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OUSE ANGLING PRESERVATION SOCIETY Ltd
Company Number 5381556 Registered in England
www.ouseaps.co.uk
Chairman: D. Scott, “Mandeville”, Nether Lane, Nutley, E Sussex TN22 3LA
Secretary: D.Brown, 20 Bishop Butt Close, Orpington, Kent, BR6 9UF
Tel: 0771 0458653 (mobile), email: davebrown_gonefishing@yahoo.co.uk
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NEWSLETTER - 2010/2011 SEASON
April 2011
Secretary’s report
Firstly I should apologise for this Newsletter being a couple of weeks later than usual – it has been delayed so as to be able to
bring news of exciting developments, just being announced, relating to the designation of the Ouse and Adur as a pilot
catchment for implementing the EU Water Framework Directive. This legislation is of great importance for anglers and all
those with an interest in protecting and restoring our rivers.
I opened last year’s Newsletter with the observation that “The 2009/10 season was not an easy one, due to the very mixed
weather and water conditions – a recurrence of drought level flows for much of the summer, followed by the coldest winter for
decades, with the river inaccessible at times due to snow and by cold spates, including an extremely high one, caused by
snow melt, in February, when the road at Barcombe Mills was again flooded and closed for a while”. The 2010/11 season was
even more extreme, at least with respect to the winter, with possibly the coldest December on the river since the Society was
founded in 1875. The fishery was again inaccessible at times due to lying snow and a huge spate on January 18th led to
another road closure at Barcombe Mills. Those of you who are also members of the Sussex Ouse Conservation Society
(SOCS) will have seen in the winter edition of its own newsletter a photo of Dr Clive Fetter, who undertakes the scale readings
of Ouse sea trout, wading along the flooded road to reach a stranded car. The season ended with yet another extreme of
weather – the driest March for 50 years. This was followed by an extremely dry and warm April, with coarse fish spawning
exceptionally early and the fry growing rapidly. Earlier today (27th April) I was at Barcombe Mills and was surprised and
encouraged to see large numbers of coarse fish fry on the surface – I think a mixture of chub, dace and roach – already about
3cm long. Often they do not reach this size until well into the summer. This bodes well, as the quicker they grow, the more
able they are to resist spate flows which can otherwise wash them downstream. Carp, often the last coarse species to spawn
on the OAPS fishery, were already spawning in the lower river by mid-April.
In spite of the disruption to winter fishing due to the weather pike well into the 20’s were caught. Indeed, going through the
Society’s records (back to its inception 136 years ago) I cannot find a year when 20 lb plus pike were not taken. Carp anglers
can be secretive about their catches, although we have reason to believe that a 40lb+ fish was captured last summer. As
described in the last Newsletter, at least two 40lb fish are known to be present on the OAPS fishery, so it is entirely plausible
that a 40lb+ carp was indeed banked. Last year I noted that experienced sea trout anglers came across some exceptionally
big sea trout in the upper tidal river in late June and early July, although none could be persuaded to take a lure. Equally large
sea trout appeared at the same time in 2010 and this time some did take (although they subsequently came adrift) and a
couple of very experienced sea trout anglers, who have fished the river for many years, reported hooking and losing the
biggest sea trout they had ever encountered on the OAPS fishery. Whilst the weight of a lost fish is always speculative, these
could have been 16lb +.
I have to confess that I only found time to fish the river on three occasions, each time for less than an hour – a dire
performance for the Society’s Secretary! However, I made many other visits in relation to the habitat improvement work which
was undertaken on the OAPS fishery and elsewhere on the Ouse. My first fishing visit, not until September, was a brief
session for sea trout upstream of Barcombe Mills. Targeting an area where I had seen sea trout showing, my very first cast
with a size 2 silver mepps produced a gentle knock which didn’t connect, but which I strongly suspected was a sea trout and
not a pike, perch or chub. This was confirmed on the second cast with a sea trout of about 6lb taking the lure within five
seconds of it hitting the water and being released a few minutes later. A few casts later the process was repeated with a
slightly smaller fish. It is often the case that when one sea trout is taken another will often follow. My second brief visit resulted
in the release of a larger sea trout of 8lb or so; my final visit was to the Andrews Stream resulting in, within less than half an
hour, a mixed catch of a perch of a bit over a pound, a barbel of a pound and a half and a chub of a similar size.
Changes to permit structure for 2011
An anomaly which the Committee has decided to correct is that the qualifying age for an OAPS Senior Permit has been 60,
whilst the Environment Agency does not issue concessionary rod licences until anglers reach the age of 65 and the
Copthorne and District Angling Society, with which OAPS has a reciprocal water sharing arrangement, also has a qualifying
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age for a senior permit of 65. To give a more consistent approach, and one in line with the EA and other angling societies, the
qualifying age for a Senior OAPS Permit will be changed to 65, with effect from the 2011/12 season.
Last year the Society introduced separate permits for coarse and sea trout angling; this new permit structure proved very
successful. A limit of 50 Sea Trout Permits was set and this was quickly fully subscribed, with a waiting list being established.
Anglers who purchased a Sea Trout Permit last year have been contacted by Andrew Woolley, the Society’s Permit
Secretary, with the option of purchasing a permit for the forthcoming season. The limit of 50 Sea Trout Permits (including Sea
Trout Senior and Under 19 Permits) is being retained for 2011. At the time of writing, almost the entire permit allocation has
already been reserved and it is likely that by the start of the season on May 1 st it will have been fully subscribed. In the event
of any permits still being available (the website will include this information) these will also be available from Andrew. If you
are interested in a Sea Trout Permit, but none are available, Andrew is operating a waiting list and, via this, there may be an
opportunity to secure a permit in 2012.
