Dr Paul Garner
Dr Paul Garner is widely known for his weekly column in Angler’s Mail. He has fished for almost all of his 29 years but still considers himself a beginner in the world of angling.

He escaped the urban sprawl of London to fish such exotic venues as the River Colnebrook and Grand Union Canal as a child. Later, he took up match fishing, at which he was quite accomplished and won his club’s senior championships at the age of 15.

A shift to specialist angling followed and at age 21 he left London and moved to Cambridge to undertake a PhD in fisheries ecology. He soon made a name for himself with big barbel from the then little known Great Ouse.

A post doctoral post studying the populations dynamics of coarse fish meant a move to the frozen wastes of Cumbria in the far north of England where the fishing for many coarse species is relatively poor. But he still managed to make a name for himself with some excellent catches of specimen chub and barbel from the Lancashire Ribble.

Late in 1998, Paul moved to Suffolk in the South East of England. Here he took up the post of Product Manager for Relum Ltd. One of the reasons for taking the job was to get back to a rich area for specimen fishing!

Paul now writes a weekly column for Angling Times.

For all of you with romantic dreams of working on your fishery in the summer months, the converse is much more likely to be true. Although there are some jobs (such as weeding) which have to be undertaken when the weather is warmer, most work will be done in the winter. The main reason for this comes down to purely monetary reasons. Few people will be visiting the fishery during the winter, so you will not be reducing your revenue severely by limiting access or even closing the fishery completely.

I think there is a strong case on many fisheries for having a close season during the winter months. On my own Owl lake, despite it only being visited two days a week, the clay banks are being churned up. This can be easily remedied in the future with different bank coverings, but it illustrates the damage that can be caused. With fishing effort at it’s lowest point it also makes financial sense that if you feel the need for a close season it should happen over winter. The down side is that on most waters I believe that fish can benefit from loose feed introduced in the winter months to help them maintain their fitness. Having anglers on the bank also helps reduce attack by predators, particularly otters and cormorants.

Paul with one of the bigger commons
The other reason why fisheries work is concentrated in the winter is that this is the time to move fish. Although it is possible to move fish right around the year, doing it when the temperature is low is infinitely better than in the summer months.

Fish are stressed much less when the temperature is low. Not only does water hold much more oxygen when it is cold (making transportation over extended periods easier), but the fish will be easier to catch and will foul the water less. All in all, if you get the opportunity, it is much more preferable to add stock fish during the colder months. Generally this means between October and March.

Exactly when you add fish is worth considering. Most fish farms will have large numbers of under yearling fish available in the Autumn. The trouble is that predation and natural loss will mean that a lot of these fish might not make it over winter. Losses can be very high, and with fish being so expensive this could mean throwing a lot of money down the drain. Unless you are looking specifically at a small fish fishery, then I feel that it is better to stock with larger fish than this. Predation rates are much lower as the fish get larger. Fish of only a couple of ounces will do OK, but will still be eaten by herons, pike, etc., much better to stock with fish of a pound and upwards, which are immune to most predators.
Mirror mirror on the wall, will
I be the daddy of them all?
Just taking carp as an example, in the first two years mortality can be as much as 99%. After this it drops to nearer 10%, so you can see that although the larger fish may be more expensive, you need far fewer of them, which off-sets the cost considerably. What size fish you stock really depends on the nature of the fishery and it is very difficult to give any hard and fast guidelines. If you have a specific problem though don’t be afraid to mail me and I will try and help.

So, although we should be moving fish around at the moment, the reality is that I am in the fortunate position of not having to do much at the moment. Apart from some more sample netting scheduled for in the next week or so netting is just about finished for the time being.

Something that I am very keen on with most fisheries and which we are introducing on this new lake is to keep the fish feeding to some extent on bait over winter. On many fisheries the fish might appear to get fatter over winter, but this is because they are replacing the fat built up in the summer months with water.
Small but scale and fin-perfect
Although starvation is quite rare, what tends to happen is that when the water warms up in the Spring quite a few fish can be lost owing to the extra stress this puts upon them. In my experience, giving the fish a bit of supplementary feeding over winter can reduce the number of fish you lose. It can also mean that the fish are at better weights the following year as they are not as wasted as would be the case if they were left to their own devices.

This applies to fisheries with relatively low stocking densities as much as it does to those with high stocking densities. I do think that you have to be a little bit careful though, as if the fish are too well fed they may tend to stop feeding in subsequent winters, making the fishing very difficult. Again, there are no hard or fast rules, but it is something worth considering.

If you like the sound of fishing for virgin fish in unspoilt surroundings there are still a few places left on the Owl lake carp syndicate beginning in March 2001. I doubt that there will be any really huge fish, but there will certainly be lots of easy doubles to be caught and more will be stocked this winter from my other fisheries.

Cost for the first year is only £ 100, which considering the location in North Essex, is astounding value. Viewing (strictly be appointment) can be arranged for most weekends.

If you are looking for specific advice on any aspect of Fisheries Management Paul can be contacted on 01394 610 399, or at paulandkirsty@garner66.Freeserve.co.uk

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