First of all, you will be pleased to know that another of Nigel's intrepid and industrious workparties, has been beavering away down below the Tractor Bridge, in the lower part of Beat 3c at Harpers.
They have put in 3 new fllow deflectors to liven up a rather dull stretch, just as they did on 3b above the landslip pool, which had excellent results.
I hasten to add that I played no part personally this time, which may explain the high level of productivity and proficiency.
On a less positive note, a few hours after this work was completed, you may have noticed that the river level almost halved to only 16cm. We're not aware of a connection, but we have contacted Southern Water for an explanation, and some reassurance that it won't happen again - we await their response.
Fortunately the main beats are still viable, though predictably very low. Definitely not a good idea to wander down hoping to catch a trout just now, even if the water wasn't a bit too warm anyway. If you're really desperate to fish, then Grayling may be possible (though they are getting very picky), but there have been some nice Chub caught on dry flies recently, even where there were no rises visible.
Sadly the situation at Bockingfold (which was painfully low anyway since the sluice was opened some time ago) has deteriorated badly, and our hero Nigel had to rescue a 10lb Carp stranded in the mud, so definitely not a spot for fishing for the foreseeable future.
The good news is that the level has risen slightly to 19cm now, but still pretty low, so do check the river level before you venture down. You can check this from the Club website if you can't find it elsewhere, but ignore the predicted level - it's always wrong.
Do send in your observations in your Catch Returns, and watch this space for any news.
Cheers
PeterB
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