To reiterate, the reason for issuing separate sea trout permits is to manage the sea trout stock in a sustainable manner, for
the benefit of current and future permit holders, and the Society itself. The cost of a Sea Trout Permit (which also includes
coarse fishing) is slightly higher than for a Coarse permit, and the differential between the price of Sea Trout and Coarse
permits has been increased this year to £25 but this reflects the additional costs to the Society of renting the prime sea trout
stretches on the tidal river. As I noted last year, when the new permit structure was introduced, we emphasize that in no way
is the increase in price intended to penalize sea trout anglers; on the contrary it is intended to ensure that the Society can
continue to provide them with access to the Ouse, both now and into the future. As noted last year, the Committee had been
of the opinion for some time that the cost of sea trout fishing on OAPS waters was too low and for a number of years the
revenue the Society has received via permits sales has been inadequate to balance the books; in particular, we have had to
pay increased rents for some stretches and are subject to another increase for the coming season. We hope that the revised
permit structure will put the Society on a sounder financial footing and emphasise that with the Ouse being the UK river with
the highest average weight for sea trout, and with the catch holding up well even during the recent run of drought years, and
increasing in 2010, we consider that, even at the revised price, sea trout fishing on the OAPS waters remains exceptionally
good value compared to prices elsewhere. To add a personal perspective I’d add that I have fished over 20 sea trout rivers in
Britain over a 35 year period and, although I’ve only fished the Ouse for 9 years, I have already caught 5 double figure sea
trout from it, against 2 from all the other rivers I’ve fished combined, including some of the renowned Welsh fisheries. The
river I’ve fished for the longest – every year except two since the late 1970’s - is the East Lyn in Devon, from which I have
caught several hundred salmon and sea trout but it has only yielded 9 sea trout of over 5lb to me – 5lb is an exceptionally
good fish for the Lyn, but one of a little under the average weight for the Ouse!
A minor additional change to the permit structure is that a separate Guest Permit for sea trout fishing is being introduced.
Details are included in the Sea Trout Supplement provided with the Information Pack when an Annual Sea Trout Permit is
purchased. The new Sea Trout Guest Permit covers fishing only on the tidal river, which comprises the prime stretch for sea
trout angling.
The other major change in the permit structure introduced for last year was the introduction of an Under 19’s Annual Permit,
replacing the previous Junior Permit, to encourage more young anglers to fish. This has been well received and is also being
continued for 2011.
Rule changes
The new rules introduced in 2010 remain in force and are incorporated into the information pack, issued with permits. One
additional rule is being introduced for 2011; that there is no wading allowed on the Andrews Stream. The gravel introduced in
the course of the habitat enhancement works described above is a valuable spawning habitat which will be utilised by coarse
fish during the spring and early summer; sea lamprey during the summer and sea trout from late autumn onwards. Even
limited wading could cause very significant damage to fish eggs or young and for this reason wading is prohibited at all times.
Copthorne Society waters
We are pleased to report that the water sharing arrangement, through which O.A.P.S. permit holders have the opportunity to
fish all of the Copthorne and District Angling Society’s waters, including Piltdown Pond, remains in place for 2011/12 season,
including year round access at Piltdown where there is no closed season. The Pond fished very well over the past season,
with some very heavy bream bags being taken recently as the weather warmed in spring. Good tench of 5lb+ featured in
some of these bags, as well as falling to those anglers specifically targeting them. Please note that the Copthorne lakes may
be booked for matches from time to time; a list of match dates and more information about the lakes themselves is available
on the Copthorne and District Angling Society’s website (www.copthorneangling.co.uk ).
Coarse Fishing 2010/11 Season
Looking first at carp fishing, the flow was low for much of the summer, which normally augurs well for surface fishing; however
the fish seemed to be in different places to where they are usually encountered, especially on the non-tidal stretch. Some
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reaches where one would normally expect to see carp on the top in warm settled weather didn’t appear to hold as many as
usual, however for anglers prepared to walk, sometimes considerable distances, the fish were still there and, when located,
would often take readily. Reconnaissance walks with a loaf or two of bread, throwing pieces in and waiting for their progress
downstream to be interrupted by a carp is an effective way to locate the fish and this method can also bring some huge chub
to the surface too. Chub are very rarely specifically targeted with floating baits on the Ouse but this is a tactic well worth
pursuing. Possibly the reason that carp were not seen in the usual places is that fish had been displaced from their normal
haunts by the extensive flooding in early 2010. On the lower tidal section, although there wasn’t a great deal of surface action,
plenty of fish fell to ledgered baits, with pellets proving increasingly successful. A good number of fish were in the high teens
with a number into the 20’s and, although only limited information was available, it is understood that a 40lb+ carp may finally
have been taken. This is certainly plausible as (as described in last years Newsletter) there are at least two 40 pounders in
the OAPS stretch. At least one double figure grass carp was also banked, on the tidal river.
Pike fishing got off to a good start in October with fish to over 20lb reported from the tidal section but the rapid plunge in
temperatures and accompanying heavy snow in late November into December curtailed angling at what is often a particularly
productive time. The thaw was similarly unproductive with heavy, very coloured and cold water running off and while January
was warmer than the exceptionally cold December, heavy rainfall and spates, one being exceptionally large and causing the
river to flood across the fields, again interfered with angling. Nevertheless, when the river settled for a few days and anglers
ventured out, pike were taken, mostly to sea deadbaits. Warmer and more settled conditions in February into March finally
made pike angling feasible again on pretty much any day and some good fish were finally taken – although, the very low
March rainfall and corresponding low and clear water made the fish wary as the season’s end approached. It did however
finally provide good conditions for lure fishing and some very good fish fell to artificial baits including huge spinnerbaits and
plugs.
The cohort of small barbel which appeared in numbers throughout the fishery in 2007, and whose progress has been followed
in the last three Newsletters, continue to grow with some now around the 2lb mark. They usually turn up individually in mixed
bags, though they are reaching a size where they can be picked up by specimen hunters seeking carp with meat or pellets.
They are also reaching the size where they will soon be breeding and contributing to future generations of Ouse barbel. In
addition to these small fish, the odd larger barbel to 8lb or so also turned up, with the Anchor Weirpool being, as usual, the
site of most of these captures.
