Hello Jeff

Thank Andrew very much for my poster. Tell him his reward will come by way of a tench. No tench on the 16th, and the wild cool conditions made it seem feel more like March than June. Having made the effort to get to the pond early, Kevin Parr and I thought our chances were about as promising as England’s at the Euros, but by early afternoon the crucians began to roll and we both got a 2-pounder together with one each of around 1.12. And I also managed a bonus rudd of 1.5 lb, my best for 15 years. On midsummer night’s eve I went back to the same pond and it was a different world – calm, soft-aired and sweet with the smell of elder blossom and wild rush. I had the place to myself and landed a 2 lb crucian 2nd cast. It was 6.30 when I began fishing and by 10.30, when I made my last cast, I could still clearly see my black-tipped quill silhouetted against the reflected afterglow. By then I had landed seven crucians to 2 lb 11 oz. Two glow worms and a barn owl, spotted as I began walking home, rounded off a magical evening.

Hope you got amongst some scales on opening day.

See you on the 2nd.

Chris.

Chris is appearing at the Faber Social/ Caught by the River event on 2 July and at Port Eliot Festival on 22 July. His latest book, Nightwalk, is on sale in the Caught by the river shop, priced £12.