Strange happenings on the Suffolk Stour

[watatoad]

I wonder if all those Otters are pinching our water or if the Government is secretly selling it off in bottles...hehehe

[John Weddup]

if the Government is secretly selling it off in bottles...hehehe

 

 

dell boy, water, bottles

 

Sounds like a comedy to me

 

Except our lovely valley is suffering.

 

Why is it that we are constantly being told how the quality of our water ways are at their cleanest and best yet I can quote 2 local river surveys that show stocks are at their lowest.

 

The Stour is a shadow of its 60,s and 70,s fishery.

 

John

[tiddlertamer]

dell boy, water, bottles

 

Sounds like a comedy to me

 

Except our lovely valley is suffering.

 

Why is it that we are constantly being told how the quality of our water ways are at their cleanest and best yet I can quote 2 local river surveys that show stocks are at their lowest.

 

The Stour is a shadow of its 60,s and 70,s fishery.

 

John

 

Is it worth a few letters or emails from concerned anglers?

 

They probably wouldn't listen but it might be worth a shot.

 

Do you know the contact details of the Environment Agency in your local area?

 

I'd be up for sending off a letter.

 

Maybe a few letters might have an impact.

 

Try to keep it rant free though Watatoad!

Edited February 19, 2011 by tiddlertamer

[watatoad]

Is it worth a few letters or emails from concerned anglers?

 

They probably wouldn't listen but it might be worth a shot.

 

Do you know the contact details of the Environment Agency in your local area?

 

I'd be up for sending off a letter.

 

Maybe a few letters might have an impact.

 

Try to keep it rant free though Watatoad!

 

hehehe

 

That was just a friendly knock...hehehe.

 

About a year ago after talking to John Weddup I contacted every conservation group or trust in the area that I could find. Plus all the relevant powers that be or those who might have a potential related area of interest. Local tackle shops showed mild but uncaring interest I received no support from other anglers, so realised that anglers and other's using the Suffolk Stour just did not give a damn. Now I am a good enough angler to be able to catch pretty much regardless of what the Suffolk Stour is doing flow, depth or condition wise plus I am a member of numerous clubs and have both the time and petrol to travel. So realising I might be doing a lot of work for nothing and without either support of interest from other anglers I have decided to do what the other anglers do and sit on my rear and ignore others problems.

 

I was and am in a position that I could approach the regional director of the Environment Agency, but I am no longer bothered by it. I have the average anglers attitude now...I'm alright jack blow the rest. Plus because of my love of Britain and my belief in my country I notice quite a few of my posts are deleted usually by expatriates or those with extremist anti British or leftwing views. So this post may get censored and not be up for long and I may even get banned from the site. I will not be the looser it will be all you guys and girls on here for you will miss out on all my angling experience and knowledge. Which is one of the reasons I am now much less involved with this site and the questions asked.

Edited February 19, 2011 by watatoad

[wunnus]

I fished the Suffolk Stour last week.

 

I fished a normally fast flowing section of tributary, which isn’t the norm for this river, which cuts off from the main river not a million miles from Sudbury.

 

When I last saw it in summer it had a good flow.

 

After a wet winter, I came back expecting a high level and yet the flow had stopped completely.

 

This didn’t make sense unless the local water board or Environment Agency has some sort of barriers/flood control in place and were using it.

 

Anyone guess or know what’s going on?

 

The change was quite dramatic and completely changed the nature of this stretch of river.

 

I guess that part of the problem is that the Stour is seen by the EA as really a waterpipe to carry water from the fens (Ouse etc) down to the East (Essex and all that). Just outside Haverhill is a pumping station into the Stour and quite a number of very expensive automated weirs along its length. As you get into the lower course there are a number of draw off points. So by the time it gets to Flatford it is a reduced stream.

 

It is not quite as bad as the Gipping.... Below the Sproughton draw off point (for Alton Water) it becomes a wide sluggish ditch.