A sting in every tail

 

Greetings!   Wasps. They are something of a menace for us at this time of year as they have a propensity to nest in river banks which is often alarming for both a river keeper armed with a strimmer and the unsuspecting angler kneeling in the fringe for cover. Now, why wasps particularly like our banks I do not exactly know, so I set out to find out why.   The wasp year starts in April, the low point in the annual population cycle. Here in the UK there are roughly 7,000 species of Vespula but the two you most commonly see are the Common and German wasp, the typical ‘yellowjackets’ which are the bane of picnics and outdoor dining. The wasp population in Britain would be huge if it were not for winter; between October and March the population collapses to just a few females who survive to create small colonies in the spring with the population increasing exponentially to a peak in September.   For all their apparent menace, wasps are important to the ecological balance of our nation – without them we would be overrun by insects, spiders, caterpillars and greenfly. In total, wasps consume something in the region of 14 million kilos of invertebrates annually, which also includes their own – wasps are partial to a bit of cannibalism. Your garden could literally not exist without the intervention of wasps as pest controllers.

 

 

Strangely, however, insects and their like are not the favoured food for wasps. Sugar from flowers or fruit is their basic diet, making them accidental pollinators or they eat the sugar produced by larvae in the nests. But once they have young to feed, they switch to the invertebrates, moving as most dieticians would advise, from carbs to protein as they rear families in nests which can be as large at 10,000 strong.   As we probably have all experienced, wasps have a painful, but generally non-fatal sting that they deploy, as with most creatures, by way of defence rather than attack. However, unlike bees that die after inflicting a single sting, wasps are able to sting multiple times and live to tell the tale. You may also wonder what is the difference between a hornet, that has a far more painful sting, and a wasp? There is in fact none. Hornets are simply large wasps, growing up to 55mm in length compared to a more normal 20mm. However, if the size does not give it away the easiest way to differentiate the two is that hornet colourings are brown where a wasp would be black.   It seems wasps are not particularly fussy about where they nest: buildings, log piles, hanging from branches (pictured) or in the hollow of trees …… in fact, just about anywhere dry, safe and sound. However, nowhere in my research could I find a specific mention of river banks so my best guess is that as the late summer population explodes wasps have to seek out new, but secondary nesting sites which sees them occupying the now-dry-but-vacant homes of voles, moles and other burrowing creatures.   Of course, I could well be wrong so if anyone has the definitive explanation, I’d be delighted to hear it. In the meantime, go carefully along any riverbank!

 

 

 

What is a good catch?   What do you consider a good catch in a day? 2? 5? 10? Or are you simply grateful if any fish, of any size, troubles your hook? Well, should you be Jeff Kolodzinski of Illinois, USA you will be counting your daily catch in not singles, dozens or hundreds, but in thousands. For Jeff last week set the World Record for the number of fish caught in a single day at 2,645.   There is no trickery or artifice about this number. This is a single person, fishing unaided with a single rod and hook. Jeff took up position on a platform at his local lake last Tuesday at 9am and fished for 24 hours straight. I will save you doing the maths – his haul represents two fish every minute on a simple $25 graphite pole with 10 foot of line with a live bait beneath a bounce float.

 

 

Now Jeff, as a seven times member of the US National Team, is no fishing novice and was in fact breaking his own record of 2,172 that he set last year. The fish were mostly blue gills, crappies, perch and the occasional largemouth bass. None spent much time on the hook – Jeff reckons on 4 seconds from strike to release. At the most productive time he was catching 4-6 fish a minute and the longest blank measured no more than two minutes.   One way or another, Jeff has set a remarkable record that earns him an entry in the Guinness Book of Records. Of course, you might be tempted to wonder why he does it or even, what kind of guy he is? In truth, in a fifteen minute interview I heard with his local radio station, he is clearly a massive enthusiast for fishing with nothing but good intentions to spread the word that fishing has no bars to entry and is, as we will all agree, one of the best shared experiences on the planet.

