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Sea Trout Protection English and Welsh Version

Submitted by Mandi on July 11, 2011 - 3:30pm

English and Welsh rivers were colonised by sea trout at the end of the last Ice Age, and their descendents are the populations of brown trout and sea trout we know today (both Salmo trutta). Resident and migratory characteristics have developed within individual catchments, so that some fish now remain permanently
resident (brown trout), some always migrate (sea trout) and others can do either, depending on circumstances. It is believed that both genetics and environmental issues, such as habitat and available
food, play a part in whether or not a trout migrates to sea. What is a Sea Trout? SALMON & TROUT ASSOCIATION
Game anglers for fish, people, the environment.At the 1st International Sea Trout Symposium at Cardiff University in July 2004, four key issues emerged as being vital to the future of our sea trout stocks:
lSea trout utilise tiny spawning streams, but these are the very habitats most at threat from unsympathetic land use and agriculture. Finnish sea trout stocks have been savaged by fish being accidentally
caught in the coastal white fish gill-net fishery. The UK's coastal waters are exploited by bass gill-netters, and the potential threat to sea trout is obvious.lLarger female sea trout are often multiple repeat spawners with a potential to deposit many eggs over their lifetime, so maximising their contribution to local stocks. They have proven their fitness to survive in both the river and the sea and so contain important genes to pass on to their progeny. Protection of larger fish is therefore vital. Some scientific opinion suggests that salmon are on the edge of their viable range in the southern half of England and Wales. If our climate becomes warmer, as is widely predicted through global warming, sea trout will also be
vulnerable to the resulting environmental pressures, such as droughts, abnormal winter flows, inevitable changes to their growth/life history and,weakened by sub-lethal levels of pollution while in rivers, they might be unable to survive the additional stress of migrating from freshwater into the
marine environment.
What can you do to help?

Introducing BASS

Submitted by Mandi on June 9, 2011 - 9:11am

 

Bass Logo

The Bass Anglers' Sportfishing Society (BASS) is both a fishing club and an organisation dedicated to the conservation of the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax).
BASS was formed in March 1973 following a meeting of bass anglers interested in fishing for and conserving the species. It argues that the bass fishing we used to have was better than what we have now. Better in terms of both numbers of bass and the sizes of bass caught, by anglers. The Society’s long term aim is to restore, at least in part, that situation. To further that aim it has set up a Restoration Project.
The majority of members live in the UK, although there are members living in Eire and other parts of Europe. Members come from all walks of life.
The Society encourages its members to fish in a sportsmanlike manner. They are requested to observe the minimum size limit of 18ins (45cm) recommended by the Committee in those instances when the occasional fish is taken for the table.
BASS members occasionally organise 'fish-ins', at venues around the coast of the UK. These are not run as competitions, instead they offer a chance for members to socialise, share ideas and visit new areas of the coast.
BASS publishes a quarterly magazine, which is supplied free to paid-up members.

Great catch

Each issue is packed with information about the activities of the Society and its members. Contributions to the magazine are welcome from all members, pictures, articles and reader's letters appear in the magazine (and on the website).
All BASS members, with a personal email address, are invited to join the password protected members only forum, where members can 'meet up' and discuss all aspects of bass fishing. Even if a member is not into 'chatting', the forum is worth a visit, if only to read the wealth of information about bass and bass fishing that has been posted there.
The Society is affiliated to the Angling Trust, maintains a membership of the Marine Biological Association and also has close links with Irish Bass, www.irishbass.org
If you are interested in bass fishing, and protecting stocks of fish for the future, have a look at our website; where contact details can also be found:

www.ukbass.com

Alternatively contact us via:
Lee Campbell

BASS Membership Secretary

30 Daniel Street
Barry

Vale of Glamorgan

CF63 1QX

Eel Friendly Fisheries Scheme

Submitted by Mandi on June 9, 2011 - 9:04am

 

 

The National Anguilla Club is one of the country’s longest running specimen angling clubs being formed back in 1962. Its membership has fluctuated between 10 to 50 members but is now at an all time high with well over 100 senior members. In the early days some eels were killed by the membership so that in-depth studies could be carried out to better understand this mysterious creature. The freshwater eel population is in serious decline, the club has evolved to meet the challenges that face the eels future with the appointment of environmental officers and a hard line approach to eel conservation issues. The eel has declined by 99% since the 1980s and a pan European research Group under the title of Indicang has proven that the situation is now critical. To put this in perspective the European freshwater eel is currently deemed the most at risk vertebrate in the country and is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( ICUN ) Red list. This list contains species at risk and is split into categories depending on the severity of the risk, the eel is currently classed as critically endangered, the next stage is Extinct in the Wild. To combat the challenge’s facing the freshwater eel the National Anguilla Club is launching a new scheme that hopes to highlight how we as anglers and fishery owners can make a difference.

