The Heat is On

So I had three days off and no little boy to look after (it was his weekend with him Mum) and a forecast of warm sunny weather.

I was hoping for three full days fishing but after a works night out on the Thursday evening and a very late night  I wasted Friday feeling sorry for myself on the Sofa.

 
I came up smiling on Saturday though and managed to fish three locations over the next 2 days. 

All with equally poor results.

 
On Saturday I was up at 6am for the 45 minute driver to the River Nidd.  Now this stretch of the river between Knaresborough and York is owned by the Leeds ASA and it  really is quite beautiful. What some would call "Mr Crabtree-esque".    I got parked up, got my kit and hopped over the style in to the field through which the river flows.  The land owner seems to be using it as pasture or set- aside but the result is a vast wild flower meadow teaming with butterflies of every shade. A low drone of countless pollinator's wings beating the summer air, ratcheted up my excitement as moths, crickets and froghoppers rolled off my footsteps like waves.  In some ways my favourite part of fishing is that walk up to the riverbank especially on a summer morning. 

 
It's only once you get to the bank that things start to go wrong. 

 
Now there are a couple of pegs near the road with very easy access but the river is quite shallow there and I wanted to start off with the deeper, slower well sheltered pegs further upstream.   The problem is; getting down the banks at these points is particularly hairy.  The choice is a skin full of nettle stings or an early bath in the river.  I opted for the former and the bankside vegetation took it's toll for every inch that I slipped, crawled and swore (quitely) down to the peg.

 
Now I was conscious that the forecast was for a scorcher and a 7am start is a bit late when the temperatures were already in the high teens.  However I saw evidence on the surface and through my polarised glasses that there were fish about.  I opted for a legered piece of luncheon meat flavoured with an OXO cube to start with.  I can cast more accurately with a bomb than with a feeder and the river was narrow enough that I could catapult my freebies over the top.   I placed my rig perfectly,  flush against the deep far bank, in the shade of an overhanging Alder.  Perfect.

Nothing.

As the sun climbed, the shade of the far bank became thinner and thinner until the whole river was reaching for the factor 30.  As the temperatures went up,  the signs of life on the surface decreased and so after about 2 hours I decided that the flow may be too slow considering the heat which was now pushing 24C!  I decided to pack up and moved downstream where there is a shallower but much fast flowing section where the water would be carrying much more oxygen.

I always pack light when river fishing.  I have a rod quiver into which I can pack two broken down rods, my bank sticks and landing net and an excellent soft seatbox by TF Gear that has a padded top and access through a zippered flap at the front.  It has adjustable feet and comes with ruckstraps if need be.  It's one of the best pieces of kit I have.  Packing light when river fishing is a must in my view. This way you do not have to set your stall out for the whole day.  There is always the option to move.  If you have too much gear then it tends to put you off moving if the swim you have chosen is not producing.

 
On this occasion the move downstream failed to pay off except for a good sized Gudgeon following a switch to worm. (not to be sniffed at, I always consider Gudgeon a real bonus fish).

 
By this time I had run out of (drinking) water so made the decision to pack up return to the car, stop off at the garage for more drinks and then go on to the River Ouse at Linton.  (about a 15 minute drive).  Again, with the set up I have, going from fishing to moving takes about 5 minutes and about the same to set up once I have reached my destination.

 
Now the Ouse this is a proper river,  fed by the River Ure and Swale and later by the Nidd, it is slow, deep and wide.  with large boats moving up and down it.  Access is really easy with parking close by and wide pegs close to the water and easy to get to.

 
I switched to a groundbait feeder at this point with worm on the hook.  Another three hours with just a single bite, that I missed.  By 4pm I admitted defeat and headed home.

 
I fully expected better results on Sunday. A fresher wind had come up, the temperatures we much more modest and first thing I headed for Knotford Lagoon in Otley.  A cover strewn, weed filled gravel pit which is teaming with pike.   A floating frog lure is  killer here, retrieved over the top of the weed and lilies.  Surface lure fishing is for me one of the most exciting ways to fish. In the past, on this venue, I have had two pike attack this lure from different directions.  To see the shadows move through the crystal clear water and the huge bow wave come up behind your lure is heart stopping!

 
But for some reason the fishing Gods were not smiling and I didn't  get a single follow all morning, either on the surface or under.   This is the first time I have ever cast a lure at this venue and had no interest.

 
But the banks were alive with damsel flies, dragonflies, butterflies and birdlife the landscapes around these rivers and lakes are inspiring by themselves and just to be sat there feels like a privilege.

