The
Salisbury & District
Angling Club
Newsletter
Summer
2005.
Secretary’s Report
West Amesbury
Web Site News
Rick Polden
Castle Mews
29a Castle Street
Salisbury
Wilts.
SP1 1TT
Tel:01722 321164
Email:
Secretary’s Report Summer 2005
Thanks to the majority of you who renewed your membership in the recommended way, by removing and using page 3 of last year’s year book and sending it with a cheque to the correct value. We also asked you to enclose a SAE with a 35p stamp. Thank you to all those who responded to this request, it speeded things up and those who sent envelopes were put on top of the pile!
Next year do not leave your renewal application to the week before the start of the season, be it game or coarse. YOU WILL NOT GET IT BACK IN TIME TO START FISHING !! You must allow at lease 14 days to be sure of receipt in time, remember you cannot fish without a current year book with photo attached. For next season we are working on a more efficient membership renewal process. This will benefit you all as well as the Secretary who up to now has had little time to do a secretary’s job at the expense of the membership work.
Many seemed not to have received the March Newsletter. To save expense we adopted the premise that we only posted a hard copy to those members who had not registered an E Mail address with us. It appears that many people change their E Mail addresses as often as their shirts! Therefore many of our emails to members disappeared down the cyber black hole! It seems an impossible task with our present system to keep up to date with member’s email addresses. In future after this Newsletter (which we have sent as a hard copy to all 2005/06 members) we will identify all our members with an email address and NOT send them a hard copy. We will remain passive and rely upon you ‘Internet’ members to download the newsletter from our magnificent new web site thanks to Bill Latham at:
CLUB RULES
The Chairman and the Committee are determined to maintain and in some quarters improve the reputation of the Club. There is no room in the club for rule breakers. It is in the hands of you all to follow club rules laid down in your year book. You risk suspension and a request for you resignation if you are found cheating on yourself and fellow members which also degrades the standard of the Club. Bad news travels fast!
Two cases are being dealt with at this time. A Game member was found to have three dead Trout in his bag breaking the one brace limit, one of which was undersize! He was also fishing the wrong beat not corresponding to the tally he held.
The second Member was a coarse angler. He caused malicious damage to a padlock on one of our coarse fisheries the day before the start of the season as he could not wait for our keeper to come and unlock it! He is no longer a member and has been placed on the club black list.
Be warned. Bailiffs and Waterkeepers are on patrol under a new initiative to stamp out this problem. You only need worry if you are in that minority of rule breakers, acquaint yourself with all the Club rules in the Year Book, there is no excuse, abide by them and enjoy your fishing.
Despite the minority of rule breakers the Season got off to a good start both for the Game and the Coarse Seasons.
Some members took advantage of the early opening of the Trout season on the
1st April but were met predictably with cold winds and variable weather conditions. Those who persevered in those early days were rewarded with some good fishing.
As the season has progressed some of our members experienced magnificent mayfly hatches and surface action in general has been good.
The coarse anglers have enjoyed good bags at Langford and Petersfinger, which has produced a good mid twenty pound (Linear) Mirror Carp and a record Crucian of 3lbs 8ozs
Good Tench and Bream have also been coming to the net. We also have the advantage of Walden’s Fishery this year which is an excellent all year fishery holding many species.
The new Trout Lake at Leominstead proved popular on the first weekend and remains an excellent new still water venue. We stock the lake with approx thirteen inch rainbows but sizeable over wintered Rainbows and several resident Brown Trout have given lively sport. Attendance seems to have stabilised and the nine current rod spaces are rarely all taken. Please remember that all Brown Trout must be returned. They are native residents and we do not stock the Lake with Browns. Signs are in place to remind you.
The new Premium Game Stonehenge Fishery on the Avon at Durrington is a great new asset. It has been fishing well under favourable conditions but as with all chalk river beats too much sun in the heat of the day yields nothing.
Another New Game Wild Trout Fishery: After going to press with the year book the Club has acquired exclusively another very attractive truly wild Trout stream on the river Nadder at Wardour, south west of our existing Tucking Mill fishery. It runs on both banks for about 800 yards. from the railway bridge upstream to the confluence of the river Sem. Rules will be the same as for the river at Tucking Mill. Go and visit, be sensitive to the presence of other anglers who may already be there. The following will assist you in locating the fishery:
Map references for the southern bank are as follows:
The downstream boundary is at the rail bridge ref ST 929279 and the upstream boundary is ST 924274 at the confluence of the River Sem.
