Late & over budget? It must be a UK infrastructure project

 

Greetings! It is a much quoted fact, but nonetheless valid despite repetition, that not a single new reservoir has been built in England or Wales in the past 30 years despite a population increase of 10 million people plus an increase in consumption of 70%/head since the 1980’s. No wonder we have hosepipe bans and rivers being sucked dry, some to the point of extinction. Against that background it is good news that some nine new reservoirs are on the books but the bad news is that the completion of the most advanced of those, the Havant Thicket Reservoir in the Southern Water region, has been put back from 2029 to 2034. Who would have ever anticipated the late completion of an UK infrastructure project?! Havant Thicket Reservoir imagined

The project is also, inevitably, colossally over budget the cost rising from £330m to £822.9m due to design changes, pipeline infrastructure and “unexpected geological conditions during construction”. The latter really does make you wonder who is in charge; it is hardly as if they are digging through a mountain range, under an ocean or working in Arctic extremes. It is only the b*******y the South Downs, a couple of hundred feet above sea level. The good news however, is that the reservoir will now be able to supply fives times more water than originally planned, enough for 500,000 people. The cost to Southern Water households will be at most just an additional £13.51 per year until 2030. So, let's crack on as, by my estimation, we only need another 89 reservoirs to get us back to where we were in the 1980’s.

A ban for barbed hooks? Here is something a bit left field and certainly not something I have ever come across with news from the Netherlands that the Party for the Animals have proposed an amendment to the Fisheries Act currently working its way through the Dutch parliament to introduce a statutory ban on the use of barbed hooks when fishing with a rod. It might, at first glance, be something to shrug off as performative politics but Party for the Animals is a small, but vocal force with 3 out of 150 seats in the House of Representatives, 1 out of 75 seats in the Senate  and a seat in the European Parliament.  Photo courtesy of Tackle Trade World

The Dutch fisheries sector are certainly taking it seriously with trade groups combining to lobby against the amendment issuing a statement that says, “A ban on barbed hooks would have a major impact on the entire fisheries sector.” and that, “this would have direct practical consequences: without barbed hooks, certain types of bait could no longer be used, and handline fishing for sea bass would no longer be economically viable. It would also create uncertainty about the status of other fishing gear, such as longlines. Moreover, the Netherlands would become an isolated market, with fishing tackle requirements that apply nowhere else in the world.” The only part of that statement I would disagree with is the final part: if the amendment passes it will surely be taken up elsewhere. Would it matter? I suspect in the fly fishing world where catch and release with barbless hooks is increasingly the norm, life would carry on much as usual, but I can imagine that for bait and sea fishers the impact may be significant. Certainly, a development to watch.

Good news for us. Bad news for them I could not help but have a little chuckle when I read that the Conservative Party have pledged to abolish the Environment Agency and Natural England, the two supposed guardians of our rivers and countryside. If you work for either, your voting choices at the next election if you wish to preserve your job, with Labour’s Cunliffe Review equally dismissive of the pair, are not great. The former was created in 1996 and the latter, the more powerful of the two, a decade later and it is hard to say that either have done anything more over the years than stand by Nero-like as witnesses to the rural destruction they were both meant to prevent. The Environment Agency failures are well documented from fly tipping on an industrial scale to turning a blind eye to pollution not just in our rivers, but on our land by way of toxic pesticides and human waste.  I know you all get fed up with me banging on about beavers but they precisely exemplify the Natural England mindset which is more about fashionable causes than basic environmental protections. By just about every metric, in the twenty years Natural England has existed, our wildlife population has diminished. There are fewer insects. There are fewer songbirds. There are fewer hares. There are fewer fish in our rivers and seas. Where have Natural England been whilst the water vole population has collapsed? I could go on, but we all know it to be true. Regardless of politics, bringing the functions of the EA and NE back into Whitehall looks to be a sensible move. The Agency experiment failed because it outsourced accountability to the point where nobody was accountable. Politicians blamed the agencies. The agencies went rogue or blamed the politicians. Whitehall, happy to be shot of the duties passed onto the agencies, had plausible deniability as did frankly, everyone else. It is time for Whitehall to take charge and for us to hold them, and nobody else, responsible for the protections the British countryside deserves.  USA 2026 World Fly Fishing Champions Well done to the USA who lifted both the team and individual trophies in the FIPS World Fly Fishing Championships that took place in Idaho Falls last month. Having fished, and been outfished (!), on most of the rivers where the Championships took place as part of the Jackson Hole One Fly it makes sense to me that the host nation were victorious. Nobody should take this as a slight but one of the weaknesses of the competition is the huge home advantage – four of the past six winning teams have been the locals. Of course, it did not help out England in 2000 when it was held in the height of the Mayfly on the chalkstreams and stillwaters of southern England with the French taking the prize! As to the Home nations, including Ireland, England were 7th, Ireland 9th, Scotland 15th and Wales 17th of the twenty competing teams. The best individual performance was from Sean Dempsey of Ireland who placed 10th in the individual rankings out of the ninety nine entrants.  PS Did you know the World Fly Fishing Championships were happening? I certainly did not. It never appeared on any social media I saw and I even spoke with a guide in Montana yesterday who, when I congratulated him on the USA success, had no idea it had happened! I think, maybe, it could do with something of a PR reboot as it might make the perfect shop window for fly fishing in general.

