The fishing over the past month has been somewhat patchy, the trout seeming to feed for a short period and then completely switching off. Looking through the returns it would appear that although one or two members have had success in achieving their four fish limit, quite a few more have suffered the dreaded blank, or at best had to settle for just one or two. The unsettled weather and cold northerly winds we have experienced for quite a time probably haven’t helped either, although on occasions, the fish have been taking flies off the surface and there have been a good number of fish rising at times, particularly in McArthurs at Cinder Hill, but never with any real consistency or for any prolonged period. What the fish were feeding on is hard to say as they seemed to ignore any artificial cast their way, however two taken at Piplye on a little dry black Klinkhammer during one of these freely rising periods, had lots of tiny black snails in their gut, which were obviously migrating in the surface film, the Klinkhammer then being a reasonable imitation of the natural.

The water quality continues to remain good with the waters nice and clear and there is still some flow in the feeder streams, but nowhere near as much as the torrents we experienced earlier in the year. We could possibly do with a shower or two to boost the flow a bit, but hopefully not to the extent we saw in 2012, although it did the fishing no harm then. We also now have our own portable dissolved oxygen meter, so we can keep an eye on the water quality and if necessary, delay stocking if the conditions would prove difficult for the fish.

There are still plenty of trout in all the waters. Up to the end of May we have stocked some 1250 fish, circa 750 being at Cinder Hill and 500 at Piplye, distributed roughly equally in each of the lakes at both venues. So far 700 have been caught, giving a return of 56%, which isn’t too bad considering the dreadful weather in February and March when few anglers ventured forth. For comparison, in 2012, we stocked a total of 2766 fish, 1868 being caught, a return of 68%, which is quite good for put & take fisheries such as ours, bearing in mind the possible losses due to cormorant predation towards the end of the season. Last year we exceeded the stocking budget by some margin, but can’t afford to do the same this time around, but rest assured we will do our best to ensure that there are fish to be caught, provided weather and water conditions remain conducive to stocking and fishing.

Despite our draining and dredging of Grubbero Pool at the back end of 2011, when it was dry for some two months and absolutely devoid of any fish life, there now seem to be quite a few carp present, at least ten up to two or three pounds in weight being spotted shoaled up where the stream enters. Last year there were two or three large shoals of small fish seen swimming about, perhaps fifty or more fish in each, which also looked like carp, but they haven’t been seen so far this year and it is unlikely that they will have grown to two or three pounds, especially considering the weather conditions over the winter and spring. There is another lake upstream of Grubbero and these carp must have come from there, washed in by the excess of water experienced last summer and through the winter and spring. Provided they do not stir up the water too much they shouldn’t prove too much of a problem and indeed may help to keep the weed growth in check a bit. As we all know, there are also some large carp in the bottom pool at Piplye, which have been present for some while and they don’t seem to cause any problem, apart from colouring up the water a bit as they root around in the bottom silt. For the record, as far as we know, there is just the one carp present in the middle pool, how it got there is another story!

Unfortunately we were unable to obtain or install any barley straw at Piplye this year. Whether as a consequence or not, as the weather warms up, we have seen quite a bit of algae form, although thankfully, so far, none of the blanket weed we suffered from last year. Both occur when there is an excess of nutrients present and die back when these are used up and as the lake is surrounded by arable crops, which are presumably artificially fertilised, any wet weather will wash some of this into the water.

We held a work party at Piplye on 1st May, attended by 8 members, thank you guys, when we strimmed back some of the emerging brambles and undergrowth and cut and installed scaffold tubes in various positions around the lakes, ready to accept scarecrows in order to try and deter the cormorants which will no doubt again become a nuisance later in the year. This will enable us to easily change the location of the scarecrows so that the birds don’t get used to them and this should help keep them at bay. To date members have made just 6 scarecrows. Two or three are in position, with the remainder resident in the huts at Cinder Hill and Piplye, awaiting the call to arms when needed, as at the moment, the cormorants seem to be elsewhere and it is felt better to keep the guys safe and sound until required, rather than having them deteriorate out in the open. We could still do with another half dozen scarecrows, so even if members are unable to physically help at work parties, you can still contribute by making one, it all helps to protect your fish and fishing. Your scarecrow will need to have a central upright support which will slide into a 1.5 inch inside diameter tube, surplus bubble wrap packaging material is ideal for stuffing and some bright or reflective patches can make them more effective. Please let me know if you are able to help, or take your completed scarecrow and put it in the hut at Cinder Hill or Piplye, marked with your name. All members contributing this way will receive an additional visit for each scarecrow produced.   As an additional deterrent we have also obtained a hawk shaped kite on a fibreglass pole. These are said to be very effective in keeping birds away from crops, but whether it will work with cormorants is an unknown quantity. Never the less, we will give it a try when the pests inevitably turn up later in the year.

We now need to have one or two further work parties. Although roughly a month later than usual, the weed in Piplye Pool is starting to prove troublesome and the vegetation around the lakes has now taken off and it would be better to tackle these sooner rather than later, before growth becomes excessive. We also need to install scarecrow tubes at Cinder Hill and fill in the potholes on the access track so those of you who have volunteered their services, can expect an e-mail or telephone call shortly. Sessions usually take place on a Wednesday or Saturday morning, therefore if you are able to help and are not the list of volunteers, i.e. you haven’t been contacted via e-mail earlier in the year, please get in touch and I’ll make sure you are added for the future. Remember, members gain one extra visit for every work party attended.

 

Best Regards and Tight Lines,

 

Mike Richardson, Syndicate Organiser.