PERCH PERFECTION

a perfect perch for a cold winters day, 'only' 3/11 but still beautiful

We’re running out of time … we should be on the river I thought … only two weeks to go ... but if you end up with a perch as perfect as this one then maybe the decision to fish a lake isn’t so bad after all.

Sway on a cold and breezy day

The plan was to fish the Hampshire Avon at Britford but after heavy rain raised and coloured the river and a call to river keeper Stuart confirmed conditions were hopeless, Sway Lakes stood in as the alternative.

Great friend and ultimate Man U supporter Gerry Higham was coming down for an end of season get together so it was important I tried to put him on some fish, though I didn't want to put him in the best swim just in case he caught more than me. After all, I had to keep the Saints above Man U, even if only in the fishing contests. 

Sway can usually be relied upon to produce a few perch, even if a water temperature of 40 didn’t bode well for a roach. Add to that a cold wind blowing down the lake and the ‘banker’ swim too wild to consider, Gerry hid in a bit of shelter and struggled for a bite.

Gerry trying to make it happen

I tried roaching with a waggler and hemp and tares … yes I know it’s a summer technique but this time last year it produced plenty of big roach, so I ignored the rule book and failed to raise a bite!

My back up was perching, using a lovely delicate Drennan IM8 bomb rod with a swan shot paternoster to 1.8 line and an 18 hook baited with two red maggots, dusted in turmeric of course. Trickling just four to six free samples on a regular basis I soon started catching perch, all over a pound to close to two but if I strayed from my baited spot – nothing. The cold weather had shoaled the perch up tightly.

looked like a good 'un

Then at about lunch time it happened, the tip wrapped round and the rod bent double to the fierce head shakes of a good ‘un. I had to backwind as what was obviously a big perch ran for cover but eventually it succumbed to the pressure and I had a lump in the bottom of the landing net.

Weighing in at 3/11, I was told by the owner later that it was not only the largest perch in Sway but a lake record, so how lucky can you get. … [and how do I know it’s the biggest in the lake? Well, the management here net the lake to control stock levels every two years or so and only two months ago completely drained the lake to remove all the pumpkinseed and thin out most of the small roach and perch. One perch that was far bigger than the others was netted and I’d just caught it.] What a jammy sod.

what a cracking perch - they don't get any better looking than this do they?

Gerry did a lovely job with the camera before we settled down for a few more and I ended up with a dozen perch, all over a pound. The big ‘un isn’t big by modern standards but I was well pleased to see such a beautiful creature and it was my second biggest ever, a 4/6 from the Gt. Ouse caught while filming “Catching the Impossible” being my PB.

This fish was more memorable because when the light was too poor for filming I poached it from the tail of Mr.Yates’s swim, much to his chagrin. Chris was joining Gerry and I for one of Sue’s tasty dinners so we had plenty of time to commiserate about our respective teams losing at the weekend’s football while celebrating the capture of such a splendid perch with some excellent French wines. Gerry certainly knows how to pick’ em.

There was plenty of football banter, particularly when Chris reminded Gerry about our team Southampton beating his at Old Trafford. Chris even sent Gerry a sympathy card and to add insult to injury, didn’t put enough postage on it and cost him £1.11!

the shallow end at Sway

looking towards the Lightening Tree

Next day Gerry wanted to have another go for the big roach at Sway and I had a hunch that they might be in the shallower and maybe warmer end. 

Gerry concentrating on catching

I was right, for he caught several nice fat roach and some good perch. 

Gerry with one of several good perch

I also caught a few big roach to a best of 1/15. I need some new scales.

'only' 1/15 and I'm wondering if Gerry has the camera in the right place - of course he did

It had been a most enjoyable get-together … in spite of Gerry’s long drive from Manchester and back. You can’t beat sharing a couple of days on a waterside with a good friend and I hope to do so again at Britford before the end of the season. But until then, I’ll linger a little on the memory of a perfect perch.

the perfect perch and a happy Hugh

Thank you for the company and the splendid happy snaps Gerry … and if any of you are fortunate enough to be out there before March 14^th – be lucky.

CORMORANTS AND ROACH - AGAIN!

a Linch Hill roach in it's prime - 3/3 of redfin silver

Many of us anglers love fishing for roach, preferably big ones and there appears to be an increasing enthusiasm for ‘silver fish’ as folk grow tired of hauling out endless ‘pasties’ from muddy carp puddles. I know that is provocative but you can’t beat a beautiful redfin can you. What’s more, fishing for them can provide endless variety in both techniques and the waters in which they flourish so it’s a win win situation - or is it?

no wonder they can swim fast - look at the size of those feet

No angler can have missed the increase in cormorants these last few years

and you only need to be a keen roach angler to feel the tears welling up when remembering the superb roach fishing that we once enjoyed. Down here in the South you could pick almost any steady glide on the rivers Avon and Stour and in good conditions expect to catch pound plus roach and not too infrequently, two pounders. Good fish still survive but anything over about 10ozs have become a lot rarer.

