.

It really was delightful working in the warm sunshine up at the Ghyll.  We now have the a routine going which is to set up the pumps, start the stove going, put on the bacon and kettle by the time that the pumps have cleared the top pond breakfast is ready.  There is something about the smell of bacon cooking and coffee brewing in the open air that  creates an immense sense of primordial bliss that not even the invasive roar of a big diesel pump and the clatter of its  3" petrol cousin can mar. 

The river is now well past its best after this mini drought.  There is still good water on the pools, but the runs and riffles are looking rather sad.  The forecast is for a fairly dry week so  we may have a rather damp squib end to the trout season if that's not a mixed metaphor too far.

If any member is stuck for accommodation on the night of the hot pot let me know as I may be able to suggest some local B&B's.

Ian

The wandering rod has now been put in contact with its owner and awaits collection.  It would seem that the sheer pleasure of sitting with a hot drink contemplating the scenery with a mind in neutral gear left this particular member in such a state of bliss that all thoughts of where he might have put his tackle were banished from his mind.  I fine weather this valley can have that effect and we have just such fine weather again this morning.  The river is now quite low and well past its best, but there will be fish lurking in the pools and my guess is that quite a few salmon will be with them.

For the first time for eight weeks the beck at Ling Ghyll is low enough to draw down to check on crayfish movement so the plan is to go up there this morning and do just that.  Any member planning to fish at Horton today is more than welcome to visit and take a look.  We should be up there all morning at least.  Then this evening a number of crayfish traps will be put in the Tarn to begin the licensed population survey.  It's about six years since the last one was done and it will be interesting to discover whether there has been any change in population density over that time.  If you see any traps whilst fishing please avoid these.  They will be there for just a few days and should cause minimal inconvenience. 

Those of you who remember the last survey will know that each creature is numbered as it's recorded and released so watch out for these marked crayfish over the next few days.  I will post results up in the hut and on the club web site.

Ian

In my time I have become the custodian of many bits of wayward kit either dropped or left lying in one of those "senior moments" that afflict all of us born before 1959, but a phone call yesterday alerted me to probably the most valuable item left idling its time awaiting that sudden flash of recollection or the "Where the hell did I put that" moment.  If any member is without an Orvis Trident two piece rod complete with reel then thanks to the alertness of a local farmer I now have one in my possession.  To reclaim this item please ring or email me together with a DNA sample so that ownership may be verified.

It's time to get Son of Simon ready for duty at the Tarn.  An increasing number of cormorants are now treating the Tarn as a feeding station and need to be persuaded to go and fish elsewhere.  In true Frankenstein style I have cobbled together a man of straw to watch over our rainbows and hopefully give the impression that there is a human presence permanently fishing, but catching nothing.  Looking at the register for last week I see that a good few members will know only too well how he feels.

It's yet another perfect day here in the valley with no breeze, plenty of warm sunshine and just a scattering of white fluffy clouds.  These conditions combined with moderate water in the river should give some fine trout fishing.

Ian

It's yet another glorious, bright sunny morning with a definite tang of autumn in the air.  A perfect day for fishing as was yesterday afternoon and it was good to see so many members enjoying the benefits of of the Tarn.  The fishing was not easy mind you.  With a heavy hatch of sedge fish were taking just below the surface and proving hard to tempt to the fly, but some of those present got a full bag.

Here is a conundrum to set those little grey cells working. I keep my livestock proven in galvanised metal bins that are allegedly rat proof so imagine my surprise when I lifted the lid on the mixed corn bin this morning to feed my ducks to find 6 small rats tearing round the bin like cyclists on the wall of death.  How the hell did they get in there.  I know that scientists working in Papua New Guinea have just found a new species of giant woolly rat.  Maybe they should be looking closer to home because I seem to have one here that is capable of lifting a steel lid to allow its offspring to feed.  As they say, answers on a postcard please.

Here is yet another book to add to your Christmas list and your book shelf.  One of our esteemed members has written a book on local fly patterns and you can now pre order this from all good book shops and from Amazon.  Just ask for "The Guide to Tying North Country Flies" by Mike Harding.  It's offered by Amazon at a discount price of £10.49 which for 192 lavishly illustrated pages is pretty good value.

Ian

After a fairly dry, windy and overcast day yesterday this morning has dawned bright and sunny with hardly a cloud in the sky.  I can't remember the last time we had such a decent morning and the forecast is promising a few more days like this. 

Water levels on the river have dropped off quickly so salmon fishing is unlikely to be productive.  However, we still have some decent water for late season trouting. 

Here is something to watch out for when you are browsing through second hand book shops or book fairs.  The Art of the Wet Fly by W. S. Roger Fogg is a book that I had not come across before, but a quick browse through a copy left with me yesterday to pass on to a new member reveals it to be an absolute gold mine of information and advice about fishing north country spider patterns on wild rivers like the Ribble.  The book contains the distilled wisdom of many of the great writers of the past who have considered the art of fishing for trout in northern waters. You will find here Pritt, Edmunds and Lee, Skues, Ronalds, Halford and others who are (to me) less familiar such as Theakston and Cutcliffe. 

