July 2000
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EDITORIAL
Hello to all you, I hope the start of the 2000/01 season has been kind to you and that many a good fish has passed over the threshold of your net. I would like to extend an extra special warm welcome to all our new members who have joined the Harrow Angling Society recently. I sincerely hope you will try to give all of our waters a good go, as some of them need just that little bit more time, care and effort to get the best out of them. Believe me, the rewards are well worth it. After the disappointments and frustration of getting the last magazine out to you all, I am pleased to say this July 2000 issue of the magazine has been a relative doddle to edit and produce. However, lots of hours by myself and others have gone into it, but hopefully you'll agree it is the best yet. I plan to put another issue out before the Members Meeting in September so the actual collating of information, articles, photos, editing etc., will start as soon as this one reaches your doormat, in fact, it never stops! I am pleased to say that once again I have received some good articles and letters to put in the magazine, a special thanks to both Ian and Andrew Kempster who have provided me with lots of excellent material. I will continue my endeavours to get the magazine looking better, more informative and to a much higher standard. However, as always I can only do this with your help, as the content of the magazine is only as good as what you all send me. So once again, a request to you members old and new alike (that includes members of the Committee) - please, please, please, find ten or so minutes to scribble something down and send it to me for the magazine - no subject is taboo - if you have a view on your favourite pastime tell the club about it, you never know you may find some others who share your wacky views!
I thought I would include in this and future issues of the magazine an ongoing article about my quest to catch from pit 2 a Tench in excess of 8lb (my previous pit 2 best going 71b loz) and a Bream in excess of 11lb (my previous pit 2 best going 9lb 11oz). I know fish of this quality are in pit 2 as some have been caught by the carp boys in the past. I am not sure how long this quest is going to take me, but my ongoing diary will be published in the magazine so you can get an idea on my delights (I hope) and frustrations (not many?!!?) which I know are coming!! One of the first problems I am going to have is how to fish through the mass of weed that has already reached the surface of pit 2, first of many challenges I perceive. Whatever the outcome of this season I will let you know how I get on. 'You will also note on your visits to the fisheries, the excellent condition the bankside, paths and swims are in, this is due to a lot of hard work by a few dedicated individuals who don't mind putting in extra hours to ensure our fisheries are first class. I would like to express my thanks to the few (it would be wrong to name them as I am bound to miss someone!! ) as I certainly am benefiting from the extra care and attention.
In the first issue of the Magazine Terry Skelton produced an obituary for the late Roy Wildey, as many of you know was a very keen fisherman and as a result of his love for the sport, has accumulated quite a bit of fishing tackle. Following discussion with Mrs Wildley and her son, the -HAS Committee has offered to support the auctioning of Roy's tackle at the next Members Meeting (Wednesday 27th September, 08.00pm at Ruislip Football club - put it in your Diary now!). A list of the tackle is detailed later in the magazine. We hope that as many of you as possible will be able to attend the meeting and take part in the Auction. During the season I hope to be out and about with my trusty digital camera and note pad. I want to do another "Views from the Bankside" feature, which some of you may recall was about capturing the views and experiences of you the member, only this time I will be able to have a "Mugshot" of the victims I managed to snare!! I sincerely hope that you have a cracking season with the Harrow Angling Society and spread the word to your friends and family on the excellent fishing which is on offer in our fisheries.
All the best, and tight lines.
Warren
FISHERY MANAGEMENT (1)
I thought it would be a good idea to run a couple of pages on the subject of Fishery Management, so I have a few photos for you to have laugh at, plus a good article from, Andrew Kempster (aka Baity) Many of the membership chose to opt out of participating in the working parties, perhaps due to other pressures in the family, jobs, disability etc., one thing is for sure though, the same dedicated regulars turn up for the working parties year upon year. I am not sure what perception the members who don't come along have of the working parties, but I can assure you that they are fun. You work only as Hard as you want to, there is no pressure for everyone to have a swing on the sledge hammer (in fact you have to queue up to have ago at it!). It also a great opportunity to swap tales of the 'Monster that got away' with other like minded individuals. One of the more difficult tasks the 'Fishery Manager's have is planning working parties for an unknown number of attendees, on more than one occasion, large number of members have turned up on the same working party only to find not enough jobs or tools to go round, not quite sure how we regulate the numbers on each individual session, but if we consistently find large numbers of attendees, a lot more work could be planned and carried out during the close season. Some of the more regular anglers will notice how quickly the paths and swims get overtaken by the bankside vegetation once they have been cut, your Fishery Managers and their able-body army of helpers will be trying to keep this rapidly growing undergrowth under control. Now that the club has 2 brand new strimmers, it is planned to have regular 'lets lay waste to this lot' sessions throughout the season, hopefully midweek but sometimes weekend working may be necessary. Unfortunately this may be of a short term inconvenience if you happen to be fishing whilst this is going on. We must all remember that the lads working to maintain the high standard of bankside fishing we are lucky to have, do so in their own time, I for one would like to thank them for all their efforts. I hope that the membership continues to recognise the hard work carried out by the relatively small numbers on our waters, which I am sure has made, and will continue to make your fishing all the more enjoyable.
Editor
FISHERY MANAGEMENT (2)
How did you spend May Day? I found myself helping out at a working party on pit two. This wasn't one of the working parties where all club members are asked to participate, but arranged and carried out by those who fish the lake on a regular basis. Fishery Manager Les Skidmore was present supervising the work carried out by those putting in an extra one or two working parties on the lake and getting things ready for the start of the season. Today's jobs were to involve obtaining a boat and buoyancy aides from the sailing club, with whom relations over the last year have come on somewhat. First job was to find and remove lost end tackle and line that we knew of from the trees. Not that there was a great deal to retrieve as not a great many people fished the lake. And most of those who do fish it do like to chuck there leads out as far as they can get them (Squire, big chuck cup winner for the 1999 to 2000 season). Of the few we collected, one was of the type you would like to find the culprit and have a quiet word down a dark alley somewhere. Not only did we retrieve an end rig which comprised of barbed hook also an inline lead of an ounce and a half ten inches of rig tubing but connected to this at least ten foot of amnesia, obviously someone has pulled for the break and the line has snapped at the knot. Would it not be better to inform someone at the time and immediate retrieval could be carried out. Next job, remove some of the branches that always seem to get in the way of casting in some of the swims. And the branches from fallen trees that are of danger when a fish decides to kite either to the left or right. Work like this can only be carried out from a boat and common sense is a must. Of the work carried out on one of the official work parties (the one that only seven people attended) work was done on a couple of swims down the peat bank These swims were grass seeded and this is now coming through. These swim should now be nice to fish come the summer months. Over the fast few weeks not a whole weekend has gone by without some work being carried out on Pit two. Apart from Harrow Pit one I now think with Pit two we have one of the best looking lakes in the valley swim wise for example we don't have great big ugly hardcore swims were getting a bankstick or bivvie peg in are near on impossible. Is there any work you think needs carrying out on the lake, if so, inform the fishery Manager and I'm sure he would only be to happy to arrange for it to be done.
