ROACH, WILDLIFE, GARDENING AND TENCH

our wisteria is always a joy but is exceptional this spring

Funny sort of a Spring – wonderful sunny days and beautiful in our garden but cold nights throwing nature into a spin and my fishing plans ‘out the window’.

a vital helping hand for the Avon's beleaguered roach

Firstly roach and the remarkable work friends Trevor Harrop and Budgie Price are doing to help this iconic species. Roach normally spawn on April 25^th  in the Hampshire Avon but as you’ll see if you read the Avon Roach Project blog - and I highly commend it, for they are inspiring others to help roach in other catchments too. http://www.avonroachproject.co.uk/ -  the warm sun and clear chalk stream water encouraged the river’s roach to spawn ten days early. No way that the projects Trevor and Budgie were going to be caught out though, for they had the spawning boards in place and ready for action and as usual, collected prodigious quantities of eggs.

many hundreds of perfect Avon roach were released into the river this spring 

more and more released in several traditionally favourite spots

What followed was again a surprise, for the cold nights caused the roach eggs to delay hatching, something very unusual though not unknown in nature.

‘Delayed implantation’ is a well known strategy for mammals that wait until more favourable conditions before triggering 'egg hatching' … that’s my poor attempt to describe a complex process ; lack of space is my excuse. Anyway, if you want to read more about what happened with the eggs, plus revealing pics, visit the projects Facebook page for regular updates. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Avon-Roach-Project/612983772135291

Sky TV have made a couple of films about their successful attempts to re-instate the legendary populations of Avon roach with Keith Arthur's ‘Tight Lines’ and they can be viewed on their blog too.

Sway on yet another chilly but beautiful dawn

The roach’s breeding schedule was also modified by the glorious weather in still waters, for the roach at Sway Lakes bred early too and scuppered my plans for catching some biggies with friends. They have proved really tricky, even causing me to rescue my swing-tip from the museum to overcome the tentative bites ... and it worked. Sometimes the old ideas are the best ideas.

trying to get a bite that I can connect with using a swing-tip

 

the 'old school' trick did the job, a resistance-free bite indicator

a good one but why are they always an ounce short of that magical number!

spring time is the perfect time to be fishing

I went to try again at Sway yesterday but the violent gale force winds stopped my plans to use a pole and I certainly needed delicate pole tackle to hit the tentative bites. I managed to catch just nine roach, all around a pound from over a hundred bites, all missed, but then I’m good at that.

these three survivors from a brood of nine look as though they might make it, cold nights permitting

The mallard have been breeding well in this warm spring, lots of ducklings paddling about in the sunshine, and in our garden too. I’ve spent a lot of time on projects in our patch this spring, hence the lack of Blogs and fishing, but the work keeps me fit and I love the physical graft involved in creating wildlife habitat and beautiful flowery scenes for Sue and I to share.

our garden is a joy at anytime but particularly when the sun shines ... and not an otter in sight!

The spring sunshine has ensured the flowering shrubs and wisteria have been stunningly flouriferous.

Sue's snakes-head fritillaries in the lawn did well this year

the newly created woodland glade just planted up

about twenty tons of soil went into it's construction with the help of friend David

I did manage a few fishing trips away from the garden. Tim, owner of Sway Lakes kindly took me out into the channel one day and we caught several meal sized fish along with others that I'd never caught before which were returned, including thornback rays, dabs and dogfish. It was all a far cry from shy biting roach and all the better for it. 

I love it out on the ocean waves, the rougher the better, for I once had the pleasure of crossing the Drake Straits from the Falklands to Antarctica in a substantial storm. The size of the waves as they filled the sky and the wandering albatrosses sliding effortlessly past the stern of the boat were most impressive. I was trying to film them for the BBC1 series 'Life in the Freezer' without falling overboard - an unforgettable experience seeing such huge waves but never once did I think I was going to die! 

