This month I’ve been absolutely thrilled to see my long-awaited article about the Wandle appearing in the January 2018 issue of Trout & Salmon, which started dropping on doormats and news-stands last week.

It’s not a valedictory – the big move from south London to Somerset has happened for family reasons, and I’m still intending to serve as Chairman of the Wandle Trust and South East Rivers Trust for some time yet. But from now on, there’s certainly the recognition that I’ll be taking trains and tube-lines to fish my favourite pools on the Wandle, instead of simply strolling out of my own front door…

Not being completely immune to irony, I definitely found it interesting that SES Water also picked last week to stage their by-now-traditional pre-Christmas meltdown of the recirculation pumps that keep the upper Wandle flowing at times when the aquifer has been drastically depleted for public water supply – leaving freshly-spawned wild trout eggs high and dry in their redds for the third year in succession.

Thanks to our restoration work, the Carshalton arm of the Wandle won the Urban category of the UK River Prize in 2016, and was also the first water body in the UK to achieve ‘good ecological potential’ under the European Water Framework Directive. But all the new gravel, wood and thalwegs in the world can’t compensate for no water at all, and we’re getting very seriously worried for the survival of the trout in this stretch.

Please keep an eye on my Twitter feed (and the Wandle Trust’s) for any further updates, and grab a copy of Trout & Salmon to read while you’re waiting.

Especially if you’re an angler, invasive non-native species can really spoil your day.

From giant hogweed on the banks (with phyto-phototoxic sap which inflicts third-degree burns that’ll keep coming back for years) to signal crayfish and killer shrimp in the water (which destroy the food web from the bottom up by chewing through all the native invertebrates) very few of our rivers, streams and lakes are immune to the impacts of these unwanted invaders once they’ve gained a foothold.

Luckily, there’s almost always something we can do to fight back, and I’m proud to say that my very first article for Trout & Salmon magazine addresses this issue of saving our fishing (not to mention most of our native aquatic ecosystems) for the future.

Now available at all good newsagents, the Know How section of the Trout & Salmon May 2017 issue includes my feature on dealing with Himalayan balsam, giant hogweed, floating pennywort, Japanese knotweed, mink, signal crayfish, Ponto-Caspian shrimp and Pontic rhododendron.

Thanks to Andrew Flitcroft and James Beeson, my Pocket Guide to Balsam Bashing also gets a mention in the Tackle Talk section, and my publishers Merlin Unwin Books are offering two copies of Balsam Bashing for the price of one until 6 July (one to keep for yourself, and one to give away to friends and family).

Just call 01584 877 456 quoting ‘Trout & Salmon’ to claim this generous offer… and maybe tell ‘em I sent you…