NEWS AND INFO

Suddenly, when the sun shines and you are out of the wind it feels warm and you may have to  even take a layer of clothing off; I took several off yesterday! The sun may even catch you out and you will find you are burning or, worse still, you managed to get dehydrated. These days I take drinking water with me always,  and I have three hats in the car so I can find one. The sun gets everyone so if you are with a child, an OAP or out with somebody who ought to know better take care of them too. Being by the water at present is just magic – it is all about anticipation.

 

However, do not get carried away because the water is still cold.  You might be enjoying the sun, but some of our species are not necessarily responding yet to the change. So the fish may well be harder to catch than you might have thought. The swallows, house martins and warblers are back and mayflies coming off the River Stour are being picked off by house sparrows! Spring has really sprung.

 

Sustained periods of warmth may, at this time of year lead to algal blooms. In turn, if a bloom becomes dense it may block sunlight to weeds, invertebrates and fish that they all need to survive. It may adversely affect the oxygen levels too, particularly as blooms decay and start releasing harmful gases. The phytoplankton growth that causes a bloom may be affected by nutrients in the water and a wet spring may aggravate the situtation with run-off from agricultural land, for example, taking freshly spread fertilisers into water courses. WDAC has recently been testing some of its enclosed waters and at present all are well; we do however know things can change rapidly. If we are concerned about any water, we will of course keep all informed, but some will inevitably change as even a light bloom may colour the water.

 

If you see something that worries you about any of our waters let the Club Secretary know please.

The Club, at its AGM, voted to ban the use of keepnets, except during recognised matches, from the end of this year. There were a number of reasons why those advocating the ban were concerned about continuing this practice, not least the physical harm to fish. However, the greater periods of warmth associated with the current trends in global warming also means that infections and disease may well find a home in damp keepnets. There are a number of notifiable diseases that can spend time in the water column and then latch on to host fish and in the interim may be transported.

 

Whilst keepnets are an obvious problem related to carrying, not only diseases but other unwanted organisms, the problem extends to landing nets and other tackle and, indeed even boots.   So CHECK, CLEAN, DRY all your tackle properly, and of course whilst the change in Club rules still has the remainder of this year to run in relation to keepnets, not using them on a voluntary basis would be appreciated.

On Saturday 13th May 2023, the Club’s Game Section provided a day’s tuition for novices who want to learn about fly fishing. It was held at the Club’s lake at Winterborne Zelston. The day followed, what is now a well-established pattern, of small groups of participants, given a time slot in advance, and first being provided with a lesson by Mike Bilson a qualified instructor.  Mike has a huge experience of fish on the fly, and in the sea as well as freshwater.

 

At the end of this session there is then the opportunity for each person to be accompanied by one of the Game Section’s fly fisherman, to put their learning into practice to try to catch a trout. My personal role in this event on the day was to introduce Mike at the start of each session, remind those present about health and safety issues (which had been sent in the form of a risk assessment in advance) and then to act as one of the guides. The sun came out and it was just a really good day.

 

However, it goes without saying that this day would not have been a success without real effort put in by Club members to make the lake fishable. This meant cutting grass and banks, and hauling out weed in the days leading up to the event  and doing countless other one off jobs. Your Game Sectretary, Paul Baker, did the administration and was at the lake early to rig rods and manage, not only the participants, but also the Club members there to help.

 

I get to do a special task, well not so much a task as a joy,  which is to go ‘bug’ hunting and put the captured insects and other creatures in an aquarium so that those present can look at the typical menu that the trout have in the lake.   In turn, this reveals, to some extent how the lake’s ecology is faring. This year, the lake has been recovering from the drought of last year and has also been subject to a long cool spring. One noticeable difference from previous years was the much reduced number of freshwater snails. The water must have lost huge numbers as the water levels dropped away in later summer through to October. Where the water had left the last remaining mini-ponds last year, the snail numbers I found were almost normal and so I am hopeful that they will return to their more normal population quite quickly.