It was a tad different from a smooth Solent.

a tasty plaice - one of several we caught that sunny day

a perfect day to be out birding in the wilds, even if not ideal weather for roach fishing

In my previous blog about Britford roaching I mentioned that I'd made a bird list, compiled while not catching roach. For those of a twitchy nature, here’s the list. In previous years I could have added goshawk, red kite and most unusual of all perhaps, a couple of hawfinches. But this list is just for the final days of the 2015 fishing season. Nothing remarkable here but you can't beat watching a tree creeper shuffling up a tree alongside you when waiting for a bite.

      
     

A BRITFORD BIRD LIST  - early March 2015

            -   Jackdaw

            -   Rook   

            -   Carrion Crow

-   Magpie

-      Heron

-      Cormorant

-      Grey Wagtail

-      Pied Wagtail

-      Moorhen

-      Little Egret

-      Mallard

-      Teal

-      Gadwall

-      Tufted Duck

-      Kestrel

-      Sparrow Hawk

-      Buzzard

-      Lapwing

-      Chiffchaff

-      Cetti’s Warbler

-      Wren

-      Tree Creeper

-      Goldcrest

-      Chaffinch

-      Bullfinch

-      Goldfinch

-      Blue Tit

-      Great Tit

-      Black-headed Gull

-      Herring Gull

-      GBB Gull

-      Starling

-      Blackbird

-      Song Thrush

-      Mistle Thrush

-      Wood Pigeon

-      Stock Dove

-      Mute Swan

-      Great-spotted Woodpecker

-      Kingfisher

-      Green Sandpiper

-      Meadow Pipit

-      Snipe

-      Water Rail

-      Long-tailed Tit

-      Robin

-      Dunnock

-      Greenfinch

-      Barn Owl

-      Canada Goose

-      Pheasant

                                           

river keeper Stuart with one of his treasured bars of silver

However, just to prove I do occasionally catch some of river keeper Stuart’s prize roach, here’s a cracker from the end of the season. Roll on June16^th!

Just the other day, Hucklesbrook gave me my first sound of cuckoos and my first sighting of hobbies this year. It's a lovely spot, with or without fish

The start of May usually means my focus falls firmly on tench but again, those cold night have meant that the tincas in the big pits I am targeting have not yet ‘switched on’, so I shall have to persevere with the blanks until I get lucky. My target this year is to beat my PB of 8/9 [from five different waters] but what I really desire is a double – don’t we all!

Mike with his perfect lady tench of exactly 9lbs

I was sat alongside friend Mike at Hucklesbrook the other day and as if to show me the way, [he always catches more than me anyway], he caught this lovely nine pounder. I was delighted to be there to witness it and take the happy snap. What a cracking tench and not an ounce of spawn to add weight to it’s long frame.

waiting for a bite ... and there was otter spraint on the big rock in front of me

I’ve decided to give Bradleys a go this year, mainly so that I can share the bank with long time friend and fishing buddy, Mark Woodage. He is something of a local expert and a very tidy angler, precise casting being one of his skills … and he’s caught plenty of tench in the past. So I’ll be picking his brains and trying a trick or two of my own. I’ll keep those secret of course!

Mark trying to keep warm in the 'spring' sunshine. By 'eck that wind was cold

We went there together last week but with two degrees of frost and a cold wind we were on a hiding to nothing … and nothing is exactly what we caught. To save face we called it a recce and left happy that we had spent some time together for a good chat,  shared a beer and a bun and done some good birding. 

these naughty Red Crested Pochard did their best to remove all the bait from my swim

Mallards have done well in this years warm sunshine, in spite of cold nights

Great-crested Grebes mean there must be at least one fish out there somewhere

Bradleys through my Polaroids - a bit of fun but warning of wind on it's way for sure ... and the clouds of cirrus were right

The night had been so cold in the camper van that I wished I’d packed my Arctic sleeping bag, though being awake most of the night was compensated by the nightingale that serenaded me loudly just outside the window. Pure magic.

this nocturnal serenader has got talent and plenty of 'X' factor

A CELEBRATION OF SUMMER

Sue enjoying a breakfast book in the warm summer sun

Wow, what a wonderful summer we’ve been enjoying, lovely for fishing, for wild flowers, for all the butterflies and other sun worshipping critters out there and of course, for us!

