Post by Artisttom on Oct 25, 2006 19:44:41 GMT
This year I was debating which local club to join having had a disappointing start to the flyfishing on the Ure (another story). I looked at the waters clubs held in my area - Swale, Ure/Ouse and, at a pinch, the Nidd, and decided on Leeds as it had a decent mixture of the river fishing I was interested in.
Having received my Year Book and visited various stretches, mainly in pursuit of barbel, some things I have found very disappointing.
1) signposting of stretches is poor or non-existant - none at all - eg.Linton on Ouse bottom stretch, some where the lettering has disappeared - eg. Nun Monkton stretch of the Ouse; some where even all the yellow paint has gone - eg. Lower limit Barnes Farm (how many years has this taken?); metal signs completely corroded away (must be pre- some war at least)- eg. Newton On Ouse Kyle Beck entrance; lying flat as the posts have rotted away - eg. entrance to Laund House Farm (not to mention the car park sign tied to a tyre lying in the mud); lying on the river bank on what isn't even Leed's water (Aldwark Bridge); hidden in a thicket - eg. Hunter's Farm top.There are many, many others.
Pegs 164-169 haven't been fished for donkey's years - it is like a jungle in there with neck-high nettles and no river access.
It all reeks of years of neglect.
2) the Year Book has some very misleading instructions, is vague (and that's being generous) about how to reach waters, and seemingly years out of date - do we still have Widdington Manor? If not, when was it given up?
Despite 'No Parking' signs for Leeds anglers at Helperby some just ignore it.
Ditto 'No Entry' for cars on the right bank at Topcliffe- ignored again.
How Catterick could be described as 'Parkland' (web site) leaves me bemused. It is what it was, the remains of a huge gravel extraction with its associated detritus - lumps of concrete, rusting wire hawsers, dilapidated caravan, evidence of burned out cars etc. Parkland one day, maybe. It is a fantastic environment for wild life though.
Leaving of litter - it's appalling.
I suspect that many fishing are not Leed's members but it would be a brave person indeed to ask to see a book when standing on the edge of a deep river. One guy I mentioned this to said he had been a member for 25 years and had never once been asked for his book.
We have some great waters but many are taking it forgranted that we will always have them (how many have we lost?). Other angling clubs are always on the lookout for new waters. Riparian owners are always looking for better rents and better tenants - there are many about. Leckford Palace is a superb barbel water but it was lost to a syndicate by a large local club for reasons which included poor behaviour by members.
I appreciate that the club is run by hard-working volunteers but, even given that, I expected that with such excellent waters everything that could be done would be done to protect them.
If I was a riparian owner I would expect to see smart and accurate club signposts ( I see many about from other large clubs - including those to whom we have lost waters), limit signs on all stretches and more frequent policing of the waters by club officials where club members are risking loss of valuable rights for us all. A few examples made - loss of Year Books - would soon stamp it out. ( I understand such action was taken on night fishing).
Never-the-less, I shall persevere with Leeds for the next season at least. I appreciate that not everything can be done at once but a plan of action is urgently needed (volunteers too!!!) and I look forward to seeing signs of improvements on my travels.
I should add that the web-site is excellent but will need fine tuning no doubt. ( If I may start - Having had my reply rejected several times I realised that I needed to type the code into the small box underneath - this could be made clearer for those who are less computer literate than others)
Cheers.
Having received my Year Book and visited various stretches, mainly in pursuit of barbel, some things I have found very disappointing.
1) signposting of stretches is poor or non-existant - none at all - eg.Linton on Ouse bottom stretch, some where the lettering has disappeared - eg. Nun Monkton stretch of the Ouse; some where even all the yellow paint has gone - eg. Lower limit Barnes Farm (how many years has this taken?); metal signs completely corroded away (must be pre- some war at least)- eg. Newton On Ouse Kyle Beck entrance; lying flat as the posts have rotted away - eg. entrance to Laund House Farm (not to mention the car park sign tied to a tyre lying in the mud); lying on the river bank on what isn't even Leed's water (Aldwark Bridge); hidden in a thicket - eg. Hunter's Farm top.There are many, many others.
Pegs 164-169 haven't been fished for donkey's years - it is like a jungle in there with neck-high nettles and no river access.
It all reeks of years of neglect.
2) the Year Book has some very misleading instructions, is vague (and that's being generous) about how to reach waters, and seemingly years out of date - do we still have Widdington Manor? If not, when was it given up?
Despite 'No Parking' signs for Leeds anglers at Helperby some just ignore it.
Ditto 'No Entry' for cars on the right bank at Topcliffe- ignored again.
How Catterick could be described as 'Parkland' (web site) leaves me bemused. It is what it was, the remains of a huge gravel extraction with its associated detritus - lumps of concrete, rusting wire hawsers, dilapidated caravan, evidence of burned out cars etc. Parkland one day, maybe. It is a fantastic environment for wild life though.
Leaving of litter - it's appalling.
I suspect that many fishing are not Leed's members but it would be a brave person indeed to ask to see a book when standing on the edge of a deep river. One guy I mentioned this to said he had been a member for 25 years and had never once been asked for his book.
We have some great waters but many are taking it forgranted that we will always have them (how many have we lost?). Other angling clubs are always on the lookout for new waters. Riparian owners are always looking for better rents and better tenants - there are many about. Leckford Palace is a superb barbel water but it was lost to a syndicate by a large local club for reasons which included poor behaviour by members.
I appreciate that the club is run by hard-working volunteers but, even given that, I expected that with such excellent waters everything that could be done would be done to protect them.
If I was a riparian owner I would expect to see smart and accurate club signposts ( I see many about from other large clubs - including those to whom we have lost waters), limit signs on all stretches and more frequent policing of the waters by club officials where club members are risking loss of valuable rights for us all. A few examples made - loss of Year Books - would soon stamp it out. ( I understand such action was taken on night fishing).
Never-the-less, I shall persevere with Leeds for the next season at least. I appreciate that not everything can be done at once but a plan of action is urgently needed (volunteers too!!!) and I look forward to seeing signs of improvements on my travels.
I should add that the web-site is excellent but will need fine tuning no doubt. ( If I may start - Having had my reply rejected several times I realised that I needed to type the code into the small box underneath - this could be made clearer for those who are less computer literate than others)
Cheers.
