The whiter counting board and hold down are nice  ...but counting is
still too hard and inaccurate. I (maybe your eyes are much faster:-)
need a counting window about a yard long.

The current problem is the surface turbulence caused by the hold down
obscures most of the counting board. It's far too easy for me to miss
a fish swimming over the "sill". I wish there was some way to move or
eliminate the surface turbulence so I could use the whole counting board.

This message is just about the logistics of counting  ...rather than
the more important topics of the fish or the river:

It's quite important to keep the counting materials dry, as it's
almost impossible to record a count if they're wet.

Put the thermometer with its wet string inside the cup to separate it
from the rest of the materials. By far the easiest way is top (weight
end) down. Snap all the plastic bags in both boxes completely closed
every time. If it's sprinking, walk next door to QLF (Quebec Labrador
Foundation) under the porch roof to write. Use a pencil, as pens skip
badly on the least bit of dampness. If you find something wet, try to
dry it off before putting it back in the box. And make sure the boxes
are closed tight when you leave (especially since one of the hinges
is broken).

thanks!

On Friday April 13 the Ipswich River welcomed its first fish above the
Ipswich Mills Dam....in the box trap with him was a small pickerel. I
guess the alewife has the whole river to himself now!

The trap was opened Sunday at 4pm due to risk of flooding. I'm hoping
to close it again tomorrow.

-Holly