Fishery Officer's Diary
08/07/2011
Every time I write one of these, I start by apologising for not write one sooner!
Not to break with what now seems the norm....sorry it's been a while but, I been busy!!! Lol
This time of year is possibly my busiest time of the year, things just keep growing. A bit like my waist but, unlike my hair!
After spending 2 weeks solid on the Strimmer I ended up with tennis elbow, again! I first got it around 8 years ago when I used to fit kitchens and was one of the reasons I packed up the building trade. Now, certain members of the forum and some bailiff's have found this to be somewhat amusing, the only thing I can say is b*****ks!...lol. It hurts...a lot and ain't funny and if you don't watch out I'll send the red mist around!!! (BBC Three. 'Ideal' with Jonny Vegas)
With my tennis elbow and athletes foot I recon I'm in with a shout for BBC sports personality of the year, I mean who else is there? We lose at most things and the few that do win have hardly got a personality!
Anyway,
A few weeks ago we had our first ever work experience young person.
I'm sure he thought it would be the easy option when his careers officer gave him his options, how wrong he was! I had to laugh on the Friday after a long week, he declared "I think I'll get an office job". Like most things in life my job looks great from the outside but, the reality is somewhat different and not every ones cup of tea
It's extremely satisfying to be Rdaa fisheries officer at present, not only did I spend some time on Rdaa's behalf last year in a classroom teaching, we now have young people from all over Berkshire wanting to do their work experience with us. Add this to the fact we are stocking our own home grow fish we really are now moving in the right direction.
On the subject of stocking, I mentioned we were going to receive the stock from two lakes in the local area that are being back filled.
One of the lakes (Smallmead) has been put on hold for the present as there seems to be a problem with water leeching in from elsewhere. The other (Mould's lake on the right of Berry's lane) has caused me to make one of those hard unfortunate decisions we all have to make from time to time. Over the last few months the lake has been pumped down to the point at which I can look at the stock get health checks and then finally move them over to their new home. All was going swimmingly, checks done, a reasonable stock of fish etc etc. only at the eleventh hour did I see the Koi!! At least six of them.
Koi Herpes Virus (KHV), someone possibly with the best of intentions 'saved' these fish, because they were too big for their pond, their pond was filled in......whatever, it's not important. What is though is the fish in the whole lake are now destined to be buried! We can't move them, the risks are just too great, yes maybe they haven't got the virus but, there's no way of 100% knowing and stocking them into any of our lakes is a risk I'm not prepared to take. I did phone the Environment Agency's head of fisheries just to see if there was anyone who would be prepared to take the fish but, his answer was that they would never sanction their removal.
What a shame, please re-tell this story to everyone you know who has a pond, wants a pond or has fish in a tank. Unfortunately, there seems to be a growing trend in keeping mirror/common Carp in tanks/ponds. If those Carp ever come into contact with ornamentals even for a short time they could possibly then carry the virus into the wild when the keeper gets bored or they outgrow their tanks/ponds.
I'm not sure how many emotions you can go through in one hour but, Wednesday of this week I recon I went through most of them.
Amusement, shock, amazement, concern, worry, panic and a few more besides.
Over the last few years Wallingford A section has become more and more overgrown and what with the access problems we have had the venue has been neglected. We have now finally sorted the access issues so, I have been reopening the swims. There are a few things that defiantly don't mix electric and water, sunshine and gingers and most defiantly strimmers and wasps! As Doug found out to his cost. Not only did Doug take the top of the nest off with the bush cutting blade, because he had dark glasses on he didn't see them so then turned and stood right on top of it!! First I knew was when he mouthed that he was being stung (I had ear plugs in) not being particularly quick I thought he had upset a horse fly or something. The next thing Doug ran past me trying to unclip the strimmer and take his shirt off all in the same movement. Only then did I realise he was being stung by wasps, lots of wasps. I, not wanting to incur the wrath of the wasps, legged it in the opposite direction! Well.....what else could I do.....eh?
Those that know the section know that there's a marina opposite and that it has just opened a lovely café with decking right down to the water's edge. It's doing well too, Wednesday it was packed, packed with o.a.p's having afternoon tea. The looks on their faces must have been a picture as Doug started stripping naked, yes completely naked, swearing, and flailing his arms about right opposite in full view. At this point I didn't realise how bad it was so I was doing what I normally do in these situations, wetting myself!!!
