Rivers looking good in most areas but still no reports of any further fish.  Two confirmed for the season and two possibles is not a great start so I decided to go trout fishing instead.

Lovely afternoon and ideal conditions.  Brownies were up for it and had half a dozen of so decent sized fish.  They were a bit lean still but in good condition.  Most were in the faster runs with the deeper glides totally unproductive.   As always a small gold head Hares ear was the go to fly with little sign of surface fly life.  Only one small grayling.

Highlight of the afternoon was the last fish.  A decent take, fish showed on the surface and then simply took off downstream and just kept going.  When the whole flyline disappeared through the rings I wondered what the hell I had on.  Soon became apparent that all was not right and the conclusion the fish was foul hooked proved correct..    30 plus yards away in a fast current I had to retrieve the fish tail first against the flow.  Eventually however a fish around the 2lb mark was netted.    Somehow beats flogging the river for salmon when it's becoming increasingly apparent that they are thin on the ground to say the least.  Time yet though.

However what spoilt the day somewhat was the state of the riverside fields.  The farmer here seems a great supporter of what the Anabolic Digester churn out.  Despite these field having been under at least 3 feet of water recently once again the grey shiny slime is being spread all over them ready once again to get washed away should there be a major spate.   Several tanker fulls were being used over many acres of a pretty poor looking variety of crops.  A friend used to dig in the field there for his worm fishing -he tells me they are there no more and can't tolerate the stuff.  Depressing in the extreme .