I wouldn't listen.

Snow melt, road salt and coloured water. No hoper. Not going to catch if I don't chance was my reasoning. River certainly up from Sunday and a lot browner, but not  a raging torrent. After a long mardle with  a fellow sufferer set  off for the top of the free stretch as it has more features and slacks.

Fished hard again but what ever was in the slacks wasn't playing ball and the sardines remained unmolested. Whats App confirmed that for yesterday at least our little river was barren.

How rivers change. This was the swim I caught my only 6lb chub from, in a big  brown flood, much worse than this session and in a big wind too, dropping a big lump of cheese paste upstream under that bush in the mouth of the drain. Love it when the tip straightens and  the line suddenly cuts downstream, Thought it was a carp when it got to the net it looked so big. Overgrown now. 

Decided to fish for a bite today at least. Quick look see on the bridge pool. Water clearing already but with a big push on., to much for my favoured eddy so crossed over  and spent a good hour on the float and tip with no interest which was a surprise. Perhaps flake might have been more visual

Off to the mill but very tricky so dropped down to the first bend where I caught my first Norfolk chub many years ago in a very wet gale on meat, the tip stopped banging round in the rain then wrapped completely just as some dog walkers went past. I'm sure they did a good job with the camera but the film (it was a long time age) got caught in the works and was useless. Shame, as at 4.12  nearly a pound bigger than any thing I'd had off the Stour and Colne.

I can claim little credit for this dace today as it was on at the end of the trot but I was pleased with it anyway. One of the blue sheened ones  and rough to the touch, a clear sign of spawning soon.

Two moves and 3 bites later another fish, and this time I at least saw the bite.

Couple of encouraging leads  picked up today and I hope to have followed them up by the 14th. Both involve bread. By the time I  left you wouldn't have know there had been any extra water in the rive r at all.

Toodle pip