The Map reference for the north bank are the rail bridge at the downstream end ref ST 929279 and the upstream boundary is at the rail bridge over the river Sem at ST 920273.
The Rules are as follows:
Species: Brown Trout
Restrictions
Members only.
No Dogs.
Fishing Dawn to dusk.
Nymph and Dry Fly only
Wading permitted WITH CAUTION.
Catch and release permitted.
Dates: 1st April - 15th October.
Access via public footpath from North (West Hatch)and South (Wardour)
Location :2 Miles South West of Tisbury.
Lost Property. I have had over this season, several members reporting lost tackle such as landing nets rods and reels. If you seriously wish to be reunited with that precious kit please mark it with at least your membership number.
LOST PROPERTY HELD AT DEANS FARM WORKSHOP.
Landing Nets -
1.Dark blue Leeda 2XL Landing Net with 3 section telescopichandle.
2.Black Leeda flip over landing net.
3.Flip over landing net with cork handle in green.
Hats Hats Hats ----
1. Beige Challenger hat.
2.Green Airflow hat.
3.Green Russian type hat.
4.Friends Ivor & Sim hat in blue.
For any of this property contact Matthew on 01722 335355 at 8 o-clock in the morning.
Drought. We are enduring the driest summer since 1976. Winter rainfall was only 50% of average and subsequent low rainfall and consumer demand on the water supply has caused river levels to fall. Good weed growth in some areas is holding up the levels but it will inevitably get worse if this dry spell holds. Due to some heavy summer storms it has tended to give a false impression of true levels. ‘Spate’ water, unable to soak into the dry hard ground is running off to the rivers giving a false short lived impression. Water companies in the south are ready to lower already low rivers to support consumer demand; a convenient and generous public water supply seems to come before interest in sustaining our heritage which is our world famous chalk streams and rivers.
It can only get worse, the onset of Climate Change, exacerbated by more development at Amesbury the Salisbury Plain and around Salisbury.
I have recently written to Robert Key the local Conservative MP on this matter, he is aware of our feelings regarding the upper Hampshire Avon Catchment. It would not do any harm if you all wrote to him at the House of Commons to echo our voice on this matter.
RATFYNLAKE.
As many of you know we had to close Ratfyn Lake after a fish kill caused by a combination of things including high temperatures,(several commercial fisheries suffered a similar problem on the same day)low oxygen andindications of ammonia, and the presence of several large Carp! The causes of the lack of Oxygen and the presence of Ammonia are complex. After a second watersample was taken by the EAwe are to adopt a cautious program of 'trickle' stocking. At the time you read this Newsletter the Lakewill be open again for fishing and investigations will continue into the long term future of this Lake.
Charford Fishery.
In addition to being able to park inside the gate off the roadwhichhas been in force for the last two seasons, our intrepid team of Water Keepers have constructed a magnificent foot bridge over the carrier half way down the access track.In the past this has been a major obstacle to the access. Go down and try this great water as the weed growth dies back in the next few months.
Nadder Meadows and Bulbridge
Over the past two seasons comments have been made regarding the problem with stinging nettles on the banks. Mat and his men are clearing this obstacle to these fisheries. We still hope to retainthe character of a wild fishery but there is no place for nettles in this plan.
If you wish to submit a piece for the newsletter please send it in or E Mail it to me.
Rick Polden
I have had a report from one of our proactive members on the coarse fishing at our Constable and Town Water Fisheries :
First day of the season on the River Nadder yesterday at Churchfields. The day started badly going to Reid’s Tackle for a guest ticket and bait to discover they had closed and referred all enquiries to Witherington so a detour through the centre of Salisbury took us to John Eadie’s and lost a lot of time but thankfully we did not have to drive to Witherington to get bait. On arrival at Churchfields the car parking at the end of the road has also been blocked off.
