Good morning from a damp and dark  Foxford. Well as the saying goes when it rains it pours and the rain has pretty much kept falling all week. Water levels are certainly well up and there is nothing to hinder the Salmon as they make way upstream. Since Friday last we have had a few different rises in levels max was on Thursday when it reached 1.9m at Ballylahan bridge . On Tuesday morning I had a walk along the back of the town, the water was high but pretty clean. There was salmon leaping all over the place, great to see and very promising for the future

Although the season on the Moy is finished a few rivers do stay open for another while. For most salmon anglers though the season is over and it’s time to tidy up and get the tackle stowed away until next spring.Overall the 2022 salmon season was a good one and for a while it looked like it would be a bumper. A reasonable Spring run and a good run of Grilse, although a lot of them were small. From July on as you all know we had hot weather and low water levels that stayed with us until the last day of the season when it rained. The run was good though and as I said there appears to be a good escapement for spawning.

A stitch in time saves nine and now is the time to

Clean and dry: Go through all your bags and boxes.  Give them a good general tidy up and make sure nothing wet is left in them over the winter

Oil and Grease: Remove old line from reels and give them a service. A little drop of oil and a light grease will prolong the life time of your reel

Check: Check everything. Rods for damage especially to the eyes, Jackets and Waders for damage and leaks, check your pockets for anything left in them.  Landing nets for holes, make sure the mesh is clean and dry before storing. Check your Life jacket is in good condition and that the firing mechanism is in working order.   Hang up your Jackets and waders.

Give away: Go through your flies, hooks and baits. Be ruthless, take out anything that looks like it needs attention. Be nice, give it to some kid who’s less fortunate. You don’t really need a blunt hook but he might pass an hour sharpening it.

Find and Return : Your Salmon Licence, I think mines in my jacket pocket.

Now that I’ve said it I best start sorting out my own gear. I also want to dig out some winter fishing equipment. I also have a hedge that’s soon going to be bigger than my house, hasn’t been much work done around here since last May…