For the angler seeking a mixed bag of fish there was again good sport when conditions allowed; however the early onset of
winter was the complete opposite to the unseasonably mild autumn and early winter in 2009 which had allowed mixed bags to
be taken later in the year than normal. In 2010 sport came to an abrupt halt in late November with the heavy snow – while
some fish, chub in particular, may still have been feeding, lying snow rendered the river inaccessible. Rather more rudd than
usual, including some over a pound, featured in mixed bags over the summer and some decent bream to 5lb+ also put in an
appearance. The Ouse has never been renowned for its big dace, but a number in the 8-10oz range were caught, to anglers
trotting maggots, in the uppermost section of the tidal stretch early in the season and some bigger ones, some possibly over a
pound, were seen, but as far as is known, not caught. I saw one in this size bracket a couple of weeks ago below Barcombe
Mills. Tench, as they always do, turned up in the slow water upstream of Barcombe Mills and the lowest section of the Bevern,
although they were also reported in other areas, including the Hamsey Cut. Also, a number were 5lb+, bigger than the usual
3-4lb pounders. Perch are now of a much higher average weight than a few years ago when a half pounder would have been
a reasonable size. Fish of a pound to a pound and a half are a regular capture and two pounders are now not exceptional. 3
pounders and larger are being taken occasionally, almost always as incidental rather than targeted catches. If more anglers
sought specimen perch with large worm baits in the overgrown swims they frequent it would be interesting to see how many of
this calibre would turn up.
Sea Trout Fishing 2009 Season
The 2010 season produced over 50 reported fish, an increase over each of the previous three seasons when the reported
catch had been around 40. Considering that there were very low flows for much of the season this is not a bad total,
especially given that the high average weight of over 5lb was maintained. With anglers increasingly adopting catch and
release for the larger fish, big sea trout are not as accurately weighed and weights reported may be estimates rather than
definitive. Nevertheless, it is certain that a number of the fish were well into double figures. Although the relatively good flow at
the start of the season had declined by June there were the usual observations of – and encounters with – some exceptionally
large sea trout in the second half of June and early July. During this period some very experienced anglers hooked and lost
what they considered to be the biggest sea trout they’d ever hooked; certainly fish of 15lb +. As mentioned in Jim’s report, a
fish of this size range was reported as being taken from the Mill Pool. A number of other fish in the 10-12lb category were
reported, although, without photographs and with in some cases weights being estimated (which is best practice with a fish
which is to be returned; weighing is stressful and best avoided) it is uncertain as to how many “true” double figure fish were
caught. Nevertheless, it is clear that a number of double figure fish were taken and consequently the Ouse has continued to
maintain its position as one of few rivers in the UK which consistently produces double figure sea trout on an annual basis
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A number of injured sea trout, with deep wounds caused by attacks by seals were caught. As long as the wounds remain
uninfected, although the wounds appear extreme, seal injured salmon and sea trout appear to behave relatively normally and
will still take a lure – in fact it has been suggested that seal marked fish are actually more likely to take.
Lying snow and spates made winter redd counting surveys problematic and it is uncertain how good a spawning season it
was, though hopefully fish made it up to the headwaters of their spawning streams during periods of high flow. The periods of
low flow and high temperatures– including during the exceptionally dry and warm spring we are now experiencing – are
however not ideal for juvenile sea trout as the tributaries they inhabit can virtually dry up. The Committee recognised that the
Ouse sea trout stock remains a vulnerable one, subject to many pressures, and for this reason we continue to recommend
catch and release for all sea trout caught on the OAPS fishery. A number of OAPS Committee members are actively involved
in projects which, it is anticipated, will significantly benefit the sea trout stock; these are detailed elsewhere in this Newsletter.
Invasive Non Native Species
In the last Newsletter I reported the capture of a wels in the Hamsey area and the lively debate which followed on internet
forums about whether a captured wels could legally be returned to the water. Information was added to the Society’s website
giving more information about this issue and those non-native species, which should, under the terms of the Wildlife and
Countryside Act, not be returned, if encountered on the OAPS fishery. What are termed “invasive non-native species” are
receiving increased attention and increasingly recognised as representing a threat to our native aquatic species, including
fish. These include both animals and plants and it is actually the non-native plants which are most likely to be encountered on
the OAPS fishery (and on pretty much every other river in the South East) – nevertheless, these invasive plants can have an
effect on our fish. Japanese knotweed and Himalayan balsam are, to the angler and other rivers users, the most obvious
invasive plants and can affect fisheries in a number of ways. Himalayan balsam is particularly abundant in the Ouse valley
and this tall – typically a metre or more - plant with its pink flowers forms a dense fringe along much of the river bank in
places. In terms of how it actually affects angling it is a mixed blessing – where very dense (particularly where there are no
grazing cattle to keep it down) it can actually make it difficult to get to the waters edge, although the cover it provides can be
very useful, when stalking a wary carp or chub for example. However while its effect on angling is debatable its overall impact
on rivers and fish stocks is much clearer; it is undesirable. While it develops an extensive summer growth – to the extent that
it crowds out native plants – it dies back in the winter leaving bare soil on the banks. This can then be washed into the river
and deposited on the bed as silt where it can smother gravels used by many species of fish for spawning. Both Japanese
knotweed and Himalayan balsam are very difficult to eradicate from rivers (although there is some prospect of biological
control of Japanese knotweed, in the form of a sap-sucking insect from Japan which feeds on the plant) and even if an
intensive eradication programme using manual removal and herbicides is employed on a particular stretch of river, the plants
can easily and quickly recolonise the cleared area from further upstream. Knotweed and balsam are not aquatic plants but are
adept at colonising river banks (knotweed was originally introduced to the UK as a garden plant) but there are true aquatic
species including parrot’s feather and floating pennywort which can colonise the slower reaches of rivers and lakes. They can
grow so prolifically as to prevent angling and have a wide range of adverse ecological effects. Parrot’s feather was present in
Piltdown pond, where it was subject to an eradication programme and other invasive aquatic plants (which will have probably
originated from plants bought – perfectly legally – at aquatic centres) including floating pennywort and New Zealand
pigmyweed are present in ponds throughout the Ouse catchment. In fact, with the plants having being sold at aquatic outlets,
including those at garden centres over a period of many years a very high proportion of garden ponds now harbour one or
more of them – if they can escape into the wild they can cause huge problems. Fortunately the Ouse has not been affected in
this way but some waters in Sussex have been very badly impacted.