When Doug walked back to where I was he was in agony, so I had a look at his back, after I lost count at 20 odd stings I decided he needed the hospital.
After spending the afternoon in a waiting room to see if he had a reaction, I dropped Doug off at home as high as a kite on the drugs they had given him. The final count had been 44 stings spread all over his body, including his knackers and the palms of his hands. Omg, I've never seen anything like it! Or want to again.
Poor sod...!
Till next time catch one for me,
Del
23-05-2011
Wow, doesn’t time fly!
It’s been over a month since my last write up.
So, what’s been going on?
Well although I’ve been keeping busy, I have struggled to get my teeth in to anything and thinking of things interesting to write about is extremely difficult. I did think about writing about some of my resent fishing trips, which have been a little eventful to say the least! But I feel that may be a little self-indulgent and would you be interested anyway?
The Royal wedding hasn’t helped with get stuck into anything, the bank holidays were nice and I’m sure most of you made the best of them. I felt I lost around two weeks of proper work, not to mention the hours I spent sorting shoes, a suit, arranging my transport etc. Only for my invite to get lost in the post!
Moving fish seems to be the theme of the month, we have stocked some Carp up to 23.8lb into Pingewood and Englefield. I will stick some pictures up in the gallery. We are also hoping to move the fish from the two lakes currently being drained down in the area at present.
The next month is going to be extremely busy, the lead up to the opening of the rivers always is. You don’t appreciate how many miles of river bank we have access too until you have walked it with a strimmer! That’s not to mention the lakes I will one day measure the total yardage that we have access to, just out of interest I think we would all be amazed.
We will also be continually catching and moving Carp into Englefield Lagoon, something that is proving a little hit and miss the fact that we have to catch each fish by rod and line is on the one hand great fun and a great perk of the job, it is proving to be a little slow! Especially with time being limited.
Tell you what…..I just thought of something that gets my goat and is a little contentious.
The closed season,
What’s your view? Should it be reinstated? Abolished completely or remain as is?
For what it’s worth my view is, at present it’s a joke. The reality is that at present is neither one thing nor another.
Take Whistley mill for incidence, you can feeder fish the lake with a hope to catch a Roach, but if you were to turn through 180 degrees and fish the river from the same bank, for the same species, you would be breaking the law.
The Kennet & Avon canal, you can fish up stream of Kintbury as the canal is not included in the mandatory closure, but downstream its closed, and get this…….for ‘conservation’ reasons!! Shame they don’t quote the same ‘conservation’ policy when allowing the boat/lock movements to spread the muck and silt down into the river sections.
The thing is, if I don’t understand the reasoning behind it all, what chance have you got arguing it to someone new to the sport? The reasoning spouted by various sources in the last few years just doesn’t stack up, one way or the other, for or against. It’s time the law makers stepped in and take a decisive stand, open everything (at the controlling clubs discretion) or close everything. This half way, sitting on the fence does us no favours at all in trying to police our waters.
Just as a footnote to the above,
If you saw an angler fishing a river with a lure (artificial bait), who would you report him too? You would think the E.A/Police… but, No he’s not breaking any laws! Only club rules!!!
We won’t even go into what’s classed as a lure (artificial bait) rubber corn…rubber lunchenmeat….rubber bread…rubber maggots…...etc, etc.
Why not start a healthy debate on the forum, I for one would be interested in your views.
Till next time, I'm off down the council bit on the Thames with me rubber worm!!!
Del
19-04-2011
Isn’t it nice?
It’s funny how everyone and everything appears to be pleasant in the sunshine.
Where do all the pretty women go in the winter?
For the last few months I have been driving the same way to the Brown Lee pool, past the same people going to work, the same mum’s dropping the kids at school etc. with no problems at all, now though, for the last week or so I’ve got a job to keep the truck in a straight line!!!
I know that makes me sound a perv but, hey, I got blood in my veins and I’m a bloke…lol!
Anyway it’s not just me or just blokes! A good few years ago, a work mate and I where filling up with diesel at the petrol station on the Bath road, just by the junction with the Burghfield road. After filling up, we walked across the forecourt together, tans, cut-off jeans 80’s style, work boots and vests ,(we must of looked like we were straight out of the village people) when we heard wolf whistles, shouts and jeers, we looked up to find 3 young ladies giving it the big’n from their car as they approached the traffic lights. We quickly realised they weren’t concentrating on the road in front of them and the traffic had stopped at the lights, the fact that we were waving our arms about and shouting only served to excite them further , which was unfortunate, the bang as they rear ended the car in front soon wiped the smiles from their faces! I’d have loved to have seen the claim form for that one.