 

Regular trout anglers at Winterborne Zelston will know that snails are eaten by the trout and I also remember watching two large eels delicately picking them off the hornwort and crowsfoot, that grows like underwater mini-forests. There were, however, good numbers of caddice larvae carrying spectacular houses made of weed, tiny snail shells and gravel, and also pond olive larva and hoglouse. The cold, I am convinced, meant the damsel fly nymphs were not yet in the shallows in their normal numbers and I did not find any pike fry. Some years I find tiny pike in reasonable numbers, so it may be that the resident population’s latest spawning has not been a success. However, in the last week I have heard the frequent ‘plopping’ that young jacks make as they bolt for cover having been basking in holes in the surface weed; so there are certainly enough to maintain the future pike population. In turn, this will  provide the substance of the inevitable debate among the trout fishing fraternity about what to do about the pike in the lake. Mike Bilson, managed to see one of our grander female pike whilst standing on the platform at the south end of the lake so we also know she has survived both the drought and another winter!

 

Our novice fly fishers of 2023 varied in age from eight to over seventy but all enjoyed looking at the bugs. Then they all went off with our Club’s fishermen and caught a trout!

We're now at the end of round one of the 2023 catch return competition. Members wishing to enter their catch return entries from March to May inclusive have until Sunday evening to do so.

 

We'll then announce the winner later this month! £50 for seniors and £20 for juniors to spend in Wessex Angling are up for grabs as prizes.

 

Photo's with a few details about why the catch was special to you can be emailed to:

 

website@wimborneanddistrictanglingclub.co.uk

 

Good luck!

 

WIMBORNE & DISTRICT ANGLING CLUB

 

Annual General Meeting Minutes

21 March 2023

Corfe Mullen Royal British Legion

Start 19:30

 

Entrance to meeting was restricted to members only. There were approximately 30 attendees.

 

Minutes silence in remembrance: To remember fishermen and friends who have died.

including Mike Preston and Brian Preston.

 

Apologies: Apologies had been received from Chris Crompton, James Nash, Sean Harris, Nick Churchill, Nick Lawrie, Colin Hancock, Gordon Moss, David lynch and Richard Barlow.

 

1. President Welcome.

The President, Brian Heap welcomed all to the meeting. He said he had two responsibilities on the night:

 

a. To propose Mike Hirsh as chairman for the meeting, which was supported by a show of hands.

b. To declare the meeting open.

 

Brian Heap then reported on events which had happened last year and matters to look forward to this year. He then discussed about rules and what they meant and that they should be followed by all to make our fishing trips more enjoyable, and that any rule changes are done in the best interests of us and the Club.

 

Before handing over to the Chairman, and on behalf of everyone present, he thanked the Committee members and their brilliant volunteer helpers for all the hard work they undertake.

 

2. Chairman’s Report by Mike Hirsh:

 

Mike Hirsh thanked attendees for coming to the Meeting and provided a report for 2022 as follows:

 

The Club is doing well. It is perhaps because we are in troubled times some of us need fishing more than ever. It gives us a perspective and allows us to immerse ourselves and concentrate on something absorbing for the time we are by water. The Club did not make a loss in 2022, and there are funds in place to try to ensure we have no financial problems in the next twelve months.

 

Man’s best endeavors are brought into sharp focus by natural events. In 2022 in a long, hot, dry spell, we had two periods of excessive heat, one in July and then again in August. All water bodies under the Club’s control suffered. In the six months from March to August, inclusive, this area received only 54% of the long-term average rainfall for that time of year.

 

The River Stour around Wimborne was recorded by the EA as being below normal for much of the time and was still identified as this on the 16 September – below normal is a statistical definition as being about 16% of total time; or at least that is what it should be. The Game Secretary had to close the catch and release trout lakes at Rawlsbury and also Winterborne Zelston. Here the level dropped quickly, and, of all our waters, it was Winterborne Zelston that suffered the worst. By the time some rain came in October the Club was feeding a few trout in a large puddle in one corner.

 

This winter, on top of a wet December and the first part of January, we had a torrential rain event and on the 15/16 of that month and our local Rivers had some of the worst flooding seen this century. At Kingsbridge, the Sherford River over-flowed its banks; and the River Crane at Edmondsham burst its bank too and shorted out the otter deterrent electric fencing. At Zelston the old line of the Winterborne flowed across the field to the west with such volume that the fishing platforms submerged. More seriously, there were houses in the Village that were under threat too.

 

Of course, the Stour leapt out of its banks and bequeathed rubbish in the adjacent bushes and trees when it subsided.