Some folk still believe that cormorants are not a significant cause of the decline in these silver fish numbers and while we can all accept that many factors are responsible such as abstraction, pollution, habitat loss and increasing extremes in our climate, cormorants do eat fish! 

 a superb Stour brace - 2/9 roach and 2/5 perch

On the River Stour in Wimborne we used to catch big bags of big roach over a pound with two pounders a regular occurrence. My best was 2/9 and best bag 47lbs, including several two pounders ... and others did even better, our famous local postman Owen Wentworth landing several bags of over 100lbs! The cormorants arrived and there are hardly any roach there now ... a coincidence or what?

the dramatic decline in our fishing on the Stour at Wimborne, compiled carefully from match returns

Hitler didn't make it here but the cormorants did!

the invasion since 1970 and they are still increasing

inland breeding pairs have increased too

Cormorants numbers have increased dramatically as these scientific graphs indicate and recent counts suggest that about 23,000 cormorants visit our shores from the continent every winter. As each one eats about a pound of fish every day, you have to ask whether 23,000lbs of fish removed from our waters every day is sustainable? 

nowhere has escaped the invasion, the Fenland drains I've been exploring are being hit badly

a small survivor but only just

They do catch small fish of course but nature’s rules of ‘effort vs. reward’ dictate that big fish provide a better reward for the effort expended. If you doubt they can tackle pound plus silver fish, just scan through this selection of my horror story catches from this past year.

a badly bitten 2/1 rudd

horrible wounds

this 1/12 nearly had it's tail bitten off

even the monster aren't immune from attack - this 3/9 rudd shows recent bad damage from those lethal beaks

the other side of the 3/9 with old war wounds by the dorsal

this near two pound Avon roach was nearly a goner

the good old days - a brace of two pounders from the Avon below Downton

a more recent two plus from above Downton ... alas, mostly gone now

One of my local rivers, the Hampshire Avon was once legendary for it’s roach fishing and over the years I have been lucky enough to catch lots of twos … and even a three from these iconic waters, so you can imagine the alarm when EA fish surveys in 2008 indicated that roach were almost totally absent from the famous middle reaches.

Bob's legendary middle Avon roach catch for 'A Passion for Angling' in the early '90's with ten over 2lbs and I caught three more twos to 2/10 before we even started filming, with Chris adding one of 2/5 when we'd finished - happy days!

the EA survey of the Avon showing the virtual disappearance of roach from the middle reaches - Britford on the left

This was the catalyst for the start of The Avon Roach Project by Trevor Harrop and Budgie Price. Both of them are fanatical roach anglers and felt they couldn’t just sit back and do nothing … there’s a lesson for us all there … so they decided to try to re-create the once flourishing and self- sustaining populations of roach throughout the Avon. After small beginnings the project has grown to industrial scale production and thousands of true Avon roach have already been restocked into many once famous stretches. You can read all about their work on the projects website and blog. – http://www.avonroachproject.co.uk/

netting one of the nine stews with the help of the EA

a couple of future two pounders here perhaps?

one of several sparkling young roach caught in this years charity match

Cynics suggest we are wasting our time and just feeding the cormorants but nature has wonderful powers of recovery and anglers are already catching small roach from swims where they haven’t seen roach for years. 

Avon futures

It’s a numbers game of course and the laws of nature decree that some of the small roach will survive to become big roach.

thousands have been released into once famous roach stretches of the Avon

digging out refuge areas

Creating habitat is the key and many landowners in the valley are supporting projects that will enhance the survival of all fish species, along with it’s associated wildlife.

prime habitat for wildlife

 bitterns moved in to take advantage of increasing fish populations

The cormorant threat has remained high on the agenda and a project document that I contributed to - “Biodiversity in Danger” was the catalyst for a petition demanding change.  This was delivered to the then fisheries minister, Richard Benyon, along with it’s nearly 20,000 signatures and with the support of the Angling Trust and Martin Salter, we got the law changed so that there is now more and better protection for our fisheries from the ravages of the ‘black death’. You can't beat a good dose of team spirit to get the job done.

ex. Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon having his ear bent by Trev and Budgie

Administering this new initiative are three full time Fisheries Management Advisors, [FMA’s] employed by the Angling Trust and funded by anglers’ Rod Licence revenue. Colin Barker, Richard Bamforth and Jake Davoille are the ones responsible for implementing the new area licences and encourage everybody to work together to tackle the problem.

behind us was the scene of the mass cormorant attack the other day

In an attempt to help, Trevor Harrop and I made a film for the Angling Trust called ‘Cormorants vs. Roach’ and it can be viewed on the Trust’s Website : http://www.anglingtrust.net/page.asp?section=1031

We made it to inform viewers and encourage support for the FMA’s work and we hope everybody will get behind them to make the new scheme effective. Jake Davoille is the main man in our area. I met him on the Avon recently while he was trying to turn words into action … and it’s working. Fewer cormorants means more roach and only last week was an example of how effective the scheme can be.