Baity
UP ON TOP
For many carp fishing is sitting down behind two rods, fishing to the same set of lilies as everyone else does and waiting for the inevitable run to occur. I admit to doing the same some of the time but generally like to be a bit different when the opportunity to do so arises. An example of this happened last season when fishing Harefield Pit 2. It was a glorious August day, the sun was shining and it was ideal sunbathing weather. The fish were sunbathing as well because in amongst the many weedbeds that were in abundance in the lake that year the backs of big fish could be seen breaking the surface. I climbed a tree to see how many fish I could see and when I got back down to solid ground I knew there were plenty around and some of them were on the move. Could this be the time to try a floater? gradually, over the period of half an hour or so, I put out about a pound of mixers. Fish started taking interest in this floating delicacy that was being offered and pretty soon there were about half a dozen fish up on top taking confidently time for a bait. I looked at the fish and they were going mad on the freebies. I fired more out and tried to see if there were any bigger fish to cast at. By this time the fish were bullying each other out of the way to get to the baits first. 'Greedy fish' I thought and then I saw the exact thing that I knew would catch. In the top of my tackle box was a wine cork Being the way I am I didn't even bother to cut it up to look like the mixers. On the rig went the whole thing and out past the feeding zone went controller float, wine cork et al. Bringing it back to the area the float settled and I looked at the wine bottle cork. No sooner had I looked at it it disappeared between a set of big rubber lips. Count to three and strike the water exploded as a very angry fish realised it had made a mistake. It went absolutely crazy taking me through two weedbeds on its first run, but with patience I managed to play it back to the net in 10 minutes. On the bank it was a lovely scattered scaled mirror carp of 151b 12oz in pristine condition. Quick photo and back she goes, none the worse for the experience. I looked to see if the other fish were still there but they had been scared off. It didn't matter though. One very satisfied carp angler sat smiling to himself on the bank. Unfortunately, this opportunity hasn't arisen this season. For reasons that are well documented it was decided to weed kill the lake this season to encourage more people to fish it. This I do not have a problem with, but what is infuriating is the fact that as I write this in late August, apart from the first week of the season, I have seen only one person who is actually fishing with a float. I ask the readers of this magazine this, is there really any need to spend/waste more money killing weed in Pit 2 and effectively kill the fishing? 'The people who want to fish it will do so regardless of whether there is bottom to top weed or not a strand in there. There are methods of removing weed from a swim that doesn't include the dreaded "napalm " to kill everything. It's just a case of being bothered to do so, I for one would welcome a return of the weed.
Ian Kempster
Harrow Angling Society AGM 2000
One word for this years AGM excellent, why? For those not present you missed a cracker. Firstly we had no long drawn out argument about allowing domes on pit two as has been the case at quite a few of the last few meetings. And no arguments about fish stockings (though I feel that a lot of people held their tongues). The whole evening was of such a light nature and good humour it finally reflected the true nature of our club. Easy going and enjoyable. Couple this with the presentations of the cup and trophy's (winning a couple myself was a bonus) the whole evening was, I feel a success. My only gripe about these meetings is that it always seems to be the some twenty or thirty people who turn up meeting after meeting, are we the only people who care about the club, I think not. Please in future if you can come along do so. As usual it was mentioned that once again membership has dropped and what could we do as individuals about this, one good idea was to include a flyer in the magazine for people to put up on works notice boards. If anyone has any ideas about this situation please let a committee member know or send it to Warren for publication in the mag. I also think that we can all do our bit, we all know someone who may fish another club or have shown a slight interest in fishing, sell our club to them and get them to sign up. The issues that were discussed I felt were relevant and needed discussion. I was amazed at the story I heard about the Rowley island being used as a launch pad for those who feel the need to cast from one bank to the other, then insult people who turn up and fish under there own rod tips to be told by said angler 'your fishing in my swim' not on. I must put my hands up and admit I have been guilty of long casting on one occasion, but it was winter I was fishing with my brother and we were the only two anglers on the lake, I had cast three quarters of the way across, it was a Saturday and when the pike boys turned up on the Sunday I reeled in and fished about halfway. This should be the norm even with a rule set up in the rule book it is common sense and common courtesy. Ok so what have we to look forward to for the up and coming season. Last night no major projects were discussed so it's just a case of turning up and fishing. Lee Winter's needs more catch reports two reasons. 1) you could win a free membership, 2) as pointed out by John Miles we need to know if small Tench, bream, carp are being caught, letting us know if our fish are successfully reproducing for our fishing in the future. I found Steve Jenner article in the last mag of interest and feel that a few matches should be arrange on all our waters. Matches could be fished as singles, doubles or even team entries. This could be the method used to monitor the fishing situation on our lakes, I have been thinking about this and more I think about it the better it seems. We could even go as far as to organise a match day including a barbecue and a few beers, helping members meet other members who they would not usually meet due to fishing different lakes. Food for thought.
BAITY
Here We Go Again
Well the season is ten days old and here I am sitting at work day dreaming about big fish. I've just received an e-mail from Warren informing me that if I wanted anything in the magazine I had two days to come up with something, cheers mate. I'm not going to write about captures of carp (not just yet as I've only had one this season so far) but the club and the fishing in general. I've just spent the last twenty minutes or so reading the last mag and a good read it made, if I say so myself (well I would wouldn't I). What interested me was some of the little comments made by Warren at the end of each article asking for others to send along there memories or short letters and articles for publication. Will there be a few more names appearing in this issue, I hope so. Okay back to fishing I myself have managed to fish all three of our waters and have been impressed with what I've seen. Some excellent work has been done to the swims on all three lakes resulting in comfortable fishing. Some of the tree work carried out has also proved beneficial (that annoying branch in the one man swim at Rowley to the left has now gone that makes life a lot easier). Plus the general tidiness of the lakes has impressed me. Little bits can be carried on by each of us, doing our own little bit whenever we're fishing not leaving it until next years working party's. I do have a small gripe and that is that a lot of this work is carried out on work party's to which a lot of people just don't bother turning up. The big question is do they pay their opt out money, if they do I'm sure the club could wisely spend the substantial amount raised this way, if they don't, then why not? And why aren't they chased up about it ? Again back to the fishing I have recently been spending quite a bit of time down pit one with my trustee old float rod catching whatever comes along and have been lucky to bank a few nice roach, three of which have one a pound plus, my mission this season now is to catch a two pound roach (watch this space) if anyone has / does manage this please let me know As yet the bream Tench and carp have managed to avoid my baits, just as well when using very light tackle but I have been informed a few nice sized fish have been out on all the waters. Another gripe. I've done a fair bit of fishing over the last ten days, evenings, nights and the odd afternoon but I am still waiting to only see a bailiff and have my membership checked, is this not the busiest time of the season? Okay time to sign off and go catch something worth writing about.
See you on the bank.
Baity
Ode To The 16th June
- The opening week came and went
- And already many days on pit2 have been spent
- by a clan of carp fishing men
- who have grown over time to become good friends
- The gang sat there for days on end
- whilst the birds and boats drove us all round the bend
- and finally one day a buzzer did scream
- to Turnip who lands a 10-8 Bream
- Ha Ha - how we all laughed and cheered
- another trophy for you at the meeting next year.