When it comes to animals, the two species of most concern with respect to the Ouse are not fish, but crustaceans; the
Chinese mitten crab and the signal crayfish. The Chinese mitten crab, so called because it has claws covered with wool-like
soft bristles, though a native of Asia in now well established in the tidal Thames where the river banks are in places riddled
with its burrows, bringing the risk of bank-collapse, and it has disturbed the ecology of the river. The crabs were introduced to
Germany in the early 1900’s and had spread to the Thames by 1935, where their numbers remained low until a population
explosion in the 1990’s. They have since turned up in various other locations, the nearest to the Ouse being at Shoreham, but
until last year none had been recorded from the Ouse itself. This changed last year with an angler catching a sizeable mitten
crab (the body of an adult crab is the size of a human palm) while bait fishing at Hamsey and with further reports from other
locations, including at Lewes. Unlike our native crabs, the mitten crab is predominantly a freshwater species, but must return
to the sea to breed. It remains to be seen to what extent the OAPS fishery, and the Ouse catchment, will be colonised by the
crabs (it is unclear why they have not colonised English rivers as quickly as those on the Continent) but the possibility exists
that they will ultimately become present in large numbers at least in the tidal section of the OAPS waters. What this will mean
for the fish stocks and wider ecology of the river is also uncertain, though one can imagine carp, chub and barbel latching onto
them as a food source. As to date there have been very few sightings, I’d be grateful if you do encounter a mitten crab on the
Ouse if you would report it to me, so that the situation can be monitored. There is at present no realistic means of eradicating
mitten crabs once established, although there are proposals on the Thames to start trapping them for food; they are a popular
delicacy in their native South East Asia.
The second invasive non-native crustacean present in the Ouse catchment (though yet to be recorded on the OAPS fishery)
is the signal crayfish. This species is present, in numbers, in a tributary of the Uck where it has been established for at least a
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decade and it may well have already spread into the main Uck without being detected yet – once they initially colonise a river,
signal crayfish are typically present in very low numbers for a number of years and may go undetected, before the population
explodes. Once established in a river signal crayfish are effectively impossible to eradicate and it does seem only a matter of
time – perhaps 10 to 20 years – before the OAPS fishery is colonised by them. Signal crayfish have two widely recognised
adverse impacts; firstly that they carry a disease (“crayfish plague”) to which our native white clawed crayfish have no
resistance, resulting in their extinction when signals become established and secondly that they establish huge populations
which dominate the ecology of a river. The first of these concerns is not relevant to the Ouse as there is no evidence that
native crayfish were ever present in the river. Although a native species, the white clawed crayfish was, particularly in
medieval times, introduced from its probably limited initial range into a range of other rivers and it would seem that either it
was never introduced to the Ouse or, if it was, failed to become established. The second concern – that of signal crayfish
dominating the ecology of rivers where they become established – is however of relevance to the Ouse and probably pretty
much every other river in the country. Where signals have become established their numbers build up to form truly huge
populations – stretches of the Great Ouse for example may contain tens of thousands of the crayfish per mile of river and the
weight of crayfish exceeds that of “proper” fish. Signal crayfish will also eat pretty much anything – they predate not just on
native aquatic invertebrates (which are a key element of the diet of most of our native fish species), but on fish eggs and
newly hatched fish too. Rivers where signals have become established – the Great Ouse and Kennet for example - have not
been destroyed as fisheries but there have been profound impacts. From an angling perspective, fishing with ledgered meaty
baits or worms or maggots becomes very difficult as they are frequently found by a crayfish before a fish can home in on
them. On the plus side – though there are a lot of negatives to balance against this – species such as chub and barbel will eat
even quite large signals and the recent increase in the maximum weights of these species in rivers with signal crayfish
populations may well be due to the fish exploiting this new food source. (I have fished a river in the Cotswolds for wild brown
trout since the 1970’s. At that time a 2lb trout was an exceptional one and a 3 pounder the fish of a lifetime. Since signal
crayfish became established the maximum size reached by the trout has increased markedly; in recent years I have caught a
string of 3-5lb fish and one of almost 8lb). However, while it may lead to an increase in the maximum weight of some species,
the colonisation of the rivers of the South East by signal crayfish is not something anglers should look forward to. There is
unfortunately no realistic method of eradicating them from a river once established. Cookery programmes which have featured
celebrity chefs catching and cooking signal crayfish have resulted in a number of enquiries to me asking for permission to trap
signal crayfish from OAPS waters, including Barcombe Mills Pool. I have declined these – simply on the basis that signal
crayfish are not yet present on the OAPS fishery so there are none to trap – but in practice trapping signal crayfish can
potentially do more harm than good as it will remove some of the larger individuals but leave the more numerous smaller ones
to grow on with less competition.
A third invasive crustacean species, Dickerogammarus villosus, dubbed the “killer shrimp” and native to parts of Eastern
Europe has recently (last year) been confirmed from three sites in England and Wales, though it may be elsewhere, so far
undetected. It is to be hoped that this species does not spread widely as it can, like the signal crayfish, proliferate rapidly,
replace our native aquatic invertebrates and prey on fish eggs and young.
Anglers can play a part in minimising the problems that can result from the introduction of invasive species by ensuring that
they do not transfer them between waters by drying nets and equipment between fishing trips. It should be remembered that
as well as it being important not to dispose of unwanted garden pond fish by taking them to rivers or lakes the same applies to
unwanted pond plants – they could be an invasive species which could spread and cause severe problems.
