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From The Chair
I can report that the season so far has been successful. The membership remains healthy in terms of numbers; the only worry is our ability to retain members. If you have any ideas how to stop the churn please write or raise it at the members meeting. As a Committee we have continued our commitment to making Harefield No1 a popular family friendly fishery which began with the relocation of stock from Rowley which will continue. Additionally there will be other cormorant proof stocking on a regular basis. The weed will continually be monitored to ensure it does not grow out of hand and restrict the fishing. In coming seasons we will seek to build upon this success and ensure that the Society and our finances grow, whilst keeping our own unique friendliness and our pleasant surroundings. The website continues to be a success; if I ever get the time I will give it a facelift to supplement the existing popular features of fish reports, pictures and the message board. If there are any changes or additions you would like to see please send me your suggestions and if I have the ability I will attempt to implement them. I would ask for some more water reports for the website which have been a little scarce this year.
From a personal fishing perspective my season so far has been a disaster, only two trips and no good fish banked (although I did lose one), those that know me will not be surprised! The reaction to my appearance was somewhere between disbelief and shock! However on these two trips I have witnessed others notably my guests catch superb fish from No1 & No2. The best being a huge 11lb Bream from No2, and was I jealous! It is clear that the problem is not the waters but my angling prowess; I must try harder and more often. Most of you do not need reminding to conduct yourselves in accordance with our rules whist on HAS waters. There is always a minority who are either ignorant or flagrantly abuse the rules and unfortunately it is the few that get the many noticed in the wrong quarters. In doing so they have the ability to place the Society in jeopardy. Please stick to the rules, if in doubt err on the side of caution (or ask). Please shut and lock gates (ensuring they are properly fast before leaving) including cattle gates, stick to footpaths, do not leave litter and finally to quote from our rules "cultivate the principles of fair angling and sportsmanlike conduct" I would like to remind members that it is essential that Fishery Managers be informed of any accidentally lost tackle in trees or elsewhere. The relevant phone numbers can be found inside the back cover of this magazine. Please keep this page handy as it also contains important dates for society events.
My special thanks to all the Officers, Committee, and Bailiffs for their tireless work throughout the season keeping the Society running, and to you the membership so there is a Society to run. I look forward to seeing you at the members meeting on 24th November.
Tight Lines
Vince
Harefield Pit 1
At the start of the season the weed at the shallow end of the lake was treated, however, this treatment killed off more than was expected, so we have decided there will be no more weed treatment for the near future. Also down at the shallow end there is some tree work and clearing that needs doing and with help from our members this should not take too long. Good reports from the fishing this year with the Carp record being broken not once, but twice by Micky Grice with firstly a Common of 25lb then a cracking lake record mirror of 28lb 8oz (left). Many double figure fish have also been reported with quite a few into the twenties. Pit 1 regular Brian Busby is posing here with a nice Common of 17lb 4oz. (below) Bream fishing has been exceptional with fish to 9lb. Tench and silverfish reports have been disappointing. Pike have been reported to 12lb. Our resident Chelonia imaginatively named 'Terry the Pin' that resides on Nessy has been caught and landed. Unfortunately the lucky captor didn't weigh our hard-shelled friend so no lake record could be set but he did however state that it was the size of a large dinner plate!!! A note of caution, a member had his car broken into in the car park. Nothing was taken but the damage had been done. Please don't leave anything (valuable or otherwise) on show because even an empty bag will be interesting to a thief. When entering the fishery, please do not climb the gate. Use the combination lock to which the number is printed on your membership card which you should have on your person at all times on Society property. We would like to thank our members for using the dip tanks. It prevents the transfer of disease between fisheries but they should not be used as rubbish bins. Water levels have been low all round the valley and our fisheries are no exception. An algae bloom and low oxygen levels haven't helped the fishing but even so, a good few fish have been caught.
We would like to finish by wishing everyone good luck for the rest of the season and hope to see a few more of you on the banks.
Larry and Dave.