Both Doug and I have been spending a little time at Whistley Mill in the few weeks, rebuilding some of the swims on the river. When we first brought the venue, there were maybe half a dozen timber platforms providing access to some of the swims where the reeds grow to the extent that it makes fishing difficult.
I hate timber platforms!
They are slippy, they rot, they require constant maintenance and are generally a pain in the backside. So, having a few gabions and 18 ton of crushed limestone going spare, I’ve decided to ‘sure up’ the bank so as to allow anglers to sit on the bank and fish as opposed to sitting on a platform.
With the banks being so high and the water at this time of year low, getting the rock into the gabion isn’t easy (the rock has to be placed in the cage), the only way I could see we could do it, was for Doug to don a pair of waders, get in and catch the rocks that I chucked at/to him, then turn around and place them in the cage. After an hour or so of me hurling rocks at him, Doug was getting cheesed of with being hit in the shins so, he cleverly decided to place a shovel between himself and the bank, the idea being they would hit the shovel not him. This worked for a while, that was until an exceptionally large rock hit the shovel, span it around, only for it to hit him between the eyes! I didn’t laugh….much!!!
We haven’t quite finished yet so, I’m sure Doug will get even!
The last week I have been spending a lot of time around Englefield/Flint, as one of our neighbours has decided to drain his lake through Engy and Flint. Not too much of an issue….well it wouldn’t be if he’d have done it a little slower!!
Friday evening a week ago I was running around Pingewood, panicking because Engy, Flint and the Brown Lee were on the verge of becoming one lake! Talk about stress, with the noise of the pump, the like of which I’ve never seen in my life, ringing in my ears, my blood pressure was soaring, as was my temper!!
I now know how that little Dutch lad felt when he stuck his finger in that dam.
With a couple of fairly polite phone calls to the person responsible the pump was turned off. To their credit after the meeting I demanded for Saturday afternoon, they have been extremely obliging and we have reached a happy compromise, although obviously I have been keeping an eye on the situation.
Till next time, get out there, the suns shining, the birds are singing and the women are looking good!!!
Del
06-04-2011
As I right this, its 4.45am!
Yet again I can’t sleep, this time I awoke holding my breath while making a squeaking noise between my lips!!
Obviously, I’d had a dream of some sort, from what I remember,
I’d been working on a building site in Wallingford and was late home.
I was driving along the Pangbourne rd when I saw a group of ramblers walking toward me, as I got closer, one of the ramblers was shouting at me to slow down, at this point, I lent out of the drivers window and shouted some expletives towards him. On turning my head back to the road ahead I noticed a horse and rider, a brown and white horse???
I swerved around the horse, then looked in the rear view mirror only to see the horse and rider galloping full tilt around 6 feet from me rear window.
Just as I was thinking…. uh?
I heard a siren, I looked back at the horse and rider, only to find the rider was in fact a policeman with a siren on his shoulder like a parrot!! At the next left turn I pulled over, turned the engine off and started to get out, only to have the police officer lean in through my open driver’s side window.
At this point I noticed he was deaf! (I can only assume caused be the siren on his shoulder..lol)
Through sign language, he indicated that he wanted me to take a breath test to which I agreed.
He then proceeds to pinch my nose and push this thing similar to a hover attachment into my mouth!
It was at this point I woke up struggling to breathe!!!
Now I’m no expert at dream analyses but, I’m starting to worry about my mental health….!!
Anyway back to fisheries…
The Brown Lee pool is now finished, well, more or less. I still have some planting to finish off and add some more stock.
I had started the planting but, after only about half an hour of wadding around in the margins planting, I fell in!! Right in, head under, the lot fully clothed with my chest waders on…not good. It was bloody freezing!! Needless to say I wasn’t to keen to carry on.
The worst of it was, I had arranged to have the 20 ton of stone in the car park relocated to Whistley via a grab lorry, so I had to stay in order to direct the driver. I’d found a pair of water proof over trousers and ponced a spare hoddy but, couldn’t find a pair of dry socks or boxers. So I spent the rest of the day in wet pants!! Something I haven’t done since I was around 5 years old…!
Doug has not stopped laughing since!!! Nor has Alan quoting ‘ahh, he who mocks’ etc, etc.
