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From The Chair
This last season has been a challenging one for your Committee and Officers attempting to retain and continue to grow the membership achieved over the last couple of years. Numbers were slightly down but not significantly. We constantly wish to attract new members to enjoy the fishing and experience that is the Harrow Angling Society.
Enclosed you will find a small flyer for you to advertise the Society. Put it up at work or anywhere you think it may attract the attention of new and potential members
We had complaints last year regarding the fishing at Harefield No1 following the previous bumper season. In response to this a netting was undertaken to thin out the huge Bream stocks in Rowley and in late 2004 200 Bream of 4-6lbs and 4,000 small Roach, Perch and small Bream were relocated to No1 to supplement the existing stocks. The weed which continues to spread around the lake and which many believe to be the reason for most of the lake being devoid of fish is being considered for treatment.
Harefield No2 has had a good year with a Society record Bream of 12-12 and plenty of other doubles and many good Carp.
Rowley continues to be a most prolific water with stacks of Bream, Tench and Carp. Further re-stocking is underway at Rowley to replace the Bream that were removed.
With this newsletter you will receive your renewal form. Please ensure you complete it as soon as possible and send it to Paul the Membership Secretary. You may have to wait a while until you have done your working parties and get your 'Stamps' if this is the case the fishery managers are very much looking forward to seeing you on their parties. If you have any tools, equipment or materials you think they may find useful, please contact them. Working party dates can be found on the back page of this newsletter.
The editor Dave Cargill wishes to continue to grow the newsletter, and that' s where you come in, please feel free to demonstrate your literary talents in an article for Dave. He would also like your photographs to publish all of which will be returned.
The website continues to be well supported, please continue to publicise the site as we get lots of enquiries and membership applications from it. All the information you require is but a click away, from a membership form for a potential member to a copy of our rules. It is also a great place to check up on captures, water reports, and the latest pictures.
Following many complaints regarding security at Harefield No2 we have negotiated with our Landlords the implementation of a new lock this year. This lock is a special security lock and keys cannot be cut other than by an authorised supplier with the permission of the lock holder. All keys will be numbered and logged to the individual. The keys will cost £15 which is a 100% refundable deposit. If you should leave the Society the key must be returned and your deposit will be given in exchange. If you return your old No2 key with your renewal the £5 you paid for your old key will be taken off the cost of the new key, making the cost only £10. The committee are aware this is extra expense but the security, safety and enjoyment of members is paramount. This key will be for Harefield No2 access only all other lakes will be accessible via the usual combination lock.
Please do not forget the AGM on THURSDAY 14th April.
I look forward to seeing you there
Vince Sutton
Membership News
I'm pleased to announce that membership has gone extremely well so far and after a good year last year we have still managed to attract a healthy amount of new members as well as retain a lot of last seasons. We shouldn't rest on our laurels though, so if you know of people looking for some good sport let them know we are open for membership.
I'd like to inform our disabled members of a change for them when applying for membership; Instead of sending us proof of disability, we now require them to send us their concessionary rod licence for which they have already shown proof of disability. This is a much better method and means we don't have to have too much personal paperwork around. It will however mean that those members will have to obtain their seasons licence before applying for membership, a small price to pay for piece of mind I'm sure you'll agree.
Unfortunately I have to finish with a bit of a whinge. Could members please send a fresh photo and not remove it from last year's membership card as this tends to jam up the laminator. Hopefully this year we will be scanning photos electronically and keeping them on the database so this could be the last year of members supplying a photo so I'm sure you will all want to have yourselves looking good for years to come.
Tight Lines
Paul.
Harefield Pit 1
First I would like to say welcome to our new Fishery Manager, Dave Rojewski.
The fishing has slowed up the last months of the season, however, Stuart Verity caught a very respectable 7Ilb Tench.
Very few Pike reports have been received but we have heard of a 12Ilb & a 6Ilb fish caught.
