Hiroshima Diary (Avon T-259, 1955)

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Unfortunately I think I may fall into that category. Six weeks ago we were praying for dry weather to dry out the meadows. We're now praying for rain to soften the parched ground and enable a nectar flow for the insects.

With the fish safely in the net David is resting it for ten minutes before removing the single barbless that could be seen sitting perfectly in the scissors. On the far bank another sixteen pounder being returned. In Terry's case it was a sixteen pound pike making for an unusual brace from the pool. Well fished Terry, it makes a good photo. Another shot of a delighted David with his perfect Avon Springer. Finally, after a further ten minutes, almost ready for the release. Congratulations David, a great result under the most testing of circumstances. Personally, I think I might be having a conversation with the rod manufacturer seeing that break. I'll finish with just a couple of reminders to the syndicate. During this dry weather would members please keep speed on the dusty gravel roads about the Estate to an absolute minimum. Its no fun living next to one of these roads when an over excited member, rushing to get to the river, creates their own personal sand storm to drift over adjoining house and garden..... and washing! So if you don't want the lady of the house on your case, take a little care please. Like father, like son, a great shot of Harry with a lovely bream, dad Nigel's favourite fish. You have to say these river bream are wonderful looking fish, almost slime free and a gorgeous deep bronze. Well done Harry, great shot Nigel, thanks for sending it through.Feeding on teasels as no buddlia is available. It does seem odd that the food supply most saught after we cannot plant on the lakes. I can't quite get my head around that. Change is coming, in more ways than the arrival of one or two buddlia bushes and any help we can provide for the struggling butterfly population. When counting butterflies, do those that are feeding on buddlia get included on the count sheet?

A late Great Crested Grebe brood, on Meadow Lake. This year has seen grebe nesting and rearing young out in the middle of the meadow shown above.There are however two characteristics of Chris that I will always remember him for, firstly his enthusiasm. Not only for his fishing but for everything he came across in life. He was delighted to see other anglers doing well, always willing to provide a helping hand or spot of advice. Advice that so often proved successful in helping others achieve their goals. His almost photographic memory allowed him to recall incidents and fish from decades earlier. To add to his photographic memory he also had the photographs. I've probably seen more fish caught by Chris than any other angler I've met. He just loved to share his successes and allow us to feel the excitement of each and every capture. Don't judge me or the author on partisan lines, my reading crosses all party lines and the author certainly writes from a position of strength, based on actual experience. The book not only points out the flaws that are all too apparent to us on a daily basis, it provides alternatives. It is those alternatives that make this so important. Give it a read and keep your fingers crossed the younger generation will get some of it implemented. Alternatively if you are that younger generation and up for the fight get involved and make waves. Down at Lifelands looking across to the "Humps", that today looked more like a string of stepping-stones. The second shot is looking upstream from "Below The Cut Through". This is still fishable as it is from the higher bank in Up-mead, the clues in the name. You won't often hear me say this but with today's high water, heavy showers and forty mile an hour winds, fly fishing was proving difficult. With the water height well above the agreed derrogation limit, better grab the spinning gear, along with a couple of ounces of lead and a wooden Devon, fished on a paternoster, to search under the banks. Taking extreme care not to step into deep water. If we take the natural gradient of the Avon in the lower valley is, for sake of argument, one in a thousand, the upstream impact is easy to work out. The complication arises when perched channels, with much shallower gradients are involved. Perched channels are a fact of life on the Avon. The nature of water meadows and mills requires an artificial head of water to achieve the objective of controlled flooding and water energy. With us on the Estate there are several KMs of perched channels. Each channel if not maintained will attempt to revert to the natural course of the river in the lowest point in the valley. Usually across someone’s hay field! I'm sure many readers will be pleased to see Chris remembered in this way and may wish to donate toward the memorial. John Slader and I are happy to collect any donations toward the cost and keep you all informed as to progress.

The next couple of days will see the first Spring tide of this month. A tide when we would hope to see the number of two sea winter fish increasing dramatically. We still have perfect water conditions hopefully making a return to better times imminent. You've got to have faith, so keep a fly in the water. A fish on a net photo, worth including as its such a beautiful looking common. This stunning 20 plus fish, once more landed on the fly by John Slader, is exactly the quality of fish we wish to see.