The Eel Friendly Fishery Scheme is open to commercial fisheries, Clubs and Association’s and a fishery can achieve eel friendly status following a successful application. The fishery would have met the criteria required and agreed to enhance the eel’s habitat where possible within the fishery. The NAC can advise the fishery on habitat improvements. These can be as simple as leaving a small area of the lake to remain overgrown and weedy to placing sunken pipes and floating islands in a designated area. The main criteria is the adoption of a code of practice. This code relates to the eel within the fishery environment and is fundamental to the process, the code contains aspects relevant to anglers and fishery owners. Many people have a preconceived view of eels and, like sharks, they suffer from a poor overall image usually attributed to their snakelike appearance and movement. In reality the freshwater eel is a valuable asset to the fishery environment and nearly all lakes, ponds and canals still contain a stock of mature eels.

 

5lb 2 0z Eel form South West Fishery

Many of these resident eels are mature females remaining within a watercourse until the time is right for them to migrate back to the Sargasso Sea. Eels are extremely slow growing and a rule of thumb is that an eel takes 10 years to grow 1lb in weight. So a 5lb specimen eel could be as much as 50 years old. These large female eels are the most sought after by the NAC membership as the male eel rarely exceeds 2lbs and an eel needs to top 4lb to be classed as a specimen. As a fishery owner or angler why should the decline of the eel make any difference to you?

Well, as a keystone species the eel is an integral part of the food chain. Otters have historically fed on a rich diet of eels previously abundant within the country’s river systems. The decline in eels has surely led to the modern otter finding alternative prey in the form of lake fish. Many modern fisheries do not contain predators but are subject to the occasional fish fatality. Eels clean up the dead and dying, thereby helping to prevent disease.

The Club has also begun to discover a connection with crayfish that could be beneficial in the removal of the infamous signal crayfish. Waters with large heads of crayfish seem to be devoid of eels and waters with a good population of eels have few or no crayfish.

Eels are perfectly designed for hunting crayfish and can enter their burrows easily, several members have caught large eels that have regurgitated crayfish. I hope that anglers and fishery owners will see the benefits in conserving the freshwater eel and do something positive by signing up to the Eel Friendly Fishery Scheme.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the eel and the National Anguilla Club can visit the clubs website at: www.nationalanguillaclub.co.uk

To find more about The Eel Friendly Fishery Scheme contact Steve Dawe at: [email protected]

Anglers Embrace The Big Society

Submitted by Mandi on May 27, 2011 - 11:38am

ANGLERS EMBRACE THE BIG SOCIETY! 3rd RIVERFLY CONFERENCE DEMONSTRATES HOW RIVER SCIENTISTS CARVE A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR UK RIVERS Lord (Chris) Smith, Environment Agency Chairman, champions rivers Big Society working in partnership with the angling community. Riverfly Partnership’s Anglers’ Monitoring Initiative (AMI) given as prime example The 3rd Riverfly Conference, held on Thursday March 10th at the Natural History Museum, organised by the Riverfly Partnership - a network of 100 partners - and hosted by the Salmon & Trout Association on behalf of the Partners, attracted a “full house” audience drawn from all quarters of UK fishery and aquatic environment interests, in the 200-seater Flett Theatre. The conference, Your Rivers – Their Future, united for the first time citizen scientists (anglers and community groups), regulators, regulated organisations and academic interests on an equal platform.

Get The Drift

Submitted by Mandi on February 24, 2011 - 12:45pm

Looking down over a lake prior to getting to the bank, or into a boat for a days fishing, we have all watched the stretches of wind lanes. Some, gently wandering across the water, others, in high wind conditions showing as a definite path of foam amongst the wave breaks. These wind lanes often hold feeding fish I am fanatical about fishing wind lanes and would like to point out their advantages. Let me explain the formation of these wind lanes, why they attract the fish, and how best to use them. Wind lanes were studied in depth (excuse the pun) by Irving Langmuir, an American physicist, after noticing the lanes forming on the water surface. He discovered that when the wind was blowing across the top of a water mass in one direction, because of the ‘Coriolis’ effect (this is what make your bath water spin whilst going down the plug hole) cells are formed below the surface, and actually break the surface at the top of each cell. These are known as ‘Langmuir Cells’ What we actually see is the top of each cell where it breaks the surface, and in fact the water in that space is turning very slowly at right angles to the wind direction.

Anglers Paradise - Halwill, Devon

Anglers Paradise is located in Halwill Junction, Devon. The journalists from the nations press, radio and television who regularly visit Anglers Paradise confirm in their articles and features that they prefer these lakes above all others, as do our guests who return time after time after time.