By way of celebration I thought I’d compile a collection of photos, not just from the riverbank but from our lovely garden too. Sue does the flowers and I look after the watery bits and the rest of the jungle.

fishless now but still magical

winter seems far off now

it used to be a fish pond

Despite our love of the sun, the dramatic seasonal variations provide much of the appeal of living in England and I’ll attempt to give an impression of our year here in sunny Dorset.

our 'swale' provides a home for birds and amphibians

the magic of the seasons

camellias even flower at Christmas

Famous travel writer and friend Brian Jackman described our garden as “spiralling into wilderness” and though this appropriate description makes it the perfect wildlife garden, our attempts to gain some control indicates why I haven’t got much time to go fishing.

dawn from my office desk - I sure am lucky

We just love gardening and even if two acres of wooded wetland is too big to cope with on our own, we do enjoy trying. Mind you, in the height of the summer it was too hot for much digging so I just had to go and wet a line once in a while, didn’t I …

2/12 of splendid perch - I was hoping for a roach

Spring colour is exceptional in the garden because of our numerous camellias and other flowering trees and shrubs … Wisley eat your heart out.

spring - what a lovely time of year - and there's all that bird song too

our damp acid soil makes for camellia heaven

azalea or rhodo - we must look it up next year

This spring our palette was added to by a pair of exotic mandarin ducks.

the pair became very tame - what a treat

 

four males competed for the females attention - there were some good dogfights between the trees

I'm not sure the robins approved

They were often joined by three other males and they nested just outside the garden, visiting the ponds and bird-table twice a day. Every year we enjoy the company of nesting mallards and ducklings so at times the garden resembles Slimbridge.

we are blessed with two or three broods a year - this is one of our largest

egret on minnow or frog hunt

I've included this pic from Olympic year because a kingfisher used the string of flags as a fishing perch

Being close to the South coast, our patch is wonderful for bird life and in our 33 years here we have recorded 107 different species, highlights being osprey, red kites and hawfinch. Being blessed with a stream and five ponds we have dug, waterbirds are frequent visitors, including herons, kingfishers and even little egrets, though now the otter has eaten all the fish there is nothing for them to eat.

our once rich fish pond

fish gone - lilies trashed

one of our 'playful' otters doing what it does best

Creating habitat and attracting otters is a mixed blessing. On the one hand it’s an honour. On the other it’s deeply depressing to see our ponds destroyed by otters that are so hungry that they even eat the tiny minnows – but I won’t rant on about the state of our predator/prey relationships  again here.

the morning after a raid

foxes regularly patrol for fish remains at dawn

May was holiday time so our great friends Michael and Penny joined us in a little cabin on a Bryher beach in the Scilly Isles and though we were battered by an Atlantic storm on a couple of days, our lovely summer didn’t let us down and we had lots of long walks birding in the sunshine.

Michael, Penny and Sue on top of Tresco with our home island Bryher across the sound

view across to Tresco from above our cabin

our cabin is the left one, sunk in a sea of flowers

golden pheasant in Tresco's famous Abbey Gardens

fiesty ballan wrasse from outside our cabin

St.Martins - beaches to die for and no people

pristine two pounder

Roach fishing became a priority on return, along with enjoying our wonderful wisterias decorating our cottage.

laying all that paving seriously damaged my fishing time

 a pretty view from my desk

what a welcome sight on returning home from my travels

Early June has become our week of ‘Dorset Doddles’ and like last year, we were blessed by clear skies and warm sunshine. 

wonderful wild flowers overlooking the Jurassic coast at Golden Cap - a perfect place for a picnic breakfast

taking advantage of the summer sun

Lyme Regis for seafood soup and a glass of otter ale - perfect

Arne's magical heathland - heading for a gorse bush breakfast

Dartford warblers and dragonflies flew around our ears just here

Corfe Castle viewed from a pub with good beer

Kingcombe - not much need for these this summer

how many of us agree with this caption?!

