Regular visitors to this site probably won't know what's hit them this month. 'There must be some mistake', 'this can't possibly be the Paul Arden Fly Fishing Experience', 'where's all the psychedelic purple gone?' and 'hey look I can actually navigate around without waiting for pages and pages of stuff to download' and other surprised comments.

No, you are not in the wrong place, this is the sexyloops website. Completely rebuilt, and hopefully for the last time. Finally I've worked out how to build these damn pages and I'm not doing it again. However, if you've got any tips... (but please, no commercial stuff; I'm not paying for something which I can reasonably work out how to do myself!)

Also, I spent one evening submitting the various pages to some of the most popular search engines, so I'm expecting a huge increase in hits. And if you are one of these recent discoverer's; then welcome! - nice of you to drop by.

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Here is my Ardleigh report.

Although I don't really consider myself to be a guide, as such, more of an instructor (this way I actually get to fish myself - which in a strange way actually increases the pressure - but it beats just watching), principally because it doesn't 'feel' right to charge for companionship, I do understand some of the difficuilties guides face:

On the one hand a guide has to have integrity - it's no good saying how wonderful the fishing is, when it's diabolical, just to get the business, because that's one client who sure won't be ringing you again.

But on the otherhand a guide also has to be optimistic. When times are tough he has to have enough optimism for himself and his client. Because every angler knows that pessimism has to be avoided at all costs. As soon as you lose confidence you may as well pack up and go home.

Basically what I'm saying is that the fishing over the last couple of weeks has been crap. Not crap in a 'well it could have been a little better' way. But crap in the worst possible sense in that on some nights it couldn't have been any worse (well not in any conceivable way).

This is not to say that it's gonna be crap next week. July might be fantastic. (I'm hoping, if not actually expecting it to be so).

So the question has to be asked 'why is the fishing so bad right now?' An entriguing question especially when you consider that it is a purely local phenomina. Local to Ardleigh Reservoir.

We are currently getting none of the large buzzer hatches we normally get at this time of year. It could be that they are late(!) and if this is the case then fantastic, July is going to be a fantastic month (best ever, heaps of optimism). If they are not late, then they are dead; which is a really worrying thought and one that I will only deal with if necessairy. So for the purposes of angling I shall, of course, take the optimistic approach and continue this report with a forecast based on good things in genaral and late buzzers in July.

Please note that if you require up-to-the-minute fishing reports on this venue then you can either email me or even try ringing me - sometimes I am close to a phone.

One thing that always appears this month, is the pinfry explosion. And right on queue they are currently being taken by the fish - in small quantities. So (optimist) we can expect sport even without the midge hatches!

Book!

Here's a short clipping from my book...

The first week of July is somewhat akin to the last of June<oh-oh>. However at some point during the month we are going to have to get involved in some deep fishing if we are to take fish during the midday period, especially under windy conditions. This restricts bank fishing to dams, although it can be possible to take fish from weedbeds...

A mine of information, but how do we take trout from weedbeds? A little later on the book tells us...

Weed-beds sometimes hold trout. You can sometimes see them if you drift your boat over them and spend your time looking sub-surface. Try floating fry the other side or in the gaps between weed. Or the dry fly. A big Wickham's comes recommended by some. I have also read that you can make your own little holes with rakes attached to ropes and expect the fish to arrive rather quickly. I have never resorted to this aquatic pruning, but I am known to be rather lazy in my approach to angling and so that may account for this.

I then go on to describe dam fishing and specific techniques for catching fry feeders. What a wonderfully exciting book this is (even if I do say so myself) you really must buy a copy. It even has a money-back guarantee!!

Hopefully I can sell enough of these books this month and then I won't have to do any guiding... unless, of course, the buzzers are only late, in which case the 'Float Tubing Experience' may well be particularly busy. Time will reveal all...

Feel free to email me - I'm usually pretty quick on the reply - also if you're having problems, or not had a reply, please resend, my ISP had a few difficulties recently. I reply to every email. But only the ones that get to me...

Diary.

And finally here's a few dates for your diary:

• Sat 10th July. Tendring show at Manningtree, Essex. I'll be there doing some casting and looking after the Ardleigh Reservoir stand from 10am until 2pm. Hope to see you there.

• 30th July to 1st August. CLA Gamefair. This year is in Yorkshire (which for all you Southerners is North of the M25 - I know this because I used to live in York). I'll be on the AAPGAI casting clinic wearing my thermals.