Otters

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Richard Farrow

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I'm not sure if this is a good thing from the fishery point of view, but yesterday I was fortunate enough to see Otters at close quarters. I had heard reports of an Otter and spoken to a couple of people who had seen one. Yesterday I went for a walk around the lakes, I had just wandered on to a bank between 2 of the lakes when approx 20 to 25 feet in front of me one Otter left the lake on my right crossed the bank and into the lake on my left followed immediately by two more in single file. First Otter was bigger than the other two, so presumably dad mum and then a youngster. As I said possibly not good news for the fishery but still a great joy to see at such beautiful creatures at close quarters.
 
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Phil Hackett 2

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Richard as you say possibly a double-edged sword this one. My advice would be for the controlling club/owner to monitor the water over the next few weeks for signs of dead fish carcases with strips eaten out of them.
If it is that they are hitting the fishery substantially, then seek advice from Chris Burt at the SAA on what can be done. Chris can be contacted by going to http://www.saauk.org/ and clicking on the Contact Us button.

On the other hand, it might be that you just happened to be in the right place at the right time, as they were moving through to another part of their territory and the fishery suffers no ill effects from being in that territory.
 
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Richard Farrow

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Phil I think this is their territory now. The point where they crossd the bank was well used and was a definite patrol route, I wish the Bream patrol routes were as easy to detect, I also spotted another well used route on the bank between two further lakes. A single Otter has been spotted over the last 3-4 months by several anglers.
Jason I count myself very priviliged and the memory will stay with me for a long time. Two years ago I also saw a Badger up the same lakes, my first live one as opposed to being on the side of the road.
 
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Darkstar

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Richard mentioned seeing a badger, i count myself really lucky with what i saw.
Quite a few years ago when i was in the RAF i was stationed in East Anglia, and often used to walk the countryside in the fens. Well, i was walking down a small path when i heard a rustling nearby, i looked and saw nothing, i stayed quiet and waited. Presently i thought i saw a small white dog, how wrong i was it turned out to be a creamy white albino badger!, they are incredibly rare and i have never seen one since.
I have never told anybody the exact location for obvious reasons, but it was in the Huntingdon area.
 
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Peter West

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Morning All.
Richard, Darkstar. Must have been a joyous experience to them, like you said it will live with you for ever, never been lucky enough to see either, every time I go out always on the look out for wildlife, never go anywhere with out binns.
 
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Bryan Baron 2

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Congrats on see the Otters never seen them myself in the wild. Last year there use to be a fox patrol the far bank of the river in the evenings. we also so a squirel swim across the river clime up my mate landing net and disapear. Also shared a sandwich with a stoat once. This is why i go fishing you are at one with the countryside.
 
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Clikfire

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Deffinitely not a good thing but still interesting and dare I say "cute" I went down a local lake with a friend and there was a mink sat on the root stump of half fallen willow tree, nosey little bugger spent a good 15 - 20 minutes watching us fish unsuccessfully.

Only Badger I have seen wild and alive was for about only 3 seconds, prior to it turning round and running straight under my car. Result another dead badger on the side of the road and about ?700 of damage to my motor.
 
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Chris Bishop

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I've seen one otter in all the time I'v fished, a couple of years back on a gravel pit. Amazing sight.
 
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yoggy

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Congrats Richard..like yourself i to have seen otters in the wild only the once but its something you never forget,how an angler can say that otters are a pest is beyond me!!!!
 
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Phil Hackett 2

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Richard
If it is as you say, and I don't doubt you for one minute, the water needs monitoring closely for signs of predation.
I know at this time of year otters do look for easy pickings in areas of their territory,
And in some cases (I stress some cases) that means stillwaters with fish in a torpid state.
Early identification and contacting the right people can and will stop any misconceptions and conflict between anglers and these marvellous creatures.

As I said earlier Chris Burt is your man in this field so I?d strongly advise you to make contact with him if you and your club have concerns about them.
 
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John Jones

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We used to night fish a tench lake in Worcestershire.

Every night at dusk you would be dive- bombed by hundreds of bats. Occasionally one would actually brush against you.

It was really eerie, but nevertheless a incredible sight to watch their silhouettes swooping and wheeling against the sky line.
 
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yoggy

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I had an arguement at work with a bloke who fishes,he stated that both otters and cormarants are pests and needed to be culled!!!!..GET REAL!!!...in short WE need to work around the wildlife NOT the wildlife work around us.
They NEED to eat fish to survive we DO NOT, at the end of the day no matter how much we like our fishing we should realize that we do it for pleasure and NOT survival.
 
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MaNick

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Badgers...

I'd never say where, due to the sad bXastards that pillage the sets. But i have the opertunity to watch badgers, in numbers some times, pretty much whenever i want. A true privalage, and one that ANYONE who knows about it keeps VERY quiet about.

Truly wonderful creatures. Iv'e also seen Mink when fishing the loddon. beautiful creatures, but sadly not a good thing for the fish population.

Our club gets the mink hounds in to deal with them... i wonder if they are covered by this new law?.. I hope not, as i have discussed with club members before about the use of the hounds, and it's amsplit opinion..... as expected.
 
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Ashe Hurst

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Only seen Otter in a sanctuary on Dartmoore as a kid in the 70s. get rumours of them in NW kent, but as yet i have not seen one, prob never will.

Our rivers being in an urban setting with green corridors and areas of Marsh and farm land dotted along the river could support Otter so im informed by a reliable source.

Also i get a nudge and a wink to keep my eyes open, do they know something I/we dont?

anyway, i agree that as with our other native species we must work around them, maybe the otter will have a derogative effect on the chinese mitten crab? ive seen coots pecking through the soft shell and found crushed up remains along the margins and in chub swims.

today as i worked in the river i saw vole, long taild tits, chub, dace, pike, roach, bream. wren, gold crest, robin, ring neck paraketes, kestrel,a dead gold fish, little grebe all crammed inbetween houses and industrial estate.
 
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Bill Eborn

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I saw an Otter very briefly on the Exe, the summer before last which was lovely to see. Sadly I think I see too many Mink, they are attractive animals but then my pet Rat was quite good looking too!

A few months back I was walking a little unsteadily back a little from the pub past a sheltered housing block just down the road from me and saw a Badger lumbering about in the front garden not more than 10 yeards away. I stood and watched for a good few minutes, really annoyed that I didn't have my camera with me. Pretty amazing for a council estate on the edge of Brighton but then I guess that like Foxes you can often get a lot closer to wild animals in urban areas.
 
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Ashe Hurst

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I though i saw an Otter on the Ravensbourn behind lewisham hospital but as it got closer it turned out to be a great big Turd!

It was this Big ( )
Fuly armed and flying the Stars and Stripes. we engaged the enemy floatila with cannon fire consiting of Stone and Brick shot but resisted boarding it.
 
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