 

The Club’s Committee will remain vigilant about high temperatures. Closing the trout lakes is likely to become more common, but there will be further debate about the effect of long hot spells of weather.

 

Looking back through the Committee Minutes for the last twelve months does highlight that we do try to keep moving forward, but sometimes it is slow. For example, in May 2021 I wrote an article for a Club newsletter about the Stour Valley Park and also mentioned it at the last AGM. The Club is working jointly with Christchurch AC and Ringwood making representations to BCP and Dorset Councils about the need for a policy in their consultative draft local plans. However, for reasons related to housing numbers, both Councils have slowed their plan processes further. I will let you know what happens when it happens!

 

The stocking of fish is also a slower process than you might think. It did strike me, in reviewing our fish purchases, that matters such as health checks and EA movement orders slow the process, although of course they are important.

 

The Game Section organised a Fly-Fishing Taster Fishing Day at Winterborne Zelston last May and planning is under way for another similar event on Saturday 13 May. We are particularly interested in trying to convert the young, so if you know of a junior angler, who would like to learn about fly fishing and catch a trout, please contact Paul Baker, our Game Secretary.  The Game Section meeting last week was a good one, not least due to Paul’s information provided about catch rates and the costs of fish. As agreed by the Committee recently the price of a Member’s two fish trout ticket is going up from £20 to £22 and all other tickets will go up by 10%, and trout purchases will also be subsidised, if need be, from the trout section surplus over the last twelve months.

 

The Trout section was also gifted 8 sets of trout fishing tackle from the Wessex branch of Salmon and Trout Association (now Wild Fish), which are to be used for education purposes and for loans of tackle to novices wanting to try fly fishing.

 

Last year the Club made a substantial improvement to Winterborne Zelston by rebuilding 40 metres of the west bank, which had been eroding. The new bank’s design relied on gabion baskets filled with about 58 tons of Portland Stone, embedded on 28 tons of crush and run and wrapped, in part, in a geo-textile. Three fishing stations were also constructed. The Club was helped financially by a grant from the EA.  It also needed the special help of three people. Sam Lees of the Portland Stone Company, Richard Bowers, who sadly died earlier this year, and who allowed the use of the ford to bye-pass the Club’s bridge and, not least the excellent Mervyn Griffiths.

 

In re-reading the Minutes, Sean Harris, your Welfare Officer, persistently pops up as a man of energy and ideas. In the last year he has got the Club accredited for ‘wellbeing projects as a preferred provider.’ He arranged for the Moorside School to fish Creekmoor under Club supervision and has recently been in negotiation with Holten Lee School, where angling may now form part of the curriculum of several of their students.

 

The Club Committee also does routine. There are minutes on toilet servicing and servicing tools and machinery. We discuss otters’ sightings, cormorants, Canada geese scaring and pricking eggs and even the removal of terrapins at Alder Hills.  There were working party reports, and to welcome in the Autumn, last October one cleared 27 swims on the Stour ready for matches and winter fishing.

 

Last year we had two complaints from members of the public; and dealt with two serious breaches of Club rules, invoking disciplinary action to resolve them. It is a very small minority of anglers that let the Club down and themselves too.

 

Sadly, the minutes for last June contain the resignation of Stuart Hitchman as Club Secretary. If ever the Club owed a debt of gratitude for just getting things done it is to Stu. Fortunately for the Club, whilst he has resigned as Secretary he is still on the Committee, although I know he will be doing less due to charitable work elsewhere.

 

The Club’s first attempt at trying to find a new secretary failed. Fortunately, Martin Dunn has now agreed to take on the post. [Martin at this juncture introduced himself to the meeting]. I am sure he will become a good one.

 

MH thanked Brian Heap for being an excellent President, and also the Club’s Officers, and the other Committee members for their continued help and support.

 

Whilst we understand there are terrible problems in the world today, and it is after all only fishing, the Club can look forward to the next twelve months with a degree of optimism.

 

3. Minutes from AGM held on 22 March 2022 –

 

Were agreed as a true record of events, as previously circulated in April 2022 and posted on the website. Proposed Paul Flatters and Seconded Paul Baker.

