September 1998
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Editorial
Welcome to the September issue of your news magazine. This is of course my first issue as Editor and I sincerely hope I will continue the tradition of producing high quality magazines which you have come to expect. I must first start this issue with a hearty thank you to Vince, the last Editor, who has made the task of picking up the job a much less painless one. I will not admit that the process of producing this magazine has been easy, because it certainly has not. I have produced this issue of the magazine entirely on the PC, but perhaps I should of practiced with my new editing software before attempting something as daunting as this magazine. So this is the worst it will be as the next issue will be produced on the knowledge and experience I have gained from producing this one. However it can only be as great as the articles and stories contained within, I therefore find it slightly surprising that I have very little material provided by you the members (including our Officers and Committee) to work with. l have no idea how Vince managed to obtain the material and articles which made up the last magazines.
I have decided to try and fill the empty void by making regular visits to our lakes to speak to you the membership whilst in pursuit of our quarry. I really want to obtain some thoughts and views from you on any issues pertaining, to our HAS and in what ways could we improve the facilities and sport which we have on offer. I have put what I have collected to date in this magazine under the heading of "Views from the Lakeside" I hope some of the issue will promote a reasonable level of debate and discussion, and if there is a sufficient level of correspondence generated perhaps we can issue the magazine on a more frequent basis.
I do not intend to "censor" any letters or correspondence received, all views will be welcome, so if you have anything, to say or comment on please drop me a line or call me on the number printed on page 9. If any of you are connected to the internet you can also e-mail me on kencroft@easynet.co. uk
In the Chair
Our membership this year is down on last year and is a cause for concern. To attempt to address this problem the Committee has decided to offer half year permits at half the annual fee in an attempt to attract some new members, especially from those within the pike fraternity - if you have any friends or colleagues who are interested please contact Terry Gibson.
The stocking of No1 is complete and we invested twice as much as we envisaged at the members meeting. We hope it will be a good investment for the future.
I have the sad duty to inform you of the passing away of one of our most popular bailiffs, Fred Cook. In my 19 seasons of membership, Fred has always been there at No2, he seemed to just love the place. It was Fred and Stuart who kept me in the Bream at No2 with a regular supply of worms, when the local tackle shops miserably failed. It was selfless actions like these that I will remember Fred by, my thoughts go out to his family and friends.
Our other bailiff's continue to patrol and help keep our waters free of poachers. Their work is difficult, so please when asked for your ticket do not grumble, it is a necessary and important job. Just because you do not get asked for your ticket, it does not mean you are not being checked. They have many ways of ensuring that only HAS members are present. Some check cars, and people at a distance, other use binoculars to check your validity. I'm sure there are many other ways they have, which have not as yet been disclosed to me. Remember also, that we are an honorary Bailiff's, so if you wish please check a few tickets.
It is good to see our old Committee members as well as the new, with their new ideas and their fresh insight. Our honorary officers and fishery managers continue their fine work on behalf of the Society, and I ask you to be patient and perhaps sometimes hold back on those gripes, remembering that all our workers give their own valuable free time to run the Society.
As you read this article you will be experiencing the first edition produced by Warren (scoop) Kencroft. I welcome his enthusiasm and hard work that few seem to comprehend or understand (Frank Webb is one noticeable exception). As I have said many times in the past it is vital that you contribute, for without you there is no magazine, so please write for Warren. I have heard of his interviews on the bankside, and while I welcome this initiative, I feel a little hurt as he has not interviewed me, and I fish with him!
Frank Webb this year has stepped down from his role as Curator. Frank has always been Curator as long as I can remember. He honoured the post with his earnest enthusiasm, Immaculate presentations and the famous boards. This along with his perfect organisation and his magazine articles. When Editor I could always rely on Frank, a man who would not let me down for copy. For me it was Frank's speeches at our members meetings that I always looked forward to, especially the stories, and most of all the jokes. Frank's timing and delivery of the punchlines always have me in stitches. I have nicked a few in my time and have never quite done justice to them. So where is Frank going after such magnificent service as Curator? Well, he is taking on the top job in the Society, that of President. He takes over from the clubs longest serving member Colin Head who with 44 seasons under his belt beats Frank's 40!
