Keen local angler Tony Watkins is urging fellow anglers to sign a petition to promote efforts to improve water quality in rivers across the UK.
We want the Government to amend legislation governing offences for polluting rivers, from industrial or agricultural sources, and fund increased enforcement action against polluters.
As I write this drizzle is freshening the land but will do little to replenish local rivers and reservoirs that are showing the signs of an extensive drought. If the dry weather continues our news screens will be filled with drought fears and water companies will undoubtedly be forced to contemplate imposing hose pipe bans. If we do not get substantial rain this will be inevitable but all too late I fear. Water is a precious commodity for both ourselves and the environment. As anglers we see the dwindling rivers and most of us have ceased fishing many rivers as fish are threatened with low oxygen levels and increasing risks from pollution.
On my trips to the waters edge I have been alarmed by what I perceive as a significant lack of swallows, swifts and martins. Whilst at Wistlandpound recently I failed to spot any swallows. The swallows are often seen swooping low over water feasting upon fly’s emerging from the lake. The evening rises of years ago are few and far between now as I fear a dramatic reduction in insect life.
The impact of climate change is widely apparent compounded further by mankinds intensive use of the land fuelled by an ever increasing population. There is hope in the growing awareness of natures decline but I fear it is all too late. I hope that I am wrong but the decline I have witnessed in my life is dramatic and life is short in real terms.
” Life’s a long song but the tune ends too soon for us all”
I attach a copy of correspondence from South Molton & District Angling Club. This highlights typical issues that impact upon local rivers and how anglers are at the forefront of raising concern.
Dear all
The below report is full of statistics that makes grim reading. Statistics are of course complex and influenced by many factors that make them difficult to analyse. Data is vital in gaining knowledge yet there is seldom a level playing field. There are those who will want to ban angling completely in an effort to protect salmon stocks. In my view this would be counterproductive as anglers care deeply about the rivers and the salmon. Take away the anglers and who will care? Who will be there to observe the unfolding disaster?
The latest news on salmon stocks makes for grim reading see below from Mike Moser of the Nature Recovery Group.
Advice from Richard Fieldhouse of Barbless Flies
As I’m sure you are well aware, it’s been pretty hot over the last few days in this weather it is recommended to leave the fish in both rivers and stillwaters alone. Water temperature has a massive effect on the ability of a fish to recover once it has been caught – it is generally accepted that once the water temperature is above 18°C, fish will start to become stressed (the warmer the water, the less oxygen is dissolved in it).
For the above reasons, it’s probably just best to give the fishing a miss and sit in the garden with a cold drink for the next few days – enjoy it while it lasts!
The above is good advice for those who fish rivers and small still waters. It is alarming to see how low our rivers are here in the South West. I paused to look over the wall at Barnstaple Square on a recent evening out. A large salmon was swimming lethargically close to the wall. It was sad to see this iconic fish aimlessly swimming the estuary as it waits for rain to swell the rivers enabling it to forge upriver to achieve its life goal.
A few weeks ago whilst on the lower Taw I found a dying lamprey languishing in the shallows. These prehistoric creatures have been migrating rivers since before dinosaurs roamed the land. And that is a long time ago. It is good to see that they are surviving in our rivers though it is worth thinking about their perilous existence as mankind continues to trash the world.
Are there many left who deny that climate change is happening? Are those that deny it totally removed from nature?
Wimbleball levels dropping after months of dry weather.
Dan Spearman enjoyed a session on the spectacular River East Lyn tempting a dozen of the rivers wild brown trout. The fish were tempted on nymph and dry fly tactics. The wild brown trout of the Lyn are surely amongst the most beautiful in the West Country. Dan was delighted to report that there was an abundance of fly life on the river during the evening he fished. The Lyn tumbles through moorland and wooded gorges and its water quality is not impacted by the intensive farming practices that blight many other West Country Rivers.
Many thanks to Dan for allowing me to use his stunning images.
Is there a better place to be than beside a West Country River in Spring ? A few fresh run spring salmon have been tempted from both Taw and Torridge and with river levels holding up I have spent several pleasant hours drifting a fly across familiar lies to no avail.
http://www.littlewarhamfishery.co.uk
In between these forays after salmon I spent an hour one evening flicking a wet fly into the small pools of my local stream. Scrambling between trees I used a 7ft 3/4 wt Snowbee Classic to search the deeper pockets.
I caught a couple of small browns that reminded me of the fish I used to catch as a child dropping a worm in the overgrown River Umber that flows through Combe Martin. The familiar scents of wild garlic and the wild flowers of Spring are timeless sights and aromas that I have savoured every spring for more than fifty years.
I joined members of South Molton Angling Club on one of their stretches of fishing along the River Bray. This was the first of a couple of bank clearing work parties organised throughout the season. It was a delightful Spring day with a bright blue sky and a pleasure to be at the waterside with fellow anglers keen to carry out some early season work.