 
On packing up I reflected on the fact that I had spent about 13 hours fishing in total over the weekend with just a  single Gudgeon to show for my efforts.  Now in these temperatures it is not surprising that fishing through the hottest part of the day is going to give you little in the way of results.  I would be lying if I said it didn't knock my confidence though.  I am honest enough with myself that I know when I have fished poorly, hitting the wrong area with my cast but letting it sit there anyway, not being patient enough. Feeding too frequently or not frequently enough.  However in all the sessions this weekend I did most things right.  I think a bit more patience in the fist swim may have paid off but in reality the fishing conditions were just not right.  A 7amstart is too late in these temperatures and the heat was sapping enough for me on the bank without the low oxygen levels that the fish were having to cope with. 

 
That raises the questions as to whether you should bother going fishing when the conditions are clearly not right.. Nonsense!.  The conditions for fishing are always perfect even if the conditions for catching may not be.

 

 

 

The Bogeymen of Anglers

 

When talking to anglers on the riverbank it is not unusual to hear "No, don't fish there,  Otters have emptied the river"

The funny thing is, I heard the same thing about Cormorants a few years ago and Mink a few years before that and even about Pike when I was a kid. 

 
Now I can't say that I still caught plenty of fish in these locations because, hey this is me!   I don't catch plenty of fish anywhere!  However,  one thing that stood out to me even then was;   Predators are always found with their prey.  If there is no prey then there will be no Predators.  These animals hanging around empty rivers is the same as a bunch of hungry humans wondering about an empty supermarket.  It doesn't happen.

 
When I first started fishing it was disturbingly common to be told by anglers to take out and kill any Pike you caught as they "ruined fisheries".  Now that was obviously  a nonsense and  is mostly accepted as such nowadays.  Pike are a valued part of any mixed fishery and their presence does not significantly affect the quantity of fish in the area and indeed it can be argued the quality of the prey fish improve as the sickly and malformed are the first to be eaten. 

 
Cormorants have moved inland for the last ten to fifteen years or so as a result lack of prey at sea (due to over fishing by humans).   They are quite large birds that can eat a lot of fish but they are designed for catching fish in open water.  Though adept swimmers, they do not have the tools for pursuing prey through reed beds, underwater snags and undercut banks.   The result is that they will predate on river fish but will not be as effective as they are at sea or in open water.

 
The Otter is a however a river specialist and has the full skill set for chasing fish down amongst the boulders and tree roots. 

 
The common demoniator with all the above is they are all bound by the equation of any predator/prey relationship -  The numbers and success of the predator is directly linked to the number and success of it's prey.  After all, one does not hear of the Serengeti being devoid of antelope because Lions live there!  [OK, this analogy is a little facetious but you get my point.]
 

A lot of our rivers are in fact regularly stocked by the EA in any event so the management of these waterways is semi-artificial.  Introducing an extra predator in to the equations at most  requires a slight shift in stocking strategy.

It is my view that fishermen generally (and I include myself here) look for reasons and/or excuses why they have not caught fish.  If you visit the same location on a number of occasions without success then it is easy to think that there are no fish there and urgo something must have happened to them. The reality is that there are any number of variables as to why you have not caught fish and it is wrong to pin the blame on just one possibility.  A lack of fish in a stretch of water is much more likely to be down to water quality than the result of predation.

Commercial Fisheries offer a very different perspective on the problem.  I have every sympathy with Fishery owners which are now having to look at tackling the issue of predation.

Some of these ponds were created before the re-introduction of the Otter took place so it is unfair to have expected the designers to take this in to account.  However, animals predating other animals is not a modern phenomenon.  

Commercial lakes are generally artificial, the high stocking density and relatively shallow water make them very vulnerable to ecological changes and managers are more than aware  and prepared (hopefully)  when it comes to disease, pollution and poaching.  Predation is simply another  factor that should be taken in to account at the design stage. 

The re-appearance of the Otter and the ongoing threat of Cormorants and other predators  should be seen in the same way as the threat from poachers, pollution or disease.  Business decisions need to be made to address the threat.  But the issue is one of business management not an "ecological disaster" as it is sold in some quarters.   Fishery owners may have to alter the business model to allow for this which may involve investment such as making alterations to their venue.  If so then such costs can and in my view should be past on to customers who want to continue to enjoy their angling.  I see no problem with that.

I have been blessed with seeing Ospreys taking Trout at Eyebrook Reservoir (with much more success than I) and research shows that this fantastic bird may be making a long awaited come back.  If this is the case then anglers will have yet more competition on the river bank.  From this writers perspective it is the kind of competition I look forward to.