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Post by memsec on Jun 24, 2015 12:42:31 GMT
Harry's idea sounds great (I can pick you up) I know not everyone could make it every fortnight, but to make it a bit of an evenings fishing as well sounds more appealling. Next questions are the obvious ones who is up for it and when. We also need to look at more permanent solutions to the overgrown banks and unfishable pegs otherwise we will be fighting a losing battle as none of us are getting any younger. I agree it's good to have regular working parties but I suspect that the only permanent solution to overgrown banks and unfishable pegs is to get rid of that stretch from the yearbook!
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Post by jgpark on Jun 24, 2015 12:53:21 GMT
We own the fishing rights on all the Hammerton length so no landlord or riparian owners to worry about and no it will not be removed from the yearbook
Regards Graham
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Post by rushy on Jun 24, 2015 13:00:10 GMT
The EA use chemicals to control Balsam and Hogweed all the time, maybe you should do some research before piping up next time. The 2nd field at Hammerton needs treating, simple as, 70% of the stretch is unfishable. No research needed - and as I have pointed out before on this forum balsam is a problem , as is knotweed and hogweed. Targetted clearance is fine - as the Forestry Commission do with Asulox on bracken for example. The big 'BUT ' is that I sensed an appetite for much more radical clearance - and having seen the utter god almighty mess LDASA made with one of its former waters I think I am right to be concerned at pandering to the whim of people who appear to want rivers to look more like parks than natural habitat Hi Grayson I think it was only Quint who " appeared to suggest " a rather more radical clearnce . . thats his opinion. There is nothing I personally enjoy more than beating a balsam track down to the river and sitting amongst it with the rod poking out through a small gap. However , this doesnt suit everyone and the proof of the pudding is in the work we have done at Hammerton Mill Bottom. I would stick my kneck out and say almost nobody fished this stretch prior to us doing the first work party last year. As you can see from the recent posts on here, there are now lots of members fishing it along with good results. From personal experience and reports I have heard, other members have passed on their thanks for making this stretch accessible once more. Obviously there will be one or two members who used to venture into the balsam and have the stretch to themselves , so they won't be best pleased at our efforts an the evergrowing company they now have on the bank but such is life ! Me and Andy Mortia fished a balsam bashing venue last night. Walked half a mile through waist high grass and nettles, numerous forays to the rivers edge only to find we couldnt get down. The compulsory aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrghs as we vanished over invisble ledges, cut legs from trying to negotiate broken styles and invisible tangled barbed wire . We eventually cast in about an hour and a hakf after we left the car only to be attacked by Mossies who thouroughly enjoyed our sweat soaked bodies !! So yes, it is great fun and real fishing but I think a foot wide strimmed path along the bank and down to the pegs with a small flattened area to plonk your unhooking mat / stool on is becoming more attractive as I get a little older. By the way, Andy was rewarded with a nice little 4 lb Barbel and a good Perch. I was rewarded with a blank and bloodshot eyes .................... bloody balsam pollen Al the best Rushy
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Post by rushy on Jun 24, 2015 13:02:52 GMT
Harry's idea sounds great (I can pick you up) I know not everyone could make it every fortnight, but to make it a bit of an evenings fishing as well sounds more appealling. Next questions are the obvious ones who is up for it and when. We also need to look at more permanent solutions to the overgrown banks and unfishable pegs otherwise we will be fighting a losing battle as none of us are getting any younger. I agree it's good to have regular working parties but I suspect that the only permanent solution to overgrown banks and unfishable pegs is to get rid of that stretch from the yearbook! Thats not even remotely funny
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Post by Eddie on Jun 24, 2015 14:50:07 GMT
Well I'm sat on my unhooking mat, by the side of the nidd, rod poking out between the long grass, on the length we had the work party on. It doesn't seem over worked to me, just nice to be able to walk fairly easily and see the edge of the river here and there.
Eddie.
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Post by grayson on Jun 24, 2015 16:11:23 GMT
Rushy - I think working parties absolutely have their place but what is key is doing the work sensitively and intelligently . Give most of us a strimmer or a bow saw and there's no stopping us and that is where the damage can really be done; stuff like woody debris, roots and overhanging branches are all important habitat for invertebrates which on most lightly fished rivers are the main foodstuff for our fish .
