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HDAA closing Wye from this Monday 23rd

M

Mark Grafham

Member
Hi all,

Just been informed Hereford and District are closing their sections of the Wye until further notice. So any one planning a on heading down like myself needs to make alternative plans. Unfortunately I have had b&b booked in for ages. Looks like a sightseeing trip now. Like the rest of us I have been praying for a bit of rain before I got there.

Please see notice on their website.


http://hdaa.blogspot.com

Regards
Mark
 
HDAA have some decent flows at Holme Lacy and Luckshall.
Belmont I can understand.

Ah well, it's Britain. It'll rain soon and it won't take long before we all start whining about it ;-)
 
Gwyn Jeffs said:
HDAA have some decent flows at Holme Lacy and Luckshall.
Belmont I can understand.

Ah well, it's Britain. It'll rain soon and it won't take long before we all start whining about it ;-)
Click to expand...

Not sure it’s going to be raining anytime soon Gwyn.

Anyway, there is, I think, widespread concern for the welfare of the fish. It’s a pretty unprecedented period with (I believe) matching unprecedented action being taken by clubs. Many chose not to target barbel at all even before clubs took action. And yet there are these magical swims still- few and far between but full of cool and highly oxygenated water. And it’s where all the fish head- not to feed perhaps but because it’s the safest place for them right now. Anglers head for those swims and catch well, all fish “swimming off strongly and fighting fit”. Ready for the next set of anglers. Play again and press repeat. Does that feel right to you Gwyn?

Yes, we fish for fish and have to acknowledge that we subject them to an unnatural experience and all in the name of sport. But, it’s not a binary, care/don’t care situation is it. We do what we do but (generally, hopefully) in a way that minimises the impact on the fish. I think that’s all we are seeing right now and to my mind it’s all good precautionary stuff. It’s disrupting our pleasure but is that so bad?
 
Ouch, hitting below the belt ;-)

Yes, those ' magic ' swims/stretches do exist Howard, I was on one last week and I'm back there Monday. Fast flow, some depth in places and not an angler on either bank for a little over half a mile, nor has there been since the season opened the owner was kind enough to inform me.
The barbel numbers aren't great, but they are there.

So it's very much not a case of the barbel getting hammered day in day out in ' safe ' water in this case.

You know better than to ask where this little Eden of mine is, but I've been informed nobody has fished since I was last there ( In all fairness, not many can and not many do... I'm due again in a few days and the owner sent me an update ).

You may have noted elsewhere and chosen to ignore that I have abandoned my stretches where anyone with a ticket can fish?
I am down to 2 stretches with decent flow and restricted angling now.

But, as I've said before, if you cared that much about them...
 
Gwyn, your lucky to have access to such water. On club stretches and syndicates I fish Howard's post is spot on, fish tightly shoaled in known hot spots and fished for every day. They need this break.
 
I was chatting to our local EA guy yesterday, he was telling me that the heat was the biggest factor at the moment.
Oxygen levels are surprisingly good but strong fighting fish like barbel, salmon, trout etc exert so much energy during the fight that their body temperature rises, much like us when we exercise. Add to that the ambient temperature and it can be a recipe for disaster.
It's been difficult for him as he's supposed to be encouraging people to fish, so he's been telling everyone to target other species like carp.
 
Gwyn Jeffs said:
Ouch, hitting below the belt ;-)

Yes, those ' magic ' swims/stretches do exist Howard, I was on one last week and I'm back there Monday. Fast flow, some depth in places and not an angler on either bank for a little over half a mile, nor has there been since the season opened the owner was kind enough to inform me.
The barbel numbers aren't great, but they are there.

So it's very much not a case of the barbel getting hammered day in day out in ' safe ' water in this case.

You know better than to ask where this little Eden of mine is, but I've been informed nobody has fished since I was last there ( In all fairness, not many can and not many do... I'm due again in a few days and the owner sent me an update ).

You may have noted elsewhere and chosen to ignore that I have abandoned my stretches where anyone with a ticket can fish?
I am down to 2 stretches with decent flow and restricted angling now.

But, as I've said before, if you cared that much about them...
Click to expand...

They don’t exist Gwynn. You are either delusional or you are being deliberately provocative. I suspect the latter.

I don’t recall ever asking you to name the stretch. I stopped fishing the rivers nearly a month ago.

If you want to carry on fishing and are able to do so legitimately, then quietly get on with it. You may have noticed that many clubs and anglers are suggesting it’s not wise to do so.

And as to your final point, presumably intended to be the killer point in this debate- I would refer you back to the final paragraph of my previous post. You can care about the welfare of fish and fish for them at the same time. But perhaps this is news to you. I dread to think what you will be teaching any kids attending the show on August 5th.
 
Hi men,

Howard , i was just about to post similar, and to use that argument is desperate . Fish or dont is a personal choice , there can be no counter views that fishing for barbel in these low water , low oxygen, high temperature conditions is not good for barbel , fact . It is then for the angler to decide , as its lawful to carry on . There are without doubt areas or swims that can be fished with caution, but thats suposing the angler doing so has the knowlage and skills to look after a fish at that time , unfortunatly some have not .


Hatter
 
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