Some showers around the catchment but nothing more than a few millimetres in places so the situation is still dire   Thank fully temperatures are lower at present but will they remain so.   The Elan release came and the water had little effect in most areas and remains in my view just a token  gesture.  It could not surely have lowered water temperatures on the lower river given the quantity of release, the length of river it had to travel plus the high temperatures at the time and natural evaporation.   No doubt others might claim otherwise.

I'm told the lower river is almost as low as 1976 drought and any ranunculous covered in green slimy weed.   The situation is still dire.

Surely no one is going to fish for salmon under these conditions and lets hope salmon owners downriver show some leadership at this difficult time/  Water temp at Redbrook is still 20.6 with air temperature dropped to 16 degrees.

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­ Anglers say goodbye to the Post Office ­ ­ ­ It is vital that all anglers buy a rod licence before they head out to fish. All money from rod licence sales is invested back into protecting habitats and improving fish stocks.     From 16th January 2023 you will no longer be able to buy a fishing licence from your local Post Office in England or Wales. It’s still quick and easy to purchase a licence – you can do this online via the Gov.uk website, or through the EA’s telesales service.    Moving all sales to online and telesales services will help make savings which can then be reinvested straight back into our fisheries service, as well as work towards our carbon net zero targets.     You can renew your licence via the helpline number below or by following the link to the Buy a Licence website.    Telephone: 0344 800 5386, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm (except public holidays, call charges may apply depending on your service provider).    ­ ­ Buy a licence   ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ National Fishing Month arrives again this August   ­ ­ ­ You know summer is here when National Fishing Month begins. Round up your kids or meet up with a friend and enjoy some quality time on the banks. With National Fishing Month events happening all over the country, there is never a better time to take your little ones along and introduce them to the world of fishing. It’s relaxing, enjoyable and gets them away from their screens for a day.     August also welcomes the Take a Friend Fishing initiative, where you can bring along a newbie to the sport and they can get a free one-day licence to join in the action.    Follow the below link to read more on National Fishing Month and discover where your nearest event is.   ­ ­ Find an event near you   ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Red Skin Disease   ­ ­ ­ Red Skin Disease (RSD) is a condition that has recently emerged in wild Atlantic salmon. Scientists at our National Fisheries Laboratory have been leading on investigations into this unusual condition. Little is currently known about the disease and its impact, and we are working with partners to better understand its cause and effect on our wild salmon stocks.     We are asking anglers to be vigilant and report any sightings of this condition to the Environment Agency. This information is extremely valuable and helps us to better understand the distribution of any new or existing disease cases. We are also asking anglers to quickly and carefully take photographs of fish exhibiting any unusual marks if safe to do so, although not to remove or handle fish in distress.   To discuss sightings of RSD in salmon, request further information about this skin condition, or for specific queries on fish health issues, please contact fish.health@environment-agency.gov.uk.     To report dead, dying or distressed fish in England, please contact our incident hotline immediately on 0800 80 70 60. In Wales, please contact the NRW incident hotline on 0300 065 3000.   ­ ­ More information here   ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Close Season enforcement results  ­ ­ ­ The Close Season provides an opportunity for the Environment Agency and partners to carry out projects up and down the country to further enhance habitats which are vital for improving fish spawning. Although most anglers respect the rules, unfortunately some still flout the law and threaten future stocks.     Anglers can face fine of up to £50,000 for close season offences and we carried out 152 patrols alongside Voluntary Bailiffs from the Angling Trust. We reported 49 anglers for close season offences plus 162 for various other breaches of fisheries legislation.     Those returning to fishing, or taking up the sport for the first time, should make sure they have a fishing licence, with 100% of fishing licence income invested by the Environment Agency into the enhancement and protection of England’s fisheries.  ­ ­ Close Season information   ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Anglers help spot pollution  ­ ­ ­ Anglers are our best eyes and ears on the ground, and every year we receive lots of reports about suspected pollution incidents. It is fantastic that so many people are engaged with our natural waters and raise awareness when they spot something that doesn’t look right.  However, many of these incidents, particularly in coastal waters, are rarely the result of pollution and tend to be caused by breakdown of algal blooms leading to foam or scum on the surface.     To help people spot the difference between a pollution incident and natural changes to water, the Environment Agency has created  an interesting blog post unpacking the issue. The blog gives some useful guidance on avoiding toxic Stillwater algal blooms, such as identifying the blue-green colour they produce when breaking down, and the scums which can form resembling paint, jelly or flock. Click the below link to view the blog.  ­ ­ Read more here   ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­