I would like to thank you the members of the Society for your contributions, both in your subscriptions, your labour at working parties and your attendance and contributions at members meetings. Please attend the next meeting, which alas I will miss as I am fishing in Ireland, I hope you enjoy the experience.
I also thank you for your respect for our environment, I feel any investment in looking after our environment is always paid back. Abuse on the other hand punishes us all. So keep an eye on your surroundings, ensure the banks are free of all litter, and as the old saying goes, "take only memories, and leave only footprints"
Tight Lines
Vince
Family Values
Family Values One of the biggest attractions to this club, over and above all the others I have tried in the area, is the way my family and I are made to feel welcome and relaxed whilst fishing on our lakes. Before I met my wife Tracey I used to fish 3 maybe 4 days every week, tench and bream being my main quarry. Fishing was my life as it were. The frequency by which I went fishing gradually started to drop as my family commitments increased by the time my second son was born I was lucky if I was going once a fortnight! One of the ways I increased the number of times I went fishing was of course to take the wife and the two boys on a fishing-come-picnic trip, I got to go fishing, Tracey got a suntan and the boys got muddy - absolute heaven!!
My oldest son Joshua who was 3 in May is old enough to go fishing with me and enjoy it. It's a pure coincidece that this gets me out fishing more often. Harefield No1 provides a near perfect venue for up and coming anglers, with it's huge head of Roach, Rudd, Tench and Bream, Joshua has already caught his first fish (one for the family alburn!) I find No 1 gives me a very effective way of relaxing and winding down from those hectic hot days at work, whilst also giving me the opportunity of being with my family and as an added bonus the occasional Tench or Bream graces my net. Long may Harrow Angling Society provide us with excellent angling facilities managed under a relaxed structure to help us all maintain our family values.
Warren
Letters to the Ed
In an attempt to stimulate open discussion and generate a good flow of correspondence for the magazine, I have listed below various subjects which I feel can (and usually do) give incentive for you to air your views, I would welcome some letters which I could use to publish in future issues of the magazine.
Stocking Policy - do we stock enough fish? Would you like to see other species in our lake, or more of the same such as Crucians in No1?
Weed Control - are we doing enough on No2? How many of you feel No2 is unfishable (up to a point you feel we may be losing membership)?
Night & Guest Tickets - are you happy with the current arrangements? Do you want to see more night tickets? would you like to see night tickets being abolished? Do you find the process of getting night tickets a fair and easy one? Do you feel the current price for the guest tickets is priced about right?
Purchase of New Waters - would you like to see the club "own" or "co-share " it's own lake?
Increasing our Membership - many of you accept the club could well do with more members, what suggestions do you have which could increase the numbers within our club?
As you can see from the above list they are all relevant subjects to you the member, which if managed correctly can increase your enjoyment on the waters of Harrow Angling Society.
Future Magazines
I want to try and structure future magazines into various sections which a 'gain is dependent on information from yourselves. For example I want to publish letters on your successful fishing trips, tips and technical know-how, any humour or poems of an angling nature, and your personal experiences of your visits to our lakes such as the types of birds and animals you may have seen.
I also hope to give you better visibility in future magazines on what happens behind the scenes at the regular Committee meetings. A lot of hard work is carried out by our Officers and Committee members where important issues are discussed and agreed, resulting in the type of fishing you are all now enjoying.
Views from the Lakeside
John Pickard-Rowley, August 1998
John has been with the club for about 17 years and enjoys fishing for the Carp at Rowley, his preferred method is to turn up for short afternoon sessions when it is not so busy, and entice the Carp on the top to floaters such as Chum mixer. He has had 3 visits this year to Rowley and each visit he has been rewarded with respectable Carp.
John felt the recent treatment on Rowley has not affected the fishing but has noticed other weed growth which appears to be spreading in various spots on the lake.
