S&DAC Summer 2024 Newsletter

S&DAC Newsletter Summer 2024

EDITORS RAMBLINGS

This time I am going to open the newsletter with a plea to those that can get onto the forum where important updates are posted without having the extra work to copy out newsletters or deal with those who claim to be unaware. It is a mine of information on fishing and fisheries. See page 40 in yearbook for details. It saves Andreas the pressure and the team time on the phone to repeat information already out there as they have things like saving our rivers and bureaucrats to deal with. The cost of batteries for Andreas heart and blood pressure units don’t come cheap either. I know we are a secretive bunch and do not want to let on how we did but at least sign up, read it so any information is imparted, questions asked and confusions ironed out.

Year on year we have breaches of rules and etiquette, these are usually minor but shouldn’t occur and is a frustration to the club and bailiffs. The first thing is to read the rule book and if you are in doubt, ask.  Things like nymphing or wading where anglers shouldn’t, New Zealand style set ups and double nymph have been found on fisheries where they clearly aren’t supposed to be, a fresh indicator and nymph was found in a tree at a beat where dry fly only applies. A member signed into a beat on a day we aren’t allowed to fish and there has been a shambles when busy at the Stapleford fishery where anglers didn’t sign in and out correctly with anglers wandering off their preferred beat. We have to remember that some of our landowners allow us on their water because we have a good relationship but a few seem to want to jeopardise the relations we have. Also there seems to be more anglers who do not have their photos in the book. We are asked if it has to be a passport photo, well they never look like us so any photo that fits the box that is you will do. A bailiff reported that a member had a picture of a chap in ski gear – it looked like him so was fine.

The QR code has had a slow start, we expected this but it shows what is being caught and where so others can instantly access the information. We know there are those that won’t embrace technology but it can save time in getting stats together. Perhaps another reason is the same reason few put any reports on the forum, we don’t want others to know what we have caught, good or bad as the signing in book has to be read on arrival. Give it a try please.

Well it has been a funny start to the season hasn’t it. Floods have impacted the usual start by closing some fisheries and causing problems to the banks. Fortunately we have a great team that have gone the extra soggy mile to get the waters open and made safe for access. It is frustrating but your safety is our concern as we don’t want errant waders ending up at Christchurch milling about with the slob trout, or doing a Vicar of Dibley disappearing down an innocuous looking puddle.

The weed cutting went well with the team and volunteers taking up where the EA left off doing a remarkable job.

The rivers suffered a bit from brown algae and a particularly wet spring kept water levels up but fishing began on the Game and Coarse fisheries so the fun started.

As always our wonderful British weather has done its usual with a particularly long cold spell at the start of the season. We have had floods in years past and also a cold Easterly in April but this was one of the longer ones chilling the nads well into May. Despite that the grannom made an appearance for the dry fly to be applied successfully, although you had to be in the right place at the right time to get in on the action. It rained on St Swithins day so I put my order in at Dover for a cheap used inflatable and engine but the next day summer arrived and it probably won’t rain for forty days and nights, anyone want a boat and engine?

The mayfly season has been strange to say the least. I couldn’t get down for most of April but when I did the mayfly were still ‘aving it. Gone is Duffers fortnight as the mayfly season is getting longer, coming off from early April until, well who knows. The earlier higher levels may have made the trout go for the nymph as depth meant they had to go further up for a meal so got fat near the river bed.  From reports there were some good days in May where a lot of good catches and hatches coincided but it was a short window but they still kept coming as sporadic hatches were still evident at the start of July. Now the nymphomaniacs are able to ‘get down with da fins’ some nice fish have been recorded and to get to the deeper feeding fish.

This club has done much to improve fisheries and been involved with external agencies that have an influence on our fishing and habitat. These days there seems to be many more who have funding to deliver such as rewilding, free swimming and now beavers.  There seems to be a bit of a tidal wave of these groups and sometimes the club may miss one. A lot of these groups have to have a consultancy stage to engage with those that may be affected by plans. They tend to find sympathetic groups and miss those such as ours as they don’t want ‘moany old anglers’, especially those like us armed with data that may have them reflect on their plans. Should you see any project in the media that may have an effect please forward details to the club.