- Well that brought the initial excitement to a finish
- for the fat lazy Bailiff who works at Guinness
- And then there was Les
- who tried his best
- but the silly old fart
- couldn't land a Carp
- Lounging in the sun
- with his face so glum
- He made tea on his double burner
- God, he's so ugly he'd make a good Gurner.
- That brings me to Jamie the country squire,
- who also agreed the fishing was dia'.
- He told of his escapades whilst off shooting rabbits,
- and amongst others things, his disgusting sexual habits.
- Anonymous
Fishery Report Pit 2
Excellent work done by same few members on working parties, hope to see some new faces next year. We have managed to obtain materials but due to so few people work has been restricted. Anyone who could possibly have a contact for fine ballast or topsoil please contact Les. Swims along the peat bank looking exceptional, once again thanks to the few. The start of the season saw the carp looking a bit spawney and this resulted in a very slow starting week for the carp with 4 fish to 20-2. Tench also showing a capture of a 5-9. Rumour has it that a certain bailiff had a Bream of 10-4 and this is true as I was that recipient. There has certainly been a lot of Beam showing but not a lot of people fishing, don't be worried by the size of the pit, put some effort in and you will reap the rewards. The slow start was also accompanied by the poor performance of our much loved football team. The result against Germany though produced six, sore heads and a few empty paracetamol packets. Never mind the fishing will get better. And thanks to the kind man who provided the power lead from his barge. On a sad note we have to mention fouling behind the swims on the canal bank and canal pylon. I can only hope that this might be a result of the constant mooring up of barges on the canal and not due to any of our members. Everyone has to answer the call of nature but there is no excuse in leaving it uncovered and toilet paper does burn. If a member is found to have left any Fouling, such as was found, I know the Committee will have no qualms in dealing with that person. Also so we have had some reports of lines up trees from other users of the pit. Please if you are unfortunate enough to let a cast go astray don't hesitate to call Les or myself so that we can deal with it before someone else can complain, we are not looking to reprimand anyone although we would if line is knowingly left and not reported. I would like to draw peoples attention to the barbless hook rule and those regarding shelters
Cheers.... Paul and Les .
Special Notice Denham Quarry
There has been an alarming incidence of fly-tipping, joy-riding and other abuses around the Quarry recently, and it is believed the offenders have keys to the access gate. For obvious reasons we need to trace and stop these individuals. If you have any evidence of who the offenders are could you please advise any of the Committee or Bailiffs so that it can be passed onto our landlords who are seeking to make this a police matter. If it is found that the offenders have obtained their key through any of the Quarry Users, which includes this Society, there is a grave danger that the user lose their lease. Your vigilance and assistance is welcomed Terry Skelton Hon Sec
Quest For A Biggun
I decided this year to concentrate my efforts on Pit 2 to try to locate and catch the big Tench and Bream which I know are in reasonable numbers. I have been fairly lucky in the past fishing pit 2 and each year I get enough decent quality fish to make me happy. My previous bests from pit 2 are a Tench of 7-0 and a Bream of 9-11. I thought I would aim high and see how long it takes me (if ever) to achieve. So I am going to try and catch a Tench in excess of 8-0 and a Bream which is in excess of 11-0. Pretty good fish for any fishery and respectable catches for any angler. For the first time in 17 years I have missed the opening night of the start of the season! Unforgivable I know, but I did have something just as enjoyable to go on, read on. I have enjoyed many a good opening session with Vince Sutton, Steve Jenner, Mike Rees and Mick Grice over on Dews Farm bank on Pit 2. Every year someone catches a decent fish, every year someone drinks and eats too much and every year I split my sides laughing. It was therefore a difficult decision not to go fishing with the lads again this year, as I was given the opportunity to go and watch the 24hr Le Mans GT Racing and it was an offer I could not reject. However although I had an excellent time in France, got drunk, got sunburnt, and then got drunk again, I was itching to get back and start my campaign for the biggun. Vince, Steve, Mick and Mike had an excellent time and a few fish graced their nets. I think the best part was Steve's idea to bring a polypin full of Badger ale - hmmm can taste the hops from here. Not sure of all the details but I know Vince landed a Perch of 2-13, and two Tench weighting 5-9 and 6-2, not a bad start to the season.
Friday 23rd June - my opening Night!! I eventually start my quest, I was not ready for it! I had not checked my tackle, as my rods were still set up from the last Pike session I went on and I still had the left overs of a cheese sarnie which had gone all mouldy in my tackle box,! I decided to fish the Dews farm bank as a nice north westerly was blowing fairly strongly into the bay. I got to the waters edge at 17.30 and an hour later managed to get the rods out, what a palaver. I decided to fish using my north western Kevlar Tench rods 1.5lb test curve with 6lbs line, with a hook link of 6lb braid. My preference was to fish with a cage feeder filed with brown crumb and all sorts of other bits. One rod I baited with maggot an and the other with worm. I put a few balls of groundbait to a gravel bar and cast over the top, sat back and waited for something to happen, I waited and waited and waited.... Suffice to say by the time I packed up 10.00am on the Saturday I did not get a bite!
Saturday 24th June - Not to be outdone by my earlier failure I returned to the same spot Saturday night just after 8.00pm Once again the wind was blowing into the Dews Farm Bay but not as strong as the night before. Baited up with 30 odd balls of groundbait and once again baited my rods with maggot and worm. Within 20 mins of casting out I had a bite up went my bobbin my reel started to turn and I struck into what seemed like a reasonable fish (probably a Tench judging by the characteristic throb on the rod, as they say) As it was my first of the season I reckon I reckon I gave it too much respect and I let it dive straight into a thick weed bank where it promptly stopped moving. After trying some persuasive techniques to get the bugger out, I gave up and let my line go slack. After applying tension again I managed to get some head way but all I got was my tackle back. With renewed vigour I got more ground bait out and some loose feed, and within a short time I could see Bream rolling over my bait - getting even more excited now I continued to catapult out some loose feed. Just after 23.00 I had a screaming run which launched my bobbin into the air and I had a right reel churner. This was not a typical Bream bite, but as soon as I struck into it was a Bream. After a short but interesting fight I had the fish safely into the net. The Bream weighted in at 8-11 - a perfect start to my campaign. I did not get another bite for the rest of the night and packed up just after 9.00 Sunday morning.
Thursday 6th (18:00) thru to Saturday 8th (10.00) Had a break from pit 2 as I fished with Vince Sutton over at the Fisheries, on the "Old lake" again our quarry was Bream and Tench. I never had so much as a sniff over the 2 days but fortunately Vince broke the silence with a superb 7-6 Tench.
Saturday 8th I had planned to go back to pit 2 for the Bream as a lovely north westerly was blowing so I thought Dews Farm here I come. However I bumped into Andrew Kempster in Harefield village and he informed me there were already a few people fishing there, and as I was also taking my two sons Josua and Laurance fishing, I decided to give pit 1 a go instead, Although this is not part of my quest for a biggun I thought it would make interesting reading as Pit 1 is fishing it's socks off at the moment. I decided to fish up on the right hand side of the lake i.e. the bank that backs onto Harefield moor / marina just opposite the first island. I set up a feeder rod with worm and a ledger rod with chick peas (very good bait on No1 last season). I also set a float rod up for my guest to fish the lily pads which are in abundance around the lake. It turned out to be a good decision to fish pit 1, as my friend caught lots of small Rudd and Roach but was also rewarded with a Bream of 5-10 which made his day. I went on to catch 4 Bream 4-7, 5-4, 5-10, and 6-12, all came to worm. I also caught a nuisance carp of 9-0 which took me up and down the swim for what seemed like ages.
