When the Rivers Open Again........

[GrahamM]

By the time 16th June comes round the rivers will not have been fished for coarse fish for about four months. And even before that we fished rivers very little due to the floods.

That's a long lay-off for the fish without seeing an angler's bait - free, hooked or otherwise. And on some stretches of river that's a big chunk of the larder gone missing.

So what do you think the reaction will be when we start fishing again? Will they be so glad of the feed they'll be crawling up the rods? Or will they have lost much of their taste for 'unnatural' food and we'll have our work cut out to get them feeding confidently on it again?

Or will it be no different than the start of any new season; the extra lay-off not making any difference?

 

[Birds Nest]

I think It'll do the fishing good, the lack of pressure making them less warey. Think a big lobworm will far outscore much of the designer baits until the pressure gets on etc...

 

[Steve Baker]

To be honest i dont care i will just be glad to be fishing again, in the nice warm sun, hopefully with the odd inquisitive cow trying to get a drink in the mud patch where i am fishing. Did i ever tell anyone about the time i had a rod broke because i was fishing in a regular drinking spot of the local cows? And they decided to come and have a drink even though i was there, scared the hell out of me.

That wont be happening for a while now, never thought i would miss cows.

 

[Richard Drayson]

One of the stretches of river that I fish (R. Test)is closed to us from Feb to Oct every year when the game anglers have sole access. After October we have access to fish for the coarse fish and it doesn`t seem to fish any differently from another stretch of river that we fish from June til the following March.
Consequently, I don`t think that next season will be any different to any other.

 

[John Tait]

I hope that next season will be a damned sight better than the last one !!!!


Jonty

 

[Steve Claxton]

Ill never swear at a cow again...sorry cows !
as for the fishing if their off anglers baits or not i cant wait for the 16th.....just hope the barbel on the r.ribble feel the same...surely a nice lump of blue cheese flavoured lunchean meat will prove too irristable

 

[Nigel Dalton]

Like all discussions you can answer this question in whatever way suits you. I could say that not having seen any bait for a while , then the fish will think they've encountered a banquet when we all turn up on the glorious day and we'll catch a stack. But.... if things go wrong and we don't, then we'll probably think to ourselves, ah well, they need a bit of time to get educated to our baits again.
Me, I'll just be happy to be able to get back on a river somewhere. I'll be even happier if F & M has meant that all likely restrictions both here and in Ireland (where I'm hopefully going in August) are lifted.

 

[Steve Baker]

dont worry there was ONLY!!!! 35 new cases today, the goverment is handeling it all really really well, it'll all be over by easter.

 

[john conway]

Having sat the winter out on the banks of the River Lune in sub zero night sessions with plenty of blanks and days when I was washed out with the floods, but always the odd session when I landed a really good bream or hybrid, I can’t wait for the warm summer nights when I can pit my wits once again with these beautiful fish. I’m already planning my pre-ground baiting campaigns. One thing I will miss however, before the F&M epidemic I had intended to spend most of the close season walking the banks and watching where the bream go when they move out of their winter holding areas. Can’t do this because of the F&M at Halton. Looking on the bleak side it may even be winter again before we can get back on the river again, lets also hope that all this disinfectant that’s being used doesn’t end up in the rivers? I’m sure I’ll get some fishing in somewhere in the summer, even if I have to spend a few long weekends at my Mums on the Norfolk Broads, haven’t figured out yet how I’m going to sell that one to “her in doors”. Anyone got any good story lines?

 

[Tony Miles]

Interesting, and worrying, comments from two farmers who own good stretches of the Bristol Avon and Ouse respectively. They have both stated that they doubt whether they will allow anglers on their land before at least September. This stems from experience of the 1967 F & M outbreak, when it was proved that prematurely relaxing restrictions when the worst of the crisis seemed to be over led to a further outbreak, just as serious. These two farmers, and their neighbours, feel they want to see a couple of months elapse free of the disease before dropping their guard. The problem is, with no sign of slowing down of new cases, and more extensive exclusion orders, I really can see June 16th on many rivers being a non event this year.

 

[peter webber]

I hope to be able to fish the river on 16th June. With the floods over ( i hope ) old swims will have been cut away and new swims made, it will be like starting all over again. Finding where the fish are, there new hiding places etc. It will be like fishing a new river and I can't wait.
Like a few have said the F&M could put a block on the start of the new season and we can only hope and pray that it don't.
Like most I have hardly been able to wet a line on the rivers since the floods started and Jan/Feb is normaly the best time for me getting some big roach/bream bags from the river.
I think we just have to keep our fingers x'd and hope for the best.
Pete

 

[Stewart Bloor]

Although it goes against my heart (ie what I would like to happen), my head (ie the facts) tells me that Tony Miles is right. I think (and I really would love to be proved wrong) that June 16 will be a non-event this year.

 

[Chris Bishop]

It's all going to depend which part of the country you're in Stewart.

We haven't had a confirmed case up here yet, so a lot of waters just stayed open and you could boat fish some you couldn't get to via the banks.

 

[Dave Johnson]

I agree with Sedge, the 16th is looking a non starter. the cases of F & M appear to be rising daily and i cannot see how it is going to stop. Holland had a case confirmed this afternoon I understand, this will just keep going on and on and even re-infecting . What is going to wipe it out completely?

 

[Nigel Dalton]

I can't understand why a full inoculation programme hasn't been implemented. It surely can't be more expensive than the total disruption that this is causing? In any event, money shouldn't really come into it but of course it does.

 

[Dave Johnson]

i think it is more to do with selling animals that have been inoculated etc, also they have to be done every 6 months and there are many strains of foot and mouth which need a seperate vaccine

 

[Nigel Dalton]

Just getting back to Graham's original question for a moment. If the state of play is still no UK or Irish fishing and, because there's F & M in Holland and France now, where are we all going to go for Summer Holidays??

 

[john conway]

I suppose I’m lucky it’s only 20 miles from Morecambe Bay so it looks like I’ll have to dig out my sea gear. Someone at work has dropped out of a boat sea fishing syndicate and asked if I’m interested. They go out once a month; this must be better than nothing. Also my next-door neighbour “farmer” has a big pond over which they clay pigeon shoot and he tells me that there’s a few roach up to 2lb in it and I can fish it if I want. I’ am not sure if this will look good with the locals however, I don’t want to be seen to be ignoring the keeping off farmland protocol. The talk around this part of the Dales and Lake District by the farmers, our lass works for the Lake District National Park, is that this epidemic is going run into Aug/Sept.

 

[Bob Gill]

I expect that the fishing clubs are going to experience some loss of revenue the longer F&M goes on - so spare a thought for them as well.

 

[Dave Johnson]

Yes Bob, but I bet the commercial fisheries that are staying open hike their day ticket prices up, just as some of the garages did during the fuel strike.
I am looking to check out a couple local to me, Heronbrook and Cudmore this week, hopefully to pen an article for the site, and I know how much daytickets cost at them so watch this space...