The club rents several stretches of water and work with the landowners permission to undertake a minimal amount of river maintenance to allow access to fishing areas. The winter storm always bring a few fallen trees that can block the river and render some areas un-fishable. Substantial trash dams and fallen trees can also lead to serious bank erosion so these also need tackling.
A couple of hours hard work addressed a few areas of concern and also enabled the normal good humoured banter and discussion to flow. The long dead carcass of a red deer stag intrigued us all as we debated its demise. Had it died of old age, been shot or hit by a car? It is likely that the poor creature had gone to the river for its last drink before passing away to decompose beside the ever-flowing river the nutrients from its body returning to the land in natures never-ending cycle.
How many of those reading this started their fishing journey dangling a worm in a small stream? I remember well many hours spent exploring the River Umber that flows through the village of Combe Martin where I was fortunate to grow up. Those early years taught me a lot about fish and fishing and chatting with others who grew up in North Devon I know I am not alone.
Those beautiful wild trout with olive, gold and buttercup yellow flanks decorated with crimson spots were abundant in the main river and tiny tributaries that feed into it on the journey to the sea. I walked the river a few days ago hoping to glimpse a trout as I have on a few occasions in recent years. The river seems tiny now through an adults eyes and it is hard to believe I caught trout of over 1lb from this tiny brook.
My own observations and that of others is that trout are now very scarce in this once bountiful stream. How many other rivers have suffered a similar fate? I suspect that the generation of youngsters that live in Combe Martin now would not suspect the presence of trout in the river and would accept the present state as normal. It is sad that we have lost so much.
As I am now over sixty those days were close to fifty years ago. Fifty years is a long time to us but it’s just a moment in natures vast history and it is devastating how rapidly we are destroying what we once had. I suspect that sewage is a major factor in the decline of the River Umber.
I would be interested to hear other recollections on North Devon rivers and record a few memories before what we once had is forgotten.
I was delighted to receive this wonderful image of Graham Dunn fishing the Middle Torridge during the early dawn. During these hot summer days it’s better to be at the waters edge either at first or last light as the temperature is more comfortable and the fish more likely to take. During this short trip Graham tempted a dace, five brown trout and a sea trout all carefully released with minimal handling.
There is far more to fishing than simply catching fish which is just as well. I don’t always want to carry a large camera to the waters edge especially when traveling light with the fly rod or lure rod. Below are few images captured on the Go Pro that often gives a totally different perspective. On a recent holiday to Cornwall I spent several hours casting a team of flies to huge shoals of golden grey mullet. At one point hundreds of silver flanks could be seen as wave crashed onto the sands giving a window into a watery world. To blank in such surroundings is not too bad.
After the first flush of summer we now enter those calm days after the excitement of spring and early. As the days slowly shorten, the trees take on a slightly darker hue, the mewing of young buzzards drifts across the valley, the screeching of swifts are all signs of the passing year. As an angler it is an exciting time for there is so much to look forward to casting in many waters.
A gentle South Westerly breeze and broken cloud are perfect conditions for fishing. With Low water at 7.00am I headed for the coast armed with the trusty lure rod. The sea was calm with a moderate swell caressing the shoreline. Water clarity was good with minimal amounts of weed present in the shallow rocky water. I felt confident from the first cast expecting a take at any moment. I watched the lure intently upon each retrieve hoping to see that shadow intercepting my pulsing soft plastic. The tide pushed in and my favourite taking places passed over. A slight knock at the lure gave encouragement to persist.
The sea air, calm conditions and a pleasing backdrop made the whole experience enjoyable as I followed the edge of the incoming tide. I changed to a bright green Mega bass lure and second cast there came that pleasing jolt as a bass hit the lure hard. A brief tussle in water less than a foot deep followed and a silver flanked bass was briefly admired before being carefully released. That moment of success is etched upon the mind and encourages future casts.
I walk to the top of the beat and wade out into the river working a line out across the river and searching one of my favourite runs.
Shafts of evening sunlight penetrate the tree canopy illuminating a world populated by thousands of flies dancing and darting above the water including a few mayflies. I glimpse a movement on the far and bank watch mesmerised as a stoat scurries quickly along the top of the bank totally unaware of me watching from my position waist deep in the cool river. I pause briefly until the stoat disappears and then resume with a swish of the rod watching the line unfurl, the fly alighting inches from the far bank. A kingfisher flashes past iridescent blue.
The line draws tight and there is life pulsating at its end. I keep it tight as a fish surges up river before erupting from the water. It’s a sea trout of perhaps a pound and a half. I draw it towards me and it flips free, I reckon it still counts as a catch and release prize!
Such moments accumulate in an anglers life painting a picture that is etched upon the mind. These memories draw you back to the waters edge time and time again and perhaps they even give a place to retreat to when things in life are not how we would wish.
