It was a summer of dramatic events at the pond this year. The North pond dried up causing the death of hundreds of fish, while in the South pond the fish flourished. Although weights were down on last year the winning weights in the Evening Match series were good.

Hundreds of fish dead in North Pond

The North Pond dried up again this year following two wet summers when it managed to keep some water all year. The water level started to drop rapidly during August as the water table fell due to abstraction at the Northbrook pumping station. By August 14^th it was dangerously low and the Environment Agency (EA) Fisheries division was contacted. They came down with nets but unfortunately due to the tree stumps and other snags in the water it was not possible to use them. The EA and club members managed to net about a hundred carp, roach and bream from pools, using landing nets, and released them into the South pond.

Further rescue had to wait for the water level to drop further which it did over the weekend. On Monday 17^th August only two pools remained and club members with another visit from the EA managed to rescue about 100lb of large carp and release them into the South pond. Unfortunately hundreds of fish had died as the water level dropped and the smell of dead fish drifted across the drying pond.

This tragedy is set to repeat each year as during the winter the fish are able to escape from the South pond when the stream is flowing strongly. Several designs for a fish barrier have been proposed by EA Fisheries but to date, none of the designs has satisfied both EA Floods division and otter access requirements.

Good weights in the Evening Match series

Although match weights were down on last year, good weights have been recorded from the South pond competitions. The first Evening match was won by our chairman, Roland Palmer, fishing on peg 2. The second match suffered heavy rain, but Max Jump managed to catch 50lb of fish. The third match was won by assistant match secretary Paul Collins with 54lbs fishing on peg 19.

Many good fish caught on individual fishing trips

Many good carp, bream and roach have also been caught during the summer on individual fishing trips. Amongst those was a 10lb carp caught by 14 year old junior member Oliver Hannam. The carp was caught early on a Saturday morning on peg 19 using a short "waggler" and bread bait.

Club web site is now live

The club's web site is now live, although still under construction. To date it contains information about the club, how to join and the clubs aims and facilities. It also includes contact information and links to other useful sites. Over the next few months the pages will be gradually expanded. The web site can be found at:

www.bwpfc.org.uk

October & November activities

The second match in the Match Series is on 4th October from 8:30 to 13:00. On 18th October from 8:30 to 13:00 is the Martin Eustace match. This is held in memory of one of the club's former chairmen, who sadly died at a young age. November has three more matches in the Match Series, all from 8:30 to 13:00, fished on 1^st, 15^th and 29^th November.

Joining the Club

If you are interested in joining the club please contact our membership secretary Cathy Naylor on 01489-890086, or contact our chairman Roland Palmer (after 6pm) on 01489-894063 for an application form. Membership is open to anyone who lives or works in Bishops Waltham. The associate membership places (for those living outside the Parish) are now full, but names are being added to the waiting list for next season.