Two waters I've fished have cut a vast amount of trees down surrounding the lake due to oxygen issues. Both "suffer" from low water levels, both are vastly covered by pads, have good ecosystems which sustain a lot of life, including one which hosts a family of stoats. Both are highly stocked with all species, both get weedy in the summer.
Both have suffered fish kills in the last two years due to algae blooms and oxygen issues due to hot weather.
The EA's solution seems to be to chop down a massive proportion of trees to increase exposure to wind, to apparently turn over the top layers, which in turn increases oxygen. This has resulted in one lake having all the banks chewed up by heavy plant, stumps galore and massive open swims where natural openings in the trees once stood.
Is it just me that thinks that should be the LAST roll of the dice?
Should we be turning lakes into artillery pounded holes in the ground to save a few 9lb commons, or is the solution to move a lot of the 9lb commons and 3000 silvers that reside in there? After all, the trees have been there for many many decades prior to the Carps arrival...
Both have suffered fish kills in the last two years due to algae blooms and oxygen issues due to hot weather.
The EA's solution seems to be to chop down a massive proportion of trees to increase exposure to wind, to apparently turn over the top layers, which in turn increases oxygen. This has resulted in one lake having all the banks chewed up by heavy plant, stumps galore and massive open swims where natural openings in the trees once stood.
Is it just me that thinks that should be the LAST roll of the dice?
Should we be turning lakes into artillery pounded holes in the ground to save a few 9lb commons, or is the solution to move a lot of the 9lb commons and 3000 silvers that reside in there? After all, the trees have been there for many many decades prior to the Carps arrival...
Wow,this sounds absolutely dreadful..
Apparently lily pads ,Rhizome..if they take over more than a quarter of any fishery they will cause issues.. as said stopping the natural movement of the water from the wind..place I run we've got a huge bed of pads ,near 25 percent of the lake ,we have slowly began removing them....
Also...trees ,and leaf litter not a good long term thing for the over all health of a fishery,...Ash die back ,sadly nearly all the trees around another pool have died ,they going to be felled directly ,and when the time is right the new plantings will be set back from the lakes edges..
On a personal level,my absolute number one hate,that fills my guts to almost spew up level is totally unacceptable removal of trees ,when they have not been correctly shaped or are not diseased....not only in the fishing world..but from new builds etc..
And as an edit...'following the science'...just remembering a certain.small issue ,with a similar caveat ,...soon as I hear the word science or expert ,it gets my back up straight away ,I don't know it just does,
I like using using common sense ...sounds grim AK on your fishery
Apparently lily pads ,Rhizome..if they take over more than a quarter of any fishery they will cause issues.. as said stopping the natural movement of the water from the wind..place I run we've got a huge bed of pads ,near 25 percent of the lake ,we have slowly began removing them....
Also...trees ,and leaf litter not a good long term thing for the over all health of a fishery,...Ash die back ,sadly nearly all the trees around another pool have died ,they going to be felled directly ,and when the time is right the new plantings will be set back from the lakes edges..
On a personal level,my absolute number one hate,that fills my guts to almost spew up level is totally unacceptable removal of trees ,when they have not been correctly shaped or are not diseased....not only in the fishing world..but from new builds etc..
And as an edit...'following the science'...just remembering a certain.small issue ,with a similar caveat ,...soon as I hear the word science or expert ,it gets my back up straight away ,I don't know it just does,
I like using using common sense ...sounds grim AK on your fishery
In reply to Post #1
The EA seem to forget that no two lakes are the same, all are unique. I got told the same as you many years ago " That's a disaster waiting to happen" – the Stock Pond I have is 50 x 25m and totally tree lined on all four backings, it's spring fed and see's very little sun light or wind, but we have not lost a single fish in 6 years! Being shady and protected from the elements it's never subjected to sudden changes in the weather.
But one of the lakes is very prone to Algae blooms with it being so rich, but we planted over 400 Tree's around it to provide shady cooler areas to help stop stratification occurring (Inverting and de-oxygenating) Never had a problem since.
