A lot of hard work has been done in the last few weeks. Fishing has fully resumed at Langford with good bags of mostly rudd coming from the Pleasure lake. The recent carp match saw fish caught and a winning fish of 31lbs 3oz for Ben Bentley.
At Langford a great many trees have been taken out allowing much more wind over the smaller lake, floating islands have been planted up and installed which will start to provide cover and take up nutrient load from the water. The numbers of geese have significantly reduced partly as a result of more anglers on the bank and the team working there several days each week. This will mean much less nutrient from them entering the water. Further plans include improving the car park bank, new platforms and a bit more tree work . All of this weather dependant as we enter the wetter months.
Silt and stock analysis are the next steps for the Pleasure lake.
Good signs of fish movement have been seen In Hand’s lake at Petersfinger , lots of bubbles and movement and the presence of various species and sizes seen. Much less activity in Clark’s lake.
Test fishing of Hand’s was carried out on Sunday 29th Sept. with well over a hundred fish of various species caught and all returned safely. Sadly in the days following the exercise dead fish began to show up showing possibly that the stock have not fully recovered and will not be resilient enough to resume fishing at this stage. EA fishery experts have been consulted for their views on this. The best analysis would be that things are improving, a decent number of fish have survived in that lake but their condition remains fragile. The hard part of the story may be that the poor water quality that caused the fish kill remains and our stock are struggling to recover.
Both lakes at Petersfinger have been replanted with spiked milfoil, 250 bunches were introduced, they will be growing and establishing and are the best defence that we have against the algal blooms. The same weed introduced at Dandys earlier in the year has taken well and has been showing at the surface.
So overall mixed news, the recovery at Petersfinger proving longer than might have been expected but good signs of reasonable survival in the one lake.
Work will continue through the coming months, analysing stock and silt, planning some trials of silt removal and talking with the experts about the recovery. It may be that a heavy dose of siltex or crushed, dried chalk will have to be our next step to try to rebalance the chemistry.
The club continues to offer eight rather than four places at Witherington and two places at Test Valley Club’s lakes. (See the club Forum under “Coarse Announcements” and “Loan Books, TV&S Piscatorial Angling Club” for details )
