A dark damp morning in Foxford. The first day of September 2026 and it is a Watershed. Catch and release for salmon comes into force for the remainder of the season. We all have to do our bit for conservation and one month of C&R will not hurt anyone. I do hope anglers see the merit in this and abide by the rules so it doesn’t turn into catch and conceal as opposed to catch and release. It will be a busy period for the IFI staff enforcing the regulation. Getting back to angling, unfortunately the heavy rain on Sunday missed us and we had just a little lift in water levels (0.8m at Ballylahan bridge), not enough to move fish from the tidal water. The river is now at 0.65m at Ballylahan bridge and will be suitable for spinning. Further upstream on East Mayo Anglers waters there should be a few fish moving and the fly will be worth a try. There is more rain forecasts in the coming days.