ANGLING CLUB WORK PARTIES

[Janet]

Following Leon's post about the intended clean-up of Colne Water, I thought I'd post this report of a weekend spent at the beginning of February, tidying up the lake of my new angling club on a weekend work party. I wrote it purely for club members, and didn't intend to post it on the forum, but after reading about the river clean-up, I thought it might encourage a few more people to get involved when their local clubs ask for volunteers. Yes, it may be hard work, but it's also a lot of fun, and it's also very good to be able to look back and know that you've played your small part. Of course you can just pay your membership and then fish....but how much better it is to know that you've actually helped to create a good environment for both yourself and other anglers? It's a no-brainer really, isn't it?

 

So, here follows my diary of the weekend -

 

Very well done to everyone who turned out for this weekend’s work party, and thanks for all the fun! It was great to meet some members I already knew, and a few new ones. The turnout was a little disappointing, considering it was an absolutely glorious day, but there you go. For those who didn’t attend, you missed a great couple of days, and a lot of hard work, but most importantly, a lot of fun!

 

This is just my diary of the weekend, to show just what’s been done, and some of the work that was involved in what has turned out to be a brilliant transformation of several areas on the lake.

 

The day was looking lovely as I made a flask of coffee and packed my bag. There was a clear, blue, cloudless sky, brilliant sunshine and not a breath of wind. Conditions couldn’t have been better. I’m only a new member of the club, so this was my first experience of a work party. However, I love fishing on this lake, so wanted to do my bit to improve it and make it more easily accessible for other members to enjoy the fishing there. I didn’t know quite what I was going to be able to do, or what was expected of me, and by the end of it I was glad I hadn’t known in advance or I may have turned over and gone straight back to sleep!

 

I don’t drive, so I was collected at the tackle shop shortly before nine and we drove up to the lake to find work already well under way.

 

Fence posts and fencing had been removed by the entrance to the lake, and a section of land had already been cleared ready for enlarging the car parking area. Facing us was something that was to give me nightmares by the time I got home…..fifty tons of hardcore to be put into wheelbarrows and ferried to its new home!

 

The digging of the new car park completed, the mini digger was taken round to the small island lake, and a path was gouged out round it, and also a new path continuing from where the flagstones ended at peg 7 round to peg 10, which will henceforth be known as the “Tortoise Peg” This is the one where I came a cropper last year. Loaded down with my new Korum chair and rucksack, which was stuffed full of tackle, bait, butties and flask, I went a**e over t*t on a section of wooden boards that hadn’t been covered with chicken wire, and lay there on my back, floundering around like an upended tortoise. Not exactly elegant, but luckily there was nobody there to witness my antics! Today this section was covered with wire, so I can get to my favourite peg safely. Please everyone, in my absence, if you decide to use this peg, wipe your feet first…..I will be laying down a “Home Sweet Home” mat on my next visit!

 

The whole lake was a hive of activity, but everyone was assigned jobs and slowly but surely, the transformation began to take shape. Rubbish and rubble was cleared from beside the hut, and consigned to a huge bonfire built in a hollow behind the back pond. Dead trees were dragged out from behind peg 2 and consigned to the fire. We did try setting fire to one in situ, but ended up getting a chainsaw to cut it into manageable lengths for removal. This whole area has now been filled in with rubble and topsoil removed from the car park so it is now level with the rest of the bank. Give it a few weeks and a bit of rain, and you’ll never realise that it hasn’t always been like that. It won’t take long for the grass to grow and the spring flowers to show their faces.

 

We had a huge load of bare rooted trees ready for planting, so these were loaded onto wheelbarrows and ferried round to the back pond to be left soaking in the margins whilst dead trees were removed and burnt, and holes dug ready to receive the new ones. We had help from a very young member to plant the trees, which kept him happily amused until another youngster came along later in the day. Before long those trees should start to provide some valuable shelter from the biting wind that we are all too familiar with!

 

Work was progressing well on peg 12, so several trips were made to carry round planks and wood for the construction, which involved removing all the old wood, and a complete rebuild. Actually, It’s more of a complete new build than a rebuild! By the time it’s finished there will be steps down to the peg, and it will be far more accessible. This work caused a bit of hilarity on the second day, when we witnessed one of the members slip gracefully into the lake, almost up to his essentials. Well, someone had to go in, didn’t they? The hilarity soon became a bit more serious, when we realised that he’d actually hurt himself, but luckily it seems to be no more than very badly bruised ribs.

