20th JULY 2010

Heavy rain last night has pushed the river up once more , to a level higher than yesterday , as you can see its falling steadily , however heavy rain is forecast for later on today so I expect a worsening picture tomorrow morning !
I expect tomorrows pictures to be interesting !

19th JULY 2010 MONDAY

As you can see finally after the longest period of low water I`ve experienced in my ten years as River keeper , I woke to find the river in the condition pictured above !! As you can see as at 08.30 hrs this morning the river is falling steadily , as shown by the watermark on the sand .

Visibility is fairly poor at present increasing the chances of your fly going unnoticed , but will improve as levels subside providing some excellent opportunities for those anglers able to take advantage of them .

The picture above shows a young Roe buck attempting a river crossing on Friday afternoon ! upstream of Kingfisher Bend , until my unexpected arrival caused him to retreat to nearby woodland , this is not uncommon and I have seen them often swimming with only their heads above water


Finally a picture highlighting the floral display at Kingfisher bend inside the fenced off area , which improves annually , difficult to remember this was once a closely sheep cropped billiard table , and which now provides a vitally important and visual buffer zone .

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 .

14th April 2010

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 !!