The Andrew’s Stream Restoration
As announced in last years Newsletter, funding for a habitat restoration project had been obtained, ultimately funded by the
Association of Rivers Trusts (ART; www.associationofriverstrusts.org.uk) of which the Sussex Ouse Conservation Society
(SOCS) is a member. The project was one of three for which funding was secured for SOCS and the River Adur Conservation
Society (RACS) relating to habitat improvement and fish pass provision on the Ouse and Adur. The Andrew’s Stream project
was undertaken last summer (requiring the Stream to be closed to angling for a week) and included the reinstatement of a
gravel bed, which had been destroyed by historic dredging activities. Although formally a SOCS project in partnership with
OAPS, OAPS played a key role in the delivery of this project. I drafted (on a voluntary, unpaid basis in my capacity of
Scientific Director of SOCS) the successful funding bid but, more importantly another OAPS Committee member, Karl Parker,
who works in the construction industry, was responsible for actually undertaking the work, taking a week (unpaid) off his job to
do this. This was quite an undertaking logistically, with specialist plant being required, permission needed to store materials in
the public car park at Barcombe Mills, and much liaison undertaken with the Environment Agency to secure the required
consents. A source of the right type of gravel had to be located too; to maximise the benefits of the scheme the object was to
use flint gravel of exactly the sort which would have naturally been present. Rounded marine gavel, although more easily
obtainable, does not make as good a spawning habitat as the angular gravel of the type selected. Another of the Society’s
Committee members, Perry Williams, also generously gave up a lot of his time to assist with the project. Signs (produced by
yet another OAPS Committee member, Tom Pearce), have been erected by the Stream, describing the project, which many
permit holders will have seen.
The reinstatement of the gravel bed (in a series of riffles along the length of the stream at regular intervals, each riffle
comprising several tonnes of gravel) will bring multiple benefits. Gravel is used by a whole range of species for spawning. Sea
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trout of course use it to construct their often large and conspicuous redds, but it is often not appreciated that a number of
coarse fish species, including barbel and dace, also need gravel to spawn on. Until the restoration of the Andrews Stream
there was virtually no gravel suitable for coarse fish spawning accessible to fish in the tidal river and this is undoubtedly one of
the reasons why a stock of barbel has never become properly established there and why dace are scarce. In fishery
management terminology, the absence of a key type of habitat, essential for a stage in the life cycle of a fish is often called a
“bottleneck”. A lack of gravel is often such a bottleneck and one, once it is addressed, that can bring rapid results. A local
example is that gravel riffles have recently been introduced by the Environment Agency to the upper Medway (the source of
which lies very close to the Ouse sources on the Ashdown Forest) and this has rapidly led to a great increase in the number
of young grayling – there previously just wasn’t enough spawning gravel for them. But back to the Andrews Stream, the reestablishment of the gravel riffles will mean that, from last summer onwards, there is far more spawning habitat for a range of
species and while it will take some years for the resultant fry to grow on, this should give a real, and sustainable, boost to the
fish stock of the lower Ouse. The restoration works will make the Andrews Stream itself more “fishable” with a natural
pool/riffle character having been re-established.
In addition to fish of interest to anglers, the Andrews Stream restoration will also benefit lampreys, which, while not an angler’s
species, are of conservation importance. In previous Newsletters I’ve mentioned the sea lampreys which still spawn, albeit in
greatly reduced numbers, in the Andrews Stream. In addition to these, the Stream once supported a smaller, but still
important, population of river lampreys. However, no river lampreys had been seen for some years and there was the fear
they may even have become extinct. It was therefore most encouraging that several groups of river lampreys were seen
spawning on some of the newly constructed riffles over the first weekend of April – with the new gravels having been
christened by them (and by sea trout a few months before), a succession of other species will be spawning on them
throughout the spring and early summer, followed by sea trout again in the Autumn and winter. Because of their importance
as spawning habitat, almost throughout the year, a new rule is being introduced prohibiting wading at all times on the Andrews
Stream. This applies to the full length of the Stream, both up and downstream of Pike’s Bridge. Also, if you do encounter
spawning fish of any species whilst fishing the Andrews Stream, please do not disturb them and avoid fishing in areas where
spawning activity is taking place.
Other habitat restoration projects
In the last Newsletter I explained the background to the funding which had been obtained for SOCS and RACS, via ART, for a
suite of projects on the Ouse and Adur (for the sake of brevity, I wont restate the basis of the funding here – previous
newsletters are available on the OAPS website). The Andrews Stream restoration project, described above, is the most
directly relevant to OAPS permit holders, however the other projects undertaken will also benefit Ouse fish stocks. A series of
gravel bed restoration projects were undertaken on a number of tributaries of the Ouse and Adur, including the Bevern and
Longford Streams. These will significantly increase the amount of spawning habitat available to adult sea trout within the two
river systems and hence should ultimately increase the numbers of sea trout. The newly constructed gravel riffles were
extensively used by spawning sea trout during the winter, with many redds observed on them. It is particularly gratifying that
redds were observed on a stretch of the Longford Stream where there had been no spawning at all since the gravel bed was
removed by land drainage activities in the 1960’s. Earlier today (April 27th) I visited, with Environment Agency representatives,
a stretch of a Bevern tributary where gravel was introduced last year and I have never, anywhere within the Ouse catchment,
seen such large numbers of tiny sea trout parr, just emerged from the newly introduced gravel. In a few years we will hopefully
see many of these fish back in the river as large adult sea trout. The final element of last years projects was to construct fish
passes on a number of tributaries to allow improved access to sea trout migrating upstream to spawn. Karl Parker, again on a
voluntary basis, did a highly professional job in constructing a fish pass on the Batts Bridge Stream, which will increase the
amount of spawning habitat accessible to the Ouse sea trout stock.
New Projects for 2011 and a larger River Trust.
