Updated 

Updated 18/08/11 Carol and I went to RAF Hendon the other day (to look at the Vulcan bomber mostly) and very good it was too. I was pleased to get this photo of a very interesting item. A couple of years ago I saw another at Cosford and it went like this. That's a sidewinder missile and that's a Mk82 iron bomb etc etc..... and what's this? It's an WE177 air delivered tactical nuclear weapon with yield of 450 kilotons of TNT. Oh all right then, good job it's only a training round! I think it's a B type but if it's a C type I'm sure there's a nuclear expert out there who'll let me know. What a conversation piece for the lounge!

12/08/11 It is our close season for salmon but not for mermaids, just the opposite in fact. Now there are no anglers around they get a lot more inquisitive and venture futher from the bank. I captured this one on film while I was working down there just the other day.

28/07/11 We haven't seen a mermaid for a while but just like the Clapham Omnibus there are none for ages then 3 come along at once. This photo was taken by an angler on his last visit and he has just emailed it through, he must have charmed them somehow!

25/07/11 We get some nice cars in the car park and I ought to get more photos of them, especially as I only get to drive an aged yellow van. This TVR Chimaera was brought by the Swanston family yesterday with daughter Catherine in front, sad they don't make them anymore. The best bit was when it started up as for some reason you just can't beat the sound of a V8

23/07/11 We had a couple of days at Hunstanton (which is about as far away as I dare go if there is no-one to keep an eye on the salmon) by way of a break. The weather was pretty awful so I took this photo of the sun setting over a brooding North Sea, not a bikini in sight. I like to look out to sea and imagine shoals of salmon moving along the coast looking for their native rivers. I read once the salmon for the east coast rivers come south down the middle of the North Sea and then turn back up north along the coast, which why they used to get so many in the Northumbrian nets.

12/07/11 You may think your wife is fierce when she's cross but you don't have anything like this which I have to cope with, Carol picks up something more effective than a rolling pin. Here she is with my golden AK47 complete with emblem and clan tag from Call of Duty Black Ops (ask your sons and nephews if you are perplexed!)

05/07/11 Mind you mermaids aren't the only things that need help, you can come across an exhausted belly dancer that needs looking after. Pick them up and give them some TLC and they're soon right as rain.

28/06/11 I hope you weren't expecting a good looking mermaid and are disappointed by a bloke in overalls. Look at the salmon instead which is one of my biggest ever at 43lb caught on the river Tay yesterday. Only kidding! but you wouldn't be able to tell looking at the shape of that tail.

23/06/11 Mind you just because mermaids are not so friendly and are hard to catch that still means that you must be kind to one if she needs help. I came across this one all tangled up in a net so it was my duty to carefully release her. In fact you could say it was a pleasure.

10/06/11 Well I'm still here but it was a close run thing. I think I'll stick to the belly dancers for a bit as they seem to be a bit more friendly. See what I mean?!

07/06/11 I have trouble identifying the strange animals that appear on the banks of the lake. Most fishery owner brag about their visiting birdlife but they don't get the strange beasts I sometimes come across. Take a look at this one, I can't find it in any of my bird books and Google is no use. Can anyone tell me if these are dangerous? I feel a bit vulnerable. If I disappear it could be that I've been carried off and eaten alive.

02/06/11 As well as catching 4 salmon yesterday, John Servant from Suffolk brought his beautiful red setter, Rosy, as company.

27/05/11 Sometimes I get really confused. Tell me, is this a mermaid or a belly dancer? Or something else? Maybe there are two manifestations of the same mythical being. Does anyone out there know? Are they dangerous? Help!

20/05/11 While we're on the subject of belly dancers I forgot to mention that we occassionally get them washed on the beach at Palm Springs. They are much tamer than the mermaids and will even pose for a photo, look at this!

17/05/11 Carol went to Morrocco recently and brought back this picture of a belly dancer. She's a bit chubby for my tastes (prefer the mermaids) but then again I've never had the pleasure of knowing one very well.

09/05/11 The mermaids really enjoy this weather even if it puts the salmon down. How can I tell? Well you can see them splashing about in margins as you can see here.

Updated 21/04/11 Sometimes we see something strange and this deer has what looks like bailer twine wrapped round it's antlers. Who's a pretty boy then?

Updated 08/04/11 When anglers turn up to fish they often ask me for the best tips on how to catch. That's mermaids as well as salmon but the techniques are quite different. They both get easily spooked and need a large landing net but if you are careful you can catch a mermaid when she comes on to dry land, something a salmon just does not do. You can catch (when she's not looking) with a camera, like I did this one. but to catch with a net is almost impossible as they are extremely fast and slide back into the water as soon as they see you approach..