Britford dawn - a beautiful place that still supports a thriving roach population

At dawn, immediately behind where we were filming on the Avon at Britford, the carrier was black with cormorants, keeper Stuart estimating a total of between 120 to 150 packed into an area of a few yards. They weren’t there for long!

the tireless protector - Britford's keeper Stuart Wilson and Misty

With predation now at a critical level, all the local river keepers gathered in the area and made sure the birds learned that they aren’t welcome. They haven’t landed in the area since, so it’s a fine example of how the FMA’s can help co-ordinate our efforts to protect our fisheries.

a big bar of silver - the result of keeping the cormorants at bay

Please support them and the Angling Trust … and if you’re not a member, please join. It’s your best chance of making a difference and helping to ensure we have lovely big roach to catch in the future. 

So please do something … simply support these initiatives or even just be positive about the future. There are signs that in several rivers their roach shoals are returning. So if we all pull together maybe those glory days of watching a float trotting down a river and sliding under to the pull of a big roach will once again make a dream become reality.

some of the silver beauties are still out there

Details of the FMA’s can be found on the Angling Trust Website :

http://www.anglingtrust.net/page.asp?section=1031

ANGLING ADVENTURES - 2012 - PART 1

Now, where's that polar bear?

Time to write a few words about fishing instead of doing it. Well, I’m not going out in this Arctic blast am I, even if my ‘Catching the Impossible’ mate Martin Bowler is out there – carping – he’s mad you know …

Chilly garden at Chillbrook Croft

                          ANGLING ADVENTURES – 2012 – part 1

The dictionary says an adventure is ‘a risky undertaking, the ending of which is uncertain’.

My angling certainly fits that definition and I’m very grateful for that. Who wants to go fishing when you know what you are going to catch? The mystery of the unknown is everything.

Brightening a winters day

I started the year on the Hampshire Avon and blanked – well, only two minnows. Then next day on the same stretch caught two big chub. Moving to a lake I had an unseasonable golden tench of 5lb on very light roach gear, so for starters, enough uncertainty to fulfil the criteria.

In mid January I headed off with a group of friends for our annual pilgrimage to catch India’s sacred fish, the golden mahseer. We should be there now and given our present snow covered landscape, I wish we were.

Catching the bait 

Thomas - our chief guide

Splendid scenery

However, some ‘do-gooder’ decided that fishing in wildlife parks should be banned, so they did! It’s a disaster on two counts. Firstly, the rural economy around the area of the Cauvery River will be devastated because angling brought in tens of thousands of dollars every year. Secondly, the angling guides who carefully protected the mahseer will not be there to fight off the poachers. They might even get hungry and poach the fish themselves. So, yet another sustainable resource is likely to be destroyed by the stupidity of man.

Murrell - good to eat - no wonder he's smiling

Rama with 'small' silver mahseer

A perfect dawn

Thirty pounds of violent beauty

I’m also upset because I’m missing my angling highlight of the year. I love India and its’ people, let alone the wildlife and fishing on the Cauvery. I’ll write another post on the fishing and wildlife in a while but suffice to say it is wonderful, with all of us catching plenty of mahseer – some big ones too. I caught exactly 150 mahseer in the ten days with several of about 30lbs. but the most remarkable achievement was by Gerry Higham who caught one of 50lbs – on barbel tackle! I hope I’m proved wrong on my gloomy predictions for those wonderful fish and their guides that we’ll be back there next year with them for the ultimate holiday.

Fifty Pounds to Gerry - what a fight!

The sport was good on our return to the UK too, a day on the Avon at Britford trotting a little waggler down the far bank yielding about 40lbs of roach, dace and big chub. Several of the roach had been damaged by predatory cormorants that relentlessly  straff the valley.

Some of the few survivors

Nearly 2lbs - over ten years old and nearly dead

Mid. Feb. saw us on the Avon again but this time with a BBC News crew. The Angling Trust’s Martin Salter, Trevor Harrop of Avon Roach Project fame and myself had been invited to explain why there was a need to change the law to allow us to protect our fisheries more effectively from cormorant attacks. I supplied them with appropriate film clips and we made the national news with a well balanced story – certainly a result.