 

4. Matters arising.  MH advised that:

 

1) on the matter of stocking Tranquil, the Committee had agreed that no more carp will be stocked and the Head Bailiff, Steve Neale, will remove more carp over time to turn it into a silver fish lake. However, carp do breed in this lake so it may take some time.

 

2) Having walked the Kingsbridge Lakes and carefully considered the logic behind the installation of life saving equipment, and in the framework of a risk assessment, it was not likely to proceed and in this context a detailed explanation was provided including bank safety, the depth of water close to the bank, that in summer when many people were fishing there was lots of equipment to offer to fishermen who may fall in. In winter when very few people were about there was nobody to throw lines or buoys to somebody in difficulty in any event.

 

5. Change to the General Rules of Fishing

 

Banning Keepnets on all Club waters except in matches.

 

The existing rule 5 allows the use of keepnets except for carp in excess of 4lbs.

At the Committee of the Club on the 7 March 2023 it was agreed to recommend a change in this rule. It would now read:

 

Barbless and micro-barbed hooks only are to be used (except on rivers and trout catch & take waters). Cereal groundbaits may be used on all Club lakes. Keepnets are not to be used on any Club waters except during Club matches in which respect they must be knotless and at least 2.4m in length.

 

It is intended that the rule change will be effective from 1January 2024, and in the interim suitable publicity will be given to the proposed change.  – Proposed Steve Neale and seconded Hugh Miles.

 

Following a reasoned debate, this change was put to a vote by show of hands and passed with a large majority, only three voted against.

 

6. The election of the President and Officers (Rule5(a) of the constitution).

 

The following members were re-elected as Club Officers without a contest, as they were the only nominations:

 

President – Brian Heap

Chairman – Mike Hirsh

Vice-Chairman – Iain Scott

Treasurer – Jan Nightingale

Membership Secretary – Chris Crompton

Secretary – Martin Dunn

Match Secretary – Jim Finch

Game Secretary – Paul Baker

Welfare Officer – Sean Harris

Media Officer – James Nash

Rivers Officer – Nick Churchill

Head Bailiff – Steve Neale

 

7.  The Committee members were also re-elected without contest:

 

Nigel Taylor

Mike Jepson

Nick Lawrie

George Frost

Hugh Miles

Stuart Hitchman

 

8. Treasurer’s financial report 2022 and main proposals relating to expenditure in 2023 –

 

Jan Nightingale reported that 2022 has brought a variety of challenges, some weather

related when we had a prolonged very hot and dry period, and some logistical, which have been met by our volunteers with their unbeatable enthusiasm and vigour.

Swims were cleared, trees cut, banks repaired, overflows and inlets improved etc.

We purchased over £11,000 of coarse fish with some notable deliveries of sizable Carp which have challenged members’ skills and brought a good deal of pleasure to those who fish them. As it says in the membership Book under the General rules of Fishing: Specimen Fish are our main asset please look after them.

 

We have done a great deal of work to improve the venues over the year and bought some decent equipment to do it with.

 

The income over expenditure held up well and exceeded 2021.

 

At the end of 2022 it became generally known that we all were going to see price increases in every aspect of our lives, and this has led to a committee decision to be cautious about expenditure on new projects in 2023 until we are able to judge how the financial climate is affecting our income.

 

In order not to burden members further in this respect, we are not increasing membership fees this year.

 

Let’s hope that the world settles down this year and that we can continue to tell great fishing stories in 2023.

 

Mike Hirsh then provided a summary of several projects in hand but emphasised that the Club needed to be conservative in these difficult times.

 

9. Membership report 2021 and 2022.

 

Mike Hirsh read out report on behalf of Chris Crompton who was absent from the Meeting.

 

These are the final figures for year ending 31 December 2022:

 

854 Members (866=2021; 963=2020)

Seniors – 494

OAP – 215

Disabled – 8

Junior – 29

Minors – 108

Night Permits – 210

Associate – 55

New - 408

 

10. A summary of forward plans for stocking –

 

Iain Scott reported that the Club have access to some great fisheries with a variety of species, but that does not happen by accident. Unfortunately, fish don’t naturally recruit as fast as we would like, so we have to add stock of various year groups to bolster and develop these populations.

 

In some rare cases such as Medleys Lake we have a superb recruitment rate, so much so that this year we will be thinning out some of the juvenile tench to move into other waters.