Wednesday 13th (19:30) Received an e-mail from Dave Hambly informing me that Phil Skidmore had landed a Bream weighing in at 11-2 - what a fish I thought, what was more spectacular was the actual weight was 11-12!! A frigging monster. The story gets even better Phil caught this monster on float tackle using 4lb line, way to go Phil, excellent effort. Unfortunately for Phil, no one was close enough to witness the fish - but I Think we should all recognise this as a truly magnificent specimen for any lake. Obviously I was gagging to get back to pit 2 for another crack at the Tench and Bream. I decided to fish Wednesday night, and after a 2.5 hour journey home from work I just wanted to sit and vegetate! However, once I got down the lake and had spoken to the Carp boys fishing on the Canal bank my enthusiasm was renewed and I decided yet again to fish the Dews Farm Bay as the wind was blowing in there, (also Ian had put a load of Hemp out in one of the swims earlier in the week so it seemed like the right choice). I put my 2 trusted Tench rods out with maggot and worm as my bait and also fed the swim with groundbait, corn, hemp etc. Confidence was high, the air was warm, the breeze was just right and I was under my mozi net to get away from the bleeding flying-biting-buggers. Once again the fish started to roll in the swim over the bait but it was not until just after 11.00 that I had my first proper bite. Well when I say proper I mean it was not a line bite, however the bobbin crept slowly to the top, and just as it got to the butt ring it stopped! What do you do wait? Strike? Wait? Strike? - in the end I waited and then the reel started to backwind slowly - I lifted the rod and bent into a lump, but it was not coming in quietly, it dashed straight for the weed bed and I thought, oh no not there again! I gave a wee bit of pressure and the lump came to the surface - Bream and a biggun. I landed and weighed the fish and it took the scales round to 9-6, I was over the moon with delight. I could not stop shaking as I rushed to get the rod out again, would you believe it, before I could clip the bobbin on the line the reel was spinning back at a rate of knots, I struck into the fish and before long I had another clonking size Bream in the net. This one took the scales round to 9-7 - phew what a lump it was. Well I thought I was onto a good session and then - yeah you guessed it nothing! Well I packed up at first light and went to work, dreaming about when I was going to get back to pit 2 to continue my quest. This is the last entry for me until the September issue of the club magazine, let me have some feed back as to is this sort of stuff you want in your magazine.
Warren
The Kempster Kronicles
Diary for the 2000 / 2001 Campaign 14/05/00
A bit early to start this seeing as the season doesn't start for another month but keeping track of what and when and why will be good and starting now is easy, as I have been very active in fishing related activities over the last month. After the committee meeting of Wednesday 10th May I went for the usual shandy with a few of the other supping members of the HAS. Speaking to Warren about the coming year and his proposal that he issues two mags before September I asked him what material he was thinking of using. He said one of the things he was thinking of doing was a diarist piece. I thought that's a damn good idea, hence the bashing of the keyboard, a bit of a shove in the right direction you might say and also it is something I have wanted to do for ages but it usually falls by the wayside after a month or so. This time could be different, enthusiasm is unreal at the minute, plans are made and I want to look back at it at the end of the season and read about the highs and lows that are surely to come. So here goes, I'll tell you of some of the things I have been doing up to this point since the terrific end of the season weekend on the Pit and with whom, when and where. It was decided, after a lot of discussions and drunken late night ramblings during the previous season, that the dedicated few who fish for the Carp in the Pit would all band together and get on the same bait for the new season. The recipe was devised and ingredients bought, now to the making. Sat 29th saw myself, Les and the two Daves around at young Daves garden all eager to make bait. Ingredients put together, eggs whisked in a bucket and the whole lot mixed in a garden barrow, a messy job but Les seemed to enjoy himself! Sausages made and with the aid of an air compressed gun able to pump out a kilo of paste in about 30 seconds. Onto the roller and rolled by Dave White, then boiled and dried by myself, boiling taking ages as the Burco had blown up and we were using pots, it took all day to make 32kg of dry mix for Les's bait for the season. On the Bank holiday on 1st May we met up to do a private working party on the Pit. Les had squared it to have use of a boat and it was into the water and around the lake, stopping at certain trees to saw and lop, clearing horrendous underwater snags and dragging onto the bank and cutting and clearing. We managed to see a few fish swimming around in the afternoon sunshine.
The next Saturday (6th May) it was a change of venue and at 9.00am saw myself, Les. DW and Squire in my back garden. Dave had gone sea fishing down Hayling Island with Stuart Verity, I didn't fancy it after last time!! Again we got a good system going with the aid of a new 71/2 gallon burco managed to do both mine and Andy's baits in the day, he turning up about 9.30 with a sore head. Sat 13th May and we've got this boilie making down to a tee! Everything around my house again as Daves digging his pond out and getting rid of the clay in a skip he had delivered at 8.00am. (The turfs and topsoil had already been deposited into a few swims on the Pit, ideally we should have every swim lush with grass but that's something for the future). Burco's been heating up around Daves so we bring it into mine and in my wisdom try out the old broken one as well, thinking maybe it wasn't really bust. Turn on the extension lead and both boilers are on. Set up everything ready for when the boys arrive at 9.00. Mixing done when everyone's there and then I notice the boilers aren't heading, NIGHTMARE! The old faulty boiler had blown the fuse on the extension lead plug and both had been sitting for an hour doing nothing. Plan B, on with the double burner, two cauldrons on top and away we go, just a little later than planned. This weekend it was brilliant, five doing the work really is good as each of us can keep up when the new burco caught up and started boiling we really went through the bait like there was no tomorrow. It took us roughly four and a half hours (not including breaks for drinks, lunch, spraying the hose over the head due to the extremely warm weather etc) to roll two peoples bait. 64 kilos of powder, 500 eggs gone!! Brilliant.