There are 30 Lakes in total at Anglers Paradise, there are Seven Pagoda style shelters that can be specially reserved for wheel chair users making life that bit easier. Anglers Paradise has 12 Exclusive lakes for residents staying in our accommodation only but we also have a great range of Day Ticket Lakes too! Carp to over 50lbs and Catfish to over 90lbs plus the chance of catching some of the rarest fresh water species you will find in the Country!

Luxury Accommodation

Clean, comfortable luxury accommodation. All of our 38 Villas are finished to the highest standard, designed to accommodate 2-9 people. All are luxuriously appointed and make you feel at home as soon as you step inside!

Recreation for the whole family

Theres something for the whole family to enjoy, from the Children’s Play Area to a fabulous Games Room, Magnificent Heated Indoor Swimming Pool with Sauna and Jacuzzi, Massage Therapy and more! Anglers Paradise is set in over 250 acres which is abundant with wildlife and the location is ideal for exploring the whole of the Westcountry. We are also only a 25 Minute drive away from some of the most beautiful Beaches with some fabulous walks. 
 
For more information on staying at Anglers Paradise please either phone, email or visit our web site through the link below. 
01409221559 

Flyyak 2010 Press Release

Submitted by Mandi on February 6, 2011 - 4:34pm

Pupils from Robert Blake School in Bridgwater enjoyed a fun filled day (28th June) learning fly fishing and Kayaking skills taught by fully licensed coaches as part of a new sporting initiative called FLYYAK 2010. This is a multi partner initiative supported by the Angling Development Board, Angling Trust, Canoe England, South West Lakes Trust and the Environment Agency.The pupils arrived at 9.30am at the beautiful surroundings of the South West lakes trust Wimbleball Trout and Sailing lakes. They were joined by another group of students from Blundell School in Tiverton.
The order of the day was as followed: Once they were all separated into two groups, the first group had an hour’s fly fishing tuition and the other an hour’s kayaking instruction, then the two groups switched over until everyone had learned the basic skills needed to safely power and control the Kayak and of course to successfully cast a fly. Lunch was then the order of the day with freshly caught barbequed trout caught from the venue earlier that morning. Once everyone was refreshed, they were all paired up and given a two person kayak, a fly rod, and a paddle, the pupils then had a amazing afternoon of exploration, paddling and casting about, taking it in turns one to paddle while the other was trying to catch one of the many trout that reside within this huge reservoir.
Unfortunately, no one managed to catch anything on this occasion this was mainly put down to the very sunny and warm conditions that were felt on the day with temperatures soaring to over 23 degrees centigrade. Nevertheless, all the participants involved had an amazing day and have hopefully caught the bug for fishing of kayaking or indeed both: “FLYYAK”ing.
Comments from partners involved:
Dean Sandford from the Angling Development Board (South West) “the day has been an amazing success and I would like to thank the Environment Agency for helping to fund this initial pilot project which will hopefully be the first of many multi partner events within the South West region throughout the rest of the year and beyond”. For further information on angling development please contact Dean on: [email protected]
Andy Davey from Canoe England (South West) said “it is fantastic to see so many young people enjoying the day a float” and went onto say “it’s great to be able to offer schools an innovative project that covers two sports for the price of one, especially within these challenging financial times”. For further paddle sports development information please contact Andy on: [email protected]
John Dawson level 2 game angling coach: “I have really enjoyed teaching these potential new participants to our wonderful sport and I think the two sports really complement each other”.
Contact John on www.johndawson.co.uk
Darryl Birch the South West Lakes Trust Exmoor and Wimbelball Lake manager said “The pupils from both schools have had a brilliant time” he then went on to say that a Flyyak competition will be held for competent game anglers at the upcoming LakesFest 2010 being held at the venue on the 14th to the 18th July as part of the celebrations for the 10 years anniversary of the South West Lakes Trust
and partners on Exmoor, for further information please see: www.swlakestrust.org.uk/10years/lakefest2010

My Favourite Holiday Cottages - South West

Looking for a property with either Coarse, Game or Sea fishing nearby? View our extensive collection of holiday cottages for fishing holidays that either have on-site fishing facilities, tackle storage facilities or have information on local rivers, canals, lakes and ponds with easy reach.
My Favourite Holiday Cottages helps anglers find self-catering holidays to suit their angling interests. We can offer ‘fishing cottages’ all over the UK many in stunning rural and coastal locations perfect for families or any size group and most welcome pets. Each property also has a location map allowing you to check its proximity to fishing locations.
 
Every property also has website and email links enabling you to request further information or book directly with its owner or manager. We do not apply any booking charges or other fees.
Whatever your needs, from small to large groups for Coarse, Game, or Sea Fishing holidays, My Favourite Holiday Cottages will have something for you.
 
Click the link below the photos to visit our website to view our full collection of holiday homes for anglers, search live availability and book securely online (NO commission or booking fees).

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