THE sixth day of October 2015 proved to be an historic day for River Aire anglers when a salmon was photographed attempting to ascend Newlay Weir, just above Leeds, probably the first seen since the pollution from the industrial revolution wiped out all fish below Shipley some 200 years ago.

Environment Agency experts failed to give their full backing that it was actually a salmon, but did go as far as saying that if they were pushed, they would probably agree that it was a so.

The fish is a bit small on the photograph but it does have the characteristic pointed snout, powerful tail and salmon outline.

It has been suggested that it may have been a trout but its estimated length of 76 centimetres (30 inch) gives a weight for length of about 5,450g (12lbs) which would be rather big even for a sea trout. Further observations have failed to see any more fish, but this may be due to the high water that the river has been carrying for some weeks.

Members of the Aire Rivers Trust have put the sighting down to recent weir improvements around Leeds. They are confident that when further work is done to Knostrop Weir, which is considered to be almost impassable to fish, even more salmon will be able to ascend the river.

At the moment, salmon are now able to ascend about halfway from Airmyn, the start of the tidal section, to Malham.

Improvements carried out locally have included a low cost baffle fish pass on Eshton Beck where a weir originally constructed by the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Company prevented mainly brown trout from reaching traditional spawning grounds. The work was carried out in partnership with the Canal and Rivers Trust.

Skipton Winter League competitors were once again thwarted by the extreme weather conditions last Sunday and the match had to be abandoned as the wind and rain only increased in ferocity.

The match has been re-arranged for Sunday, December 13 at the same venue.

I doubt whether anyone was fishing last weekend where the Aire once more flooded out into the fields. Prospects are still poor with the forecast of even more wind, rain and even snow.