 

By the time our bacon butties arrived at lunchtime on the first day, we were ready for them, and a nice cup of tea. This all too brief interlude was just to lull us into a false sense of security, as the afternoon was to introduce us to some seriously hard work!

 

Did I mention 50 tons of hardcore? Most of it had to be loaded into wheelbarrows and trundled round to the back lake to fill in the pathways that had been dug. There you go Janet….that’s a shovel….get shovelling….oh, my aching back! Filling the first couple of barrows was OK, then I began to realise that I’m not as young, or as fit as I thought I was. I managed to move a couple of loads myself, but my poor back couldn’t cope, so I was relegated to shovelling duties. I did several barrows full, then gave my back a rest (!) by carrying trees/rubbish etc over to the bonfire to be burnt, then back to the shovelling….

 

Great hilarity was had on the second day, as the boat was launched to help remove some of the old staging at peg 12, and to trim back some of the overhanging trees. “Come in no 6, your time’s up….” Oooops. We don’t have a no 6….no 9, do you need any assistance?”

 

At the end of the weekend, just what had we achieved? A lot more than I would have expected with the number of members who turned out.

 

 The car park has now been enlarged, increasing the parking spaces from four to approximately fourteen (provided everyone parks sensibly!)

 Peg one now has a gentle curved and gravelled slope down to it.

 Peg three has improved access.

 Peg four now has some excellent new, safe, steps and a handrail.

 Peg twelve was just about completed when I left, making it fishable again.

 Peg 10 (MY PEG!) has had new chicken wire laid on the approaching boards to make it less slippy (so no more entertainment from me!)

 Flags have been laid, completing the path from arrival at the lake right up to peg 10, giving much improved wheelchair access.

 A gravel path has been laid around much of the back lake.

 Trees have been planted on the raised bank behind the back lake.

 Overhanging trees to the left of peg 12 have been trimmed back.

 Rubbish by the hut has been removed, and the area cleared.

 Fencing has been moved and reinstated.

 

All in all, a very good job, very well done. Many thanks are due to all those members who donated so freely of their time on such a glorious weekend, together with those who donated materials, equipment and most importantly of all – a huge platter of bacon butties and a welcome cup of tea!

 

The quote of the day has to go to one of our older, and dafter members, who, towards the end of the last day, made the comment “You know, this’d be a nice place to fish…….”

 

I look forward to the next one!

 

Janet

[Jeff S]

Sounds like it was a ncie day out Janet. I once volunteered some time to trim overhanging trees on my local flyfishing only stretch but it has sadly now gone private. I have also noticed that quite a few of the pegs and parking areas have fallen into disrepair. I'll be asking when I go in to renew my membership.

[Guest Roachman]

Isn't it always the case that there are always the few "hardy annuals" who turn up when the dreaded "work" word is mentioned?

Isn't it also the case that the ones who shout and complain the most, do the least?

[lutra]

Well done Janet.

 

A longer closed season for those with out a work party stamp on their licence can help swell helping hands.

[Mat Hillman]

Sod that, sounds like hard work!

I'll carry on being the guy that gives the grumpy old men something to moan about

 

 

Seriously, I think most clubs overdo the work parties IMHO fisheries should be left as wild as possible, not have neatly manicured lawns, pretty paths and the like. overhanging bushes should be left well alone, they are fish magnets, it really annoys me every time someone destroys great fish holding features just to make room to sit more comfortably in the swim!

 

I'm much in favour of a minimal intervention policy!

 

Mat

[Janet]

I do agree with you Matt, but in this case I think the improvements were needed.

 

The overhanging branches that were cut down were dead, and in danger of breaking off and causing an accident in the high winds we get on this lake. There are still plenty left to act as fish holding features.

 

We have a lot of elderly and disabled members, and improving the paths has made much more of the lake accessible to them. The pegs that were suitable for wheelchairs are on the far side of the lake, but couldn't be reached safely due to the state of the paths. Some of the steps down to pegs were uneven and quite dangerous for anyone who isn't steady on their feet, and these needed improving.

