RIVER KEEPER: April 2010

19th April 2010

Monday 19th April river conditions are good as pictured , overcast and a few drops of rain as at 08.30am with showers forecast for later on . Light north easterly wind .

16th April 2010

River level remains good and thankfully the north easterly wind has ceased , so I look forward to seeing an increase in fish activity .

15th April 2010

The river level remains good , however we are still left with a cutting north easterly wind making life uncomfortable .

Conditions today as at 0800 hrs , current air temperature a cool 3 degrees due in main to a strong northerly (downstream ) wind , clear skies and sunny . Strid wood will offer part shelter due to the surrounding topography as the river passes through this natural gorge .

Lucky Toad 13th April 2010

These pictures show a common Toad released to freedom after being found in a yellow bucket discarded far from anywhere suitable and condemned to a lingering torment unless found !! I am constantly dumbfounded by the attitude of anyone who could leave this amphibean contained in a bucket with no chance of escape to its fate !! Fortunately I was able to return Toad to its rightful place ! as shown . We should remember we are the guardians and protectors of the world we connect with as fly fishers and are aim is to educate the unlightened to the need to protect and conserve ! This Toad would have perished without the support and payment of anglers as I would not exist in my capacity as caretaker of an overlooked environment !

Lulled this weekend into believing Spring had arrived !! a cold front arrived today to keep us real , a bitterly biting wind this morning making fishing uncomfortable at best , my good friend and colleague Jim Curry arrived fresh from Caer Beris in Wales after a busy weekend assessing potential new instructors into the highly acclaimed AAPGAI ( Association of Advanced Professional Game Angling Instructors ) fold of highly skilled dedicated and experienced fly fishing instructors to whom I am privileged to be part of . Jim`s client for the day was a David Leatham a good angler but keen to learn nymphing techniques . Constantly reassured that persistance would be rewarded David was encouraged as we willed him on !! David fished well in difficult conditions and showed true angling grit . Deservedly morning gave way to afternoon and the unpredictable Olive hatch stirred fish to feed and David had good sport , instilled with confidence and technical confidence David went on alone to land a good overwintered fish as seen from what had earlier in the day proved a fishless pool !!

09th April 2010

Todays conditions are excellent and set to stay settled , river level is good and running very clear . The pictures above show Tom Gott with a nice Brownie caught yesterday close to the Priory although slightly lean , it was in excellent condition and put up a valiant struggle and had overwintered well .

08th April 2010

River conditions today are very good , the river is slightly down on yesterday and the water clarity is much improved . A very happy Mr McGrath landed two nice fish yesterday both measuring 18" and in good condition having overwintered well .

07th April 2010

As at 0800 hrs the current level is good as can be seen from the pictures taken from the Priory bridge , as you can see an early riser is taking advantage of the conditions !! Todays conditions should present an opportunity for the dry fly ! Water clarity is good , a cold wind yesterday saw olive duns being held on the water and fish where seen to be taking these easy pickings , Thomas Gott had a good result with seven fish in a few hours in the afternoon all to nymphs fished upstream .