That was the month that was September It often eludes notice but September is usually the most benign month of the year and this one was bang to form in that respect notably dry, warm and sunny. As to the rivers, we are at the lowest point in the chalkstream cycle as we patiently wait for the winter rains to perform their annual meteorological magic. As to rainfall it has been a year of contrasts. In March, after a mega-wet winter, we were wishing for some respite. As we like to chide our children and grandchildren be careful what you wish for. The six months since March have seen rainfall at just 65% of average and the same for the past three months. However, if you take the past 12 months as a whole we are bang on for an average year. So, as I sit here now content that it has rained for most of the night and day, with rain in the forecast for the week ahead I am put in mind of the quote by American novelist Paul Therox, “Winter is a season of recovery and preparation.” September is also our final monthly draw, next month is the big one. But for now a very tasty collection of grayling specials are on their way to Alan Musgrove from our vice master, Nigel Nunn. Well done Alan, who had a marvellous day at School Farm on the River Dun last month.

Top & left to right  Small & Scruffy Rainbow, size 18. Usually tied slightly bigger for trout but always smaller for grayling. Colourful and very, very buggy, It’s been called a lot of things (both good and bad) but one thing for sure… it catches fish. Dry Fly Soft Hackle, size 16: Pretty much my go-to fly for grayling. It’s a busy little pattern with a lot going on so it covers many bases/food items. Fish it as a dry but don’t worry at all if it sinks a little bit. Crackle Back Gnat, size 18: Everybody needs a gnat! A favourite for both grayling, coarse and trout, this sits high and takes fish. The extra peacock herl (hence the crackle in the name) adds that little something extra than the usual gnat patterns. Partridge & Orange, size 16: My take on the classic that some would happily string me up for while others shake my hand. It is a little different (to say the least), but even with all the elements it’s still a P&O at heart and that’s what matters.

One Day Half Term Kids Fish Camp Just a very quick reminder that over half term we will be hosting our final Kids Fish Camp of the year. I am hoping everyone will take home a bunch of fish because the lake is heaving with fish and it is either a choice of you eating them or the otters! 8-11 years   Monday 26 October     5 places left 12-15 years Tuesday 27 October    3 places left To book or more details here. Discounts for siblings and groups on request.

Quiz The usual collection of questions based on the date today and random topics touched upon in this Newsletter. Good luck and the answers below. It is just for fun! 1)     Which stage musical written by Andrew Lloyd Webber that ran for 13,629 performances opened in London on this day in 1986? 2)     If you suffered from samhainophobia what would you be fearful of? 3)   Who said, "As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas and colours enough to paint the beautiful things I see."

Have a good weekend.  Best wishes,

Simon Cooper simon@fishingbreaks.co.uk Founder & Managing Directorwww.fishingbreaks.co.uk

1)     The Phantom of the Opera 2)     A fear of October or Halloween 3)     Vincent van Gogh, Dutch painte