Hull & District Anglers’ Association
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Members Notice Board 2010 |
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Content:
Welcome to Hull & District Anglers' Association for 2010
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Welcome to Hull & District AA Thankfully, 2009 proved a settled period for the Association, particularly with regard to personnel. Ben Wales became our first Website Editor and has developed a new site that we hope will prove more responsive to our members’ needs. Jason Dickinson has taken on the role of Information Officer and is keen to bring the benefits of membership to a wider audience, and Phil Arnott has taken over from Chris Evans as our Wildlife Officer. The Association wishes to thank Chris for his contribution and awaits with interest Phil’s initiatives on this important subject; after all, for many of us, our beautiful countryside is an integral part of why we go fishing. As we end the decade, the Association faces ever-increasing competition for members. The anglers of East Yorkshire are spoilt-for-choice with venues at which to spend both their leisure hours and their hard-earned cash. How the Association responds to this competition will ultimately decide whether we grow or contract. Attracting new members and holding on to them, is the only sure-fire way of guaranteeing our long-term survival. To achieve this we must strive to give our members what they want and offer it at the cheapest possible price. We have to deal with the world as it is, not how we would want it to be. That means reassessing our venues and maybe turning some of them over to a more popular style of angling. We are currently considering whether there is room within our portfolio to provide a couple of more heavilystocked, commercial-type venues. We would appreciate members’ views on this subject – so feel free to get in touch. I’m confident we can face the new decade with optimism, determined to meet its challenges, ready to take the Association on the next leg of its journey. I hope you will come with us. Good luck and good health to you and yours in 2010, and I hope you catch plenty of fish. Derek Pye |
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Fishery Officer’s Report Over the winter of 2008/09, the Brough Complex remained the focus of our work parties, but finally we managed to turn our attention to some of our neglected venues. Blue Lagoon: As promised, we finally set about the renovation of this popular water during two intensive days in December. Tons of hardcore and crushed asphalt where utilised to create a new path, scaffold and telephone poles used to replace the pegs. The result has received high praise from both our members and residents of the pond-side houses Brandesburton: Sixty ‘volunteers’ attended our first compulsory B Class work parties held over a weekend in January. Amongst excellent progress made was with the first phase of a high quality path around 3&4 Pond, swims repaired & mulched and a deep clean of the complex undertaken. Work will continue this winter, with the emphasis being on continuing the path, repairing the Burshill end carp park and seeing what can be done to extend the work already done on Burshill B. I can inform members that the committee has decided to make a considerable investment in stock for Burshill A – members will be kept informed of details during the year. Osprey: As I suggested last year, this venue is developing into a serious specialist carp fishery. Despite a very heavy weed growth which put off some members, by the end of the summer a good number of carp have gone through the 20lb barrier with one landed at 25lb+. This obviously rich water along with the very young fish continue to go from strength to strength, there is a real possibility that 2010 will see a 30lb+ fish being held aloft by a happy angler. Get your name down for a permit or regret it! Avocet Pool: After being dug in the summer of 2008, volunteers spent a large part of the winter creating swims and an access road. Telephone poles were augured in along one side, to create a safety barrier for cars passing along the road. Hawthorn saplings planted to form a hedge and natural windbreak. The islands have been planted with willow and water lilies added to the margins, to offer cover for the fish. The hope is to complete the work, ready for opening in the spring. As much as we have enjoyed creating this fishery, the real fulfilment for me came when the stock started going in. 500 beautiful crucians; plump, brassy and big as my hand, were followed by mint-conditioned rudd, always a favourite, bristling gold with ruby fins. We await the tench and will keep adding fish until the fishery holds good stocks, but we are being discerning in an effort to establish a high quality venue. To safeguard our stock we have installed a series of underwater structures to reduce predation by cormorants. These refuges will be fed all winter, until removal in the spring. Cygnet: After much discussion, the major ground works on our proposed match venue, will begin. We have planned for a two-year project, but I suspect that it may prove a challenging project, and we might