Totally agree with what is said above. I fished skip bridge Friday evening from about 14:30 to 23:00 didn't see anyone else on river bank, was 1 guy looked as though he had been on army night manoevers putting his gear in car same time as I was. Lost 1 fish off hook pulled out as neither the fish or I were giving an inch. Fished the stretch below bridge for first time in many years. Don't think people realise that we own the rights on right bank for a mile below the bridge and not overgrown due to the cattle. The more river banks that are looked after the more they will get used.
had the 'working party' stretch to meself on Friday evening. Just me and the otters. Glorious.
Really like the look of it below the bridge where you say, too.
So many swims, so little time.
I am up for having a few more working parties this summer, especially near Hammerton where I can get to on public transport or (say if we did a working party at Easedike), if someone could pick me up from say Tadcaster. Let's face it, the middle of the day is not generally 'big fish o'clock', so why couldn't we have some clearing sessions from about 10 am to 2 or 3 pm, then fish from whenever till whenever?
On Saturday morning, I was back bright and early to the 'working party' stretch. I saw a deer on the opposite bank and an otter was just coming home off his night shift. A heron moves on when he sees I'm back. Beautiful. Glad to be alive.
I'd just started when 2 other blokes turned up "how you getting on?"
"Just started," says I. "Did well here yesterday though."
"Any otters?" says he (he's probably been thinking about this driving here)
"Yes, but good fish as well"
He grunts negatively and asks "OK if I fish the peg above you, first time this year, it's my usual peg."
"Of course, go ahead, I'll be roving on up a bit later meself, all the pegs here look great"
"Bet they haven't cleared all the way up" says he (as if "they" was the Council or something)
"No, but as far as the outlet."
(he's not impressed by this)
"Some great pegs up there." says I. "Tight lines"
So, 2 hours later, I'm roving further up at the same time they're wandering back down.
"Any luck?" says I.
"Nothing. I always get fish right away on worm in that peg, but nothing today" (he's only fished it for an hour and a half and he's talking as if someone's ruined it - probably he's been moaning to his mate about otters, herons etc).
"Aye well, they were late spawning this year" says I. "Might still be at it, some of them", and then I told him that I knew of at least four of us who'd had good barbel out of the stretch in the last 3 days. He looked sceptical.
"I'm heading up to the top of the stretch" I say.
"Be careful up there," he says, grumpily, "You can't tell where the pegs end and the river starts. It's bloody dangerous" (he's talking as if 'the council' haven't done a great job and the 'risk assessment' should have identified the danger pegs and put a "Beware of slippy floor" sign up. Lord knows what he'd think if we'd had some real rain instead of a few drops).
I felt like saying 2 things (but didn't): (1) my humble apologies that some vegetation has dared to grow since the poor efforts of our working party, and that the canopies we put up have been stolen by those pesky otters, or (2) did you actually bother to do a few minutes of peg clearance yourself?
Instead I just said "You should have seen it a month ago before we did half a day's work on it."
Instead of "well done", all he said was "I've heard talk that they're making a lane all the way to the mill. Hope it's true. Used to be great this stretch." [ A LANE??? does he want to drive his golf buggy up with his gear on??]
Anyway I think they left the stretch then, after 2 hours, to fish closer to Skip Bridge.
I should have invited him to join the forum and take part in working parties, shouldn't I, but something in his attitude made me think it might be a waste of time.
As in all walks of life there are "They/them" anglers and "We/us" anglers. And even those like yourself Jez last year who just got the strimmer out and got on with it on his own!! Heroic stuff!
I don't want to be "holier than thou" (anyway I only turned up half-way through my only working party so far, so I'm only half as holy as thou at most), and I'm not really judging this bloke from a two-minute conversation, he's probably a great bloke, but just using this to illustrate a point, again, about what an angling club is, i.e. not just a yearbook.
"The club should do this. They should do that."
"Yes, we should mate. What date suits you?"