Finally, the runner ducks are settling in, a little nervous at present, but they are slowly getting their bearings and beginning to explore the garden.  Getting them shut up last night took slightly less time than I thought it would.  After a brief chase through the bushes and trees, through the pond and round the duck house several times they eventually tried a slick manoeuvre between Sheila's wellies which halted progress somewhat enabling me to grab them and bundle them into the ark.  Let's see what kind of performance they put on tonight.

Ian

An afternoon of light showers yesterday turned into a night of heavy rain with about an inch falling at Horton so once again the river is in full flood.  Its dawned brighter this morning with just a light breeze, the forecast is for some sun later so fishing should be rewarding later.

Its interesting to see from the emails I have had over the last couple of days from members who fished here on Friday and Saturday that even in high water the brownies were taking.  Some preferring small salmon flies to the usual patterns.  Ian W got a 9 lb salmon on Friday as well as 3 brace of wild brownies.

I'm off shortly to Staithes near Whitby to collect a batch of white runner ducks.  This trip has been pending for almost a week now, but the weather either here or over in east Yorkshire has delayed it from day to day.  I'm keen to get this flock settled in before the onset of autumn.  Ducks are not the brightest of creatures and generally take a fair bit of encouragement to recognise a new home.  They also have a propensity to play follow my leader with the most dominant duck setting the strategy for the whole flock.  Provided that you can persuade the leader to do what's wanted you are OK, but if it decides on its own plan of action then toe whole lot tend to follow suite.  The biggest challenge is getting them shut up at night and herding ducks into a new duck house demands the patience of a Saint.  However, once they eventually do recognise home life becomes a little less fraught.

So with a bit of luck the army of slugs in my garden will soon be turning into duck eggs.

Ian

We stocked the Tarn this morning with 100 fine looking rainbows of around 1.5 lb.  This should keep things lively until the close of season at the end of October.  It's been another wet day so the river is bank full again.  Still, even on high, coloured water some members seem to be getting success.  Ian W had a 9lb salmon from Parker's Pool yesterday together with half a dozen decent sized brownies.

As many of you will know the club web site was set up thanks to the generosity of Neil P and his IT company.  Here is an opportunity for us to show a small appreciation for Neil's contribution to the MAA.  He is about to embark on a sponsored 4x4 trek across Europe to raise funds for a children's cancer charity and is looking for sponsors.  Find out more and keep a watch on his progress at this website: http://www.intelmental.co.uk/.  A quick check of the equipment he intends to take with him reveals no sign of any fishing tackle.  Come on Neil, surely there is space for a small 4 piece fly rod and a few flies?

As I write this the rain has stopped and we even have a little afternoon sun.  It's still a tad windy, but even that is beginning to fall off.  It may be a decent day for fishing tomorrow.

Ian

The rain has given off at long last, but the same can't be said for the wind which is gusting quite fiercely from the west.  No sign of any sun and it's cold in the stiff wind.  Not a good day to be practising your casting, but with a falling river if you can find some shelter the chances of bagging a salmon should be quite high.

Ian

After a very wet night it's a truly appalling morning here with a strong westerly blowing yet more rain across the valley.  The river is in full spate and even at nine thirty last evening as we returned from a ruby in Settle (which included a spicy South Uist brown trout) with friends Settle weir was a dark brown foam flecked torrent.  The forecast is for less severe weather tomorrow and Saturday so even though the wind is likely to be fairly strong water levels should drop off enough to make salmon fishing viable.

I was planning to go over to Whitby today to collect some runner ducks, but the prospect of crossing the broad acres in this weather fills me with some gloom so I think the ducks will have to wait until tomorrow or Sunday for a journey westwards.  You would not believe the trouble I have had trying to find four Indian runner ducks.  Since my last flock ended up as a fox supper a couple of years ago I have searched the web for replacements.  The nearest breeder I found is just north of Whitby hence the trek east.  I have rather missed having these elegant yet rather comical creatures roaming the garden.  They keep the veg plot clear of the vast hoard of slugs and snails that invade from the surrounding meadows and pastures and provide wonderfully rich eggs.  Mind you the last bunch trashed the pond in fairly short order.  They seem drawn to mud like iron to a magnet and their chosen role in life seemed to be to transport as much clart from the garden into the pond as physically possible.

 

Well here we are, almost autumn and fast approaching the end of another trouting season.  Mind you a new month seems to have made scant difference to the weather which started off quite bright here this morning and then steadily went pear shaped as the day wore on.  The river was in spate early on and has dropped a touch, but with persistent and heavy showers forecast for the next 24 hours it's unlikely that we will see much decent trouting water this week.

The Tarn is as full as I have ever seen it in August.  The boat this morning was almost level with the gangway in the boat house so with plenty of water sloshing around I gave it a thorough dousing to get rid of the guano that the swallows keep depositing on it.  The outfall down by the duck wall was a turbulent beck and the swamp below the wall by Turn Dub where the outfall soaks away was under a good three inches of water.  No sign of any cormorants this morning although it's possible that the semi resident individual was trying its luck down on the river.

I have at long last managed to get something that I think will enable me to bring the pump in the hut into use.  A bit late in the season I know but better late than never.  I will try fitting it tomorrow and fingers crossed that it will do the trick.

Ian