This brings us on to the end tackle of Pike Anglers. We are still finding certain Anglers are using barbed trebles, barbed spinners and plugs. This is a rule infringement. We are a barbless ONLY Society.
We also have a few members who are using the dip tanks as rubbish bins! Please remember to take ALL your rubbish home with you.
As you may have heard, we received 160 -170 Bream in the 4-5Ilb bracket, and thousands of Silver Fish including 6 inch Skimmer Bream from Rowley. These were stocked to improve general coarse fishing on the lake.
With the end of the season close by we would like to see more members turn up at our work parties. Please bring your own tools, where possible.
We have had a considerable number of Anglers that fish Pit 1 complaining about the weed at the shallow end of the lake. The Committee are aware of the problem and are seeking a resolution.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the members who use Pit 1 and especially our Bailiffs for over seeing it.
Finally, we would like to thank Steve Roberts for his contributions over the last years as Fishery Manager. Hopefully we will see him fishing around the lakes and turning up at our work parties with his kettle!
Larry Wood
Harefield Pit 2
Hello and welcome to another Les and Ian load-a-lies!
The fishing since we last wrote for the mag has been outstanding ... outstandingly DIRE!
As usual the carp packed up their bags and headed off to warmer climes shortly after October and at the time of writing nothing has been seen or heard of them for nearly 3 months. The hardy few who have been fishing for them have enjoyed the winter social scene but apart from a few bream and the odd pick up from the birds it has been silent buzzers for the lads.
But Pit 2 isn't only a Carp water, it has specimen sized fish of all species for people to try and tempt. The regular Pikers have been nabbing a few out here and there with fish caught to just short of 20lb, not quite as good as last years fishing when Terry caught this magnificent beasty at 27lb plus, but with fewer anglers gracing the banks, and those that do having their favourite haunts, there is a huge amount of water that hasn't had any attention this winter.
On the Perch front Ian and Stuart the bailiff have had a few days trying to "lure" them out, fishing all over the lake with jellyworms, spinners, maggots and worms as well as some small deadbaits with fish to over 3lb in weight sliding into the net.
Whilst trying for the stripeys more than a few Pike have been landed with loads of fish in the 6 to 18 inch long bracket, surely a good sign for years to come.
With the lack of severe flooding this winter hopefully the banks will be in better condition for the coming season. The Railway bank usually spends half the winter under water and takes until August to dry out but we may be lucky this year. We hope to do some work on this bank in the coming close season so we would appreciate as many of you turning up and helping out as possible. As always the loan of equipment and the donations of materials will be gratefully received.
Well that about it for now, we'd just like to wish you all luck for the coming year and hope you catch the desired ones of your dreams.
All the best - Les and Ian
Rowley Lake
Tuesday 30 November 2004 saw a motley crew in the car park huddled around Dave Cargill's van sipping steaming cups of his infamous brew. While we waited for the nets to arrive Lee took the 4 x 4, with trailer, across the field and filled the tanks with water.
We had assembled that cold, misty dawn to kick-start the revival of the Rowley cull. Having last carried this out approx 5 years ago, it was time to once again thin out the scat and also try and shift some of the bream which were becoming something of a "nuisance"?
Shortly the team from Framlingham Fisheries arrived with nets and boats and lost no time in assessing the lake conditions and formulating an action plan. We elected to carry out a massive single sweep of the lake, partly because of the limited time available due to the shortage of daylight, and also because we needed to move the fish quickly and this was easier in one trip rather than a number of single trips.
Working as a tight knit team??!! The beaters preceded the net boat, crashing through the margins; whipping water to foam, beating branches with sticks and leaping through the bushes like demented gibbons. The object of this somewhat bizarre exercise was to drive the fish from the marginal cover into the open water in front of the net.