Last years projects, undertaken jointly by SOCS and RACS, proved highly successful and paved the way for a new, and more
ambitious, suite of projects for 2011, the planning of which is well underway. Another development is that because SOCS and
RACS were effectively working as a single organisation, the intention is that the two organisations will merge to form the Ouse
and Adur River Trust (OART). The planning and administration of the projects is a major undertaking and funding was
secured to allow SOCS & RACS to employ a highly experienced project officer to manage them. As the process of merging
the Societies to create OART is still underway, I’m using SOCS/RACS and OART interchangeably in this Newsletter.
One of the new projects for 2011, again funded by the Association of Rivers Trusts, will finally address the decades old
problem of fish passage at Barcombe Mills Pool. During prolonged periods of dry weather large numbers of sea trout may
build up in the Pool. They cannot pass further upstream as the inflow to the Mill Pool (the concrete banked and bottomed
“New Weir” channel, which incorporates 5 separate weir sills) was built, in the 1960’s, without any proper consideration to fish
passage. At least under low flow conditions, it is entirely impassable to sea trout and the Pool is as far upstream as they can
progress. These fish can get distressed and, in drought conditions there can actually be significant mortality of sea trout in the
Pool. During one of the recent drought years (2006) the Environment Agency had to conduct a fish rescue to net the Pool and
transfer the sea trout upstream. Also, during 2006 and 2009, when flows were again low and temperatures high, the Society
closed the Pool to sea trout fishing, in order to avoid unduly further stressing the fish. As noted in the Information Pack there is
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also a provision for the Society to delay the opening of the Mill Pool for general coarse fishing on November 1 st each year, if
there is a significant build up of sea trout in the Pool. In last year’s Newsletter I wrote that “The Environment Agency has plans
to improve fish passage at the Mill Pool and this will hopefully prevent the problem of sea trout building up in large numbers in
the Mill Pool; an effective fish pass would enable them to continue their upstream migration”. A lot has happened in a year, in
particular that further funding has been made available, via ART, for individual River Trusts (including SOCS – now OART) to
undertake substantive fish pass projects. An application for funding a suite of projects on the Ouse and Adur was accordingly
submitted, including one for finally providing a fish pass at the Barcombe Mill inflow channel weirs. The design work for this is
underway and the work will be undertaken over the summer of 2011. This may necessitate closing the Pool for angling for a
few days; if this is the case notice of the closure will be posted on the Society’s website and no Pool bookings will be accepted
for the duration of the works. This long overdue project is one of a series of seven which will be undertaken by SOCS/RACS
on the Ouse and Adur catchments over the summer. As well as the Barcombe Mills project there are further ones to improve
fish passage at another weir on the main Ouse and on one of the main weirs on the Uck. This suite of projects will significantly
ease the upstream migration of sea trout to their spawning grounds within the Ouse catchment and should significantly benefit
the sea trout stock. Looking ahead to next year, while details have yet to be finalised, it is anticipated that further funding will
be available via ART and that a further round of projects will then be undertaken.
The EU Water Framework Directive and the selection of the Ouse and Adur as a Pilot Catchment
Previous Newsletters have provided a commentary on the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), of relevance to all anglers
as potentially the most powerful piece of legislation ever introduced for the purposes of protecting the aquatic environment. To
give a brief recap, the objective of the Directive is essentially that all rivers should ultimately (between 2015 & 2027) achieve
what is termed Good Ecological Status (or if a river is classed as heavily modified, an alternative end point called “Good
Ecological Potential” – a term which I’ll return to later as it applies to parts of the Ouse). The Ouse falls within what is defined
as the South East River Basin District, an area which includes all the rivers entering the coast from the New Forest to the
Medway. In December 2009, following a long period of consultation, the Environment Agency, which has responsibility for
implementing the Directive, had its River Basin Management Plan signed off. As part of the consultation process leading up to
the production of the plan I had prepared a detailed submission (which ran to 27,000 words) with respect to the Ouse and
Adur WFD “catchment” (a WFD “catchment” isn’t necessarily a single river and the Ouse and Adur together comprise a WFD
catchment) jointly on behalf of OAPS, The Sussex Ouse Conservation Society (SOCS), The River Adur Conservation Society
(RACS) and a number of other angling clubs with fishing on the Ouse and/or Adur. One of the results of this submission is that
I attended a meeting with the EA , shortly before the final Plan was signed off, during which it was agreed that the Plan would
be modified to include a series of habitat enhancement projects for which funding had been secured by the Sussex Ouse and
River Adur Conservation Societies (SOCS & RACS). These projects included the, now completed, Andrews Stream
restoration and tributary gravel enhancement projects described above. The success in delivering these projects paved the
way for the further suite of projects which will be undertaken this year.
However, at a national and local level, implementing the full requirements of the Water Framework Directive for waters to
reach Good Ecological Status remains a formidable challenge and one way in which this is being furthered is via the
designation of Pilot catchments. The 10 Pilot Catchments in England, selected by the Environment Agency, were announced
by the Environment Minister, Richard Benyon, on March 22nd and included the Ouse-Adur catchment. They are the only rivers
in Southern England, apart from the upper section of the River Tone in Somerset and the Lower Lee in London, to be afforded
this status. While the detail has yet to be worked out, Government has stated the broad aspirations of these Pilot Catchment
studies which includes trialling different approaches to catchment management and “illustrating how to put the big society
approach into action, by involving local communities in decision making and working better with government agencies, the
third sector, business and other partners in an integrated way to protect local natural resources”.
