Wintle’s World – Doom and Gloom?

Doom and Gloom – Or Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be

The mysterious Stour

Just how much damage is being done by signal crays?

On the one hand Bob Church argued the case for the true extent of the damage being done by otters, mink, signal crayfish and cormorants, and conversely editor James Holgate has a much more optimistic view of the angling world.

So who is right, or are they both wrong? Is it just a case of one seeing a half-full glass and the other a half-empty one? Or does Bob need to chill out a little and accept that angling is always full of uncertainty, of potential disasters that spoil our sport yet we keep catching fish over the decades. After all, Bob’s been fishing for far longer than I have, and I started fishing properly in 1968, and in forty years we’ve certainly had plenty of changes.

The disasters that befell angling in the sixties make those happening today seem insignificant, especially when balanced against the quality of big fish around now. The great freeze of 1963 was a major disaster, and if repeated in current times would wipe out most carp fishing. Five years later the columnaris roach disease wiped out roach stocks on many waters only to be followed a few years later by the perch disease. Add in the massive dredging works of the fifties, sixties and seventies which destroyed the character of many rivers for more than twenty years, and we should count our blessings.

I must admit that there are times when it is frustrating to recall times of plenty from long ago. Certain types of fishing seem long distant memories for me. There is no doubt that cormorants have largely finished dace fishing on the Dorset Stour for instance bar a handful of areas whereas formerly they were found widely through the river. I know that really big roach are much scarcer in the Stour, too, for much the same reason.

Nevertheless, I do know that I am catching fish and enjoying it. I know that I can go out with worthwhile target fish in mind, and whilst complacency should be shunned, I know that all is far from lost despite these problems. I think that in fishing it is vital to grasp several fundamental concepts:

Mark’s PB crucian carp

And his PB grayling

Firstly that fishing is, for the vast majority of us, a sport, a pastime, a hobby, certainly not a profession or matter of life or death. That means that whilst catching big fish can be very rewarding it is not the be all and end all of angling. Getting too attached to specific very large fish that are often repeatedly targeted is bordering on obsessional, and ultimately self-defeating. When such fish die because of predation, it is all too easy to become upset when we should be thanking our lucky stars that they existed in the first place.

Secondly, fishing is more than a numbers game, a matter of pounds and ounces. That is not to say that we shouldn’t weigh our fish carefully or be overjoyed when we break a personal best, but ultimately our catches reflect an immeasurable mix of our skills, location, opportunity, dedication mixed with a slice of luck sometimes even a matter of wealth or who you know. For instance, I know how many two-pound roach I’ve had; whether every single one was weighed accurately is a matter of conjecture but that’s my problem not anyone else’s because there is no roach anglers hall of fame or league table. I’ve seen totals bandied about that are based on pure guesswork or include hybrids or that vary up AND down with the telling, and know that they only MATTER to the angler concerned not anyone else. Anyone who researches angling history quickly finds out that such totals are based more on fading memories and guesswork than documented and witnessed totals. So a loss of a huge barbel to an otter might be lamentable but such a fish could just as easily get killed accidently by pollution or at the hands of a careless angler. But it is not the end of the world (except for the barbel).

A Stour perch

Thirdly, over the decades many changes take place. Some species are in the ascendancy, other in decline. Rivers and lakes change in many ways from pollution, eutrophication, silting, and dredging. Parasites, diseases and other hazards emerge and disappear. Dominant species affect other species. On the Stour, the decline of dace has allowed roach to prevail in places. Perch have slowly re-established themselves with possibly the best-sized perch the river has ever held. Yet on some stretches, fish populations remain extremely low. Otters are having some impact and it is not yet known whether signal crayfish will establish themselves in the river though they are thought to be present. As for the cormorants…

There are certainly good years and bad years. Many feel that 2007 was not a particularly good angling year. Floods made fishing difficult (downright impossible!) on many rivers and stillwaters. Fish stocks were mixed up and redistributed with unknown long term effects. This winter has seen enough rain to allay drought fears for next summer, and perhaps prospects will be much better later this year.

I remain excited by angling prospects in the future. There are so many fish that I’d like to fish for and even catch that it would be impossible not to feel so. This season I’ve had three new personal bests, and would hope for some more by the end of the year but if I don’t get them I shall have enjoyed trying. I would just like to make a plea for a little sanity in angling (not too much, so Deanos can rest assured).

I have also got a load of new techniques that I will be trying later this year, and with a little coaching from the master himself, Graham, hopefully smashing one of my old PBs out of sight.