I will have a closer look at the season in relation to flows, water temperature and seasonality in a few weeks, once I have had time to digest our current situation. I've just received a call from Paul Greenacre to let me know he has also opened his account today, in the form of another twenty pounder. Hopefully Paul will send me a pic and a little more detail later.

Hooray! At long last Roger has got her. One of at least four ghosts that are in the lake, this one had been ignoring all attempts to get her for weeks; this season and last. No idea how they got in the lake, they've been in here for years, probably as long as that bloody terrapin that Karl landed the other day, its first capture of the season! What I can say for certain about Roger's carp is that she weighed twenty two pounds and is most definitely yellow. Well fished Roger, perseverance rewarded. The last year or two has seen my disillusion grow to the point of disgust, reinforced by the shenanigans of our political elite. You don't need me to list the goings on that have been so depressing. You all know, or have experience of the self interest and greed that has made headlines in recent years. To tar all at Westminster with the same brush may be a little unfair but the picture that such goings on paint contains little positive news to dispel the image. Paul has kindly sent through a video clip showing the release of his fish. Many thanks Paul and congratulations on a super fish. The NFU repeatedly tell us we can trust the farmers to look after our rivers. So how come we still see arable in the flood plain with Defra's support? A spot of advice, should you ever find yourself with occasion to be wading about out in the middle of a flooded valley. Importantly, always, always, have a wading staff with you. Two or three hundred meters from the nearest feature, that is above the surface, it is very easy to become disorientated. A stout staff allows you the opportunity to take a rest and get your bearings. The water may only be a couple of feet deep but it is flowing rapidly so keep an eye upstream to avoid being swept off your feet by passing flotsam. Out in that vast sweep of water there are many ditches and channels that have to be avoided, which is were your staff once more becomes vital. Don't take a step unless you have tested the ground where you intend to put your foot.

An unidentified Amanita that will hopefully reappear next Autumn.

WeBS,(Wetland Bird Survey) day, the last weekend of the coarse season, poachers and canoes, it all made for quite a busy Sunday. The WeBS and the fishing went well, the poachers and the canoes, hopefully don't signal an early start to the silly season. The Shots above show the marsh is still very wet, yet the Lapwing and Redshank have returned and are all noisily establishing their territories. The small area that is the most popular having thirteen pairs of Lapwing looking for space to nest pleasingly an increase of two pairs on last year. Lets hope we now have a period of benign weather and sufficient numbers to drive off predators, allowing them the time and space to successfully rear their broods. Four photos that capture the magic of the Hampshire Avon. The first is the view upstream into the Breakthrough Pool, taken from the point where the scrubby willow has been scoured out during the recent flood. A pool that has a list of specimen fish to die for; thirty pound pike, eighteen pound barbel, eight pound chub, double figure bream and even the odd roach and perch. The second shot is the tail of the "Breakthrough" oddly enough known as "Below the Breakthrough" This is a classic salmon lie where big twenty pound fish are regularly taken. Immediately down stream, the third shot is the run into "Ashley Pool" under the powerline, a lie that has great history of large salmon. Before in the fourth shot the pool itself, home of chub to a massive nine pounds, plus huge pike. It is the diversity of the Avon that is its magic, being able to provide anglers from different disciplines the chance of the fish of a lifetime. Here's an odd sort of thing! Yesterday I was bemoaning the plight of our waders, having been displaced by the floods. Today the other side of the coin. Out on the flooded meadows we have swans, coots and grebe all sitting on nests that within a week or two will be left high and dry in the middle of a field. Being left high and dry probably means they will be lost s they will become all too easily predated by our resident fox population. I could shut the gates and retain the flood for a longer period but that would be at the expense of our tenants and the wild flowers in the hay meadows. The retention of wet meadows and floodwater will be an important topic of conversation in the future, as our climate becomes more and more eratic. Congratulations to David Lambert on landing our first of the new season. I'm not sure if its the first off the river, I dare say I will hear in the next day or two. The height gauge on the bridge reading 21.70 at which point the bund over tops. This flooding is a result of upstream changes that occurred at the end of the previous century and will require further reinforcing of the bund to prevent a breach, when the ground eventually dries out.