We were wondering, as there was a great big dam across the river at Share Farm this morning, and a furry creature clambering about on top of it when we arrived. The 'we' was a mid-week work-party of members enjoying the perfect weather and equipped to make some improvements to Beat 2B. Sadly the furry creature turned out to be another Mink exploring the dam. We set about with ropes and saws dismantling a large willow that had fallen right across the river and collected a mass of very big logs and all sorts of other detritus, and all in a particularly deep pool that was too deep and slippery to wade.
Nonetheless, after a few close calls and a lot of effort, we managed to trim it back to half-way across, so it'll still be good for small fish and general habitat. The current is now flowing again so it should be an interesting spot to fish, once we've installed a small ladder to improve access. The picture shows the half-way stage after a lot of the willow had been removed but before we sawed through a massive log to free the main current.
The 'brash' that was cut from the willow was caught and hauled up the bank then transported upstream to the 'berm' in the shallow run near the top of 2B. The berm was constructed many years ago, but hadn't really worked too well, so we applied some of the techniques learned from the SERT guys at Harpers recently.
Some more overhanging branches were removed at various spots, and all loaded into the berm and secured.
This should provide a safe haven for small fish, especially the wild browns that can sometimes be found along this beat. It should also improve the flow of the river here, and hopefully it will survive the inevitable floods. Only time will tell.
Many thanks to the great team (Peter, Chris, Matt, Ian, Andy, Keith, Nigel et moi) who all worfked hard but had a good time, and we even had a VIP visit from our illustrious Chairman, to boost morale amongst the troops.
Don't forget another work-party on Saturday 29th, to help make the river nice and cosy for the new trout, and the old anglers.
Cheers
PeterB
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