GOOD TIMES AND FEARFUL TIMES
Good Times
The weather is beginning to improve and the various fisheries are stocking up for the Spring fishing. Thousands of trout, literally, are being put in the water at Stocks Fishery in East Lancashire. This huge reservoir is situated in a picturesque corner of the county and teems with wildlife as well as offering good fishing at reasonable prices. A day at Stocks is a good day out with the chance of netting several fighting fish but check with the bailiffs about where to fish and which flies to try.
Raygill Fisheries in West Yorkshire are just completing their big restocking with brown, rainbows, golden and blue trout being added to both the Quarry Lake and Delf Lake. The Quarry has remained open through the Winter and has fished well on most days. Delf Lake has been open for pike fishing since New Year for anglers to have a go at the 40+lbs monsters that lurk in the depths. The new season on Delf Lake starts with a match on Saturday 8th March and then normal fishing returns for the remainder of the year. Try Raygill's new web site: www.raygillfisheries.co.uk.
Over at Barnsfold Water reports are that the fishing has been good up to now this year and the next couple of months will see an even better improvement. Tactics here vary from day to day especially if the wind keeps changing direction but I always think of the Barnsfold trout in terms of fishing a team of buzzers with black being favourite. On some days, when the sun gets a little more strength, the hatches at Barnsfold have to be seen to be believed but there seems to be good buzzer activity for most of the year. As we move through March and into April some of the 'regulars' will soon be taking twenty, even thirty, fish in a session and most of the success comes with first of all locating the fish and then getting a team of buzzers down to them.
Colne Water Angling Club celebrated its fiftieth year in 2002 and acquired a promising stretch of the Aire for members. The river season opens very soon and, having neglected the rivers for some years, I am looking forward to some exciting days on the Aire and also on Colne Water itself. There has been an programme of restocking at the club's two reservoirs, Laneshaw just up the hill from Colne and Churn Clough at Sabden.
Closed Season
Whatever the arguments for and against the closed season, I always get that fantastic feeling of anticipation during the last two or three weeks before the waters re-open. All the Colne Water AC waters close from the end of December through to March. Much restocking and refurbishing goes on; the flora and fauna have a chance to recover; the newly stocked fish have a lengthy settling-in period and the members experience that glorious feeling of anticipation. I am all for a closed season on my favourite club waters as long as I can go and fish elsewhere in the meantime. That is surely wanting one's cake and eating it!
FEARFUL TIMES
The anti-fishing lobby is beginning to frighten me. This is especially so after reading the expert and informative article on this web site by Barry Davis. Linked to the exploitation of political machinery and a knowledge of how politics works or should I say the distortion or “spin” of politics, the ordinary angler stands little chance of deflecting the forces mounting a concerted campaign against angling.
All anglers should give one hundred per cent support to their organisations, associations and clubs. Work with your committees, support the regional and national bodies, lobby councillors and MPs, write to the papers. In short do everything you can to combat these single-minded minority pressure groups or else angling will be banned before you know it.
However, some anglers do have a death wish it would appear. I visit and walk around many fisheries, both game and coarse and I am saddened by the discarded hook lengths and leader lengths that lie scattered along the banks, often with hooks or flies still attached. Regardless of any other litter considerations, these guilty fisherman do more to discredit our wonderful sport than anyone else. This throwing away of unwanted line is criminal and those caught in the act by bailiffs or club officials deserve to be banned sine die.
Even if you do not want to be actively involved in the political fight you can contribute at an individual personal level. There is much that any angler can do to help our sport but especially this; the next time you are on the bank have a look for discarded line and pick it up! If every angler picked up any line that he saw on the bank this awful problem would soon be beaten and our critics would lose one of their main anti-fishing arguments. It's a start.
Tight Lines!
Eddie Caldwell