Sunday 14th May and its down to the car park at the little lake for 08.00 for a working party. It really is disappointing to see the amount of people who bother with these, we are lucky if 20 people turn up. It has been discussed at committee level as how to tackle this problem, we have roughly 150 paid up full members and yet you still seem to see the same old faces at both working parties and meetings. The club should make a fair whack out of working parties levy's but I doubt it somehow. Anyway onto the fun.!! We set off a merry bunch of workers down to the pit, the canal pylon the destination. When we got there we could see about 30 fish up on the surface cruising about in the morning sunshine. The day before with the aid of Squire's Land Rover and a borrowed trailer we had moved a few pieces of bridging from the little lakes car park . We ended up building two fishing stages to aid in the landing of fish etc. A few laughs on the way with plenty of unwanted 'booties' where people were paddling too deep and a constant barrage of jokes and humorous stories from a certain aging rocker! A good giggle indeed. After the work was done myself, Dave and the fishery manager Les decided on a wander a round the pit. It seemed whatever swim you walked into there were fish cruising on the top and sunning themselves. After doing the complete circuit Dave had to leave but Les and I decided to stay. Since the work had started that morning a moderate south easterly wind had sprung up and was blowing into the shallowest area of the lake. From a vantage point up in the trees we observed many Carp swimming in circuits around the shallows, sometime dipping down to have a quick bite to eat on the bottom sending up a great fizzing patch of bubbles and massive clouds of silt. Seeing this just heightened the anticipation for the forthcoming season. I just could not keep away!! That evening after being away for about three hours I was sat in the heat thinking of the fish we'd seen that day. A quick shout to Andy and Dave asking what they're up to and back comes the reply, not a lot. 'Fancy a stroll with a cold beer down the lake, we can take the dog etc.' I say. So it is at 7.30pm in a still boiling evening that we start off down to the pit. We arrive and sit in a comfortable area where we can watch a large slice of the water and start chatting and playing with the dog. 'Did you see that' someone asks and we all follow the direction of the extended arm to a rapidly expanding ring where some unseen monster has just left the water. As we stared at the spot another fish clears the water and re-enters with an almighty crash. Over the next half-hour or so we see over 20 fish jumping and tail slapping the water. We decide to move closer to where the fish are jumping. I follow as the others lead but turn off into one swim as they go onto another. As I enter the swim I notice loads of patches of bubbles where the fish have been leaving the water. I sit down just away from the waters edge and notice a fresh patch of bubbles rising from the bottom just off the tip of a branch that is entering the water. I watch the water and I'm soon rewarded with a mirror leaping straight out no more than 15 feet from the bank, I'm soon joined by my companions and we sit and admire what we are seeing in front of us. Well worth going down for the evening that day!
Thursday June 15th 2000 After a last minute dash to Spain for a week to try and sun myself up (it rained for 4 days!!) I arrived back in the country on Wed 14th totally knackered after a 28hrs day due to delays and unhelpful people at the apartments we were staying kicking us out around 11.00am on the Tuesday after the Portugal game. I had planned to get everything ready for the off on the Wednesday but ended up spending the whole day in bed. So it was 9.00am and I'm down the lake having a good look before getting the gear together. I sat in the first swim on the canal bank for a few minutes watching fish speed around in front of me. They're shifting, I thought as another couple of fish sped past. Then an almighty splash took my attention to a swim on the marina bank, and then another, and then more. Back in the car and shot around the corner to where they are, seeing Les's van parked in the reeds swim. I pulled up and said to him 'a bit eager aren't ya' knowing that he's probably been up all night like a kid at Christmas waiting for a reasonable hour to come to the lake. 'What about you then, you beat me here' came the reply. 'Have you had a look in this swim yet' I enquired but he had just arrived. So we went and had a look in the swim and we must have seen 20-30 Carp flying up and down the bank chasing each other through the already dense weedbeds. Once in a year chance of some sex was obviously on the minds of these fish as they were not spooking from the sight of us as they usually would. As the day went on more and more people of like minds turned up and in the end there were seven of us plotted up on the Marina bank waiting for the start, hoping for a hit on the first night. We knew when we were meant to cast out as there were two loud bangs as somewhere in the valley there were some fireworks let off which were followed shortly by the ringing of bells to mark the occasion.
Fri June 16th I do not ever, ever get it right. Six o'clock in the morning and I'm awake knowing I should be elsewhere. Nothing has been caught in the next couple of swims either side of me and there is no sign of any of the fish that were here in abundance not 24hrs previously. After a quick coffee with Squire (top kettle that!!) I wander down to Les. 'Spawney Git the superstar has done it again aint he, taken the kitty' were his first words as I walked in the swim. From this I worked out that Dave had taken a fish sometime in the first 6 hours of the session and taken everyone's £2 that we'd chucked in the pot. 'Right I'm off' I said and went back to my pitch and packed up my gear in the car. By 7.00am I was in a new swim and all eager. By 7.05am I was unhooking my first fish of the season, an obliging Tench of around 5lb which took it upon itself to let me know that my bait was as delicious and my rig as ever effective. Confidence back and I'm actually looking forward to the day. The day dragged! By lunchtime I had that feeling again, where to go? But nothing had shown all morning and I was knackered, so I decided where I was, was as good a place as any to set up my bed for a quick nap. I couldn't drop off due to Joe Public wandering around as if they owned the place, one woman actually sat on a rock underneath my rod tips to soak up the rays for half an hour, some people are just inconsiderate, but I think she took the biscuit!! About 2.00pm tiredness finally got the better of me and I had two and a half hours of cart napping, until 4.30pm when I was suddenly on my feet grabbing at my rod with a screaming banshee in my ears as something on the end of my line decided it wanted to be up near the sailing base. A tense fight ensued, I hate the tension of the first Carp of the season. 'Will everything go alright? I hope it does not drop off, don't weed up, all going through my mind in a millisecond as I stood in silence with the rod bent double. Next thing I look around and Dave and Andy are stood beside me, this is about 5 minutes after hooking the fish and no one has said a word. After around 10 minutes the fish eventually slides over the cord of the net and I can finally relax. I let everyone on the lake know how I felt by screaming 'YES' at the top of my voice. Weighted and photoed and back she goes, 18lb 10oz of beautiful mirror carp returned by a smiley bloke pumped up on adrenaline. And that was that, nothing else as much as farted near me for the next 24hrs, which was time for FOOTY!!
Sat June 17th A Very Important Day So it was at 10.00am as we were walking back to the car that I said, 'Doya think we've got enough grub?" to Les. ENOUGH? We had just spent about 25 quid in the butchers for the forthcoming BBQ extravaganza that we were going to partake in whilst watching the England Germany Euro 2000 game. After another 7 hours of fishless angling I decided to reel in and pack the gear into the car and start the Social with the others. As I approached the swim on the Marina bank where the gathering was to take place I had to look twice as everyone had beaten me to it and there were at least five people there already. I spied a man working on his barge just behind where we were to watch the match and a plan was hatched ."Hello mate" I shouted through the fence to him. 'How do you get power to the boats in there? " I asked, he went on to explain that each boat had to plug into the boxes on the bank with 3 pin round plugs used for campsites etc. 'So if we went and bought one of those plugs and some cable we could do that?" I said, he then explained we would probably need a converter of some sort. Now was the time!! Do you have normal plug sockets in you barge like you would in a house then?" 'Yes was the reply so it had to be done. 'If we chuck you some money to cover the cost can we run an extension lead from your barge to plug a TV into so we can watch the footy?" the reply was what we all wanted to hear and after a quick dash home to Pick up a 14" colour TV and an extension lead we were in business. 'With the TV in the back of the van on one side of the road and a semi-circle of anglers sat the other side eagerly awaiting kickoff, scoffing burgers and drinking beer, we felt like the Dogs! I bet no-one fishing anywhere had as good a set up as us, proper TV, massive (and I do mean BIG flag of St George flying from an impromptu pole fluttering in the wind. We offered the Bargey a beer and he took a London Pride, so when Nigel went past 10 minutes later everyone chucked in a pound and we got him to get the man some beers. And then we won!!!! Loved it, made up for the disappointment of losing to Portugal, we finally did it for the first time since I was born, WE BEAT THE GERMANS!! A bit under the influence of Stella Artois I decided it was best that I did not recast that night so fell asleep a little the worse for wear from the liquid consumed celebrating.