Working clockwise from the outlet corner, the net was paid out in the margins up to the bridge, tight to the island, around the back of the island and onto the shallows. Here it was spliced onto another net, doubling its length, and continued around the lake up to the inlet and around to the swims opposite the small island. Meanwhile the other end was drawn up by another team along the car park bank to meet the forward end of the net.
Brimming with expectation the slow pull on the net began. This is crucial, for if the net is pulled in too fast the tendency is for it to lift and the fish duck out underneath. The net also has to be cleared of sticks and debris as it is retrieved and laid out such that it is easily stowed away for the next time.
Anyway, to cut to the chase, the area within the net became smaller and smaller and in so doing began to reveal its prize. First the occasional swirl; then explosions of small stuff as the bigger fish, realising what was going on, charged around looking for a way out.
With the camcorder whirring and the shutters clicking the fruits of our efforts were revealed - a couple of dozen Carp up to mid Twenties, including the big ghost - too many Pike to count up to circa 15 lbs, one complete with snap tackle in its maw - Tench, Perch - some goodish Roach and Rudd - surprising Skimmer Bream up to 10 inches or so and of course loads of Bream like peas in a pod all around the 4 - 5 lb mark.
Everything went back with the exception of approx. 165 of the bigger Bream and around 3 to 4 thousand small Roach, Rudd, Perch and Bream. By small I mean up to 6 inches. These were eventually taken up the road and released into Harefield No. 1. I say eventually, because it was touch and go as to whether we were going to lose Lee's 4 x 4 complete with trailer and fish, in the mud. However, with Lee in reverse and Dave in his tank pulling on the other end of the trailer, the whole rig shot out of the mire and disappeared in a cloud of mud and exhaust fumes across the field in the direction of the car park……backwards !!!
The fish seem to have blended into No.1 with no casualties reported and hopefully will continue to provide us with some good sport come the summer. These fish will be replaced and we currently have on order 400 Tench, 400 Perch and 200 carp. These fish are 8 - 10'' and it is intended that they grow on and supplement those already mature fish of these particular species. Budget for this is £ 4000.00
It is the committee's intention to repeat these culls every 2 years to primarily keep down the small fish population and enable those left, of which there will be thousands, to grow on disease and parasite free. This netting cost the club £600.00; had we bought the same fish at today's prices they would have cost around £ 6000.00. So for a cost of around £4000.00 we have stocked 2 lakes with fish valued at £ 10,000.00.
Space doesn't permit me to go any further. Suffice to say thanks to all who lent their valuable time and hope to see the rest of you for more blood and sweat at the working parties.
Good Luck
John Miles
Starting Again
I used to be a fisherman, let me rephrase that, I used to go fishing. Then I found God, sorry, that should be Golf and for 5 years I swore, beat the ground and got thoroughly frustrated. Now I'm fishing again and I swear, beat the ground and get thoroughly frustrated.
As far as the HAS is concerned I'm either an old new member or a new old member. A friend of mine is quite explicit; he says that I'm a senile old git with pretensions of being a fisherman.
Five years is a long time to be out of the swim (Ho, Ho) and how things change. I mean isn't a website where spiders live? And why should I tell them what I've caught? Must move with the times I thought. I've paid my subs and I'm committed.
Up into the loft to sort out the tackle. It all looked OK and it caught fish in the 90's - not my 90's silly boy, I was only in my 60's then. Perhaps a new bit of line and a spare hook wouldn't go amiss and what about bite indicators? I mean, the silver paper and knitting needle worked a treat and I don't suppose there's anything better in the shops. Still, move with the times I said and I will.
Next it's off to the tackle shop. What has happened to them? Where are the maggot races? What happened to the grease laden, penicillin producing corner where they made the tea? Why do staff call everyone Sir? The threadbare carpets and the smoke filled maggot laden atmosphere? They even take American Express (Not that I've got one but there was a sign up)
Now I'm ready. Flask of tea and a cheese sandwich, half a pint of mixed maggots and a tin of sweetcorn. Lets show these bits of kids how to catch fish, Pit 1 here I come.