When I asked about additional waters for the club, John felt it would be unlikely that we would be able to get a new venue as sole owners, as the bigger organisations appear to be buying everything up from existing pits to puddles in the back garden. He felt our best chance was to share a venue with another club.
I asked John what he felt about the night tickets, John said he finds the current system ok and is quite appreciative that if you ever do night fish on Rowley you know that it will never be busy with a maximum of four tickets.
Jeff Burrows - Rowley, August 1998
Jeff has been with the club for 19 years and has only recently turned his attention to catching carp, occasionally in pit 2 but most of the time at Rowley. He used to spend his time chasing the Tench at Harefield No 1.
Jeff loves the solitude and beauty of Rowley and loves to night fish it when he can. John feels the apparent sparseness of the Iily pads is only a temporary affect and feels that some treatment is required on a periodical basis to keep plant growth under control. Jeff is in favour of only having 4 night tickets and is happy the way the system works at present.
John would like to see the club get access to another venue, one which we would have a greater control over, and not subject to short term leases.
Steve Walker - Harefield No1, August 1998
Steve has been in the club for 3 years and as he is lives locally in Harefield enjoys fishing pit No 1 whenever he gets the chance. He feels that Harefield No1 is nicely balanced and an attractive fishery and hopes it continues to fish well.
Steve thought another lake in the club would be a good thing and when I suggested the idea of a Web Site for the club to increase the membership, he felt that it was a relatively cheap way of making the club more visible and approachable.
Dave Rojewski - Harefield No1, August 98
Dave has been with the club for over 7 years and usually fishes at Rowley lake for the Carp, where he has had some decent catches. Dave has also enjoyed good catches of Bream to 5lb+ and Tench to almost 6lb this year from Rowley and came to No1 for a change of scenery and a different challenge. He has caught Pike to 15lb from No1 on light float fishing tackle which put up a fair fight. When asked about his views on the weed situation, Dave had some concerns over the recent treatment of Rowley as he felt the pads were looking slightly the worse for wear since the treatment, and hoped it was just a short term effect to maintain long term good quality fishing at Rowley.
When I asked Dave about the number of current fishing venues in the club, he felt that another water preferably owned by the club was important to give anglers flexibility, and would also like to see us regain control of Langley.
John Brown Harefield No1, September 98
John has been with the club for about 5 years. John enjoys fishing at No1, and as he lives at Greenford, Harefield is convenient. Johns preferred method is to catch fish on his trusty float rod, I just missed out on seeing his splendid 7lb Bream which he landed just before I turned up. Lucky for John one of his regular fishing partners - Barry Welsh was on hand to witness the fish. This Bream beat his previous best caught from No1 which weighed in at 5lb 8oz. John has also caught Bream to 6lb 8oz from No2.
One of Johns best fights came when he caught one of the few Carp which roam No1, and was unlucky not to land it as it made a dive for a conveniently (for the fish) placed set of tree roots. John likes to use his keepnet as he has mini matches with his friends, and for that reason has stopped fishing RowleyDue to the keepnet ban,.
John said he would like to see the club buy another local water, preferably a similar type of lake as No1
Barry Welsh Harefield No1, September 1998
Barry has been in HAS for 5 years and thinks Harefield No1 is a beautiful lake which has plenty of charm and character. Barry fishes regularly with the same group he started fishing with when he used to work at Gallachers when they used to organise work matches .
Barry has had some good fish since he has been with the club and prefers float fishing to the ledger rod, as he finds the float more challenging. Barry would like the club to obtain a stretch of river such as the river colne which can be an excellent source of good fish.
Harefield No1
So far this year there has been very good catches of Roach, Rudd + Perch and reasonable amount of Tench reported.
Weed Problem: The shallow end of the lake is showing heavy growth of Canadian pond weed which we hope to rectify at the start of the new season.