Now the Brown Lee’s done and the river closed season is upon us my attention is on other things.
Top of the list is rebuilding some of the river swims at Whistley mill river, over the years the bank has been eroded and the wooden platforms washed toward the Thames.
I plan to dig out the eroded swims, sure up the fronts and grade the surrounding bank in order to make access safer and easier. Whistley river anglers will be glad to hear that there will be no scaffolding or ply used so, they will in no way look like the abomination on the opposite bank!
Once this has been carried out I plan to kick back a little and enjoy a bit of fishing myself, that is until the green stuff starts to become a pain and requires cutting back!
Enjoy the spring chaps,
Till next time
22-03-2011
Sorry chaps,
I didn’t have time last weekend to do a piece. Anyone who has kids, especially sporty kids will understand. My lad plays football on a Saturday and then again on a Sunday.
He plays to a fair standard so, travelling around 150 to 200 miles a weekend is not unusual. Bless him!
He don’t know it yet but, he’s my pension fund, if he makes it he’ll be keeping his parents in the life in which their accustomed….lol.
So what have we been at?
Well, the Brown Lee pool is almost completed, all the swims are now in, and we have stocked 1240 fish including 600 Crucians, 200 Bream, 200 Tench and 240 Carp.
With more fish to follow there will be no excuse for blanking, ever!
As far as the water quality goes, the benefit of the added dissolved oxygen that the aerator provides and the dye to suppress the weed growth, things should be good for a quality, healthy fishery as long as I balance the stock level correctly.
Over the last week or so I have been heavily involved in what someone I meet once referred to as Angling Politics.
For me this is the most important part of my role.
Sounds a great laugh eh!
So what are the politics of angling?
Well, they can be as simple as trying to balance the needs of Match Anglers and the wants of Specimen Anglers or as complicated as trying to steer government policy in order to lessen the impact of society, on our needs as anglers.
For instance, we had our AGM the other week, after the meeting one of our members came up to me and commented on the Holy Brook, how low the water levels had been this winter and how it was affecting the quality of the fishing.
So, why has it been so low?
Abstraction that’s why!
Every new house built, every new office block, every toilet flushed increases the demand on the water companies to supply more and more water. The more water that is demanded the pricier it becomes, the pricier it becomes the more businesses need to cut costs, one way to cut costs is to apply to abstract water for themselves.
All of which affects us as anglers and not just river anglers either, drop the level in the rivers and the lake levels drop also (a trip to Whistley Mill lake in the summer is a graphic illustration).
Fortunately, the Environment Agency has a ceiling on how much they will permit to be abstracted on a river by river basis. River capacities are calculated, flow rates monitored and abstraction levels are set.
So, who monitors the monitors?
Angling organisations do!
Every time you buy a loaf of bread and complain about how much it costs have a thought for your love of angling. (Bear with me!!)
Wheat!
Wheat is becoming more and more expensive to produce, fuelling the need for farmers to squeeze more from their land. More intensive farming requires more chemicals, more digging, more mud on the road a lot of which gets washed into our rivers as run off.
The more run off flowing into our rivers the more silt accumulates on spawning gravels, the more chemicals that flow into our waters the more algae blooms we see.
The Environment Agency is working toward limiting the impact of ‘defused pollution’ and run off.
Who is responsible for pressuring them to do this?
Yep, angling organisations!
We are the guardians of the waterways, not the boaters, the dog walkers, cyclists, the bird watchers etc all of whom in my opinion by in large just take, I’ve never seen any of the above involved in consultation meetings!
So,
You see Angling Politics and angling organisations may give off the impression of a load of stuffed shirts blowing hot air, but they have a massive role to play in keeping our sport safe from the pressures that we all as members of society, inadvertently place upon it.
So, next time you read in the angling press or hear someone complain, that there’s to be yet another pointless conference, seminar or consultation meeting, just give it a thought, they do make a difference, even if its not as quickly as some would like.
Phew!!
Now I feel better…!
I’ve had a couple of emails over the last week or so, and not the usual ‘When are you going to…..’ ‘Why haven’t you……’ type emails I get from time to time. These ones were actually very complementary.
Everyone likes a pat on the back from time to time and no one more so than me!
It makes a big difference knowing we are getting some things right in the way we do things. It also helps us shape the way we do things in the future. I genuinely feel we are going in the right direction in getting RDAA and its waters back to the highs of years gone by.
Till next time
Del