Welcome to the third Bainton Fisheries Newsletter

Welcome to the third Bainton Fisheries Newsletter, which is designed to keep you informed about the Fishery, in terms of news during the last season and some up and coming events and issues.

Membership 2002 - 2003 Membership has grown very well from the 2001-2002 figure of 103 fishing members. There are now 170 fishing members and I am pleased to announce that an operating profit of some £4000 has been achieved. It was decided at the last members meeting to limit fishing membership to 125 anglers on the complex. This figure was reached before the 16th June 2002 however late renewals pushed this figure back up to 150 anglers. As no adverse pressure was observed on the complex I decided not no decline any permit renewals. There is also significant latent demand for permits on the complex, no permits have been issued since August 2002 but demand is expected to be high for 2003/4 tickets.

Stockings News In 2002-2003 two stockings were managed. The momentum of last years 6 stockings has not been maintained due to the lack of suitable fish at the right price. If members know of lake owners who would be interested in selling fish to Bainton Fisheries then please pass their details to me. To summarise the 2002 - 2003 additions:- · September 2002 8 double figure carp and a 30.2lbs were stocked into the big pit. These were obtained after a days enduro-netting at Summerleys Nature Reserve in Northants. This latest addition of fish increases the viability of the bit pit as a low density/big fish water. · As agreed at the April 2002 Members meeting a supply of Crucian Carp for the Bailey bridge pit was finally secured (third time lucky!). 290 4-6 inch fish and 235 6-8 inch were stocked on 16th December. So please make sure they stay put and no using for livebaits as they cost too much. It will be interesting to see how well they do and how catchable they are in the spring, as Crucian Carp are notoriously tricky to catch.

Other fish movements during 2002-3 were two nettings on site where contractors were hired to move. Both episodes were disappointing in terms of the outcome. · An attempt to remove carp and predators from the Bailey Bridge Pit only managed to catch jack pike, and some small chub even after 4 attempts. None of the larger carp or chub were connected with. This was prior to the Crucian Carp being stocked. · In March 2003, 16 members turned out to assist in netting the Carp Lake with a view to moving the small carp. This lake is incredibly difficult to net and only resulted to two single figure common carp, which were moved to the big pit.

Total expenditure on stock and nettings for 2002-3 came to just over £2000.

Fishery Maintenance and Development Three working parties were held in 2002 and I believe that about 40 people managed to attend at least one. Work concentrated on the match pit, Orchid Pit and L Shape.

On the match pit three platforms were created, on the Orchid swims were cleared along the Maxey cut bank and on the L Shape general gardening took place along with putting some steps into the far western bank. Water lilies were also planted in the new pit and carp lake.

Hot-housing the Orchid. What can I say about this? The idea last spring was to artificially fertilise the Orchid pit with phosphate to attempt to create a pea green algal bloom in late spring. It was hoped this would trigger a bloom in small water creatures such as Daphnia hopefully leading to a bumper crop of food for rudd and tench fry to feed on in the early summer. The spring was very cold and wet, this lead to the weed growing in the lake before the algae could get going. The growth in weed has restricted fishing on the lakes but has lead to a bumper crop of pea snails. I think the net effect will be good weights for snail eating fish rather than encouraging fry. In theory the fertiliser should last for two years, so maybe a mild spring will cause a different effect.

Working party dates This year there will be working parties as follows:-

Sunday 11th May from 9am - Bailey Bridge Pit, Carp Lake,

Sunday 25th May from 9am - L Shape/Orchid Pits, In terms of arranging a plan of action for the working party days I would be grateful if members could either e-mail or ring me before hand to say they are coming. This will enable me to plan the tasks ahead for the day. Items that are particularly valued for working parties are chest waders, bow saws, loppers, spades, pickaxes and if people have access to 4x4s, trailers or even a JCB it can make light work for all. I am also sure that there will be opportunities for netting parties during 2003 to transfer fish into Bainton. These are usually within an hour's driving radius of Bainton and are extremely hard work, but rewarding nether the less. Chest waders and a strong back are essential. No dates as yet have been set but if you would like to register for a netting party then please let me know.

Feedback from Members Meeting On Friday 4th April the 3rd Members meeting was held, this time at Ye Olde White Hart in Ufford. A lot of decisions were made at this meeting, which will influence the running of the fishery for the coming season. In Summary:-

· It was felt that stocking should concentrate on developing the pleasure angling side of the fishery this year combined with increasing the predator balance in the Carp Lake. Species that will be actively searched for will include Bream, Tench, Pike and Perch. · The Stock Pond will be opened up for fishing before the new season and stocking will probably concentrate on the Bailey Bridge Pit, Stock Pond and Match Pit for non-predator species to avoid cormorant attention. · It was agreed by vote that the carp syndicate would be disbanded and that the carp lake would be open to all members to fish. · It was agreed by vote that only two fishing permits would exist, Dawn to Dusk at £37.50 per annum and 24 Hour at £75.00 per annum. · It was agreed by vote that all renewals must be in by mid May, (this means to return to the renewal address to arrive no late than first post on the 22nd May), after this date, membership will have lapsed. · It was agreed by vote not to change the padlock on the gate and reissue new keys, as it was felt that non-renewal rates would be very low. · An upper limit on anglers for the complex was set at 170, of which no more than 90 would be allowed to have a 24-hour ticket. · After May 22nd anglers on a waiting list would be invited to join Bainton Fisheries in time for June 16th.

The following rules were changed.

· Rule 5 - to specify that non lure fishing wire traces must be at least 18 inches long. · Rules 21 and 22 scrapped (relate to Carp syndicate). · Rule 23 (now 21) Swims may not be occupied for more than 7 days by the same angler, a break of 2 days must then follow. · New Rule 22 An angler may leave the complex for up to 6 hours and not forfeit their swim as long as they accept the risk of leaving some of their tackle behind to mark their occupancy and a note stating time left. (e.g. Leave Bivvy up but take rods).

· Dogs were discussed as usual, it was agreed that I would meet with LeFage to discuss the matter to minimise gate hoppers, rights of way signage and fouling of the site.

· It was confirmed that there are no ticketing arrangements for Junior, Senior or Disabled anglers. This is to reduce the administrative burden of proof and not to marginalise these anglers. Junior anglers are welcome to join their parent(s) fishing free of charge as long as they are kept under control and do not occupy an additional swim. Nor in total do not breach a 4-rod limit with their parent. Any junior anglers fishing in their own right would be liable for a permit charge. Under 16s are not permitted on site un-accompanied by an adult due to safety issues and the risk of annoying other anglers.

· Litter was also discussed, it was confirmed that no litter was to be tolerated and that anyone found littering would be banned from Bainton Fisheries. Litter is not a problem but one or two bits of rubbish have been noticed of late and we suspect we have a litterlout in our midst.

· Potholes were also discussed the action is for me to meet with LeFage Aggregates to remedy.

· Cormorants were discussed and the process for culling them. The effort involved in this operation for a non-commercial fishery without permanent bailiffing makes any solution very difficult to achieve. DEFRA have not been as helpful as they could have been.

Charity Pike Fish-in Just a quick note to say that 230 pounds was raised for Second Chance Children's Charity by members of Bainton Fisheries at the annual Pike Fish In. So a big Thank you to all those who took part.

And Finally Without all your support and effort running this fishery would be an impossible task. Please think as it as much as yours as mine. Hopefully you get out more from it than just a days fishing, I hope you feel included and consulted and feel that you are making a contribution into shaping the ways things develop. Things can only get better but there is still a long way to go.

For Comments or Suggestions please E-Mail.