Mon June 19th Down after work where are the fish? After a chat with the people fishing and looking around I decided to plot up for the night on the jetty. A few fish were seen in this area so it was worth a go. I found a couple of clearish spots amongst all the weed and fired out some tempting morsels to try and entice a take. As is usual for me few landed where they were meant to and more landed at my feet rather than at their intended destination. I sat in the swim with the wind blowing in my face contemplating whether it was too early to go to bed as it was only 9. 00pm when right under my rod tips there was an explosion of bubbles as something rooted about in the weed I gingerly (EASY!! Don't get carried away) eased myself forwards and crept towards the front of the swim. I peeked at the surface and couldn't believe that there, not 2ft away from me, was Mr. Carp waving his tail at me as he rummaged around for the bait that I had dropped. He's a bit catcable I thought, but how do you get a bait to it without scaring it away. I gently chucked a couple of large pellets to where I thought the fish was and after a couple landed within inches of the fish it slowly rose and swam out towards the weed. I quickly reeled in and dropped the hookbait just below the rod tip and slackened right off so the tubing was laying on the bottom and the slack followed the lake bed to the edge and then up to the rod I chucked a couple of handfuls of mixed pellet and 3 or 4 boilies around the hookbait, attached the dangler, switched on the alarm and sat back. 10 or 15 minutes later some little bubbles started to appear under the rod tip. That fish is back I thought and the thought was confirmed by the vortexes appearing from the wafting of his tail. Go on, go on, you've gotta go I egged on but nothing for 5 minutes. Then BANG the indicator rose from the floor where it was resting to the rod butt in a flash and the rod tip bounced and then pulled down. This is it I thought, but nothing. The rod pulled back, the indicator fell back to its original position and there was a great boil as something large exited the area. Don't you just hate it when that happens. I cast the rod back out to its original position and went to bed thinking of what could have been and how I could have caught that fish without spooking it. I blanked that night!
Thursday June 22nd
Am I a glutton for punishment or what?? I can't believe I'm back all eager!! Dave and Les have come around to the Canal bank to fish. It feels like it has been a long week already, being the first week back at work after a week in Spain and four days fishing, and this the second overnighter of the week. The enthusiasm soon wears off after sitting down for an hour chatting and having a sociable can or two of the liquid throat charmer. I eventually decide that where I'm sat in Daves swim looks as good as any to chucka bait out (like I said, enthusiastic!) and whack two hookbaits out, set the bed up and crash out at 10pm. I LOVE FISHING BETWEEN WORK!! Up at 6.30 and after a quick chat with Brian the Bailiff I'm soon home showered and off to work for a 7.30 start.
Sat 24th June
We should really have been playing Italy today and another night of Footy should have been on the agenda. What is it with these Man United players, are they too successful with their club that they do not feel the need to win things with their country. A bit harsh maybe but I'm sure that the younger of the ugly brothers is going to receive the same kind of abuse as a certain David Beckham after his sending off against Argentina in the last World Cup. Anyway, as it is the weekend and I had not fished last night and had spent the day at work (on a Saturday and everyone else was plotted up together it seemed like a good idea to join the gang and unwind with a few drinks with friends and some good food cooked just how it should be on the bank by BBQ. A good night spent with friends talking as all fishermen seem to when grouped up about fish and all things piscatorial although not worrying too much about the fishing. Had a good game of laser wars with someone fishing the Dews Farm area, blinding in fact, the things we do to amuse ourselves!!
Sun 25th June
Packed up early in the morning, as it looked like the world and his wife were getting their sailing boats ready. I don't mind the boats but when you've got the wind in your face you always seem to have the less experienced sailors determined to ram your rods every five minutes! Decided to go over to Rowley Lake for the afternoon with Andrew. Arrived at about 2.30pm to find only 2 cars in the car park result, on this water as I'm sure you all know. As we walked down we agreed to walk around the lake before setting up. We saw one person fishing on the farm bank he'd only been there an hour and hadn't had anything. Whilst chatting to him the other person on the lake left. We walked around the rest of the lake and decided to fish where we had left our tackle, this being the first swim opposite the little island on the car park bank. After dipping the net and mat etc. and casting out we sat back to relax. The man opposite in the Jetty left at 4.00 and we thought pukka, lake to ourselves, but it seemed like other people had the same idea as us and between 4.00 and 6.00 around 7 or 8 anglers had turned up to fish, all inquiring about our luck as they walked past and all asking the same question, "Seen any on top?" It seems that everyone who fishes this lake has been having success on the floaters, good angling if the fish are playing the game, something I enjoy myself as you're not just waiting for the warble of the bite alarm to let you know when a fish has taken the bait. It was about 6.30pm and neither of us had had a sniff. We were discussing tactics and I said that I had always been successful in this swim when casting at the island so that the bait dropped in under the branches, something neither of us were doing as we were both fishing to other features. "Lets do it, we've seen lots of swirling under there" said Andy so we each reeled in one rod. After a couple of creeping up casts and clip up/let off a foot etc. I managed to achieve the objective, dropping the bait just under the branches of one of the overhanging trees "Bang on the money" said Andy then had a go himself to do likewise. Two chucks later and he's still dropping short, and not liking to clip up himself says 'This is it, wherever it lands it stays" Would you believe it, he managed to get his bait about a foot under the trees!! Some brightness suddenly appeared around the area of his anus!! "That's got take written all over it" I said. Sure enough, not half an hour later l bleep and a dip on the rod top indicated something had picked up the bait. Before the fish could even pull line from the baitrunner Andy hit it and expertly stopped the fish diving into the cover that are the trailing branches around the island. Five minutes later and in the net first time of asking, slides his first fish of the season, and what a cracker, all 21lb 10oz of it! Smiled for the pics and slid it back in minimal time, he sat for the rest of the evening smiling his head off. Me, well as is always the way whenever we fish together one catches and the other blanks, and so it proved to be the case again this time. Left at dusk dejected but happy for, Andrew, it's good when your friends catch fish nearly as good as catching yourself.
Tuesday 27th June Eager man!
Did not fish last night and I'm sure with the nicer, warmer weather that we have had the last couple of days that the fish will be moving around making their presence known. Ahh it's too good to be true! There are fish on the surface everywhere you look but they are all just cruising around. I notice that a certain weedbed is being visited a lot more than other areas so shoot off to fish it before anyone else does. Andy elected to fish elsewhere, about 500 yards from me and Dave fished another bank again. We were well spread out, all with our own areas to fish one of us had to have something. And so it proved to be, as Andy had a fish during the night, but that's his story and I'm sure you'll hear about it sooner or later nice fish again, definitely stepped in something this week he had. I blanked again, nothing new there, just wish I knew where all these fish are holed up.
