Definitely opening day blues for me… if it wasn’t for the banter and company of Warren I’d have called it a day about 2 hours in. We walked miles in search of fish, not a trout in sight… just shoals of chub, everywhere.

Warren looking good in uniform attracts some of the local talent… form an orderly queue ladies

If you want a ripple on the water you’ll have to make one yourself… low flat and lifeless pretty much summing up our local Avon river experience thus far.

Spotting only but a few Grannom, an occasional LDO and a Buzzer hatch like a sand storm… they offered nothing by way of attraction in the hope of seeing some surface risers.

We couldn’t even muster a fish from the weir pools… chub looking rather tempting at this point!

Totally clueless and un-inspired, why does nothing jump out at me… use me…use me, oh yes! that’s because all the maggots have turned to casters.

To cheer us up however we did see a fox sat on an opposite bank watching us watching him, an otter swim across the river and two kingfishers. I say otter cos’ Warren said he saw it… I think it was a spaniel retrieving a ball.

You know to give up when you resort to try and catch at ‘Turd’ pipe… all the trout are brown here

A day memorable in many ways but not for catching fish… at least I got to try my new prescription Costa’s, it’s like having new eyes… I can spot a midge at 50 paces and see through women’s clothing.

Here’s looking forward to day 2 of the new season, I’m on a roll… sheesh!