Harefield Pit 2
Firstly a thank you to all who attended the working parties during the closed season. A great deal was achieved and many swims were touched up. A lot of work was done on the stream that exits the lake by the railway arches in order to try and keep the water level down during the winter, hopefully this will work and we may have access to this bank this year without having to wear waders. As usual the start was greatly anticipated and many attended the increasingly popular opening evening social with the traditional rocket roared on by 15 or so anglers paying homage to the midnight chimes. The summer has been pretty consistent with fish coming out through June, July and August to those braving the banks. The weed has not been quite as bad as previous years but you were still unable to fish some swims due to floor to surface weed. The usual suspects have all been getting amongst the fish Baity (above) actually managed to winkle one out off the bottom during the summer so well done to him, Scoop (right) has been on Pasty Common patrol and doing quite well. Squire has been a bit here and there this season; the blue bucket is no longer in residence so he has nothing to cast at, but still getting a few good fish along the way so he's not complaining. The new faces are all sticking at it and catching well, if you want to see how to bream go chat with either Nathan, Gary or Andy and they can point you in the direction, they must have had around 100 doubles so far this season!!! Hambo is still being Hambo, if you want any tips or advice the little black book be attending the November meeting so please pop along and have a chat... The fish sizes keep creeping up and lake records are falling for all species, Bream 13lb, Tench to 8lb 12oz to both Turnip and Stuart the Bailiff, Perch to 3lb plus already and the cold snap hasn't even hit us! A few Pike have also been caught the biggest being 15lb so far. The onslaught of Pikers will be with us soon and the usual amount of tackle will decorate the trees yet again! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, if you do lose tackle in trees, ESPECIALLY DEADBAITS, giver either of the fishery managers or bailiffs ring so we can get these removed before it endangers any wildlife. Les Skidmore 07946542399 Ian Kempster 07921228383 Don't forget the Pike Match on Pit 2 13th November. That's about it for now, all the best for the winter and for the coming seasons you spend on the HAS specimen water!
Bonjour!!
Les and Ian
Rowley Lake
At the last time of writing the talk was of nettings and removing fish. This time I am pleased to report the introduction of approximately 100 Tench, 50 Crucians, 60 Perch and 100 Carp. Tench ranged from 9" to 2lb, Crucians 6" to 2lb, Perch 6" to 2lb and Carp (mostly Commons) 1-2lb. Further Tench and Perch will follow when winter finally gets here. I have heard rumour that Crucians, Carp and small Tench have been caught. Please report all catches officially, regardless of size, so that we can get a feel for fish caught, sizes and growth rates etc. As you will by now be aware some lilies were treated during the summer with great success. I know this will have upset some people but this particular strain is not for Rowley, being extremely invasive and, in the shallow water, very fast growing. Left to its own devices, within a couple of years the lake would be overrun and unfishable. As it was this year, before treatment, many of the swims were hemmed in with little chance of successfully landing a good fish. Not only are the future of the lake and the fishing of prime importance but the welfare of the fish. With fish being increasingly lost in the Pads something had to be done. The intention is to treat again next year, as it appears, with the hope of irradiating it entirely and then replanting with less virulent, cultivated, slow growing plants. Donations from pond owners will be gratefully considered. As I write this I have just returned from a mornings Carping on the lake. Results were the usual blank (I really did used to catch fish once upon a time) but just to be at the waterside at this time of year is what it's all about for me. Anticipation is at its height as we wait for the fish to switch on in readiness for the winter and if we are in the right place at the right time we can bag up (I wish) Winter is just around the corner and there is a sense of urgency from both fish and angler as time starts to run out as the Indian summer days slip away. But then our thoughts turn to other things - Pike, Perch, Barbel, and Chub. That's the trouble with fishing - there's never enough time to do it all. So content yourself with doing it in a place where you can enjoy watching the day go by in peaceful, picturesque surroundings with the chance of a bend in the rod. Rowley Lake - where else?
Good Luck
John Miles
Footnote: To avoid malicious rumours and so as not to get into trouble with the E.A., to my knowledge there are no Barbel or Chub in Rowley…..unless you know different…..reports please!!!!