Wed 28th June
Back once again, you never know it could be you!! Sat on the rocks for an absolute age. When I got down about 5.30 Dave was already fishing and Richard the Bailiff was set up in the corner swim. Not a lot showing and I retackle both rods whilst waiting for the all important sign. It got on a bit and still nothing to whet the appetite so I go and have a chat with Richard, he has fish in front of him but they aren't feeding, more cruising about in the weed I finally decide to fish the Reeds and get the rods out at 9. 06pm. Lay in bed watching for signs but nothing shows until 10.15, right over my left hand rod , About this time I see some ripples to my right and these are followed by splashes further dawn the bank. Over the next hour the splashes come closer and eventually end up right in front of me in the reeds at the front of the swim. I look into the water and see the culprits, it's tench spawning, chasing each other about in the weed. Very nice but I want to go to sleep so get in bed and pull the sleeping bag over my head and get some shut eye. I wake up at 7.30am to a grey sky and motionless indicators, Mr Carp not fooled again on another night. Off home for a shower before going to work. My workmates think I'm mad chasing these fish all hours of the day and night, but as the lake is a little busy to fish effectively during the day during the weekend it only leaves early morning or evenings, which I cover by being there overnight anyway. My time will come, sooner rather than later I hope.
Friday 30th June
Joy oh joy, arrive at the lake at 1.00pm rather nice you might say, but not after working non-stop since 8.00am on Thursday. I'm knackered beyond belief but still manage to have a chat with Les, Dave and Jamie and end up plotting up on the Peat Bank with the others, more out of convenience than any other reason. I cast out to two clear areas put some bait in, set the house up and crash out until 7.00pm when Les kindly wakes me up to tell me the BBQ is burning if I want to cook anything. After a quick bite to eat, a drink and a chat I'm back in bed to carry on my well deserved sleep. Can't really say too much about what happened as my alarms didn't wake me so I blanked, again.
Sat 1st July
Woke with a groggy head at 8. 00am feeling absolutely rotten. A quick chat with the others revealed no carp had been caught but Dave was fortunate enough to catch one of his second favourite species, a bream, at 6. 00am. (His preferred fish is of course our red eyed friend, tinca tinca) Nothing had been seen anywhere near us but fish could be seen doing their carprobatics out in the centre of the lake, about 250 300 yards away. Why do they always seem to move out into the centre of the lake in the season but quite happily swim around the edges between April and 15th June?? Went home in the morning for a shower and to pick up supplies for that night's meal when I was playing head chef, preparing a scrumptious Spaghetti Bolognaise, which was appreciated by all who ate it. During the day the wind decided to change from it's predicted easterly to a mild south-westerly, blowing down the lake into the corner I was fishing. This was promising on the fishing front, but not good as today they had more apprentice windsurfers learning how to fall into the water as noisily as they could, I love 'em! No fishing could be done as the aforementioned noisy kids were now about 20 yards out in front of my swim so we decided to, do a quick working party on the bank we were fishing. It's amazing the amount of work that doesn't get done on the official working parties that takes place during the close season, so with snippers and saw in hand we took on the task with pleasure, taking out a lot of dead trees that were along the bank and widening the path and clearing over-hanging branches so you can walk down there with your gear without getting caught up in the undergrowth or bashing our rod bag in the trees. We also cleared some of the excess bushes that were hanging in the water to the sides of two swims, this involved getting the waders on and being directed from the bank as to which limbs to cut off. A damn good afternoons work and the bank looks a lot better for the work done on it, just needs another strimming now to cut the swims back as some are looking a tad wild. Dinner out of the way, all boats off the lake and it was time to start fishing again. The wind had died and the lake was like a millpond, you could see every patch of weed that was hitting the surface and see any movement of fishes. I put out the marker float to the near area and podded out a couple of pound of mixed baits and dropped a nice little boilie in amongst it. The other rod was launched about 90 yards to a clear area amongst Canadian pondweed with a single pop-up as bait with no free offerings. Another early, night as I was still not recovered from the 30 hour slog at work and I slept quite deeply until 3.00am when a couple of beeps woke me and then the dangler dropped back about 4 inches. Up and struck and into a fish, it felt heavy but wasn't doing much. Could be a carp playing dumb I thought but as I pulled it towards me through the weeded areas it didn't kick so I knew it had to be a bream. As it approached the bank I turned on my head-torch and shone it into the water and my suspicions were confirmed as there laying on its side was a golden dustbin lid shaped bream with massive darkfins. It was big, but as I was not fishing for them I thought it best just to unhook it in the water (very easy with barbless hooks to cause it the least stress possible. As I stood up on the end of the jetty with the fish catching it's breath in the water below me I noticed first how big it was, bigger than any I had seen before, easily a personal best by a mile. I just stayed there by the reeds with me looking at it not going anywhere, me all the time thinking to myself should I have weighed that. In the end I decided to put another bait on and cast out to the spot, easy to do with the tree line on the far bank and the reflections in the water. At 3.25am I had another drop back on the re-cast rod and it was another bream. This was more like the usual size of fish that I have caught, being in the 7-8lb bracket. The first fish I caught was still by the reeds and as I unhooked the second fish by torch light the original fish turned and I could compare the sizes. It dwarfed the second bream it was easily a foot longer and was a lot deeper in body. In hindsight I now know I should have hoisted the first fish onto the scales, but when you are fishing for one species on heavy tackle and catch another species you do not ready want to catch at that time, it seems that there is little point in taking trophy shots etc. I know I've let go a personal best, but in all honesty I just didn't want to take the honour off Turnip for catching the largest bream to date this season from Pit 2!!!!!! I recast, this time a bit further out from my baited area as I did not want to catch any more bream feeling the lead down to make sure it landed in a clear spot and happy with bump on the rod set the dangler and got back into bed.
Sun 2nd July
I awoke at 8.30am with no further action after the two bream. A quick chat with everyone else confirmed that yet again no carp had been caught. Great, another 48 hours without a bite. But when you times that by 2 rods per angler fishing the lake at that time (six if I remember rightly) that's 576 rod hours with not one carp being caught. I wish I could cast 300yards, that's where the fish are showing so that's where I need to put my hookbaits if I want to catch. A slowish pack up and I'm off the water by 11.30am I do not want to spend a whole day watching the water users falling in to the lake again. Home, showered and changed and it's still early so I decide to go with a plumbing rod in hand and have a walk around Savay lake which I also have a season ticket for. I walked up the road bank and around the area known as the shallows before ending up looking in the North Bay. As it was Sunday the syndicates switch and the four people who had turned up to fish that week were mooching around the lake. I sat in a swim at the bottom of the bay watching half a dozen fish in a weedbed to my left as another person went past pushing a barrow full of kit. 'Seen anything? "he says as another back pokes out of the water. 'Not much, just half a dozen fish down there in the weed" It didn't interest him and he carried on his way for what was probably another half a mile to his choice of swim. It was too good an opportunity to miss so leaving the rod in the swim to "reserve" it I went home and got my rods etc. and some floating baits. Back in the swim in 20 minutes flat and the fish were still there. I fired out some mixers just 2 or 3 at a time so as not to spook the fish, the furthest part of the weed bed was no more than 25 yards away and all the fish were closer than that to me. After about 30 or 40 baits were around the weedbed I sat back to see if anything would take the bait. 'After a few, minutes one of the fish took a couple of baits and I thought this is it they'll all start now, but the fish swam out of the weed up the lake away from the swim. This seemed to set the trend as fish came and went, maybe taking a few baits here and there but not enough to make me feel confident of a take, even though there was a hookbait in amongst the free offerings. I packed up at about 6.00pm fishless and went home to get changed and go have a curry buffet in the village with friends.