I fish many small streams for trout which are horrendously overgrown but wonderful habitat for trout and grayling and thanks to idiots at Internal Drainage Boards I have seen just what damage is done to them when 'essential maintenance' is carried out . The key is to do the minimum which is necessary -by all means cut swims out etc but platforms etc have no place on a spate river .
Rivers can be dangerous places , and especially for anglers who are new to the world of wild habitat . I do think as an angling community we need to manage expectations on exactly how easy access can and should be for newcomers to the sport or refugees from the worst type of hole in the ground, park behind your peg , on site cafe etc commercials !
It isn't meant to be easy - and this is where somebody usually plays the disablity card - having been in that boat myself I have no objections at all to creating some easily accessible and safe swims but we all know that many anglers are inherently lazy and a one size fits all solution to enable easy access frequently means the baby is thrown out with the bathwater. I can think of one popular (not Leeds) river stretch is hammered day in and day out because- surprise!- you can park on the bank. I am no longer in the first flush of youth and the pounds have been put on but a 30 minute walk along the river bank is all part of the appeal
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harry
Full Member
Posts: 170
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Post by harry on Jun 24, 2015 17:14:53 GMT
Plays the disability card really.Thats an insult to any angler specially disabled ones.how have we gone from tryin to arrange some work parties to this.
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Post by grayson on Jun 24, 2015 17:40:47 GMT
You misunderstand me; what I mean - and sorry if it was not made even clearer - is that some lazy but able bodied anglers use the disability argument to open all areas of waters up to vehicular access and , in doing so destroy the character of the water . I would not dream of insulting disabled anglers - as I mentioned I have been disabled myself and it was not fun .I am still happy to insult lazy anglers though
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harry
Full Member
Posts: 170
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Post by harry on Jun 24, 2015 17:47:28 GMT
point taken.why not turn up at the work partys put your point of view across we all have the rivers at heart.
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Post by johnboy66 on Jun 24, 2015 19:27:17 GMT
I'm not big on match fishing but a couple of barbel open type matches would appeal to me and maybe it would get a few more on this great stretch of river . No need to butcher the place but you've got to be able to get to the river so opening up a few more pegs in the really hard to get to bits can only be a good thing . I agree
No need to butcher the place but you've got to be able to get to the river so opening up a few more pegs
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Post by Eddie on Jun 24, 2015 19:53:57 GMT
This is the length where the work on access has taken place, had this little fella today and watched a deer on the far bank. Not really looking too bad is it?
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Post by cabbo on Jun 24, 2015 20:12:47 GMT
Well done Eddie good to see fish are coming out regularly .
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Post by nige_LS7 on Jun 24, 2015 23:49:27 GMT
So shall we start talking dates for another working party? And what are the aims ? I assume it's going to be some work on the pegs at the Hammerton Mill end plus strimming and weedkilling a single track path the whole way through to the railway top?
I know rushy's probably been waiting to have any match dates confirmed, but anyway, what's people's availability for Sat 11th July and Sat 18th? Then we choose the best of those two? Those dates are short notice, but then again the school holidays start after that so some members with families will doubtless be going away. Obviously we preferably need a few people who know where the pegs and path used to be!!
I'm available both 11th and 18th. Graham's match list for these dates only shows one Hammerton booking - railway bottom on the 18th.
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Post by mortia on Jun 25, 2015 7:05:18 GMT
For a length like Hammerton I would suggest that the main priority is some sort of path along the top of the bank (it doesn't need to be of motorway proportions - only something that we are able to walk along) that will give access for people to cut paths/tracks down to access fishing pegs. I'm with rushy & eddie I like to sit in the middle of the vegetation & be well hidden, only getting to the river to net the monsters that lurk there ! Cheers Andy
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Post by nige_LS7 on Jun 25, 2015 8:36:17 GMT
lovely fish Eddie from a peg I really liked, and lost my hook to a good fish there last Saturday. Well played.
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