For this to happen we will have to obtain a fish health certificate which entails sending off a number of fish to be carefully examined in order to ensure that we aren’t inadvertently moving a problem around.

 

At this juncture I would just like to remind everyone to be vigilant of anglers moving fish. This is both a fish health risk as we might spread disease and also confuses the stocking plans. Therefore, it is imperative that fish are not moved in an uncontrolled way. Now I know you are all great and would never dream of doing such a thing but if you hear of someone that thinks its ok, please discourage them from doing so in the strongest way possible.

 

We are very fortunate to have good links with some top-quality fish farms that provide us with superb stock and our Carp from Viv Shears and Simon Scott are settling in well at Creekmoor with the odd bankside appearance for lucky anglers. But it’s not just Carp, over the last couple of years we have stocked Bream, Roach, Tench, Chub and Barbel and even a few gudgeon into our Stillwater fisheries.

 

Last year we were given the opportunity to acquire a large number of good quality small to medium Carp from a lake in Hampshire. These were stocked into Julia’s at Pinnock, which had suffered really badly from predation, and at Kingsbridge. As a result, last summer saw the Pinnock fishery continue on it’s way back to health with some great fishing in stunning surroundings.

 

We also had our annual visit from Mark Stringer at Hampshire Carp Hatcheries with another batch of his ex broodstock including Tench and Chub to add to Pinnock.

 

Looking ahead to this coming year we are hoping to receive another batch of Carp from our source in Romsey as well as this year’s ex broodstock fish from Hampshire Carp Fisheries.

 

We have some large Tench on order from a friend at Coarse Fish UK, once he finds them!

There will be another call made to Viv Shears for some more night ticket funded trophy Carp that will be stocked into our Kingsbridge complex. You might very well say what is the point in feeding otters and cormorants with valuable fish! That takes me on to predation.

 

Cormorants and otters have been having a field day across the country. The huge increase in numbers of our fish-eating friends has meant taking action is the only way forward. The Club has a licence to shoot a number of Cormorants and we have seen some shot or scared away to an easier meal. Medley’s valuable stock of pure strain Crucians and Tench is protected with strings throughout the most dangerous winter months.

 

Otters are a little more determined and despite our best efforts are still getting a few free meals. We are working hard towards improving the way we protect our stock and are in the process of bolstering our defences. In July Iain advised he will be attending a training course to enable him to trap otters from within a fenced fishery. which will give us another option if the defences are breached.

 

As we move into 2023, the Club will be looking at whether we can enhance the stock levels in our river stretches too so watch the social media for any breakthroughs!

 

11. Questions/AOB

 

There was a range of topics to discuss including:

 

a. Checking of oxygen levels in our waters and the general condition of all rivers in the UK.

b. Michael Cullen reported that from tackle, which he had been given a £1000 had been given to East Dorset Parkinson Society and £300 to the Air Ambulance.

c. At Creekmoor Lakes there is trouble in that pegs 5 and 6 fish the same water, the pegs were set out by the Council and that common sense should be used. A white stick placed opposite might act as a divide. Steve Neale promised Jason to have a look.

d. Canford School car parking and the attraction of The Stour Valley Park. There is a need for a bigger car park than that proposed in the ‘Merley North’ scheme. Advised by MH this is not likely to happen.

e. The land sale near Netherwood; will it have any effect on our fishing?

f. Car parking at Julian’s bridge, which it was agreed will be put on a future Club’s agenda. (also see item e)

g. That barbel had been stocked on the lower Stour with the help of the EA.

h. Have the EA tested the river below Julian’s bridge for pollution?

 

Meeting terminated at 8.55pm.

We are aware that an advisory warning to residents who live and visit areas near the River Stour has been issued, that they could become exposed to more Blandford Fly bites than normal this year.

 

The annual treatment of the River has been completed but there may, nonetheless, be more flies present this May and June than in recent years.

 

The advice is to wear clothes that cover legs while out walking. Also, to wear high socks and use insect repellent when walking near streams and rivers.

 

Further advice is that if an individual does get a fly bite, to keep it clean and the area around it dry.

