Disaster and partial compensation

"Gordon MacPherson" wrote in message
...
Dear all,
After Thames Water stopped Farmoor Flyfishing Club using the Farmoor 1
reservoir (they will reopen it next year as a catch-and-release water,
allegedly with no trout under 3 lb) the Club reverted to Darlow - a very
pleasant ex-gravel pit water. The recent floods however have devastated
the area and the lake was closed to fishing until late August. When I went
out at the beginning of September I was horrified to see many trout
swimming
around aimlessly just under the surface (dorsal and tail fins showing),
many dead trout and a large dead carp. I did not even try to fish. I am
told that it is most likely to be Argulus - a parasite - and that there is
little that can be done to treat it. So I reckon that is probably the end
of fishing at Darlow this season.
The compensation is that Thames Water is offering concessionary tickets
for Farmoor 2. I visited last Saturday and was pleased (and surprised) to
come
away with 5 fish - 1.5 - 2.5 lbs, one on a deep buzzer, one on a fry
imitation and three on a baby daddy long-legs (many others missed - I
think I strike too quickly). All fish caught on Farmoor 2 have to be
killed - the
compensation is that these fish have deep pink flesh and a lovely flavour.
We cooked one last night - in foil (160 deg C for 25 min) with the zest
from an orange, the juice from the orange, some salt and pepper. The juice
was reduced at the end and a little Grand Marnier added - delicious.

Tight lines

Gordon

For info
1. Yes - I would much prefer to fish for wild trout - and do this in Wales
and elsewhere when I can. The amount of wild trout fishing in the South of
England is negligible.
2. There is very good natural feeding in most UK reservoirs - masses of
chironomids and sedges - most fish caight are full of chironomids
3. Stocking at Farmoor is generally before the season starts, and a fish
stocked at 1lb will have reached 2-2.5 lb by the end of the summer.
4. I have caught and eaten wild sea trout, and the the flavour of a grown-in
farmor trout loses little by comparison - I agree completely about fish
which were stocked the day before they were caught.
5. Catching trout on UK reservoirs is no easy matter - read the excellent
book by Brian Church - "Stillwater flyfishing". In the evening, casting to
rising trout with a hatching chironomid or sedge imitiation is an exciting
and delicate affair.

BW

Gordon

On 13 Sep, 16:06, "Gordon MacPherson"
wrote:

For info
1. Yes - I would much prefer to fish for wild trout - and do this in Wales
and elsewhere when I can. The amount of wild trout fishing in the South of
England is negligible.

Doubtless, but fishing for stocked rainbows causes heavy environmental
damage.

Next time you catch one of those fish, do yourself a favour and have
it analysed. I guarantee you will never eat another one after seeing
the results. It takes a long time for the colouring matter to
disappear from a stocked fish. In the wild it is only usually apparent
in fish with a good portion of shrimp or similar in their diets, this
mainly results in orange flesh, not pink. Stocked rainbows are
coloured up by various means, often by means of astaxanthin. Just do a
search on "carotene colour trout", or similar for a lot of info.

Stocking policies vary considerably, most "top up" as required. Of
course they don´t tell you that. In order to be a viable concern, a
certain stocking density is required, and heavily fished fisheries
like Farmoor and many others are replenished continuously, as
otherwise people would not go there and pay their money.

TL
MC

"Mike" wrote in message
ups.com...
On 13 Sep, 16:06, "Gordon MacPherson"
wrote:

For info
1. Yes - I would much prefer to fish for wild trout - and do this in Wales
and elsewhere when I can. The amount of wild trout fishing in the South of
England is negligible.

Doubtless, but fishing for stocked rainbows causes heavy environmental
damage.

Next time you catch one of those fish, do yourself a favour and have
it analysed. I guarantee you will never eat another one after seeing
the results. It takes a long time for the colouring matter to
disappear from a stocked fish. In the wild it is only usually apparent
in fish with a good portion of shrimp or similar in their diets, this
mainly results in orange flesh, not pink. Stocked rainbows are
coloured up by various means, often by means of astaxanthin. Just do a
search on "carotene colour trout", or similar for a lot of info.

Stocking policies vary considerably, most "top up" as required. Of
course they don´t tell you that. In order to be a viable concern, a
certain stocking density is required, and heavily fished fisheries
like Farmoor and many others are replenished continuously, as
otherwise people would not go there and pay their money.

TL
MC

In fact many Farmoor trout do have "orange" flesh.

Gordon

On 13 Sep, 17:58, "Gordon MacPherson"
wrote:


In fact many Farmoor trout do have "orange" flesh.

