Avon Diary

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WSRT Avon Diary

The continued high water required a morning visit to check the hatch gates and also provided an opportunity to take the water temperature. Since the trust part funded the “Anthropogenic Temperature Study” on the Avon I have kept a very close eye on the water temperature. One of the findings of the study which was carried out by Dr David Solomon, was the gradual rise in water temperature as the water made its way down the catchment. From my daily dabblings this effect is more apparent during the summer but we are still almost a degree Celsius cooler than the Knapp Mill temperature which is always available on the counter website as a baseline to work from. I always use two thermometers tied at opposite ends of the same piece of string which allows me to suspend them side by side mid water column out of direct sun; spirit and mercury always ensures an independent check on the themometers. The most noticeable thing about the present water temperature is that we are above 10 degrees C at nine in the morning probably peaking at 12 or so mid afternoon on a mild day such as today. To be recording such temperatures at this time of year is totally confusing as the summer species are feeding as freely as the winter species we normally target; trotting for roach or dace with lighter tackle becomes quite a gamble as barbel and carp seem to be taking as freely as ever.

What this high water also means is that our salmon and seatrout have had plenty of opportunity this season to reach the spawning grounds and the photo below, of a salmon ascending a weir in the Salisbury area, was sent to me by John Slader. It is always an exciting spectacle to watch as these fish jump the obstacles on their way but the real joy of this photo is that it shows a lovely condition hen fish nearing the end of her journey. To see no signs of damage or disease on a fish so high in the river is a very real pleasure and we hope the last week or two before she cuts her redd is similarly kind to her.

I think this must be one of the longest periods without a diary entry, at least due to lack of time. Where to start, there seems to be a never ending list of jobs and a river in lovely condition that I am unable to get to fish. Low flows and abstraction meetings, invasive weed seminars, bird counts, planning appeals and storm damage making for excessive calls on my time. Good flow clearing the weed and rubbish, good colour sending down plenty of food and providing cover with a water temperature now over 10 degrees Centigrade. Given the conditions we hoped the valley would produce some super fish and sure enough massive carp and chub and the few hardy barbel anglers who have persevered have managed one or two fish. After several good fish into the low 20’s during the recent cold spell the coloured water seems to have put pay to piking. Hopefully we will see a few more clear spells this winter to give the pike anglers a reasonable chance again. The change of conditions have brought out the roach anglers and rumours of some reasonable bags with one or two very large fish being caught gives real encouragement.

Pike fishing has been brought to an abrupt end by the coloured water. More rain on the way by the look of the gathering clouds.

Busy times as the river drops back and allows us the opportunity to sort out one or two of the problems the recent flood water created. Pleasingly the anglers trotting maggot for the dace and chub are reporting good numbers of seatrout caught by accident. I have yet to see any of these fish myself but I would imagine they are fish that have finished spawning and are feeding greedily in an effort to get back into condition as quickly as possible.

The hatches still blocked but the water has dropped sufficiently to allow us to have a go at clearing them. The first photo shows the problem with the bulk of the obstruction just visible under water. Darren can be seen using a five pulley system giving us the necessary force to move the obstruction. Once we had cleared the gates and reset the hatches we had a half hour wait for the water levels to settle down; a good opportunity for a little bridge watching. I don’t know what Chris thought he was going to do with that net but from up on the bridge we could see the size of the barbel Colin was playing and it wasn’t going to fit in there!! Plenty of dace and the chub are showing well in some areas and just to cheer Colin up; that barbel, which came off, was a good double; I could hazzard a guess as to how close to fourteen I think it was but that would be unfair!!

The river remains in a very changable mood, the rapidly rising water of the Forest streams continued throughout yesterday with the main river reacting today. The Forest streams peaked at midnight and as can be seen from the first photograph have dropped back two or three feet, the people in the Renault must have had quite a shock when the water hit the windscreen. It is a serious point not to under-estimate the power of quick rising flood water, if in doubt stay out! What was noticeable today was the lack of seatrout on the move, they may have gone last night or they may know something we don’t and are yet to join us, lets hope its one or the other and they are out there somewhere. The only pair we saw today were actually using the Renault as cover and when you think about it what more perfect design could you come up with. Large covered area supported on four corners with spoilers in the front to provide a smooth laminar flow; I should quickly add that I am not advocating driving all your old cars into the river throughout the length and breadth of the land.

The main channel has coloured up and brought down the accummulated debris of the summer leaving two sets of hatches blocked. One set cleared quite easily as it was a single large pollard that was easily levered on its way. The other set have a tree with multiple trunks and the complete root system swept through three seperate gates preventing them being closed to relieve the pressure; I think we will have this tree until the flood subsides.