Bites are most likely to be on a person’s legs and ankles and have localised symptoms around the bite:

 

•              swelling

•              blistering

•              a high temp of 38C (100.4F) or over

•              joint pain

 

Anyone who experiences a bad reaction to the bite is being advised to visit their local pharmacy or contact NHS 111 for advice on treatment.

Hello fellow game fishers,

 

May has been quite a dry month but with quite strong N and N Easterly winds and you have all reported good catches in spite of this. The growth in weed and reed mace in our lakes combined with cow parsley, hemlock and grass in the margins has indeed been remarkable and has necessitated quite a lot of work to ensure fishable areas. Our work parties continue to target these areas that require attention and we will be at WZ this Friday with our Neptune rake to take out channels of weed. All of you are welcome as it really is a case of many hands make light work!

 

On Saturday 13th May we held our annual Open day for beginners and newcomers. As I have mentioned before this a real opportunity for all ages, for anyone who want to try out game fishing for the first time or simply improve their skills in casting. My thanks to Mike Bilson who was our instructor on the day. All who attended were incredibly appreciative of his teaching and casting skills. After each session all were accompanied by one of our experienced members and I am very pleased to say everyone caught a fish!

 

We had some great feedback (See Below) and I am very grateful to all those who attended!

 

The session was beautifully organised and very informative. It was great to try our hand at the mystical art of fly fishing (not quite as mystical any more). We both felt the session was excellent and covered the essentials nicely and at a good level for beginners.

 

It was really good to have some tuition and assistance with casting and actually catching a fish (mostly Al’s work I think). I must apologise to Al for my repeated mis-casting and for seeming like I wasn’t listening to his advice (I was, but alas I seem to have the fly-fishing equivalent to 2 left feet). Although the occasions when it all seemed to come together were very satisfying.

 

Dylan and I both had a great time and will be back for more in the near future – I just need to find a field and practice my casting first I think.

 

Anyway, please pass on our gratitude for the session to all those who put in the hard work and time.

Your comments with your catch returns are always so valuable for us all so please continue to send them in:-

 

 I had my first trip to WZ on Thursday, taking a long-standing friend as a guest. The weather was utterly foul! Driving heavy rain & cold wind. It made no difference to us as we both REALLY loved the fishery! I was struck by the gorgeous gin-clarity of the water.....is it spring fed ?? Oddly, never saw a cruising fish all afternoon (1400 to 1700 fished), but they were head & tailing at buzzers all through the heavy rain and it was brilliant fun enticing them in the top 6'' on size 10 red buzzers amongst the ripple. I have had hundreds of trout on the fly & was pleasantly amazed at how those fish fought! They simply did not give up & one fit fish actually took line down to the backing .....fabulous fun. I took rainbows of 4lbs 6oz & 4lbs 10oz on buzzers & my friend had them to 4lbs 4oz & 4lbs 8oz...also on red buzzers.

Overall, very impressed with the fishery & the condition of all four fish we hooked......will return soon & also looking forward

 

My catch return for wed 3rd May was 2 fish at Rawlsbury, one of 4lbs from Chapmans and one of 3lbs from Cowleaze. Both on a small blue flash damsel. Wet day and nothing moving and the weed is growing fast in Chapmans. As always fish in v good condition.

 

2 nice fish 3 ¼ and 3.

Buzzer hatches, sporadic, just after each rain shower went through. Both caught on a size 16 pale buzzer fished quite shallow – about 12 “deep since a few fish were rising here and there. Fish actually contained slightly larger buzzers, and (darker). I would have changed or something like that, but stuck with what had caught already, so didn’t need to. Quite a few Daddies being blown onto the water, and again, had I needed to, that would have been the next line of attack.

 

I fished WZ yesterday afternoon and managed to winkle out two Rainbows, 4 lbs and 4 lb 8 oz both on a dark Green buzzer.

 

Lovely morning at Zelston today with a guest. 2 fish each 2 1/2, 3, 3 and 4lb. All usual top quality. All caught on dry flies.

 

Favourite Fly of the Month.

In the south of Britain, particularly in May, Pond Olives are found in about 70% of our ponds. Although they are mainly still-water animals, Pond Olives also live in some running waters and are found in about 10% of rivers.

 

If you have a favourite fly of the month or season you wish to share with other members, please let me know and I will include it in next month’s newsletter.

 

Tight lines

 

Paul.

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