Waterside News

The first month of January is now under our belt with its helping of ice and rain, making fishing sit on a bit of a back burner because of frozen lakes and torrential rain. The rain was most welcome though for this side of the country, allowing Cox and Alresford lakes to start to reach a better level. With Worcester being stream fed along with the Abbey, they quickly retain their levels with the former overflowing into Bramley. Alresford is always the last to fill, needing 3.5 million gallons of water to bring it up 12",so unfortunately, we still need more rain! Last summer being such a hot and dry one, we are just replacing what was lost last year. Fortunately, our fish stocks remained okay, and wild life in general has flourished, although Kingfishers and Grebes have struggled a bit over the last month.

The AGM for the season 2026/2027 will be on the 24th April 2026 at 20:00 and will be held as usual in Alresford Village Hall. Please keep a note in your diaries and attend, it is your club.

January's matches passed off successfully. The first was the Ron Tickner Feeder 1 fished on Cox Lake with the ice only just clearing. For the second time, the island pegs did not produce the winning weights with Nick Austin on peg 25 coming in with a winning weight of 40lb 5oz. The other match was the Winter 2 event fished on Worcester Lake with John Popkin winning with a weight of 35lb 1oz. February's matches include the Winter 3 and Ron Tickner Feeder 2. Please check for date and time changes. From the 1st June the gate code will change for all accesses to our lakes. Can all members try to keep this number as confidential as possible. We have had issues through the winter months of somebody using our lakes as a camp site. You pay for the privilege to fish and enjoy the surroundings, don't let anyone take advantage.

As has been mentioned several times in the past, the club relies on those members who donate their time to keep the swims clear and the surroundings maintained. With a Senior membership approaching 350 and those prepared to give a few hours midweek down to single figures, the ratio is not at all good. If you want the waters to stay pristine and the surroundings cared for, please offer your help. No one will be expected to do anything beyond their capabilities and you never know, you may enjoy it.

At this time of the year, roadside hedges and verges have been cut back and not a lot of green is on display. It also shows how much litter we, as a nation, find acceptable to dump or discard. Tokyo is the most densely populated city in the world, comprising of 38 million people, and yet you would be hard pressed to find any discarded rubbish, anywhere. So, it must be a cultural thing and having a clean and green environment isn't political but respectful. So please, take your rubbish home and dispose of it correctly.

Now we are into the shortest month and the days are starting to draw out, make sure you stock up on Brownie points. Flowers and a card for the 14th should guarantee you at least 2 days fishing this month. Also in history, this month in 1659 the first cheque was written by Nicholas Vanacker to settle a debt and in 1971, pennies, bobs and half-crowns disappeared as we all went decimal. Hopefully you will soon be trying out your Christmas presents as the weather improves and the guaranteed extra catches, as shown on the box, will bear fruit.

As always, stay safe, look after one another and enjoy your fishing. Tight Lines