But, we still have a converted Fire Hydrant Pump and a 4” Petrol Water Pump on standby 24/7, if there's the slightest chance of sudden changes in weather conditions during the summer months- the pumps get turned on to “Churn the water Column over”
My advice would have been to buy a couple of Petrol Water Pumps or Compressors (Prefer Pumps myself, more volume turns over)around £200 each I've seen them for, for the cost of £30 worth of petrol a night it's a no brainer.
The EA seem to forget that no two lakes are the same, all are unique. I got told the same as you many years ago " That's a disaster waiting to happen" – the Stock Pond I have is 50 x 25m and totally tree lined on all four backings, it's spring fed and see's very little sun light or wind, but we have not lost a single fish in 6 years! Being shady and protected from the elements it's never subjected to sudden changes in the weather.
But one of the lakes is very prone to Algae blooms with it being so rich, but we planted over 400 Tree's around it to provide shady cooler areas to help stop stratification occurring (Inverting and de-oxygenating) Never had a problem since.
But, we still have a converted Fire Hydrant Pump and a 4” Petrol Water Pump on standby 24/7, if there's the slightest chance of sudden changes in weather conditions during the summer months- the pumps get turned on to “Churn the water Column over”
My advice would have been to buy a couple of Petrol Water Pumps or Compressors (Prefer Pumps myself, more volume turns over)around £200 each I've seen them for, for the cost of £30 worth of petrol a night it's a no brainer.
In reply to Post #1
Seems like you're blaming the EA when in reality its the contractors that made a right mess of it. I doubt the EA said "churn the ground up and create a mess whilst you do it"
Are the lakes EA owned? or did they just advise?
End of the day there are numerous reasons for issues within fisheries. You say DO issues as well as low water levels which sounds like removing mature trees goes towards helping 2 issues with one action. Create wind tunnels as well as removing a load of trees which will be using lots of water to sustain themselves.
Also tree works are always done over winter due to nesting seasons so its obvious the ground will suffer as it'll be wet. Again, it sounds like the contractor or whoever carried out the works created the mess and havent made good the ground.
All depends on the owners funds and wishes I guess, installing an aeration system would be better but more costly. It also wouldnt help with water levels.
Seems like you're blaming the EA when in reality its the contractors that made a right mess of it. I doubt the EA said "churn the ground up and create a mess whilst you do it"
Are the lakes EA owned? or did they just advise?
End of the day there are numerous reasons for issues within fisheries. You say DO issues as well as low water levels which sounds like removing mature trees goes towards helping 2 issues with one action. Create wind tunnels as well as removing a load of trees which will be using lots of water to sustain themselves.
Also tree works are always done over winter due to nesting seasons so its obvious the ground will suffer as it'll be wet. Again, it sounds like the contractor or whoever carried out the works created the mess and havent made good the ground.
All depends on the owners funds and wishes I guess, installing an aeration system would be better but more costly. It also wouldnt help with water levels.
In reply to Post #2
The problem with the term "following the science" is that fairly dim-witted people seem to think that the science doesn't change over time. Although, I would run a mile from anybody who uses the phrases "unprecedented" or "scientific fact" in a serious manner.
The problem with the term "following the science" is that fairly dim-witted people seem to think that the science doesn't change over time. Although, I would run a mile from anybody who uses the phrases "unprecedented" or "scientific fact" in a serious manner.
In reply to Post #1
When I bought my place I said I wouldn't remove any trees. I've spent the last six years removing many, many trees to both create wind lanes and cut down on leaf litter. I also installed an aeration windmill. Two years ago I set about removing the masses of lillies that covered a good percentage of the surface. After all the blood, sweat and tears the water quality and particularly d.o. levels are bob on and the fish are thriving.
Yes your banks may be mutilated now, but nature heals really quickly. I bet after a couple of years you'll think it was all for the best.
When I bought my place I said I wouldn't remove any trees. I've spent the last six years removing many, many trees to both create wind lanes and cut down on leaf litter. I also installed an aeration windmill. Two years ago I set about removing the masses of lillies that covered a good percentage of the surface. After all the blood, sweat and tears the water quality and particularly d.o. levels are bob on and the fish are thriving.
Yes your banks may be mutilated now, but nature heals really quickly. I bet after a couple of years you'll think it was all for the best.