Otters Force Out Fishing Club

[Tigger]

Jeff the lack of chub to entertain you is most likely due to the time of year and not to tropical weather to boot. Maybe you should get the stick float out and do some trotting for the ladys ?

 

Another school of thought is that the grayling does out compete the chub in rivers and may have caused a decline in the number of chevins.

[gozzer]

Lack of chub does not mean otters have eaten them all. At the risk of repeating myself repeating myself we have plenty of both here.

 

Maybe your chub have been to Specsavers Andrew.

 

John.

[Jeffwill]

Jeff the lack of chub to entertain you is most likely due to the time of year and not to tropical weather to boot. Maybe you should get the stick float out and do some trotting for the ladys ?

 

Another school of thought is that the grayling does out compete the chub in rivers and may have caused a decline in the number of chevins.

 

 

Hi Tigger, I am glad your own entertainment is unaffected by otters. I stand by what I have said and witnessed over the past couple of winters. I appreciate you dont agree and were not there. I have taken a couple of mates and they have witnessed the same as me.

 

Its important to note that prior to my witnessing the over predation my views were the same as yours. I cant change history nor am I going to ignore whats happened just to please a few on here.

 

The experts in their surveys blame a number of reasons for unbalanced fisheries (never mentioning otters mind you) but anyone sensible would agree that going from big catches of chub to zero, is not the creation of a balanced fishery

 

Lastly, I hope your fishing continues to be unaffected but from Otter surveys its clear that otter numbers are increasing and only 1/3 of suitable otter sites are inhabited.

 

PS All my winter fishing is trotting, its the most productive method. Some may disagree

[Jeffwill]

Maybe your chub have been to Specsavers Andrew.

 

John.

 

Fish wearing glasses! If they do in Leeds maybe they should lend them to your football team gozzer

Edited February 14, 2010 by Jeffwill

[Steve Walker]

Lack of chub does not mean otters have eaten them all. At the risk of repeating myself repeating myself we have plenty of both here.

 

Seems to me that perhaps inbetween being a good stable fishery without otters and a good stable fishery with otters, there might be some big swings in population structures before a new equilibrium is reached.

[Worms]

From what I can tell, the chub have been caught and eaten but the grayling, being smaller, narrower, faster, with almond shaped eyes aiding better peripheal vision, are eluding otters.

Must be something to do with chub being easier to catch, they move around less or perhaps simply have a larger "blind zone" behind them.

I'd have to dispute your theory on the grayling having better peripheral vision than chub Jeff. Not on purely scientific grounds but on angling experience. Grayling are a lot easier to catch on the fly when wading than chub. I enjoy great sport at times catching grayling practically between my feet whereas the chub are off like a rocket as soon as I think about casting.

[Steve Coppolo]

My two local rivers both 'have' Otters. Occasionally I see the remains of a chub that has been eaten on the bank. Probably Otters responsible, but I can't be 100% sure. I can still catch enough chub to keep me happy on most occasions that I fish for them, though. There are still enough good chub to keep the interest up, too. Otters don't eat all the fish.

 

 

 

Some more scary stuff being said over on the Angling Trust forum.

 

http://anglingtrust.forumotion.net/open-de...e-please-t6.htm

[lutra]

Seems to me that perhaps inbetween being a good stable fishery without otters and a good stable fishery with otters, there might be some big swings in population structures before a new equilibrium is reached.

Yes I think your right Steve and waters that have been messed about with the most and given unnatural stock size and/or levels, will suffer the most till levels get back to a more natural level. Which is why i think it is angling that has made the problem and not otters and its why i wrote the following in my first post on here.

Are otters the problem or is it that angling has turned into largely a carp, barbel and specimen fish sport?

But lets look on the bright side, every angler who blanks can now blame otters instead of their own poor angling skills.

[Jeffwill]

I'd have to dispute your theory on the grayling having better peripheral vision than chub Jeff. Not on purely scientific grounds but on angling experience. Grayling are a lot easier to catch on the fly when wading than chub. I enjoy great sport at times catching grayling practically between my feet whereas the chub are off like a rocket as soon as I think about casting.

 

Hi Nick,

 

I was referring to the level of peripheal vision in the context of the " blind zone" behind, i.e. suspectability to attack from behind.

 

As you say, I too have seen grayling under my feet whilst trotting and they do come much closer. The chub I used to catch were on medium to long trots. Grayling flit in and out of glides, you may catch a few then nothing for 10 or 20 minutes or more. You can get chub to "line up" but not grayling. They are definitely more mobile and unpredictable than chub.

 

You fish the Wye a bit (and no doubt are a local expert on the best locations) so on your last couple of visits, how many grayling and how many chub have you caught? Its not scientific but interesting to know.

 

Regards, Jeff

[Jeffwill]

Hi Nick,

 

I was referring to the level of peripheal vision in the context of the " blind zone" behind, i.e. suspectability to attack from behind.

 

As you say, I too have seen grayling under my feet whilst trotting and they do come much closer. The chub I used to catch were on medium to long trots. Grayling flit in and out of glides, you may catch a few then nothing for 10 or 20 minutes or more. You can get chub to "line up" but not grayling. They are definitely more mobile and unpredictable than chub.

 

You fish the Wye a bit (and no doubt are a local expert on the best locations) so on your last couple of visits, how many grayling and how many chub have you caught? Its not scientific but interesting to know.

 

Regards, Jeff

 

 

Come on Nick, just the last couple of visits to the beautiful River Wye, split grayling / chub....plus any other species encountered?