Hook River - home to trout and otters 

Long walks in some of England’s loveliest countryside not only served to remind us just how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful spot but also the value of exploring your local patch instead of suffering long traffic queues and airport nightmares.

the bluebells were especially floriferous this year.

an impressive ancient oak

hundreds of guillemots below the Jurassic cliffs at Durlston 

A welcome home after our walks and birding trips from our flowery doorways is always appreciated.

roses round the door

'homes and gardens'

Albertine - an old rose but still difficult to beat

size of a large dinner plate - don't you just love it

wren with an artistic touch - only blue clematis petals would do

top lawn - more mowing! - but the wisteria scent is intense

The garden continues to reward us for our efforts but one of our joys is our front ‘lawn’ which has become a wild flower meadow by doing nothing! Ain’t it amazing how nature doesn’t miss a trick if you provide the right conditions for growth.

win, win - no mowing - more flowers

southern marsh orchids grow more numerous every year

We didn’t plant a single seed but now we have hundreds of lovely ‘weeds’, including three species of orchid, especially an increasing number of spikes of southern marsh orchid. We started with three just four years ago and this year we had 136ish. Counting them is tricky now and I need to get a life!

a perfect tench swim ...

... and a perfect pole caught tench - nearly six pounds too

Mr.Yates on hand to snap this 2/7 crucian

opening day gold bar of 2/9

happy Trev - with or without fish

Chris lost in a world of green

friend and computer guru Chris Wild with a PB tench of 5/8

Come June 16^th it was time for some fishing with friends, so tench and crucians were the first priority, along with enjoying the bank-side flowers and insects … and weren’t they spectacular this summer.

pink campion was thick

 

Friend Gary Newman with an Anglers Mail feature crucian of two plus - job done

don't arm wrestle with Mr.Yates

scarlet tiger moth guarding my tench swim

very yellow flag

I’d promised friends Gary Newman and Gerry Higham a go at the crucians and luckily these often tricky fish obliged.

a happy Gerry with a PB crucian of 2/8

One highlight, apart from a glorious rudd or two was a bee swarm found in a waterside tree. I haven’t seen one of those for years.

wild bee swarm - an increasingly rare sight and one to be treasured 

watersides covered with wild flowers

aren't rudd gorgeous

Mullet madness struck in the warm estuary at Christchurch and with several friends, enjoyed many hours of rod bending action and screams to the fish to show us mercy.

sunrise anticipation of the battles ahead

just a little one but still providing rod bending action

Steve with a big one of an ounce shy of six pounds

My birthday followed and a BBQ on Michael and Penny’s farm with his family was the perfect way to celebrate it, even if I wished I wasn’t growing older!

what a tasty looking Pimms

happy days and lots more I hope

August was upon us, the sun continued to shine and hundreds of butterflies, dragon and damselflies filled the garden.

summer sunrises just kept on shining

silver washed fritillaries are a rare treat

so many butterflies this year - best ever maybe

The warm weather allowed me to find a splendid rudd, the most beautiful fish I have ever caught, totally unblemished, the epitome of summer.

2/8 of the most perfect rudd you'll ever see - absolutely pristine

God's rays seemed appropriate after that fish

With the daylight hours closing in, hundreds of swallows and sand martins have been gathering for their long journeys to Africa and early on Friday 23rd, this

impressive flock set off south.

 

packed and ready to travel

haven't seen so many sand martins for years

The garden is showing clear signs that autumn is with us but today, September 1st, the sun is still warm … so I’d better get out there and try to control the wilderness – again, though come to think of it, where are those barbel rods?

is our summer over yet - not by the looks of today