One of the criteria used by the EA for selecting the Pilot Catchments was a history of positive engagement with others; with
SOCS and RACS (including significant OAPS involvement) having already successfully delivered a range of habitat
enhancement and fish passage projects and with new ones now underway this clearly applies to the Ouse and Adur
catchment. Indeed it is possible that the Ouse-Adur Catchment pilot programme may be led by SOCS and RACS, with OAPS
again having an important role. I have had an initial meeting with the Environment Agency, and although the details of how the
Pilot Project will run have yet to be worked out this should become clear over the next month or two. However the end point of
the Pilot is clear – it should result in the reasons why stretches of the Ouse fail to meet Good Ecological Status being clearly
defined, and remedial measures put in place. There are two primary reasons why stretches of the Ouse (and most other rivers
in the South East) currently fail to reach Good Status. One is that phosphate levels are too high and the other is that fish
populations are lower than expected. The achievement of Good Status on the Ouse (and elsewhere) will thus, because it
requires an increase in fish populations, directly benefit the Ouse fishery and OAPS permit holders. I mentioned above that if
a river is classed as “heavily modified” - for example for flood protection purposes; this applies to parts of the Ouse, it has to
achieve something called Good Ecological Potential rather than Status. The difference between “Potential” and “Status” is not
yet fully defined; this is something which should be clarified via a planned PhD study (which I have been involved in setting
up) which will use parts of the Ouse as a case study. So the OAPS fishery may prove significant in defining what achieving
Good Ecological Status (or Potential) really means in practice.
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Another issue mentioned last year was the establishment of the Biodiversity Integration Group for Rivers. Priority Biodiversity
habitats have been a keystone of UK conservation policy for many years, with Biodiversity Action Plans being developed for
them, however, until recently, with respect to rivers, only Chalk rivers were recognised as priority habitats. Arguably, this has
led to other river types (such as Wealden rivers like the Ouse) receiving less attention than was warranted. This recently
changed, with priority biodiversity status being extended to all other types of rivers. The overall Biodiversity strategy is being
furthered by the establishment of what are called IBDA’s – Integrated Biodiversity Delivery Areas. Initially these are being
established on a regional basis with one in each of a number of defined regions in the country. In the South East the IDBA will
be the South Downs IBDA. The boundary of the IBDA is approximately the same as the new National Park Boundary, but with
a significant exception, that the IBDA boundary extends outside of the National Park boundary in places to include parts of the
valleys of the major Sussex rivers, including much of the OAPS fishery. It remains to be seen how the South Downs IBDA will
work in practice, but the inclusion of much of the OAPS fishery within it, in addition to falling within the Ouse-Adur WFD Pilot
Catchment may be a powerful pair of designations to secure further funding to improve the environmental quality of the Ouse
and enhance its value as a fishery.
Questions and Answers
Each year I receive many enquiries from current and prospective permit holders; I thought it may be useful to share some of
these, and the answers provided:
Can sea trout be caught by fly fishing?
This is one of the most commonly asked questions. The vast majority of sea trout taken on the OAPS fishery succumb to
spinners, though this is inevitable as the majority of sea trout anglers spin. In his report, later in this Newsletter, Jim actually
records the capture of the first fly caught sea trout on the main river for many years. I have personally caught (and returned)
60 odd Ouse sea trout, of which only 2 were taken on fly - however, I only fished with the fly on two occasions and caught a
fish each time, one on an orange shrimp type pattern, the other on a black and silver tube. These fish were taken not from the
main river but where the Andrews Stream meets the Mill Pool outflow. The main tidal Ouse, from which the great majority of
sea trout are taken, is not really conducive to fly fishing as the slow current (except when the tide is flowing) is not adequate to
work a fly and the high banks and bankside vegetation can render casting problematic. Nevertheless, with patience, it is not
impossible to catch fish on the fly here and if more anglers fly fished, undoubtedly more sea trout would fall to this method.
However, Barcombe Mills Pool is the most realistic place to catch a sea trout on fly, particularly by casting up from the tail of
the Pool as dusk approaches. This brings us to another frequently asked question:
Can sea trout be caught at night?
Only Barcombe Mills Pool and the surrounding Streams (i.e. that part of the fishery for which an additional Pool Permit is
required) can, under the rules of the Society, be fished throughout the night. However, while when the light just starts to fade
in the evening can be a productive time on the Pool, as darkness proper approaches the fish usually stop taking – a situation
which is the opposite to many e.g. Welsh and Westcountry sea trout fisheries when the early part of the night, when the first
stars are visible, is often the peak taking time (a tradition on some fisheries being that you should not make your first cast until
7 stars are visible in the sky, to avoid disturbing the fish prior to this productive period). A few other rivers do, like the Ouse,
consistently produce sea trout during the day but these are invariably ones where, like the Ouse, the water always carries
come colour. It is probably this which makes the Ouse one of the few viable daytime sea trout fisheries, although possibly the
Sussex sea trout stock (which is probably genetically distinct) is inherently less nocturnal than those of the West Country and
Wales. Anglers who reserve the Mill Pool tend to concentrate effort, with good results, on the dusk and dawn periods, though
some do fish through the night. This occasionally does produce a fish (often in the 1-3am slot) but it is far more hit and miss
than on a “true” night sea trout fishery.
Where is there the highest chance of catching a barbel on the OAPS fishery?
Small barbel up to a couple of pounds are now turning up regularly, albeit in small numbers, in mixed bags along the entire
length of the fishery from Goldbridge Weir to the Hamsey Cut. When it comes to larger fish, 5lb into double figures, the upper
Ouse, well upstream of the OAPS stretch is the most significant stretch of the river for barbel, where they are routinely
targeted by specialist anglers, although the total stock of the fish is, even in this more productive stretch, not large. The lower
and middle Ouse, including the OAPS fishery, is not as suitable a habitat for barbel as the upper river, particularly because
the lower river lacks the fast flowing gravelly stretches, which barbel need to spawn successfully. The Anchor weirpool and
the first few hundred metres of river downstream of it is probably the most consistent spot for barbel with fairly regular
captures of fish in the 7-9lb class. For anglers who want to fish with the confidence that there will certainly be barbel in the
immediate vicinity of their bait, this is probably the best area to try. It will still be a waiting game though, with the likelihood of
a number of blank sessions before catching one. However over the years individual big fish have, and continue, to turn up
now and then elsewhere; one of 10lb 12oz was taken in the slow water above Barcombe Mills about a decade ago; a
fractionally smaller one was banked below Goldbridge weir around the same time, in fact Goldbridge still produces the odd
decent barbel, with an 8 pounder falling to lobworm there last season. A 9 pounder was taken some distance below
Sharpsbridge some 3 years ago followed by an 8 pounder last summer. As reported in last years Newsletter a 10 pound fish
was found dead in the Andrews Stream in 2009. So potentially a large barbel could turn up anywhere, but the likelihood of
encountering one is not great. There are however some very promising looking swims, with the combination of a fast run and
deep water downstream of it, in the Goldbridge to Sharpsbridge stretch which seldom see an angler and these could well be
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worth investigating. Goldbridge Weir pool itself could also repay concerted effort and it is entirely possible that last seasons 8
pounder is not the biggest in the pool. The habitat enhancement works on the Andrew’s Stream undertaken last year will
provide, for the first time in decades, a substantial amount of spawning habitat for barbel in the Barcombe Mills area and can
be expected to lead to an increase in the barbel population of the lower river.
