Log Jam

I confess that I had to miss the last two work-parties on the river, on 18th and25th, but of course Nigel was there, and he sent this brief report:

"A dozen of us took the morning on Saturday 18th July to remove a fallen ash tree from one of the ladders on beat 3a. It took a while as it was a complex arrangement of branches and trees and was also quite a hefty tree trunk, but we managed it in the end. We also managed to instal some large woody debris as a deflector and clear some of the access points on 3a. A week later, five of us returned to use up the rest of the timber installing a further couple of deflectors. [Thanks to Andrew for the pic.]

The guys would like to extend their thanks to Mrs Camp for the sausage rolls, excellent as always, and the water melon. The health kick is taking a real hold on our activities! "

In future we will continue to use up any fallen timber, especially if it is ash, installing deflectors and berms to enhance the habitat for fish and invertebrates along the river.

We have further work parties coming up on the 5th and 15th of August. If you are interested in joining us email Nigel at:               nigelfrancis789@btinternet.com

Meanwhile fishing on the river has been getting increasingly tricky, as many will attest. The water level has been very good for the past week or so, and so has the flow, and the clarity. Perfect except for the scarcity of fish. Some members have taken to using dry flies and concentrated on Dace or Chub, as rising trout have been a rare thing. I did find two on Beat 2a last week, but it took all day, and two tricky wades (in waist waders) to get close enough to cast to them. One fell to a tiny Plume Tip, but eventually snapped my leader, and the other succumbed to a small folded-wing caddis, but both were very satisfying, partly for their rarity. Most people who are catching the odd trout here and there seem to be doing so on very small jig nymphs, mostly size 18. If you do go, try the places that are not usually fished, including close to the banks, and be prepared for very few chances.

Make sure you consider fish welfare in particular as the water temperature rises, and try to release fish in the water, as quickly as possible. There's some good advice in the Members Area of the website that's well worth reading.

Don't forget that you can cross to the Left Bank of Beat 2a if the cattle are in an awkward spot (e.g. gateways), and if you're not sure where the crossing points are, read the Beat Spot Guide.

Tight Lines

PeterB