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Join the angling trust..

Craig Wood

Craig Wood

Senior Member
Hi everyone
I can only say thanks again to jason for posting the report on the cherwell it has certainly changed my views..:)
I cant urge everyone strongly enough to join the ANGLING TRUST enough..
Our rivers are stuggling as every year passes for lots of reasons mainly it would seem due to water abstraction which is causing major pollution issues which as everyone knows will affect the whole eco system of the river such as fish stocks and future spawning..
Natural england plan to re-introduce the beaver to some rivers which will cause even more damage..Although beavers dont eat fish they do build dams which will cause untold damage to bankside vegatation and also loss of water below where they build them..Our rivers are already losing water at alaming rates due to water abstraction to an ever increasing population in this country and increased farming..So we can only imagine the damage beavers will do to an already fragile river eco system..
The angling trust are already lobbying natural england and the EA regarding this issue and as we all know they have already released otters into an already fragile river eco system without any proper survey being carried out..
The angling trust needs all our help by us joining them and getting things done before it happens..With more of us anglers on board the angling trust will have a bigger voice..
Regards craig.
 
In England there are now captive beavers in large enclosures in 5 places around the country. In Scotland, following more than a decade of preparatory research and investigation, the Scottish Executive issued a licence for a trial reintroduction of beavers late in 2008. In Wales, a feasibility study on reintroduction is currently under way.

Against this backdrop, Natural England commissioned this joint scientific study in order to prepare for the growing possibility that it will receive an application for a licence to release beavers soon. Similarly, the People’s Trust for Endangered Species has looked to inform its own view on assessing any future applications for funding any such reintroduction.

Commenting on the report, Tom Tew, Natural England’s Chief Scientist, said: “Natural England has not made decisions yet about whether reintroductions should take place. Decisions about reintroducing the beaver into England need to be made with a full understanding of their potential impacts, which is why we have commissioned this study in advance of receiving any licence applications. Beavers could have a range of environmental benefits but could only be reintroduced under the right conditions. The challenge in considering any future licence application is to ensure that these conditions can be metâ€.

Jill Nelson, Chief Executive for PTES said: “People’s Trust for Endangered Species has a longstanding interest in beavers and their suitability for reintroduction in the UK. Indeed we have contributed funding to aspects of the current projects in Scotland and in Wales. We welcome this rigorous assessment of the feasibility of beaver reintroductions to England which will help us to consider any proposals to reintroduce beavers there.â€
 
The same report they carried out before releasing otters??
Join angling trust and lets help our rivers over all eco system before natural england destroy it..
Regards craig..
 
Hi Craig,

I wouldn't fret too much about the release of beaver into our rivers fella...they are vegetarians, with a diet consisting mainly of tree shoots, buds and young bark.

Mind you, if you are a tree hugger.....:D

To my mind, you can't beat a bit of beaver............

Cheers, Dave.
 
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And if protected by similar laws as otters, that'll put pay to much of the EA's flood prevention work (raping of all river cover).....
:D:D:D
 
Wow..........EIGHT football fields long and they've been building it since the 1970's:eek:

Underachieving lazy little beggars........I thought they were much more industrious than that. The next time someone says you are working like a beaver you need to pull your socks up and try a bit harder.

On a serious note they will do a grand job of opening areas of overgrowth and letting a bit of light into the river. This will allow weed growth to establish which will encourage fly and invertebrate colonisation which will enrich the whole environment. The cut trees will in time sprout new growth from the base which will overhang the margins and provide low down cover for adult fish as well as a refuge for fry.
All told they will probably be a good thing and if the dams do prove to be a bit of a menace an hour with a chainsaw will soon sort them out.:D
 
Beavers were released locally around five years ago; from what i can gather, their impact has been more beneficial to fish and the environment than negative. We all had our concerns initially, but this was off the back of otter re-introductions which had visibly impacted fish stocks between the 90's up to present day. The arguments against eurasion beaver introductions dont stack up in the same way.

Paul
 
I can't wait for the court cases when a few people fall into the beavers' invisible, bankside (and running well-back from the bank) tunnels (the Euros do it just as much as Canadians) as I once did. Walking along a treeless meadow bank on the Rio Grande in Tierra del Fuego, fly rod in hand, making my way down to a good sea-trout pool nearly a mile below one second, only to find myself neck deep in that meadow and with a £500 rod badly knocked but not smashed and, worse, a badly turned ankle the very next. I was on my own, but thankfully was fit and strong enough to be able to climb out and hobble on.

Oh, the fun some fisheries, clubs and owners might have in court when the compensation lawyers have caught onto "Have you had an accident? Fallen into a beaver tunnel? Then contact us - Beavers Direct...".
 
beavers are master builders, they should build the olympic park, cheap as well.
it's a pity they don't eat otters....lol
 
The Chairman, early on Monday

Subject: Afanc: a myth based on experience - and a lesson - from some of the original Brits (the Welsh, the rest being mere Johnny-cum-lately, flaxen-haired, acquistive, power-hungry, deal-doing Germans etc)

With compliments,

The Chairman (since 1066)



The Legend of the River Conwy Afanc

It is said that there was a period in time when the good folk who lived along the Conwy valley were constantly plagued with terrible floods that both drowned their livestock and ruined their crops. The cause of this destruction to people’s farms and livelihood was not however a natural occurrence: all knew that the floods were caused by the Afanc.