 

It's only a very small lake, so we need to make the most of it. It's by no means neatly manicured, and the improvements have been done as sympathetically as possible.

 

Janet

Edited March 1, 2008 by Janet

[Steve Burke]

Wow, Janet! You certainly got a lot of work done in one weekend! How many members were there and how long did they work for?

 

It's often a problem getting volunteers, unless attendance is compulsory. I insist my syndicate members do at least one work party a year, plus an extra one in their first season.

 

However they can buy their way out of a work party by making a donation of £60 (£75 from next season as it hasn't gone up this century). This suits some of the members who have a 500 mile round trip, although some of these do combine a work party with a couple of days fishing. Others may still retain membership but aren't fishing that year perhaps because they're working away for a while, and so they're excused making a donation.

 

On the other hand there's always the same couple of members who use the excuse year after year that they're too busy and have to be pushed into doing their bit. As far as I'm concerned anyone too busy to do a work party is also too busy to fish. So they either make the donation or lose their place. And from this year I'm being strict and insisting that all work parties have to be completed by the time the subs are due.

 

I also learnt the hard way that the work needs to be planned according to how many are coming. On two occasions in the early days I arrived but no members turned up! On other occasions there was a surplus of members and not enough tools/equipment to go round.

 

Now members have to book their date in advance so that the jobs can be planned. We then work in small teams of 2 or 3 depending on the jobs to be done, and where appropriate the materials are already in place the day before. All this means that we can get stuck in as soon as we arrive.

 

We also have light duty work parties. On these days the not so healthy can do their bit without getting exhausted. Most of all, these lads much prefer this to being excused altogether.

 

Like Mat I like as natural an environment as possible. However there's a balance to be struck. It's important that anglers are safe, as well as the fish so that they aren't lost and end up trailing line, and of course other wildlife such as birds. This means that some bankside vegetation has to be cut. Additionally, if you cut a space in a marginal reedbed erosion often takes place, and so the bank needs protecting with a plank. And if the reedbed extends a long way out a pier or platform may be the only practical solution.

 

However, I know what Mat means - some clubs are way over zealous! At Wingham I have a mixture of swims, some of them relatively small openings in bankside vegetation, others much bigger where it's easy to pitch a bivvie.

 

Work parties are a chance to socialise, perhaps find out more about the water from other members, do a bit of exercise, and do a bit of good for the club and the wildlife. I also find it very satisfying seeing what we've acheived.

 

Most of all though, as Janet says, work parties are fun!

Edited March 1, 2008 by Steve Burke

[merlino bill]

OI OI,

In a word NO i have a serious hert problem & a bad back, BUT i do now because how ever i'll you are theres always somthing that you can do or help with the club im with have loverly lakes with several disabled pegs whitch are safe & clean & pathways to all other pegs, whats the job i can do i hear you say simple i do the strimming around the pegs & pool & makes you feel better however much you do, good on you janet.

lets see a few more helping. BILL

 

[Janet]

Yes, we achieved a lot in just two days, and I'm very proud to have played my small part.

 

There were twelve or thirteen on each day. Some did both days, some did just one, so I'd guess that there were possibly twenty or so people who made the effort to come and help over the course of the weekend. Some, such as the guy operating the hired mini digger, worked from around seven in the morning until late in the afternoon. Some members just came along for a few hours to do what they could, including one lovely old guy in his eighties, who was still capable of carrying planks round to the peg that was being rebuilt.

 

One of our members isn't fit enough to do any manual work, but he played a vital part by providing transport for several members and also supplying everyone with vast amounts of bacon butties and freshly brewed tea, which were most welcome. What could be better than sitting round a lovely lake in the sunshine with good company and a nice bacon buttie and a brew?

 

I worked from about nine till five on the first day, which was hard work, but very satisfying. I didn't do much on the second day as by this time most of the heavy work had been done, but I stayed for most of the afternoon doing what I could, mainly fetching and carrying.

 

Even our Club Secretary turned up, despite only being released from hospital a few days earlier, following a heart attack. Of course he wasn't able to do anything except offer support and encouragement, but it was great to see him out and about again. We'd all been concerned about him, so it was very nice that he made the effort to attend. Another member has very severe back problems following an injury, so he couldn't do any heavy lifting, but he still turned out to do what he could, which is probably a lot more that he thought he would be able to! I did see him wincing with pain on several occasions, and I felt rather guilty about complaining about my bad back after shovelling tons of gravel! Our digger driver has recently undergone surgery, but it didn't stop him working for two days solid, from morning to night.