find the problems insurmountable. Still, we’ll be giving it a go; I will report progress as we go along. Hawk: Despite some excellent early catches, there is no masking the fact that Hawk Pond has suffered something of a decline in popularity during the 2009 season. This has not gone unnoticed and the committee are considering this issue. I can inform members, that we will be making a considerable investment in new stock for this fishery before the summer as part of a three year plan to increase the stock densities. Brickyard, Tilery and Motorway Pond: Due to the many years of effective work parties, these venues tend to look after themselves and only requiring routine maintenance, with the occasional new swim or resurfacing to an existing path. This is the ideal situation, that I would like all our venues to be in a few years time, with only regular maintenance needed each winter. However, we’re not there yet so, if you fancy giving us a hand, get in touch. Derek Pye |
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Information Officer’s Report I consider it both an honour and privilege to follow in the footsteps of people such as Dave Harold and Al Tunley in becoming the Association’s Information Officer. I see the Information Officer role as vital in promoting the benefits of membership and being a source of fishery information to the local angling community. Angling has been an important part of my life for many years now and it has given me the opportunity to meet some great people and provided me with some cherished memories. I have now reached the stage in my angling career where I would like to give something back to the sport that has given me so much. My new role should allow me to be able to fulfil both this ambition and I can help our Association better face the future. Though our membership total has remained fairly static for the last few years, I believe that by being more pro-active and developing new initiatives, we can gain new members. They are the lifeblood of our Association and by increasing their number, we can become more financially secure, thus enabling us to improve our existing fisheries and develop new venues for the future. We have taken great strides forward over the last few years, nowhere is this better illustrated than in the continued development of the Brough Complex. Credit goes to everyone who has given their time, and shows what is achievable by a dedicated group of volunteers. I have in mind a few ideas; one is to erect information boards on our more popular venues. I’ve long thought that we should find a way of keeping our members better informed on issues that may affect them on our fisheries. I am also compiling a joining pack, which could be supplied to anyone expressing an interest in membership. In addition, I want your help in getting greater exposure for our Annual Specimen Fish competition, last year we had only two entries for the Junior and Adult prizes. I know members are regularly catching specimen fish and I need you to send photos and a brief description to me, by post or via email. Details of the prizes, and how to enter, are in this booklet. All the best to you for 2010; if you need any information on our venues or anything connected to H&DAA then do not hesitate to contact me on the mobile telephone number printed at the front of this book or by email to: amberd@amberd.karoo.co.uk Jason Dickinson |
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Wildlife Officer’s Report For many anglers part of the pleasure in angling is enjoying the outdoors in a natural environment. Most of us get a thrill from seeing a kingfisher flash by or watching a water vole, sitting on its haunches a few yards away, chewing on a reed stalk. Even in these days of environment awareness wildlife is still under much pressure and many species seek sanctuary in and around waters owned and controlled by Hull & DAA. Fortunately not all wildlife is in decline – there have been some successes with various initiatives in recent years; for example bitterns have seen an increase in the area and now show up regularly on at least three of the association’s sites. Hull & District A.A. always considers the impact on wildlife when developing its waters for the benefit of anglers. For instance around the Brough site some trees had to be cut down to gain access to carry out the necessary improvements. However, over 1500 have since been planted and further plantings are to take place, so overall there will be more trees on the site than existed originally. Along with the tree planting I am convinced there are many other opportunities where, with little or no expense, the Association can improve and encourage the wildlife on its waters. In the coming months I will be investigating what specific steps can be taken to meet those aims – not only on the Brough site but also on other Association waters. By taking action to help wildlife we will be showing our credentials as conservationists, which I believe most anglers are at heart. This I believe will further enhance the standing of the Association in the eyes of the general public and help counteract the propaganda put out by those who choose to attack our sport. Phil Arnott |