However the river looked good with close to 1 foot higher than the equivalent date last year presumably due to the amount of weed. The chub were very much in evidence but a lot harder to catch with large stretches of the water completely choked. However there appeared to be many more small fish compared to previous years and between 3 of us we caught a number of grayling and perch in addition to the anticipated chub and occasional trout.
I also saw 3 floats up the trees which would suggest not everyone abides by the close season.
The Avon at StratfordSubCastle at the top of the Town Water also had a good head of small fish, Grayling Chub and Trout mostly but I also caught a Chub of about 2 – 2.5lbs despite the amount of weed coming down the river. The new style is a big improvement as well,but the official from I assume SalisburyDC putting up new signs did suggest the club should have a key for the gate on the castle side of the river.
Editors Note: As you will see in the advert on page 20 in the Year Book, Reids Tackle have moved to Witherington Farm. They have a larger shop stocking everything an angler could want. Our other Tackle shop John Eadie advertised on the back page of the year book also are very obliging to Club Members. John was one of the founders of our Club and since his sad passing the business continues in the capable hands of Richard and his family and staff.
The blocked access to our car parking at the Brunel Road is due to fly tipping. The Council had to place a barrier across to prevent this. Parking near to the entrance after working hours and at weekends should be easier.
Access to the Castle side of the river at the top of the Town water off Mills Lane will be by the Club key which most Coarse anglers already have and is available free from the Secretary on receipt of a SAE.
West Amesbury, The Appeal
Following our appeal in the March newsletter asking members to send in catch returns from West Amesbury, a number have already come up with some interesting feedback. One, who fishes here regularly, says he usually finds plenty of space to fish, even at Mayfly time. The main attraction for him is that since no rod restrictions apply he knows he can get on the water. Another tells me his average catch is around 5 -6 Trout per visit and up to 12 – 15 Grayling, the latter mostly in the autumn. There seems to be a consensus that wild Trout outnumber stock fish by a considerable margin, that fly life has been relatively good this year, and that the Grayling fishing is some of the best they have ever experienced. This is all interesting news.
Not so good news is that water levels are becoming low, the public sometimes walk where they have no right, while a few members break Club rules by fishing downstream or using nymphs before 1st July. Constructive suggestions have included more stocking with fry or fingerlings, introducing additional wading areas, and more frequent bank side trimming in places. But so far these views are from a very small minority and we look forward to receiving the bulk of the returns at the end of the season.
The content of your annual summary is more important than the actual layout. You can list every fish by length if you wish, including dates of each visit, plus any weights and whether they were stocked or wild. Or send in just totals (ie number of days fished, number of Trout and Grayling taken or returned) together with any observations and comments.
It is important that we maintain this extensive Club owned fishery to the highest possible standard, so please do not forget to respond to this request to the Secretary by the 15th November.
Thank you very much in advance for your co-operation and tight lines.
Gordon Mackie
Note: Since Gordon submitted this piece the Club has commissioned Dr. Nick Giles to carry out some improvement and remedial work on this fishery. Some of this work might be carried out during this season and cause a little disruption to the fishing. Developments will be posted on the Game page of the web site.
The club has also written to the Wild Trout Trust asking them to reassess the section below QueensburyBridge and make suggestions for improvement.
If you did not see Gordon’s original item regarding this fishing go to and download the Spring 2005 edition of the newsletter.
Web Site News
The new web site went live at the end of March and so far has received some very favorable feedback.
These days all businesses and organizations need a web presence to advertise their wares, and our Club is no different. The content gives a very good insight into what we offer potential members and now features fairly high up the search engine listings if someone is looking for fishing around the Salisbury area.
It also offer existing members a point from which to receive information very quickly without having to wait for a hard copy newsletter, whether it be a new fishery or problems with an existing one such as Ratfyn Lake.
The members Forum is proving very popular. Here topics are divided into general Game and Coarse fishing matters and river and lake reports specific either to rivers or individual fisheries. It is very easy to join and use this forum, go to the web site and then click the link to the forum. From here as a guest you can view all the posts but to join in with the discussions you must register. Again this is easily done, click the register button at the top of the page, agree to the terms then fill in your personal details in the appropriate boxes.
At the moment there are about 150 members registered, please lets get this figure much higher, after all a forum is only as good as the members contributing to it.
Suggestions for improvement are always welcome, please send to