 

Although there was no fishing over the weekend, he still managed to bank two tiddlers! They were scooped up with the digger as he cleared part of a reed bed to thin them out a bit and make a safe spawning area. It’s all very well to have minimal intervention, but left alone, the reeds and lilies would soon swamp such a small lake. The next job, later in the year, will be to thin out the beds of water lilies before they cover the whole surface. Although they look fabulous when the lilies are in flower, they do need to be kept under control.

 

I guess that out of a total membership of less than fifty, the turnout was reasonable, but it did seem strange that some of the younger and fitter members didn't bother to turn up, especially considering that it was such a lovely weekend. The weather was absolutely fabulous, and it was hard to believe that it was only February. Still, as I've heard, that's always the way it is with these things. It's always the same ones who turn up each time and put in the effort, whilst the ones who complain can’t be bothered get off their backsides to help.

 

Steve, I very much like your ideas for increasing attendance at work parties, and I'll pass your comments on.

 

All in all, although I was totally exhausted at the end of the first day, it was great to be out in the fresh air, and equally great to meet some of the other members. As you said, it's a great way to socialise, and I’m sure that knowing I’ve played my part in making the lake a more pleasant place to visit will enhance my fishing in the future.

 

Janet

[grayson]

Yes, we achieved a lot in just two days, and I'm very proud to have played my small part.

 

There were twelve or thirteen on each day. Some did both days, some did just one, so I'd guess that there were possibly twenty or so people who made the effort to come and help over the course of the weekend. Some, such as the guy operating the hired mini digger, worked from around seven in the morning until late in the afternoon. Some members just came along for a few hours to do what they could, including one lovely old guy in his eighties, who was still capable of carrying planks round to the peg that was being rebuilt.

 

One of our members isn't fit enough to do any manual work, but he played a vital part by providing transport for several members and also supplying everyone with vast amounts of bacon butties and freshly brewed tea, which were most welcome. What could be better than sitting round a lovely lake in the sunshine with good company and a nice bacon buttie and a brew?

 

I worked from about nine till five on the first day, which was hard work, but very satisfying. I didn't do much on the second day as by this time most of the heavy work had been done, but I stayed for most of the afternoon doing what I could, mainly fetching and carrying.

 

Even our Club Secretary turned up, despite only being released from hospital a few days earlier, following a heart attack. Of course he wasn't able to do anything except offer support and encouragement, but it was great to see him out and about again. We'd all been concerned about him, so it was very nice that he made the effort to attend. Another member has very severe back problems following an injury, so he couldn't do any heavy lifting, but he still turned out to do what he could, which is probably a lot more that he thought he would be able to! I did see him wincing with pain on several occasions, and I felt rather guilty about complaining about my bad back after shovelling tons of gravel! Our digger driver has recently undergone surgery, but it didn't stop him working for two days solid, from morning to night.

 

Although there was no fishing over the weekend, he still managed to bank two tiddlers! They were scooped up with the digger as he cleared part of a reed bed to thin them out a bit and make a safe spawning area. It’s all very well to have minimal intervention, but left alone, the reeds and lilies would soon swamp such a small lake. The next job, later in the year, will be to thin out the beds of water lilies before they cover the whole surface. Although they look fabulous when the lilies are in flower, they do need to be kept under control.

 

I guess that out of a total membership of less than fifty, the turnout was reasonable, but it did seem strange that some of the younger and fitter members didn't bother to turn up, especially considering that it was such a lovely weekend. The weather was absolutely fabulous, and it was hard to believe that it was only February. Still, as I've heard, that's always the way it is with these things. It's always the same ones who turn up each time and put in the effort, whilst the ones who complain can’t be bothered get off their backsides to help.

 

Steve, I very much like your ideas for increasing attendance at work parties, and I'll pass your comments on.

 

All in all, although I was totally exhausted at the end of the first day, it was great to be out in the fresh air, and equally great to meet some of the other members. As you said, it's a great way to socialise, and I’m sure that knowing I’ve played my part in making the lake a more pleasant place to visit will enhance my fishing in the future.

 

Janet