Curator's Report
155 reports to date from 28 Anglers
Number 1 - 83 reports
- Bream - 53 reports from 4lb to 9lb, biggest 9lb 11oz
- Carp - 18 reports from 12lb to 25lb
- Eel - 2 reports 4lb and 4lb 8oz
- Pike - 4 reports from 2lb to 8lb
- Tench - 6 reports from 4lb to 7lb
Number 2 - 20 reports
- Bream - 6 reports for 8lb to 11lb 8oz
- Carp - 9 reports from 16lb to 28lb
- Tench - 2 reports 8lb 1oz and 8lb 5oz
- Perch - 3 reports from 2lb 4 oz to 3lb 6oz
Rowley - 52 Reports
- Bream - 2 reports from 4lb to 5lb 8oz
- Carp - 25 reports from 15lb to 25lb
- Crucians - 1 report at 1lb 8oz
- Roach - 1 report at 12oz
- Tench - 23 reports from 3lb to 5 lb
Members Letters
Dear Scoop,
Firstly may I congratulate you on editing such a fine literary angling publication, which in my humble opinion ranks way above "Craptalk" and "Crapworld" (my spelling may be in error but is a possibly more accurate description for these discourses of drivel). Having attended several "meetings" during my membership since 1992, there seems to be no vision for the future. No plan as to what the ELECTED officers of the society intend to do to ensure HAS has a long and secure future ahead. My primary reason for writing to you is to ask some simple questions of our fellow members - What is the future for Harrow Angling Society? - Where will HAS be in 10, 20 or 30 year's time? Can we purchase some fishing rights? (Security cannot be gained whilst only renting waters unless an income can be guaranteed!) Are we REALLY actively looking for a purchase? How do we gain future members? - After all they are a future investment (I will cover part of this problem later). Does the subscription offer value for money? (Consider the fees of some local clubs and the fact we only have 3 lakes). Can we answer these questions? (Or do we want to?) Could I suggest that extracts and salient points from committee meetings be published in the magazine? This could serve as a useful method of communicating the committee's thoughts with the membership and to give us some assurance they are doing their job properly (No criticism intended here). However this communication business can go wrong - the stocking of carp into No 1 for instance, not quite what the membership asked for, know what I mean? (That's another matter). I firmly believe that we all have a duty to put something back in to the sport we claim to love so much, to ensure that angling has a vibrant and secure future. HAS could do this by involving itself with local youth groups, Scouts, Guides etc. Novice days could be organised with some proper instruction on techniques etc. Sponsorship from local tackle shops and local businesses could be gained to provide some tackle to give away. Involve local newspapers. I believe HAS needs to build its local profile. I feel it is not good enough just to encourage anglers to join our club; we must promote and generate an interest of angling in people who may not have fished before. We must be "ambassadors for our sport". Angling needs to be put in a good light- by those who participate in it. There are plenty of others who are planning the downfall of angling, people who would paint our sport in a bad light. Anglers are notoriously apathetic; we prefer to think that no one can spoil our enjoyment, consequently leaving the hard work to others. If angling ceases to exist in 50 years time it will not be through the actions of the "Antis", but through our own apathy. If anyone reading this letter thinks "this is nothing to do with me", then I have wasted my time and we may as well all give up fishing now- for the "Antis" have already won. Consider the motto of the "Fly fishers club", "Piscator non solem piscator"- "There is more to fishing than catching fish".
Be lucky and be good.
Squire.
Lest We Forget
I first learned of the impending loss of our Langley fishery when reading the HAS news magazine No 68 in April 1993. Our Hon Sec Terry Skelton set out our situation in an excellent and informative article. John Miles via his Rowley Lake Report of the 24th March 1993 also made pertinent comments in the same issue. Although some time has elapsed since this unhappy episode occurred, from memory I recollect that the Authority of the day. Bucks County Council, was pressurised into submission by a minority anti-angling group, to deny HAS its long held fishing rights on the lake in Langley Park. Looking back at the situation after so many years. I was reminded of how much support we enjoyed among local residents, and even some members of the local council were in favour of us retaining our privileges. These people obviously saw the advantage of a responsible body administering the lake and its surrounding area, both environmentally and financially, after all they were local tax payers, all to no avail, I don't think the council did them any favours by their action. With the passage of time, I wonder if we can honestly look at ourselves and say we did all we could to reverse this action? Would the same thing happen today? This action was initiated by a comparatively small group of people so called Friends of Langley Lake, making lots of noises, and becoming a nuisance in the right quarter. Make no mistake, these people, or groups like them, are still out there, pedalling their anti-angling propaganda to anyone prepared to listen. They do pose a threat. Over the intervening years I have heard, more than once, rumours that we may be offered the fishing at Langley Park back. I do not know how true this hearsay is, perhaps the committee can enlighten us. It would be interesting to know what the current situation is? Not very good I would suspect, its all a long time ago. Often I hear comments from Government Ministers, and MPs: Ben Bradshaw and Martin Salter, to name but two pledging their support to angling, all very welcome but then there are many votes among the Angling community. At the end of the day we must safeguard our own interests, especially at local level.
B Bean