10 November

The British Fly Fair was an outstanding success! The standard of fly-dressing amongst the many visitors from the places as far apart as Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Switzerland and the USA, as well as Britain and Ireland, was superb, and the collection of commercial stands selling fly-tying materials as good as I have seen anywhere. It was especially pleasing to see House of Hardy, the most famous of British fly-fishing companies, at the show and to have that most innovative of manufacturers, Marc Petitjean, demonstrating a simple invention that will have a massive impact on fly presentation for saltwater species and pike and other freshwater predators. I am already looking forward the British Fly Fair 2005!

Back to the waterside, October ended with what must be the greatest salmon season since at least 1988. And my own grayling rivers, the Ribble, Hodder and Eden, are full of fish. At Fly Fair I talked with several who have found that the grayling fishing on their rivers has been so very easy in recent weeks, provided that the rivers have not been too high, partly because of the great head of fish and partly because of the mild weather that has resulted in excellent hatches of pale wateries or large dark olives.

Malcolm Greenhalgh