The Afanc was a legendary Welsh water monster, likened, some have said, to the Loch Ness Monster. The Afanc lived in Llyn-yr-Afanc (The Afanc Pool) in the River Conwy. It was a gigantic beast who, when annoyed, was strong enough to break the banks of the pool causing the floods. Many attempts had been made to kill him but it seems that his hide was so tough that no spear, arrow or any man-made weapon could pierce it.

The wise men of the valley held a meeting and decided that if force wouldn’t work, then the Afanc must somehow be enticed out of his pool and removed to a lake far away beyond the mountains, where he could cause no further trouble. The lake chosen to be the Afanc’s new home was Llyn Ffynnon Las, under the dark imposing shadow of Mount Snowdon.

Preparations started straight away: the finest blacksmith in the land forged the strong iron chains that would be required to bind and secure the Afanc, and they sent for Hu Gardan and his two long-horned oxen – the mightiest oxen in Wales - to come to Betws-y-coed.

One minor problem though: how to coax the Afanc out of this lake, bind him with chains and then hitch him to the oxen?

It appears that the Afanc, like many other ugly old monsters, was very partial to beautiful young women, and one maiden in particular, the daughter of a local farmer, was brave enough to volunteer for the quest.

The girl approached the Afanc's lake while her father and the rest of the men remained hidden a short distance away. Standing on the shore she called softly to him, the waters began to heave and churn, and through it appeared the huge head of the monster.


Although tempted to turn and run the girl bravely stood her ground and, gazing fearlessly into the monsters green-black eyes, began to sing a gentle Welsh lullaby.

Slowly the massive great body of the Afanc crawled out of the lake towards the girl. So sweet was the song that the Afanc's head slowly sank to the ground in slumber.

The girl signalled to her father, and he and the rest of the men emerged from their hiding places and set about binding the Afanc with the forged iron chains.

They had only just finished their task when the Afanc awoke, and with a roar of fury at being tricked, the monster slid back into the lake. Fortunately the chains were long and a few of the men had been quick enough to hitch them onto the mighty oxen. The oxen braced their muscles and began to pull. Slowly, the Afanc was dragged out of the water, but it took the strength of Hu Gardan’s oxen and every available man to pull him onto the bank.

They dragged him up the Lledr valley, and then headed north-west toward Llyn Ffynnon Las (Lake of the Blue Fountain). On the way up a steep mountain field one of the oxen was pulling so hard that it lost an eye – it popped out with the strain and the tears the oxen shed formed Pwll Llygad yr Ych, (Pool of the Ox’s Eye).

The mighty oxen struggled on until they reached Llyn Ffynnon Las, close to the summit of Snowdon. There the chains of the Afanc were loosed, and with a roar, the monster leapt straight into the deep blue water that was to become his new home. Encased within the sturdy rock banks of the lake he remains trapped forever.
 
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The Chairman on Monday

Subject: An addition to an omission


Just in case you were wondering why the old Chairman went all Mabinogion myths and legends on you here last night, I would like to add that the Welsh word "afanc" is still in use: it means "beaver" in our incomer-newcomer English.


As ever,

The Chairman (Helping Ourselves Whilst Serving The Community Since 1066)
 
David Hall said:
chesham, cool, do you know anything about them lakes down waterside dave?
Click to expand...

Hi David,

What would you like to know mate? I can tell you the nature of the fishing in the original pool (which was an exploratory dig left to it's own devices for many years), and the name of the man who then bought the mineral extraction rights and had the present ponds dug for the gravel....and even the name of the digger driver who dug them (who is the same guy who now takes your day ticket money)....and the names of the fish who live therin if you wish :D

Seriously though mate (although all the above IS true :D) there are two ponds....one of about half an acre, the other about two acres (my best guess). It is a number of years since I fished them, but here is what I recall.

The smaller lake holds the usual selection of coarse fish, + a few carp and ornamentals...nothing of note that I remember.

The larger lake/pond used to have some very nice tench, and decent sized roach and perch. There were a few reasonable pike, and some fairly hefty carp. My best guess would be a total of perhaps twenty carp, including several twenties, a couple of thirties and the largest resident (Mick) which went forty plus. The day tickets were £8 or £10, with 24 hour tickets around double this. There was talk of a season ticket, to be priced at around the £100/£150 mark, but I have no idea if this was ever implemented. At least three rods were allowed....it may even have been four.

I must stress though that I can only vouch for all of this information being reasonably accurate for the period when I fished it, about six or seven years ago....and even then I only fished it a handful of times. I found the 'clientele', and the local yobs riding dirt bikes around the banks a tad disturbing (you get the picture) Not really my cup of tea. Also, access is so open that I can not even vouch for all of the carp still being there :mad: All very sad, as I only live literally 200 yds from the banks:rolleyes:

If anyone is actually still interested (and things may well have improved....or got worse) I will happily gather together uptodate information and let you know. Oddly enough, I walked over to the lake with a rod and my new reels and a spin doctor on Saturday, to sort the twist and line lay...how is that for coincidence? In the twenty minutes I was there, I saw two anglers setting up, and a third just turning up...and one biker who only stayed for half a minute or so. I don't believe it gets too busy very often these days, even though it stays open all year.

Cheers, Dave.
 
cheers for that,neil from amersham tackle said to me, it's rock solid full of crayfish.:eek:
 
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