 

 

The beauty of fly rods   The New York Times regularly carries interesting articles on fly fishing and during the lockdown the paper launched a series called The World Through a Lens which rook Montana based freelance photographer Janie Osborne to the workshop of Tom Morgan Rodsmiths in Bozeman.   It is a wonderful photo essay that captures the essence of a small company that handcrafts fly rods in both cane and graphite. It shows what a quirky lot us fly fishers are, specifying reel seats in woods as diverse tiger stripe maple, black ash, briar, thuya, sapele, buckeye, white briar and box elder. The cork for the handles, in their many different shapes, comes from Portugal and one client even sent in a photo of his hand for the perfect fit.   Each graphite rod takes 6 weeks; cane closer to 4 months with each rod signed by hand in liquid gold leaf before leaving the workshop.   You can read, and enjoy the photography, via this link ….

 

 

 

Half Term Kids Camp   I know it seems hard to believe that having packed them off to school not so many weeks ago after months at home, that you’ll be welcoming your children back sooner than maybe seems decent.   This October half term, hosted by instructors Bob Preston and Angus Campbell, we’ll be hosting One Day Fish Camps here at Nether Wallop Mill. We intend to pack each day full of casting, catching, competitions and fly tying as we try to clear out the lake to end the season.   ·      8-11 years   Monday 26 October ·     12-15 years  Tuesday 27 October ·     16-17 years  Wednesday 28 October   Each day is limited to six children and runs 10am-4pm. All tackle is provided. To book and for more information click here ….

 

 

 

Andy Buckley fishes the River Itchen   As promised, here is part two of Andy Buckley’s chalkstream adventure as he dons waders with his partner Ieva, to fish the River Itchen at Kanara. She catches a monster brown. I have rarely seen anyone so excited and delighted. The film is worth watching for that alone.   Watch it here ….

 

 

 

Quiz This week as we return to the random collection of questions to confound, dismay or delight.   The answers are, as ever at the bottom of the page.   1)     In which town is rugby union team Wasps based?   2)     What are the two zodiac signs for September?   3)     In what year was the Guinness Book of Records first published?

 

Have a great weekend.     Best wishes,

 

 

 

Simon Cooper simon@fishingbreaks.co.uk Founder & Managing Director www.fishingbreaks.co.uk

 

 

Quiz answers:   1)     Coventry 2)     Virgo and Libra 3)     1955, following a shooting party debate amongst the guests of Guinness MD Sir Hugh Beaver as to which was the fastest game bird in Europe. PS It is the Golden Plover pictured above.

MPs & Lords rally to chalkstream cause

 