Swims: We are working towards levelling and relaying new boards in front of a number of swims and removing the tree debris. We would like to thank Russell Griffiths for all his hard work on the trees around the lake and everyone else who turned up on the working parties. Due to vandalism to the lock, No 1 is now not accessible from the red gate. To all Members ~ please note that barbless hooks must be used at all times
Larry & Steve
Rowley Lake - September 1998
The Closed Season saw frenzied activity at the working parties with a project second only to the Millennium Dome being undertaken and completed in record time well just in time. - The New Boathouse. The Old Boathouse was dug getting on for 30 years ago and used to home an old Thames punt. After several patching up jobs this eventually fell apart and the boathouse neglected.
Last year some bright spark suggested we might like to renovate it and thereby provide a weatherproof, safe haven for our current boat. Having lifted the lid, the remaining hole was widened and deepened to accommodate its new occupant. Little did we know that the bottom and sides of the hole were thick with tree roots. The enthusiasm of the merry band present was soon dampened by this setback and such bright ideas as 'get a smaller boat', 'fill the bleedin' thing in' and 'I didn't sign up for this' were soon being given serious consideration. Anyway after 2 working parties and a couple of evening visits the thing was still not finished. 'We'll never do it', 'it's a bloody white elephant' they cried with one Sunday left to go. 'Yeah! no problem trust me' I retorted and hey presto, it all suddenly fell into shape. A sprinkle of Larry's special grass seed - no not the type you smoke - and finished. Hopefully for another 30 years.
Mid May saw the same bunch of nutters at the Lakeside to assist with the cull of the small Roach. It poured down until lunchtime and we wouldn't have got any wetter if we'd have thrown ourselves in. Thankfully the sun came out and by mid afternoon everyone was complaining it was too hot - such is our wonderful climate. Anyway, three massive sweeps of the net saw a pile of quality Bream and Tench, a handful of Carp, including a lovely Ghost nudging 20 pounds, a couple of double figure Pike and one Crucian. We also got what we came for, namely 30 Jack Pike under 5lb and approximately 28,000 small Roach under six inches in length. Pike went into No. 2, the Roach into No. 1.
The week before the season opened the Lilies were treated to knock them back. This type of White Water Lilly seems to be extremely invasive and was in danger of overcoming the lake. I have no doubt that they will be back next year but will hopefully be more fish and angler friendly. To put the record straight:
I would just like to point out that the soft submerged weed showing itself this year is not due to the demise of the Lilies. This weed was present before the Lilies were treated. It is a form of Pondweed (not Canadian) and I am confident that it will not get established because the fish activity and the presence of the Geese next Summer should keep it down. So, to whom it may concern, leave that Goose nest alone next Spring.
A change of tactics for the Carp produced some startling results for the handful of anglers who could be bothered to apply themselves to the task of catching fish instead of festering in a bivvy. However, the honeymoon was soon over and the fish became wise to the method and retreated into the snags. They could still be caught but some dubious tactics were used by some to do it. Nothing illegal, nothing, as far as I know, detrimental to the fish. But remember snag fishing required strong arm tactics which have to be thoroughly thought out if fish are not going to be damaged. Ask yourself, is it really worth the risk.
I'm going to finish this now as I am running out of light. No, the electricity hasn't been cut off. I'm down at the Fisheries, tucked up in the sleeping bag and looking forward to another good night's sleep.
May your rod throb. Happy Days and Good Luck
JOHN MILES
Harefield No2 - August 1998
Despite a very good start to the fishing in No2, once again this year the weed has taken over and only the most stubborn anglers are continuing to persist in trying to lure some decent fish to the bank. The Committee has planned to treat the weed this year, but could not get agreement with HOAC to use a particular type of weed control agent. The Committee now has an agreed way forward and will treat the weed at the appropriate time.
In the first few weeks of the season plenty of fish were seen to grace the nets of various anglers, one such lucky individual had 13 Carp to 24lb in the first session of the season. Plenty of other Carp have been reported.
2 Bream topping the 10lb mark have been reported, as have Bream in the 9 and 8lb range. A Tench of 8lb+ has also been reported along with two other Tench of over 7lb.
Hopefully next year with careful management of the weed, the excellent sport seen at the start of this year will extend right through the season next year.
Les & Paul