Presenting the truth to the Minister - Richard Benyon

Next day we delivered the 16,000 signature cormorant petition, ‘Our Biodiversity in Danger’ with its’ carefully researched arguments supporting a law change to the Minister, Richard Benyon. 16,000 signatures sounds impressive but when you consider that there are well over one million anglers out there, it’s pathetic. All wildlife enthusiasts are suffering because of excess cormorant predation so it is frustrating that so many anglers couldn’t even be bothered to sign their names. That school report ‘must try harder’ springs to mind! [A lot more to come on cormorants and the state of our rivers plus three films in future posts].

We hope for a concession on cormorant licencing from the Minister in February but since the petition hand over I’ve been trying to winkle out some big roach from the dwindling stocks and it’s not easy. However, I did say I like it difficult didn’t I.

Sorry about the pic. - a one arm self take - nice roach tho'

In March I was kindly invited to try to catch roach from an extremely low and clear River Dever. It was the best sort of angling, exploring a new place with very difficult fish … and I was told by the keeper that the one and only John Wilson had fished for the roach there and found them difficult, so it must be. However, they were there, which makes a pleasant change. Creeping on hands and knees, using a little Drennan bomb rod, a link ledgered AA shot on a five foot hook length with a 20 hook and single red maggot, I managed to extract seven roach, the best going 1/7. I managed to avoid most of the brown trout and grayling too, so it was a most rewarding days sport.

a bronze beauty

Roach proved elusive at the end of the season but I did snare a lovely 5+ bream from an Avon weirpool. The contrasting pictures of the weir show graphically the effect of the summers’ rain – end of season to start of season. At least the deluge saved us from an environmental disaster, a lucky escape – this time.

March 14th low water

June 16th and plenty of water

Where's those roach?

More important than catching fish is the friends that you fish with and one of my regular mates on the bank is Trevor Harrop. We were sharing a day at Sway lakes after the end of the river season and though we struggled to catch roach, I managed plenty of perch on maggots, even rudd, while Trev. remained biteless on bread. Then eventually he did get a bite and twenty minutes later he still hadn’t seen the culprit on the end of his line. Eventually success triumphed over adversity and he landed the most perfect common carp of  17/9, not even close to a monster by carp fishing standards but on 2lb line and a fine wire hook a rather skilful bit of angling. It was smiles all round.

Mud Suckers don't come any better looking than this ... the fish I mean!

On 3^rdApril, Trevor and I were invited to a meeting of the ‘great and the good’ in London to discuss progress on the government’s cormorant review and the impending drought orders, ironic because as we left the building it started raining and hasn’t stopped since!

Yellow and red is the rain - a familiar radar image this summer

I never used to fish in the closed season but I so seldom have time to fish now that I have abandoned my principals and escape to the waterside whenever I can. A couple of local lakes gifted me lots of roach to 1/14 and on warmer days several carp to 18lbs. Life is too short to sit behind bolt rigs for a week to catch a mud sucker but I find stalking carp really exciting, with all mine being caught within a foot of the bank – magic.

Perfect pin country

A nice little scrapper

Our computer guru Chris Wild joined us at Beeches Brook for a cast or two and stalked several feisty carp and Trevor and Budgy, the co- founder of the Avon Roach Project bagged up on roach, watched by Robin, the bailiff and the New Forest’s champion talker.

Trevor, Budgie and Robin

Swaying with delight

I do love roach 

I fished Sway for roach a couple of times just before the proper season opened and managed to winkle out eight two pounders on the pole with a best of 2/6. I caught lots of others too, along with tench, the best a manic male of 6/8 on the pole - stretched elastic and taught nerves.

Careful with that old bit of wood Chris

Nice one Mr.Yates

A perfect summer fish

Two happy boys

June 16^th dawned cold, wet and windy and I’m too old and wise to fish in horrible weather now ; after all, fishing is only a bit of fun. Trev. and I didn’t start until the 19^th … and what a start. After boldly shattering the tranquility with a rake we caught 34 crucians between us, with 31 over 2lbs, all from a delightful little lake near Shaftesbury. My best was 2/12 and Trev’s 2/14. Mr Yates and Chris joined us and also had some biggies. The cake was good too.

Sue's Victoria Sponge - perfect

Deepest Dorset

Always one ounce short of the target

Next day I fished the lake above and had dozens of big roach to 1/15 on either the pole or wagglered pellet. What an opening to the season. It could only get worse – and it did. I had to do some work!