This news is being written
with heavy rain lashing down
outside. However, according
to the TV weatherman the
other day, here in the south
east, June and July have
been the driest on record
since 1979, with only about
a quarter of the average
rainfall we would normally
expect during these months.
Little wonder then, that the
streams feeding our waters
have dried up or shrunk to a
trickle and there is no flow
whatsoever through the
lakes, with water levels
below the outfall monks or
sluices in most cases.
We
have been monitoring the
situation and although water
temperatures became quite
high, being well in excess
of 20oC during
July, the dissolved oxygen
level has remained
acceptable and as far as we
can tell, we have not lost
any fish. It comes as no
surprise then, that given
the hot bright weather
conditions, the fishing has
been difficult to say the
least. As is quite often the
case during the summer
months, we are not alone in
this, most other fisheries
have also seen anglers
struggle to catch, even at
Brick Farm, which is quite
heavily stocked, is
considered to be a
relatively easy water and
sees many more anglers per
day than our lakes.
We last stocked in July and
so far this year a total of
1440 fish have been put into
the waters, with, up to the
end of July, according to
the catch returns, 910 being
caught, so given that very
few have been taken
recently, there should be
plenty left to fish for when
conditions improve and they
decide to come out of hiding
and play ball. Thankfully,
with the slightly cooler
daytime weather and colder
nights, the water
temperatures are now
starting to fall, so let’s
hope this trend continues
and we get more of the wet
stuff falling to revitalize
the waters and wake the fish
up from their summer
slumbers.
Further stocking
will take place when
conditions are more
suitable, in time for the
autumn fishing.
We have held three work
parties during the early
part of this month. The
first, on Saturday 10th at
Cinder Hill, was well
attended, with no less than
12 volunteers turning up.
The prime objective was to
try and remove the fallen
willow trees in McArthurs,
but with such a good turnout
we were also able to install
scaffold tubes around the
lakes to accept scarecrows
for when the cormorants
return in the autumn, patch
the potholes in the entrance
track and strim the swims on
the top lake, ready for when
the fishing hopefully picks
up again later in the year.
The second work party, this
time at Piplye on Wednesday
14th, was also very well
supported with again 12
willing workers turning out,
when we dragged and cleared
a large amount of the weed
from Piplye Pool.
Unfortunately there is still
some left, as it seems to
spring back up again a
couple of days after
dragging, but the water is
certainly now fishable and
it will be interesting to
see if any fish are caught
now that the anglers can get
at them.
Attendance at the third
session, arranged for Cinder
Hill on Saturday 17th was a
disappointment, with just
four hardy souls turning up.
Never the less, between us
we managed to remove a
further significant amount
of the willow and the
fishing stations on the
lakes were all strimmed
ready for the autumn.
Further work parties are
planned to remove more of
the willow in McArthurs,
trim back the undergrowth
around the lakes at Piplye,
which has become somewhat
rampant of late and remove
more weed. Members will be
advised by e-mail when these
sessions are due to take
place.
We owe a vote of thanks to
all the volunteers who have
turned out to help, several
are new to the syndicate
this year and we sincerely
hope their experiences so
far will not put them off
assisting in the future.
Fortunately, all the
padlocks seem to be behaving
themselves at the moment,
however, when replacing the
lock, particularly on the
gate at Cinder Hill, please
ensure that it is positioned
with the numbers facing out
and visible, as some of the
less mobile members do have
difficulty reading the
numbers when they are upside
down and back to front.
Finally, syndicate member
Adrian Gossage is moving
house and has a quantity of
fly tying materials to
dispose of in exchange for a
donation to charity. Contact
Adrian direct on
01444 453721 or e-mail to:
adrian.gossage@btopenworld.com.
Mike Richardson, Syndicate
Organiser.
