Waterside News

After an eye-wateringly hot dry Summer, at last the temperature is starting to drop to sensible levels and we have received the first drop of badly needed rain. We are, according to the experts, in an extreme El Nino season which looks to break early next year with the threat of rain and strong winds. The strong winds we can do without, but plenty of rain is definitely on the Christmas list. Despite being low due to pumping for crop irrigation, the Abbey is being fed from the stream at a steady rate and will recover quite quickly once the pumping stops.Worcester and Bramley have fared fairly well as they are stream fed, but Cox Lake remains dependent on rainfall. Alresford Lake's level has dropped substantially due to the summer heat and lack of rain and is back to where it was at the end of the 2020 summer. We had a reasonable amount of rain last winter and were looking to build upon that this winter, but no such luck. Thankfully though, we have had no fish losses and all the lakes remain in relative good order, all be it short on water.

Can we remind all members that fish welfare is a priority, especially now that the water is extremely shallow in the front of some swims. Dragging fish over stones to reach a landing net is not acceptable. Come prepared with wellingtons or pick a swim that has sufficient water in front of it.

All of the lakes have designated car parking areas and although there are no big blue signs with a white "P" on them, we expect our members to park correctly. The Abbey has its small parking area to the left of the lake. Alresford has two parking areas, one at the top marked AAA parking and the other down the far end inside the gate. The Orchard complex has three such areas. The first is by the entrance gate on the left as you come in. The second is on the righthand side past the container and the third is between Bramley and Worcester. Allowances are made to access swims, to drop off equipment, but all vehicles must be then parked in a designated area. This is not up for discussion!

August is a busy time for matches, which all passed off successfully. The first of the matches was the 4 Lake Float Challenge fished on Worcester Lake. This is a section match with competitors competing to win their section, but there was one overall winner who gained the extra point and that was Nick Austin with a weight of 38lb 13oz. The first of the months OAP matches was fished on Bramley Lake and was won by Ged Spurgin with a weight of 26lb 15oz. The Wigley match was fished on Worcester Lake with Paul Barrell hitting the top spot with a weight of 21lb 9oz. There was a second team match between AAA and CPC which was won by team AAA who were overall winners of both matches. The Ron Tickner Float 1 was fished on Cox Lake in a cooler temperature of late with the expectation of being a productive day for all, which was not quite the case. Gary Bateman finished in top place with 79lb 5oz. The second of the months OAP matches was fished on Worcester with Steve Baynton taking first place with 49lb 0oz. Finally, the last match of the month was the Adrian Robbins Pole match fished on Bramley Lake and won by Graham Pinnock with a bag of 36lb 3oz.

Once again, our European Bureaucrats have stepped in and made a simple item complicated. The banning of lead for fishing weights was put place in this country back in 1986 and we all changed and carried on with the alternative. Now, our friends across the Channel are now saying it is illegal to sell lead based tackle but not to use it. The mind is totally boggled. There is an article in this month's Angling Times regarding this ruling, which has been read 4 times by yours truly and confusion still reigns.

As many of you are aware, the owner of the land encompassing the Abbey Lake sadly died and the future of the Abbey, for us as a club, lay in the hands of the potential new owners. We are happy to say that an agreement has been reached for us to continue leasing this lake for the foreseeable future.

At this moment in time, everywhere you look, the world seems to be in turmoil. Thankfully, we have a place of calm and solace away from all the madness, where the only worry is "have I remembered everything and if not, have I got enough to get by". We are approaching Rain Dancing season and I would ask you all to participate either as a group or as individuals for the greater good. Lessons are available, but "free-styling" seems to be the most popular.

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

Tight Lines