We are all members of a great club which faces a lot of issues that could affect our fishing. There are asks for volunteers to help out, please consider volunteering as your work will help keep the fees as reasonable as they are which is the ethos of the club. Reporting poaching, pollution or issues at fisheries is really necessary so we get action. They say it is only a few that catch most of the fish and it is also true that the few do most of the volunteering, only a couple of hours could make a difference.

All for one and all that….

MENTORING

The club has set up training days at the Cartshed for groups of new and improving anglers to hone their skills and knowledge which get over subscribed. There was a discussion on the forum about mentoring as some clubs do this. I know that this idea has been kicked around before but this time a few names came forward to volunteer and mentor.

It is aimed at new or improving members who may like a few tips on fishing, have a chat about rules, the waters and methodology. The volunteers are members who are prepared to meet up at a fishery, they are not instructors or accredited with diplomas nor endorsed by a brand, just ordinary experienced anglers prepared to give back something for the benefit of others. No payment is required, hence a ‘no money back’ policy but should you feel you have benefitted then it’s good to pass it on in the form of a donation to the small fry club. The mentors will only be available by arrangement with the chosen one to fit in with their diaries. They cannot give the ‘full monty’ that the training days offer, just some nice pointers to help you out.

The committee have endorsed the idea so now there is a thread on the forum where you can view the names and read about the mentor and then contact details. To encourage more usage of the forum that is where it will be and we will see how it goes.

So now we are into the alleged ‘Dog days of Summer’ whatever that means these days. I am sure there will be fish to catch but maybe an early start or late finish may get one to the net.

Unfortunately I am a fly rod so no comments on the coarse fishing but that’s where Ben will fill you in.  I did loads of coarse fishing back in the day and still have that hankering to have been there at dawn on June 16^th on a misty lake. Feed a few gentles in a ball of crumb, maybe try a par boiled potato on the hook and watch a float sit by some lilies awaiting the tell tale bubbles as a Tench inspects my offerings. Perhaps I would get out my pole, with its magnificent whale bone tip, fish with hemp in hopes of a fine roach. Do you coarse guys have mentors. I may need one.

Have a great summers fishing and don’t forget the sunscreen or umbrella.

BASHING THE BALSAM

Those on the forum may have read about Andy Staffords balsam cutting at Lower Eastleigh. This weed is a problem on the lower Eastleigh beat although walking the banks you may not see it. This weed was introduced by Victorian explorers as it looks nice in flower and showed Billy or Betty big bananas had travelled. However, like the Rhododendron grows quickly and soon blankets vast areas of ground killing off native species and take over banks. There are vast amounts at Eastleigh and if left the seeds will get into the river and it will spread quickly downstream. Andy has been at it with one or two volunteers and it wasn’t until I joined him the sheer magnitude of the problem was realised. The plant needs to be pulled before it seeds. The roots are shallow so easy to pull. Neil used a scythe to take them down at ground level just to clear areas quickly but they need to be checked to see if they start to grow again. We cleared a hell of a lot but there is more to do and needs volunteers. Why not volunteer and have a bit of fishing after. Yes it is a bit of exertion but if you do what you can it will make a difference. If you see it on any fishery pull it up and report it as it may have been missed. The maintenance team are very busy and do allocate time but if they put all their time into this other fishery maintenance will suffer and the grumbles will come in.

The pictures below shows about a third of area we cleared in a few hours.

IT IS A JOB THAT NEEDS ACTION SOONER AS IF IT SEEDS THE PROBLEM WILL SPREAD – There will be more work parties in August please help. Contact Andy or Neil Owens through the Club Office and they will guide you in. Please consider a few hours please. Volunteers were a great help when the weed cutting was done, it really makes a difference.

SADAC Game Section Summer News.

The season started as we had anticipated in the spring newsletter with widespread flooding of all our waters. Many areas had been under water all winter so damage to the banks was extensive, and a lot had changed in the channels with many previous features washed away.