25/03/11 Here are the kittens coming across their first salmon, they gave it a few licks then disappeared to play with something else. Honey (on the left) has gone from 1lb 12oz to 4lb and Tadpole from 1lb 4oz to 3lb 4oz in 2 months. I wish I could get that growth rate out of the salmon but I'm not so sure that I want to end up with a 45lb cat.

11/03/11 I have had some enquiries by concerned anglers that there has been no mention of the mermaids and if they are ok. Well I'm pleased to report that they are fine and enjoying the really good clear water conditions in the lake at the moment. Now the sun is coming out you can even find them in the bank. I got this photo by being really quiet and creeping up behind the unsuspecting mermaid.

13/02/11 I still think there are some of you out there who don't believe there are mermaids (or even salmon) in the lake. So to prove there are mermaids there I sent Al, a friend of a friend down to get some evidence. He is quite a guy in his day job and very brave to go down there in the cold and not knowing what he might find. He did see some salmon which intertestingly were curious and came right up to him, I can't wait to have a go myself as he saw a 30 pounder appear right in front of his mask out of the gloom. And don't be silly, of course he saw the mermaids and took this picture to prove it. Below Tadpole and Honey.

20/01/11 Things are very quiet at present and catches slow but we had two new family members arrive today. They don't even have names yet but the good news is they like a nice bit of fresh salmon in their bowls, unlike our last cat which unbelievably would only eat dry biscuits. 09/01/11 The lake is ice free now and the weather outlook is looking good into the future. The main task is getting the mermaids back into the lake. Like the salmon they do not travel well and keeping their fins in good condition is not easy. A spell at my place without much water plays havoc with their tails which can end up looking like a piece of material. Just look at the state of this one, lets hope she will mend once back in a more natural environment.

29/12/10 Apologies for the lack of updates but not much is going on at the lake with such cold weather. I've busy moving salmon around the rearing tanks which is really heavy exhausting work but it's all done and the fish are settling into their new homes. The eggs are doing ok and the hatchery is being prepared for fry rearing for my commercial customers. There is also the mermaids to look after when the lake is frozen. I have to find any place I can to house them until the ice has gone, there's not much chance of getting a relaxing bath in this house, here's the reason why.

13/12/10 I'm having trouble with this mermaid thing, the last mermaid wasn't in water but mermaids don't have to be in water all the time. The best time to catch one is to go out at night like I did to come across this one. You have to admit that a mermaid shows a good tail and with those spots she must be a member of the Salmon Family.

10/12/10 Lake is thawing out thank goodness. It was -7C the night before last and to give you an idea of how cold it's been take a look at this photo of the ice block from this dustbin. I think there was a bit of water left in the middle somewhere.

7/12/10 It's -13.7C out there, according to my electronic thermometer, even the pipes have frozen in the loft. Try growing fish in this, good job salmon is a cold water fish, a true fish of the Ice Ages. At least I managed to get the eggs out of the fish and into the hatchery on Sunday. Here is a picture of some of the hen salmon, notice the reel spool in the middle, the fish on the right weighed 19kg (42lb) and gave 6 litres of eggs. I crossed her with a really nice cock salmon of similar size to give some exciting stock for years to come. I've never done well with eggs in the past but I've made some adjustments so we'll see how we get on. Oh yes, the mermaid. It's been brought to my attention that the mermaid below isn't a real mermaid at all but a picture of a girl in a dress. Well I must have got a bit mixed up somewhere but there really are mermaids at the lake, I took this photo just the other day. Of course, her most admirable feature is that fantastic tail, which us anglers like to see in any aquatic inhabitant.

1/12/10 With snow on the ground and the lake frozen over there's not much going on I thought I'd revamp this section and bring it to life. I don't think more pictures of anglers with their fish will lift the spirits, however I'll let you in on a secret, I've spotted mermaids in the lake at Palm Springs. I know you won 't believe me but then a couple of years ago you wouldn't believed 30lb salmon would be caught on a regular basis in Rutland at this time. Furthermore I have photographic evidence, here it is! Ben

 

 

 

 

Early days positioning fishing stages	Ben putting in fishing stages in the rain
Before bridge	Bridge going in place
It looks more like a demolition than erection
Ben working in the rain as usual	Finishing touches
Summer 08	Winter 09