tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461613026489704130.post458776796057767268..comments2024-02-07T02:45:05.591-08:00Comments on The Lure of Angling: Am I ready to believe?Daniel Everitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03810934657655675462noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461613026489704130.post-31703183378436698092012-10-21T13:06:32.143-07:002012-10-21T13:06:32.143-07:00Dan,
The stretch you talk of is well known to me. ...Dan,<br />The stretch you talk of is well known to me. The door has swung 180 degrees over the past 5 years it seems, the Barbel were there and the silver fish were in decline some years ago, strangely enough now this season small silvers are being reported and the Barbel have gone into invisible mode. The above comment regarding Otters not being re-introduced I belieeve is off the mark, take an hour of your time and visit the Brandon wetlands visitors centre, it has been widely publicised that they have recently introduced 8 pairs of Otters into the marsh, also making sure that there are 2 'passes' installed directly into the river for access.....<br />Going back to the Barbel, I havent caught one since 2010, now the amount of anglers fishing for them has declined since that date but the swims that used to hold them and swims that I have caught them from previously now seem barren, maybe the odd Chevin at home but no Barbel. I was slowly building up my knowledge of the Barbel in the river since I first fished it in 2008 but without finding any fish what do I have to build on~:? As Phil stated above we are approaching the bootom of a huge dip regarding Barbel in small rivers as they have nowhere to go when under pressure from furry predators, they can I my mind survive together in some rivers (Wye & Severn I have witnessed without any dip in numbers) but not in small rivers such as the Upper Avon.<br />Do we do enough as anglers or are we just getting good at having a good old moan about not closing the stable door after the horse has well and truly bolted.......Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13687514549659460083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461613026489704130.post-73507150854109883722012-10-19T13:55:41.443-07:002012-10-19T13:55:41.443-07:00This turned into more of a post than a comment for...This turned into more of a post than a comment for which I apologise in advance!...<br /><br />Otters have not been re-introduced to Warwickshire. They are an indigenous species all but wiped-out by human activity in the 1950’s to 1970’s and re-colonising large areas of the country through their own success after our watercourses were cleaned-up, habitat was restored & fish then returned, and with some ongoing support from Biodiversity Action Planning<br /><br />Although I haven’t yet been lucky enough to see one in England I know that they are now regularly spotted at Brandon Marsh, which, I assume, is the nature reserve referred to here as it adjoins the Avon at Ryton/Wolston, as well as other locations in Warks<br /><br />As with all these things, even illegal alien introductions such as mink, they reach a natural level over time, as we saw after sparrowhawks appeared to suddenly increase in number when they were initially resurgent after certain pesticides were banned, etc., and they have now fallen back to a natural level<br /><br />For my part I would be absolutely thrilled to see otters regularly as part of a balanced ecology but it will take time. It has taken forty years for them to recover to their current status and it will take many years yet. So we can expect fish numbers to suffer until such time as a new balance is reached and we’ll have to live with that<br /><br />I haven’t seen a mink for some time now whereas they used to be ‘ten a penny’ on venues I fished in the 1970’s and 80’s, so there may even be hope that one day we could see water voles back widely in Warwickshire (but they may well need some reintroductions to succeed and if they do then so be it, they shouldn’t have been lost in the first place...along with native crayfish)<br /><br />It’s a complex argument of course but the fact is if there weren’t enough fish otters wouldn’t have returned nor continued to survive, individuals have extensive ranges and in the fullness of time we would surely all hope that we could fish in as fully an ecologically reinstated countryside as possible with grebes, kingfishers, herons, bitterns, cormorants, ospreys, otters, pike, perch, etc., all playing their part in a balanced food web as they used to. Fishermen may have to rethink their habits, as we always are with fluctuations in fish/species populations in our natural watercourses and long-established quasi-natural canals, ponds and lakes, we just have to adjust with it and appreciate the change. <br /><br />I’ve heard some of us enjoy catching zander. In my lifetime frankly I have considered their presence an outrage but they are there now and I have come to accept that. I will accept it more when they have reached a balance everywhere but this too will take time. When were they first introduced, was it 1963?, and it hasn’t happened yet<br />George Burtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07422749226358557982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461613026489704130.post-26845550346376432582012-10-19T12:20:56.677-07:002012-10-19T12:20:56.677-07:00pray tell Jeff ???pray tell Jeff ???Bazal peckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12129911811887445244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461613026489704130.post-44451607177546654352012-10-19T12:12:04.341-07:002012-10-19T12:12:04.341-07:00Out of your system now, Dan, but I've a strang...Out of your system now, Dan, but I've a strange feeling things are going to get a whole lot better!<br /><br />Around the 30th would be good what with that 'costume' n'all...Jeff Hatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16164198326538064799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461613026489704130.post-11370539864091121192012-10-19T10:01:50.912-07:002012-10-19T10:01:50.912-07:00Dan have a look on the clubs website (the farm mac...Dan have a look on the clubs website (the farm machinery one)and look on the forum . Post dated 16th october 2012. Photo of a mangled chub with its abdomen eaten the left .<br /><br />Also on there its says 8 otters were introduced by the nature reserve that borders the river there !!!!! they are protecting the otters and have that big pool/reserve by the river for them .<br /><br />I wont be renewing my membership as the place you fish with the bridge is a better option in my humble .Phil and Keith are right and the evidence is there to see.....<br /><br />Good luck on the wye <br /><br />Bazal (piss head) Peck ;-)Bazal peckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12129911811887445244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461613026489704130.post-54687570856237226332012-10-19T08:38:00.747-07:002012-10-19T08:38:00.747-07:00I'm afraid that what you experienced will come...I'm afraid that what you experienced will come to a great many rivers that we currently enjoy. The demise of the section you mention was predicted by myself when Keith put a photo of two chub he had caught and both showed tail damage typical of otters - the rest as they say is history [so are the barbel and soon all the chub] then the otters will move on to pastures fresh and green to decimate there as well.<br />Loverly creatures but there is no place for them in this different world where good intentioned people put them back in numbers that cannot be sustained. I'm glad I lived through the best of times since as sure as God made little apples we are going into the worse of times.Travelling Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13072857145839783661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461613026489704130.post-9754541970726482282012-10-19T08:27:04.831-07:002012-10-19T08:27:04.831-07:00Dan.
At the time when Otters were on the river in...Dan.<br /><br />At the time when Otters were on the river in numbers, so were our coarse fish. As a kid in the 50/60 you could catch big bags of roach and dace. Today sadly they are in short supply.<br />I'm not for putting otters back myself, but on occasion we see one on our river,and it's magic. Thanks for the post.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11941989069497229867noreply@blogger.com