After what seemed an unusually long and wet winter, the tap was suddenly turned off and April proved to be one of the coldest and driest in recent times.

As a result, there have been some bleak days when it seemed the river was empty, but members and day ticket visitors have landed good numbers of sizeable wild trout. This is good news, as it indicates a healthy breeding population of trout which are capable of withstanding Wensum winters.

On the subject of large wild trout however, could all members and day ticket visitors please, please refrain from dragging these fish out onto the bank if at all possible as they are vitally important to the future of the fishery and need to be handled with care. Obviously it’s nice to have a photo to mark the occasion, but please try and take any photos in the water and avoid handling fish more than is necessary.

We all know that it is sometimes necessary to get a fish out onto the bank, but the more we can collectively avoid this the better.

Could members and day ticket visitors also please refrain from publishing photos of fish on the bank as this is not a good look and a gift to angling detractors.

The first of this season’s stockings is due shortly, so don’t forget to look out for the tag close to the dorsal fin, which is green this season.

With the weather improving now, May looks set to be a good month on the river.

Good Luck!