Combination lock, oh dear. What use is that to a technological dinosaur? But within half an hour I'd cracked it. Don't ask me how but it took an awful lot of spinning those numbers.
I'm in. No other cars in the car park, I can have any swim I choose. This really is too easy. For those of you who have never been in this situation there are two options, firstly you set up a rod and choosing those swims facing into the wind you plumb each swim looking for gravel patches, bars, etc. Alternatively, you drop into the first comfortable swim, out of the wind. I chose the second option (wouldn't we all?) and soon snuggled down behind a 12ft match rod, Cardinal 54 and size 12 barbless hook loaded with mixed maggots. To be honest, that was my second choice of bait but I'd forgotten to bring a tin opener for the sweetcorn!!
I suppose I had a good day really. I didn't fall in, I didn't spear myself with a barbless hook, and I didn't trip over my rod. On the downside I didn't catch any fish and I did spill half a cup of tea down my welly.
They say that you can always learn something from a blank day and I believe this to be true. I am now convinced that there is not a single fish in Pit 1.
The last meeting I went to some kind soul thrust half a dozen catch report forms into my hand. Thank you Sir, I thought, they will last me a lifetime!
Anyway, it's only a bit of fun.
David Saunders
Editors Ramblings
Now that I have a few newsletters under my belt I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as your editor. I would firstly like to thank all those members who have submitted articles in the past and would like to encourage the rest of you to get writing.
I hope that you enjoyed the content of recent newsletters and I would like to expand on this further so your photographs, fish reports, anecdotes, etc. will be very welcome. I will try to include everything I receive, space allowing. The standard newsletter page is approx. 450 words so please bear this in mind.
I would like to give you a brief history of my fishing so far. It started, as I'm sure it did for most of you, with my Dad taking me to the local canal on a Sunday morning. I even managed to set foot on to Savay Lake in the old days when it was day ticket. Perch, Roach and Tench were the target in those days as I didn't even know that Carp existed.
My fishing was interrupted by adolescence and was only returned to when, at 22 I became self employed with time on my hands in the summer. I found myself sitting by the same local canal and rivers but also venturing on to day ticket fisheries where I got interested in Carp fishing.
These were good times but day ticket fishing was far too busy for my liking so I started to look around for a local fishing club. Uxbridge Rovers initially took my fancy but my desire for night fishing was frustrated by access to their lakes.
So here I am at Harrow Angling Society and really enjoying it. As you will probably all agree, its not just about catching fish, (thank God) it's also about the outdoors and the camaraderie. However, I have managed to catch a few fish this season and won a couple of Pike matches, (sorry Hambo). I had a personal best Carp from Rowley in January and all in all my best fishing season to date.
If you have a story to tell, why not share your fishing experiences with other members through the newsletter. Drop me a line at dave@dcautosparx.com or post your articles to 7 Owen Road, Hayes, Middlesex UB4 9JY (Articles of sentimental value can be returned if you supply a stamped self-addressed envelope) The deadline for the next issue is 1st October 2005 I look forward to reading your articles.
Regards,
Dave Cargill
PS. I would like to thank my wife, Sharon, for all her help with the newsletter; she types a lot quicker than I do!!
Do's and Don'ts
- Dip tanks - The use of dip tanks is essential to prevent the pollution of our waters and stop the spread of harmful diseases. They are provided at all of our fisheries and must be used before commencing fishing.
- Litter - This is one thing we have to keep reminding everybody about. The dropping of litter is unacceptable. It's not hard to take home your rubbish is it? I know I don't want to fish amongst old fishing line and crisp packets, and it's also dangerous to wildlife. So put a rubbish bag in your tackle bag.
- Licence - Always carry your membership card together with your current Environment Agency Fishing Licence. Please also make sure you are displaying a H.A.S car sticker when parking on H.A.S. property.