We reopened our traffic light system to give some guidance as to what fishing was available and to record any particular hazards as some of our fisheries were so wet that it was some weeks before they could be reopened. Normal maintenance becomes impossible in these conditions so it was a matter of doing whatever we could with whatever machine could be got onto the banks. Thanks to the keepers, casual support and volunteers for battling through we got there in the end. Members were keen to get out and took advantage of the available water perhaps not always the fishery they would have chosen in a normal year. Mixed reports of catches with those skilled with the nymph reporting good fishing on the waters where permitted. Many reported few rises and the dry fly user needed to look carefully for any signs of moving fish and tempt them up wherever they could. Stocked waters received their usual number of fish but a little later to avoid them being washed away.

For those who have recently joined we stock 2000 one to two pound brown trout into water that is both heavily fished and/or is a lesser trout habitat. Stocking takes place at Durnford, West Amesbury, Abbey, Countess/Ratfyn and Stapleford. As we have improved our rivers over the years we have reduced our stocking to this level without impact on our catch returns. We try to time our stocking to coincide with busy times usually there are four batches in the season.

Please see the write up by our committee member and EA fishery scientist Dom Longley regarding the work we have started this year to try to identify more clearly the fate of our stockies.

We opened our new beat at Lower Eastleigh on the Wylye and it has proved very popular. These upper Wylye waters are all wild fishing, the owner shares our approach to supporting wild fishing wherever possible. We fish the beats three days a week to make sure the fish are protected and there are some very good fish to be had there. We encourage members to respect the no wading rules and to take the greatest care of the fish, we don’t have a rule against taking wild fish but we strongly encourage those who want a fish for the table to take the stockies from the relevant waters. We have some very capable rods amongst our membership, and it is a concern that we should all respect the wild waters perhaps knowing when we have had enough and stopping at a modest number caught to preserve these waters for all.

The fishery at Barford St Martin changed hands this year. We did consider making an offer but couldn’t match the vendors assessment of its worth in our own valuation. The new owner had various issues to resolve and so it took some time for the property to change hands. We have secured an arrangement with the new owner who is a keen fisherman himself and were able to start fishing again in June. There are plans to improve the fishery with a fenced buffer strip and some selective tree planting.

Our open day at Amesbury Abbey enjoyed beautiful weather with many of our new members attending. The usual format worked well for us once again with casting tuition, entomology, informal discussions and fly tying plus the raffle and of course Sheelagh’s excellent lunch. We thank the Abbey particularly those residents and staff who were able to join us and all the tutors and everyone who contributed to the day.

Members are aware from keeper Paul’s presentation at the last game meeting that weed extraction now falls to the club’s and owners under the umbrella of the Wilshire Fisheries Association after the EA pulled the plug on their extraction activity at Harnham and Chilhampton last season. We have been involved in seeking permission to run a new arrangement at Durnford beat 3 and 13 led by Paul. Permission arrived late and only after much pressure from owners along the valley. We need to make the case that the trout fishing on the Upper Avon and tributaries is a long standing and important part of the valley scene contributing significantly to the local economy, as legitimate as a user of the river and valley landscape as the farming, the military, the large estates or any other. Of course we recognise the protected status of our rivers and do all we can to preserve and enhance this but decisions about things like the weed cutting need to acknowledge our place in the landscape and its long history. The Salisbury Club alone turns over £500,000 each year, supports 4 full time jobs, some casual workers, pays rents to owners along the valley, buys all the equipment and materials it can from local businesses and our members spend their money on fishing equipment, campsites, bed and breakfast, pasties, beer, fuel and whatever else. We are by no means the biggest business of our kind in the valley but do have a contribution.

Once permission was through our extraction gates were installed and the weed cut, and removal ran smoothly. Thanks to all who played their part. A more detailed report will be given at the game meeting.

Welcome to our new members in 2024, associate members may have waited three years or so on our list and full members one year. Our waiting list is a strong indicator of the success of the club’s offering to the game angler where we claim no better value chalk stream fishing is available anywhere else. It has always been the policy of the Salisbury Club to offer the best value and at a price that most can afford. We have approximately 1,450 game fishing members but 30 miles or so of riverbank and two game lakes. The members living further away often only fish a few days a year and still find their membership good value. This means that most of the time the waters are quiet, at least outside of the mayfly period!