Greetings!   Do you know what an APPG is? Frankly, I had absolutely no idea when I received an email excitedly telling me that a Chalkstream APPG was being formed. It means, for those of us who don’t live in the Westminster bubble, an All-Party Parliamentary Group.  Essentially these are informal cross-party groups that have no official status within Parliament that are run by and for Members of the Commons and Lords. The members meet to discuss, campaign on and promote a certain issue. MPs often find that forming and chairing an APPG can be an effective part of a parliamentary campaign, as it can act as an extra vehicle with which to spread awareness of the issue within parliament and as a springboard to events and publicity.    There are a great many APPGs – at the last count over 400 (all have to be registered with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards) covering a vast diversity of topics: most nations around the world are represented by one. Jazz and beer have their groups, though some might say this should be combined into one. Serious issues such as breast cancer or homelessness have APPGs.   Into this arena have stepped Sir Charles Walker, MP for Broxbourne and Sir Oliver Heald MP for North East Hertfordshire who will be holding the inaugural meeting of the Chalkstream APPG on September 15th to which all MPs and Members of the House of Lords are invited. Obviously, us mere mortals cannot attend but it might be an idea, if you live in a constituency with a chalkstream, or know a friendly Lord, do alert them about the meeting.     And in breaking news, the Environment Minster Rebecca Pow, who recently greenlighted the River Otter beavers, is to hold a Chalk Stream Summit on October 16th. In a press release, that also covered sewage in rivers and water leakages, her department said on Tuesday:   “Chalk streams: Chalk streams – known for their clear waters and rich wildlife – continue to be at risk due to low flows, poor water quality and unsustainable abstraction by water companies. The Minister urged water companies to significantly raise their ambition to improve chalk stream catchments and asked them to join her at a Chalk Stream summit she will host on 16 October.”   All things considered, these are both great pieces of news.     Contacting your MP   The most effective way is via email. You can check your local MP, and obtain his or her email address, with this handy link. I don’t think your email needs to be overly long; something along the lines of:   You may already know that there is a new chalkstream APPG forming on 15 September, under Sir Oliver Heald and Sir Charles Walker.   There are only 225 chalkstreams in the world and you are fortunate to have the [insert names] in your constituency, However, these delicate ecosystems under intense pressure from climate change and urban development, especially abstraction and pollution. The failing status of our rivers, and chalkstreams in particular, has been well reported in recent weeks and months.   I would, therefore, ask you to consider joining this APPG.   [Your name] Constituent in xxxxxxx         Frankel book talk will be Zoomed   Just when you thought things were returning to something near normal then the sting in the Covid tail strikes …...   No sooner had we announced, then filled my September talk for the Frankel book in the lovely riverside marquee at The Greyhound on the Test then the whole edifice had to be swiftly dismantled as HM Government reduced social gatherings from thirty to an intimate, but ultimately impractical, six. However, some good has come out of it as I will be doing the talk live via Zoom in October on the date of Frankel’s fourteenth and final race.     So, you don’t need to travel. You can pull up your comfortable chair. Drink your own wine. And it’s free! I’ll chatter away for about 30 minutes starting at 7pm aided by a slideshow from the Frankel archive, plus some I took on the road whilst researching the book. You’ll also have a chance to send in questions of your own and we’ll aim to wrap up by 8pm.   To register, please me send an email with nothing more than Frankel in the subject line. We’ll send you a Zoom link and login code on the day.   Simon Cooper in conversation about his new book Frankel: The Greatest Racehorse of All Time and the Sport That Made Him.   7pm Tuesday October 20th  Email simon@fishingbreaks.co.uk to register.     Andy Buckley comes south   I first met Andy Buckley when he was, as they say, a sallow youth working in the Farlow’s store at Pall Mall. But he always had a bit of a life plan, so when he disappeared to the Seychelles to guide I wasn’t altogether surprised. Nor was I surprised when he returned to set up a guiding business in his native Derbyshire.   It is a tough gig starting from scratch, as I well know. But Andy is talented, hardworking and knowledgeable as all those of you who have been guided by him will attend. But for all his love of the limestone streams such at the Dove, Andy relishes a trip down south to show us soft natives how to do it.   Last month, along with his accomplished partner Ieva, who acts as camera woman and director, they produced two great films on Kanara on the Itchen and Bullington Manor on the Upper Test. Here is the Bullington Manor film; I’ll bring you the Kanara film next time.   Enjoy!       Autumn Two Pack   You need to be armed and ready for both eventualities in the autumn; the fish on the surface. And the fish on the fin. My Autumn Two Pack with September/October dries and the Chalkstreams nymphs should cover just about every possibility and the 12f/6xt leader will give you an extra edge.   Click here to order ....       World rivers quiz   I don’t know about you but sometimes I find Microsoft Edge, the web browser that replaced that old friend, Internet Explorer a bit annoying popping up, as it does, photos and random bits of news. However, sometimes it does come up with a winner.   Last week I was suckered into trying World Rivers Map Quiz but it is rather fun. It will take no more than a couple of minutes, though I’m ashamed to say I scored a fairly dismal 58%. I’m sure you will do better.   Click here to complete the quiz online     Have a great weekend.     Best wishes,       Simon Cooper simon@fishingbreaks.co.uk Founder & Managing Director www.fishingbreaks.co.uk         Time is precious. Use it fishing     The Mill, Heathman Street, Nether Wallop, Stockbridge, England SO20 8EW United Kingdom 01264 781988 www.fishingbreaks.co.uk Drop me an email ‌ ‌ ‌