Monday 3rd July
After another gruelling day at work I managed to get down the lake for about 6.15pm. As it had been quite a warm sunny day I thought I'd have a look in the corner to see if any fish were still showing after sunning themselves through the day and if so have a go for them on the top. I drove past the swim and went down the bank to see Dave to be informed that he'd had the same idea (great minds think alike and all that) and had been fishing for them for an hour or so before moving into his present position. He said there were plenty of fish there but they weren't really taking the bait, more playing around with it maybe taking the odd one here and there, pretty much the same as the Savay fish the day before. I decided to fish a couple of swims to Daves left on the Canal Bank as it was near to the corner where the fish were still present but also near to a large weedbed where I had seen fish the week before. As I was setting up Andy turned up with his gear but wasn't ready enthusiastic about fishing. He offered me a burger roll which I gladly accepted and whilst he was cooking this and I was in the process of finding some nice areas to put hookbaits, the heavens opened. It absolutely chucked down for 20 minutes or so and everything that was out got soaked. Whilst all this was going on the wind picked up, a moderate North-Easterly, which meant me eventually repositioning my bivvy. When it had stopped raining I managed to get everything sorted out and could relax at last. Dave and I both stood chatting watching the water and could see fish moving everywhere on the top. Quite a few fish were cruising right in close, something I had not seen since before the start so this gave me renewed confidence as I was only fishing at 30 yards with one of my rods. All through the evening I was getting line bites, some quite heart stopping as the dangler smacked the butt of the rod and the alarm screamed as fish spooked on my lines. I went to bed at around l0pm, thinking I would be up at some stage of the night, but alas once more it was not to be as again I awoke in the morning fishless.
Ian Kempster
Wildlife at the Bankside - Natter's Bat
Natterer's bat: Myotis nattereri
Natterer's bat is a medium-sized species. The ears are narrow, fairly long and slightly curved backwards at the tip; pink at the base, a little darker at the tip. The inner lobe of the ear (the tragus) is long, narrow and sharply pointed. A characteristic feature of this species is a fringe of very stiff bristles along the trailing edge of its broad tail membrane. Its rather pinkish limbs give rise to its old name of 'red-armed bat'
- Natterer's bat facts
- Head and body length - 40-50mm
- Forearm length -36 - 43mm
- Wingspan - 245- 300mm
- Weight - 7- 12g
- Colour - light buff brown on back- white underneath Bare pink face.
- Colony size - 20-100+
- Longevity - UP to 20 years
- Habitat and food
- Summer roosts: Old stone buildings and large-timbered barns, tree-holes
- Winter roosts: Caves and mines most underground shelters
- Feeding habitat: Oven woodland, parkland. hedgerows. along waterside vegetation
- Typical food: Flies, Moths, Spiders, other small insects
Natterer's bats have a slow to medium flight speed, sometimes over water, but more often amongst trees where their broad wings and tail membrane give them great manoeuvrability at slow speed. They normally fly at heights of less than five metres, but occasionally may reach 15 metres, among tree canopy. Much of the prey is taken from foliage and includes many flightless or day-flying insects. Sometimes larger prey is taken to a feeding perch.
Summer roosts
Relatively few summer roost sites are known. However, most known summer colonies are in old stone buildings with large wooden beams such as castles, manor houses and churches, or older large timbered barns. Crevices in beams or gaps in beam joints are common roost sites. One colony is known to roost in a stone garden wall and two in the entrances to mines. They also roost under bridges. Although colonies are rare in houses, they occur occasionally in the roof space or directly under ridge tiles, where they are often hidden amongst timber or tiles. Access to roost sites is often by direct uninterrupted flight through a permanently open aperture, or at the eaves; but is sometimes via tortuous routes through hollow walls or behind tiles. There are usually a few droppings below the access point. The emergence of Natterer's bats from their roost reaches a peak about one hour after sunset. There is then a lull in activity before the bats begin to return. They have been observed returning an hour or two before sunrise, but when young are present they may do so soon after emergence. Natterer's bats are traditionally tree-roosting bats and it is likely that many still roost in trees. They will occasionally use bat boxes.
Ultrasound
The echolocation calls of the Natterer's bat are very quiet. Their frequency range is 35 - 80kHz with a peak at about 50k. On a bat detector the calls are heard as irregular rapid clicks, with a sound similar to that of stubble burning.
Wildlife At The Bankside - Noctule Bat
Noctule bat: Nyctalus noctula
The noctule bat is one of the largest British species and is usually the first bat to appear in the evening, sometimes even before sunset. Adults generally have short, sleek, golden evenly coloured fur. Juveniles, newly moulted adults and some females are a dull chocolate brown colour. They have broad brown ears and a distinctive mushroom shaped tragus.
Noctule bat Facts
- Description Head and body length - 60 - 82min
- Forearm length - 48 -58mm
- Wingspan - 320 - 400mm
- Weight - 18 - 40g
- Colour - Adults golden brown, juveniles and some females dull chocolate brown
- Colony size - 15 - 50 bats (occasionally 100+)
- Longevity - Up to 12 years
Habitat and food
Summer roosts: Tree dwellers, occupy woodpecker holes and rot holes. Seldom in buildings
Winter roosts: Trees, rock fissures and hollows, bat boxes, buildings
Feeding habitat: Over deciduous woodland, parkland, pasture, water and at forest edge
Typical food: Moths, Cockchafer beetles, Dung beetles, Flying ants.
Noctules have a characteristic powerful, direct flight on narrow pointed wings. They fly in the open, often well above tree top level, with repeated steep dives when chasing insects. Noctules can fly at 50kph (30mph). Most food is caught on the wing and eaten in flight, but occasionally prey is taken from the ground and in suburban areas noctules are attracted to street lamps to feed on moths. During spring Noctules will feed mainly on smaller insects such as midges, changing their diet to take beetles and moths later in the season. They forage mainly at dusk for up to two hours and for about half an hour at dawn.
Summer roosts
Noctule bats are primarily tree dwellers and live mainly in rot holes and woodpecker holes. They occur rarely in buildings, but will use a wide variety including modem houses. Within buildings they roost in gaps in large ridge tiles, behind hanging tiles, between the ceiling and floor boarding, above large soffits, between the tiles and ceiling of a converted attic. Sometimes they roost in the lining of tall disused industrial chimneys and other hollow walls including cavities in bridges. Most noctule roosts in buildings are only gathering roosts, the colonies moving of at the end of May and early June. The bats produce loud characteristic metallic chirping sounds so that Noctule colonies can be heard up to 200-300 meters away on hot days.
Ultrasound
Noctule ultra-sound can be heard by some adults and children. The calls range from 20-45kHz and peak at 25kHz. On a bat detector a characteristic "chip-chop" with occasional clicks can be hard when feeding. Status and distribution In continental Europe the noctulc is a well known migrant, but apart from a few found on Orkney, Shetland and on North Sea oil rigs (well outside the normal range), such movements have not been recorded in Britain. It is still a relatively common species in much of England, Wales and south-west Scotland, but has become scarce in some areas of intensive agriculture. The noctule is absent from Ireland. It is common throughout much of Europe, but scarce in the south-west (southern France, Iberia).