John Stoddart,

Vice Chair Game.

ONLINE RETURNS TRIAL.  QR codes and Web Links

 

A big THANK YOU to all those that have taken the time to participate in the Online Returns trial at Abbey, Queensberry, West Amesbury and Durnford but as said on the Forum the take up is very disappointing, then had to reflect on some negativity and reasons why there was this low take up.

Some reasons have been;-

“I was unaware of the trial and what the QR images on the returns book meant.”
This despite the whole process being explained in some detail in the Spring Newsletter. It beggars the question, how many read it and digest the information.

“I don’t like spending any more time on my phone or P.C”
It takes little more time to do the QR as filling in the book, in fact less on many occasions.

“My phone does not support scanning QR codes.”

Again, it is understood that not everyone possesses a smart phone but you can use the web links and submit returns at any time from home or office.  The vast majority of members must have access to the internet in one form or another as our online membership renewal numbers show.

“My phone is company provided and I am not allowed to download Apps.”

To be clear the online returns form and results are NOT Apps. No software will be download to your device.

Every game fishery has a return book and some of the popular fisheries might have more than one during the season.  That is 24 books, each book has 80 pages and there are probably around 10 to 12 entries per page. At the end of the season these books are collected up and each entry is painstakingly recorded onto a spread sheet one by one to give us the figures that are presented to the Game meeting and give management a picture of how each fishery is performing.
Last year this process took one man 10 days to complete! What a staggering amount of time and effort. When for the sake of spending a few seconds completing the online return form all these results could be obtained at the push of a button and at any time during the season.

S&DAC / EA tagged trout project, 2024:

ATTENTION All S&DAC ANGLERS: Coarse, game or sea anglers.  THIS CRUCIAL PROJECT NEEDS YOU.

This season, SADAC is working with several other prestigious chalkstream angling clubs & the EA on an important, large-scale trout tagging project on the Avon, Wylye & Test. It’s designed to shed light on the fate and behaviour of stocked trout – How many are recaptured? How many of those are kept and how many re-released by anglers? How many leave the fishery they were stocked into? How can clubs maximise the cost-benefits of their stocking and minimise their losses?

 Some forward-thinking clubs, including SADAC, have been addressing these questions for some years already through their own in-house tagging and record-keeping but it’s essential for these efforts to be brought together in one co-ordinated study, which is where we are now. This year, the vast majority of trout stocked by SADAC on the Avon and several other project-partner clubs on the Wylye and Test, have been tagged with a small, grey plastic “Floy” tags – each one is a thin cylinder, about an inch and a half long, located next to the dorsal fin; each has the EA text number AND a unique fish ID number on opposite sides of it.

PLEASE REPORT EVERY SINGLE TAGGED TROUT!

For every grey-tagged trout caught, please send us the following essential FOUR pieces of information:

1. WHERE did you catch it? (fishery & beat)
2. WHENdid you catch it? (date)
3. WHATwas its unique fish ID number? (four-figure number on side of tag)
4. DID YOUrelease or keep it? (IMPORTANT: do whatever you’d normally do, regardless of the project)

How should I report a tagged fish?

There are three ways of doing this (it’s OK to use more than one, we will sort out the results):

• TEXT the four pieces of information to the EA number on the tag: 07442 676565
• WRITE the information in the fishery signing-in book .
• LOG ONTO to the online catch return system using the QR code at the fishery: make sure to record the four answers in full.

 ATTENTION COARSE & SEA ANGLERS!

ALL anglers play a vital role in this project: stocked trout are known to drift a considerable distance downstream into the lower river reaches and even into the estuary – they may also persist for several seasons – WE NEED RECORDS OF ALL CAPTURES, REGARDLESS OF WHERE & WHEN!

FINALLY: KEEP ON REPORTING INTO 2025 & BEYOND: Records of tagged fish caught by anyone, anywhere, anytime are critically important – please keep reporting & make others aware of this.

Dom Longley

Committee Member and EA Fishery scientist.