Game Fisheries Development by Clubs

MacraPat

My club AGM is coming up soon and I'm trying to think of some suggestions on what can we do to improve the Fisheries. We have good brown and sea trout stocks and recovering salmon stocks which are currently protected a large game river on the east coast (no hints). We've plenty of styles up and paths mown but it takes more than that to sustain a fishery. What has been working from other clubs? Does anyone have any suggestions of their own?

fontanalis

The Wild Trout Trust in England does a lot of restoration work. Try their website.
http://www.wildtrout.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=130&Itemid=150

SeaFields

The scientists in the fisheries boards are usually well versed on all things developmental.

Having an environmental committee is a good start I'd say (if ye don't already) just to keep an eye on activity within the catchment and to highlight anything that may interfere with water quality at a later date. If possible, have guys on this committee that know what they are talking about - not just some guys that get nudged into it at an AGM (obviously this depends massively on the size of the club).

There are anglers in this forum much better informed than me on these things but maybe a simple way of looking at it than I can think of - cover all your bases:

feeder streams + water quality + sustainable angling = perfect fishery!

coolwings

Every fish population has factors that limit its growth and numbers.
Some are man made like pollution, poaching or abstraction.
Some may be natural like drought, impassable features in the path of migratory fish, or siltation of spawning beds.

But there are lots of limiting factors, all like week links in the chain.
Find the weakest link and fix that, and you get the best return for your efforts.
Something as simple as planting weedbed cover for newly hatched alevins right downstream of known redd locations might be the most significant thing you can do.

Also, different club members will be inspired by different projects. We all have something that we are more willing to help with.
You could consider setting the hunting and shooting members on a mink eradication programme, while putting others into planting, or removing trees from selected places.
Small teams all with small projects that add up.

ironbluedun

MacraPat wrote: »

What has been working from other clubs? Does anyone have any suggestions of their own?

all good game fisheries need good spawning facilities, so spawning stream rehabilitation and maintenance must be a high priority. i would put it at number 1 priority above all others. stiles and footbridges are great for anglers but useless to fish! do as much as the club can do to promote natural spawning. This will also include things such as habitat enhancement and protection.

Bizzum

Have a read of 'Channels and Challenges' by Dr Martin O Grady.

MacraPat

Great suggestions guys, thanks very much.