Life of a Chalkstream: The good of floods

Greetings!

Compared to the Britain of the last few months Noah had it easy – we’d laugh in the face of a mere 40 days and 40 nights of rain as long held records fall month after month.

For most of us wet weather is, at worst, a nuisance but for some industries such as construction, hospitality and agriculture it can have significant financial implications. However, Mother Nature is no fool – heavy rain and floods are vital to the survival of rivers and all that live in them.

To start with the most obvious, the purging nature of floods that clear the detritus left behind in dryer years, sometimes reopening channels long blocked or even puncturing new water courses through the landscape – aside from the interventions of man, this is why we have the landscape we have.

Designed to flood. Harnham Water Meadows, Salisbury, Wiltshire

The impact on those that live in rivers is not much researched in the UK but thanks to those countries with hydro dams, the Scandinavian countries in particular, we have a good idea of the benefits and detriments of flooding which, on the whole, fills the good column rather than the bad. Fish do well because the survival rate of the ova increases dramatically with the heavy water flows. The gravel beds are loosened by the flows allowing more eggs to become captured in the gravel and once safely lodged each egg gets more and better oxygenated water. More hatching eggs equal more fry and more fry equal more juvenile fish and so on. Expect to see a spike in wild trout of catchable size 2-3 years from now.

The fly population looks more endangered but actually insects are smarter than we give them credit for, adapting quickly as they sense the onset of the floods that force them to find safe habitat ahead of the worst of the rains. In fact, their lives to a certain extent get easier as the range of habitat is vastly increased as the water floods thousands of acres of water meadows and brings life to secondary streams, ditches and ponds. Mayflies and sedges do well out of floods, positively thriving.

For birds and animals, the picture is more mixed; clearly any wading birds and the ducks just love it, but for ground nesting birds, especially those who prefer a river valley, nest building is on hold for a for a few weeks longer. Otters just love it, end of story but these are hard times for water voles with flooded burrows and high mortality without the warmer, dryer weather of spring. But in general, for wildlife, who do not run their lives according to the Georgian calendar, this is all just the natural course of life to be endured until better times and weather arrives.

As to the fishing itself the truth is that this is all a lot more challenging for the fisher than the fish. Here is a strange thing about chalkstreams: you can walk them day after day in January, February and March untroubled by the sight of a single fish. It is as if they have all been stolen by some unseen hand until, quite suddenly, for no apparent reason the river is full of fish again and all is well. Eureka day has, no doubt thanks to the depth, speed and turbidity of the flow, arrived in early April this year, a few weeks later than scheduled. That, I think, will be the challenge this month as the fish wait out the floods for conditions to return to what they would regard as spring normal.

River Anton at Upper Clatford last week

No more (or just fewer) rants

The Boat Race proved a good publicity vehicle for all things that are bad about our rivers; I even had emails from the US and the antipodes. It is a sad, sad state of affairs that we have come to this when you think thirty years ago, we were celebrating the return of the Atlantic salmon to the river of our capital city.

You may have noticed that this Newsletter, and the two previous, have been absent of rants against the water companies, EA, Ofwat and their like. I have decided, in the words recently used by a Conservative MP, to step back from writing about pollution issues. However, in my case it is for all the best reasons.

I have been chuntering on, in one form or another, about the egregious behaviour of all the above for more than a decade, long before it became fashionable to do so. Indeed, I recall being pilloried by the fishing ‘establishment’ who leapt to the defence of the EA as if I was some sort of climate denier. Some still do, their pockets lined with grants and contracts from the EA, but for the most part the serial incompetence of the EA is an accepted fact.

So, I am scaling back on my pollution writings and will confine myself to local issues from now on and continue my campaign for the abolition of the hateful fishing licence. After 10 years of banging the drum, I feel I have done my bit and the water quality campaign has a momentum of its own to which I can contribute not much heft. I am confident that water will be a significant election topic, maybe not in the top five but definitely a top ten issue. The Tories in government are waking up to the issues but it will no doubt, if the polls are correct, fall to Labour, for good or ill, to chart the course of the next 20 years.

In the vein of localism, two quick bits of news. Our local paper reports a Southampton man caught coarse fishing without a licence, with salmon and trout in his keep net. He was prosecuted to the full extent of the law being fined, in his absence at magistrates’ court, £100. And the cost of a salmon licence? £90.40. Goodness know how many thousands of pounds it cost the EA, police and Court Service to bring this prosecution, all for a ‘profit’ of £9.60. Complete madness.

Finally, following the River Test river keepers protest there will be a similar gathering in Newbury, Berkshire at noon on Sunday to draw attention to the same issues on the Berkshire chalkstreams, the Kennet and Lambourn in particular. All are welcome. You will be pleased to hear that sampling of the Test a week after the protest showed no overpuming and clean water immediately below the Pipe of Doom. That is quite some victory if Southern Water keep things that way.

NEW Weekend breaks at Coombe Mill on River Avon

Coombe Mill and Kingfisher Lodge that had a sabbatical in 2021, is back to its very best as the extensive restoration work on this River Avon beat is now fully bedded in.

Previously restricted to one week stays, I am now offering 3 night weekends in the wonderful Kingfisher Lodge, with views over the river. Arrive at your leisure of Friday, fish as much as you like Saturday and Sunday, heading off on Monday after breakfast.

There is plenty of fishing for two people at any one time with the party welcome to swap around so everyone may fish. The lodge has two good double bedrooms that sleep four, plus a panoramic living room, kitchen and wrapround veranda.

More details here ….

River conditions update

So far, April has not been without its challenges – as you may have noticed we have delayed opening on some of our beats not so much due to the condition of the river but treacherous banks and difficult access.

However, other beats have opened as planned, Donnington Grove (Lambourn) and Kanara (Itchen) to name two and as I write this we are now in a drier spell, with the prospect of some rain-free days ahead so expect a return to more normal April conditions soon with more beats opening this weekend.

To check dates and open beats use this link or email us.

River Frome at Ilsington yesterday

Quiz

The normal random collection of questions inspired by the date, events or topics in the Newsletter. It is just for fun with answers at the bottom of the page.

1) What do Magnolia, Flowering Peach and Redbud have in common?

2) What is the meaning of the word antediluvian?

3) What percentage of the world’s water is fresh? A) 2.5% B) 12.5% C) 25%