Large metal debris and a seriously blocked hatch

We didn’t have long to wait for the Autumn rain! The New Forest streams came up rapidly Sunday morning which should be just perfect for the seatrout to reach their redds

The sudden arrival of the frosts of the past couple of nights has certainly brought some equally rapid changes to the face of some sections of river. One particular area of water-meadow carrier has gone from a choked mass of Fool’s Water-cress (Apium nodiflorum) to a stream of considerable overall benefit to the fishery. The summer marginal growth in some areas of the rich lowland valley of the Avon is bordering on rampant, in that unless it is given continuous attention it soon takes over. In this case Fool’s cress but Nature has designed several other plants to achieve a similar outcome, bur-reed (Sparganium erectum) or Common reed (Phragmites australis) any one of these plants seems set on closing down and choking channels with the objective of raising summer water levels and trapping silt. Almost Nature’s answer to the EA’s Flood Defence section who spend their entire being striving to lower water levels and speed the water to the sea.

What this weed cover clearly illustrates is the diversity that can be found not only between rivers but within the same catchment. Headwaters cry out for weed cover and higher flows through tended weed beds where we hear of conflicts arising from grazing swans and heavy footed cattle. Oh how we could do with a few more swans and an aquatic herd of cattle to keep on top of the summer’s weed growth. Due to the way we manage our swan population, by allowing a dominant pair to establish a territory and thus keep out the herds of non-breeders and juveniles, fails to provide sufficient birds to crop the margins leaving us to deal with tons of floating weed when the frosts knock back the seasons growth.

This sudden movement of weed also raised the issue of fish movement within the system as several species were caught up in and being transported downstream with the floating mass of roots stems and stalks. 0+ and 1+ dace and chub plus dozens of minnows and gudgeon, there were also two or three bream roach hybrids which is slightly depressing to think we may lose the purity of the Avon roach. I don’t think these fish are lost to the system they just travel downstream to a point where they decide to abandon ship and take up residence in a new home. The issue here is once more the problem of upstream migration for the spawning adults to get back upstream to compensate for this downstream movement. The sooner someone sets an example and builds a cyprinid friendly fish pass the better, saying that I believe areas of Europe are littered with them.

Fool’s Cress blocking the channel slowing the flow, raising the water-level and settling out tons of silt. The weed that has been loosened by the recent hard frosts moving downstream, blocking hatches and translocating fish. Half a dozen of our 150 swans doing a fine job of eating the marginal stands of choking weed.

Interesting photo; new hatch gates, pollard trimmed back and our neighbour Mark has been up and cleaned out the laterals on the watermeadows. Everything is looking as it should except the water is as low and clear as I have every seen it at this time of year. If this lack of autumn rain continues much longer we will have the worries of a low recharge winter rearing its ugly head. We are now entering a period when the low flows are beginning to change the normal pattern of events and one such seasonal event that I always look forward to at this time of year is the seatrout running into the New Forest streams to spawn. When we do get the rain in sufficient volume to raise the rivers anyone in the vacinity of the streams should make the effort to try and spot these fabulous seatrout with numerous double figure fish desperate to complete their reproductive cycle.

Events usually transpire to go from drought to raging flood, too coloured and high to even get a glimpse of the running fish but its always worth a visit.

Little change, the river remains low and clear with fishing being a matter of concentrating on the last knockings. There are still reasonable numbers of fish coming out throughout the day but the last hour is the best bet for barbel and roach.




Above the hatches is providing great dace fishing with the roach showing under ovecast conditions and last knockings. The Trout Stream looking lovely but far too low and clear to be producing a great deal. The photo of a 20+ common caught by Ian Merriott doesn’t do this lovely chocolate coloured fish justice. The lake that produced this fish is clear and shallow which gives rise to these secretive dark carp; real stalking with bubblers being the order of the day.

Who needs fish?

We are now experiencing the lowest flows of the year just at a time when we would normally be expecting the green waters of the Avon to be pushing through clearing the summers weed. With a flow in the region of 9 cumecs and the water remaining gin clear conditions are difficult, unless of course you are a dace angler when you will be having a field day. Huge bags of dace with a scattering of roach with the odd barbel or chub coming to those who adopt a stealthy approach or await the cover of darkness. I have heard of several good perch coming out which is always nice to see as Avon perch with their bold colours are beautiful fish that fit well with the autumn colours.

The stillwaters have also slowed considerably but that has to be viewed in relation to what has become the norm on the lakes these days. It is still possible to catch roach and rudd all day and you would be unlucky not to get one or two decent sized fish amongst them. The larger carp are still coming out but as with the rivers a little more thought and a stealthy approach pays dividends.



(Top)The continued dry weather has at least allowed us to get on and clear the pollards. (Middle) “How many of these do you need for a pie?” - fear not we’re both schedule one licenced. What is interesting about the young owl is that it is the second brood at that site. If you look back to June 17th you will see us ringing the first brood.(Bottom) Luke Hirst showing a little thought can still produce a “whacker”