Gordon

Nevertheless, they are topped up from a "stocking pond", and the fish
in the stocking pond are fed on fish meal pellets which invariably
contain colouring matter.

http://www.thameswateruk.co.uk/UK/re...epage_ 000857

It is not a viable proposition to tip that many fish into the water at
once, they would hoover it clean of all aquatic life, and then die of
starvation. The stocking densities are carefully calculated, also
according to fishery returns, and enough fish are "topped up" to
maintain the stocking density more or less suited to the number of
anglers, and ensure that anglers catch enough, without denuding the
water.

This is how virtually all these waters are run nowadays. There is no
other way to do it. In quite a few waters there may be native browns
which grow on quite well, they are not stocked all that often, as they
are more difficult and slower to grow on than triploid rainbows, and
are a lot more expensive.

Whatever.

Have a nice day.

MC

Mike wrote:
"Gordon MacPherson" wrote:
For info
1. Yes - I would much prefer to fish for wild trout - and do this in Wales
and elsewhere when I can. The amount of wild trout fishing in the South of
England is negligible.
...
3. Stocking at Farmoor is generally before the season starts, and a fish
stocked at 1lb will have reached 2-2.5 lb by the end of the summer.

snip
Stocking policies vary considerably, most "top up" as required. Of
course they don´t tell you that. In order to be a viable concern, a
certain stocking density is required, and heavily fished fisheries
like Farmoor and many others are replenished continuously, as
otherwise people would not go there and pay their money.

I am quite impressed at the breadth and depth of your knowledge
about all things fishing, Mike. I mean a guy living in Germany
who knows more about the stocking policies of a particular place
in the UK than the person who actually fishes there must possess
vast amounts of arcane, detailed knowledge. We are truly blessed
to have you in our presence and to anyone on roff who considers
you a laughingstock I would offer this post as affirmation of
your worth here.

--
Ken Fortenberry

On 13 Sep, 18:05, Ken Fortenberry
wrote:


I am quite impressed at the breadth and depth of your knowledge
about all things fishing, Mike. I mean a guy living in Germany
who knows more about the stocking policies of a particular place
in the UK than the person who actually fishes there must possess
vast amounts of arcane, detailed knowledge. We are truly blessed
to have you in our presence and to anyone on roff who considers
you a laughingstock I would offer this post as affirmation of
your worth here.

--
Ken Fortenberry

Whatever you say dumbo. I never fail to be amazed and depressed at
your lack of knowledge and silly behaviour.

MC

The usual recommended stocking density for good water quality is 60 Kg
per acre. As the Thames Water Utilities very kindly offer the
information on their website, ( which I noted above, but Kenny is
simply too stupid to read), that the reservoir has 240 acres, and they
have an annual stocking of 30,000 trout if they stick to the usual
average that means 125 trout per acre at about 500 grams each, if they
stock them all at once. Some waters do this. They do not state what
they do here, but they do mention stocking ponds.

MC

Oh, and as he is also probably far too stupid to do the simple
arithmetic, that means 15,000 Kg of trout, at a pellet/protein
conversion ration of at least 5-1 and probably a good deal more, as
they stock grown on browns as well as rainbows, ( browns grow slower
and eat more), that 15 tonnes of fish cost 75 tonnes of marine bait
fish.

MC

On Thu, 13 Sep 2007 09:43:17 -0700, Mike
wrote:

Oh, and as he is also probably far too stupid to do the simple
arithmetic, that means 15,000 Kg of trout, at a pellet/protein
conversion ration of at least 5-1 and probably a good deal more, as
they stock grown on browns as well as rainbows, ( browns grow slower
and eat more), that 15 tonnes of fish cost 75 tonnes of marine bait
fish.

MC

Um...what do carp in London have to do with trout in Oxford...?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know,
Dickie

One further point of interest dumbo. I did not always live in Germany,
and for quite a while when I lived in England, I worked part time as
a fishery officer for the Northumbrian Water Authority.Which is now
simply known as "Northumbrian Water". As I have also done for several
water authorities here. In case you are also too stupid to Google
that, ( surprising really, as somebody recently intimated that anybody
asking questions on Usenet should automatically have enough "net
savvy" to use Google), here is the link;

http://www.nwl.co.uk/Reservoirsenv.aspx

I am sure they would even provide you with information as to the
rearing and stocking techniques and policies used on their large
collection of waters, if you remembered your manners long enough to
ask nicely.Maybe this information is even on their site? Of course,
you would have to look and see.

However this may be, you really are a most tiresome idiot, and I can´t
be bothered with you any more.

MC