It’s been a very strange year on the river. We seemed to go straight from Winter to Summer with very little in the way of spring. Everything seemed to be rather late this year but the wagtails seem happy enough now, hovering above the river feeding on aquatic flies. The fish are becoming shyer, having fed well they are happy to lie up for periods in the day, sipping on the occasional fly. For keepers and clubs and anglers, out working hard on the banks, it’s time to make sure enough Himalayan Balsam is removed before it starts to flower. If you see anglers pulling up hug piles of plants, they are doing a good job not being destructive! Invasive signal crayfish are also out of their hidey holes, and need to be removed. These are very damaging to aquatic life and are helping making our native white-clawed crayfish a rare sight.
![](https://anglingconservation.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/balsam-850x568.jpg)