Can specimen sized bass and mullet be caught on the OAPS fishery?
The Ouse is unusual in that the sea trout fishery is concentrated on the tidal river, with few fish coming from the non- tidal
stretch. There are a few other English and, particularly Welsh, rivers where the same situation prevails, most notably the
Mawddach (and its tributary the Wnion) in North Wales where a very significant proportion of the sea trout (and salmon) catch
comes from the tidal section. Bass are frequently taken there as an incidental catch by sea trout and salmon anglers and I’ve
been asked by anglers who fish these Welsh rivers whether the same can be expected on the tidal OAPS fishery. The lower
tidal Ouse, particularly around Piddinghoe, is a productive fishery for, mostly very small, school bass of a few ounces in
weight, although there are some bigger fish amongst them and the odd fish of 4-8lb or occasionally even larger is taken. As
one progresses further upstream fewer and fewer bass are encountered and by the time Lewes is reached, they are very
scarce. The very occasional one does make it further upstream as far as the lowest section of the OAPS fishery in the vicinity
of Hamsey Weir and, very rarely, one is taken by an angler spinning for sea trout. These fish are usually 2 or 3lb in weight,
though the odd much bigger one, including fish of 9lb and 10lb has been recorded. The larger fish usually crop up when
freshwater flows are very low (in particular, during the drought summer of 1976 when the freshwater flow was very low and
brackish water penetrated further inland, some big bass were taken around Hamsey). That was many years ago but big bass
do still put in an appearance from time to time and in 2010 there was an unusual occurrence in that a huge – well into double
figures - bass was found freshly dead, and apparently in perfect condition, in the Hamsey area. Why it died is open to
speculation, but was possibly due to it being disorientated and running too far and quickly into freshwater and being unable to
tolerate the much lower salinity. Overall the situation with respect to bass on the OAPS fishery is however that there is an
outside chance of a bass on the lowest section of the tidal stretch and they do not occur in numbers which warrant them being
specifically targeted.
When it comes to mullet, the situation is rather different. The tidal reach is invaded each summer by thousands of mullet (both
thick and thin lipped, with thick lipped predominating), which can often be seen on the surface, in numbers ranging from
groups of 3 or 4 fish to shoals comprising a hundred or more fish. These fish are a real challenge, but can be caught.
Successful tactics include tiny pieces of floating crust (think pea size) and bread flake and worm fragments fished on the
bottom in the margins where the fish can be seen rooting about. Very occasionally, they will take a tiny (e.g. size 00 mepps)
spinner, but that is particularly unusual. They are also an interesting challenge for the fly fisherman; fish skimming the surface
can be picked off with an emerger pattern fished in the surface film if the fly can be positioned directly in the path of a s hoal of
fish. Mullet have normally only been present in the OAPS fishery during the summer and autumn months, presumably
retreating to the lower estuary or open sea during the winter. However in recent year this pattern seems to be changing with
fish present until winter has well and truly arrived. This change in behaviour seems to be becoming more marked; even during
the exceptionally cold pre-Christmas period last year, and throughout the late winter and spring, mullet were clearly visible in
Lewes and, higher upstream, a few seemed to have remained on the lower OAPS fishery throughout the winter. Although
most mullet on the OAPS stretch are not large – maybe 2lb or so; the average size of the fish in the huge shoals in the
Hamsey to Culver area – a good proportion are in the 3-5lb class and there are some much bigger ones. Only the bigger fish
seem to get as far upstream as the Barcombe Mills area, where few under 4lb are seen. As noted in a previous Newsletter,
some of these can be very large indeed; I once saw one well into double figures – a fish this size would be a real challenge.
Good size mullet do in fact seem to be appearing in the Barcombe Mills area more often and in the past couple of years mullet
have been regularly entering the Andrews Stream, as far upstream as the series of small weirs at the top of the Stream. On
one occasion, after stalking what I thought was a decent chub on the Andrews for an hour with freelined bread flake before it
took, I was surprised to find myself connected to, and a few minutes later netting, a 5lb+ mullet.
Do any fish reach record sizes on the OAPS fishery?
The Ouse supports specimen coarse fish of a number of species – it is one of very few rivers where there is a well
documented history of both pike and carp in excess of 30lb being caught in past few years along with a 7lb+ chub. Specimens
of other species are present, e.g. 5lb + perch are known to exist and could fall to the specimen hunter prepared to put in the
hours. However, it is unlikely that it supports any coarse fish of record proportions, although there is always an outside
possibility – for example the 7lb 2oz chub caught several years ago appeared to be a young fish, in pristine condition with the
potential for further growth and if it has carried on growing, who knows? However, with Ouse sea trout having the highest
average weight for any English or Welsh river, one could expect it would be this species which would be most likely to reach
record proportions on the OAPS fishery. This does indeed seem to be the case with, over the past few years, several sea
trout having been clearly seen at close range which could have been excess of the current British record. However, returning
to coarse fish, another question asked was:
What is the prospect of a specimen chub?
Historically the Ouse has never had a reputation as venue for decent chub in spite of there being many promising looking
swims with overhanging willows etc. Until relatively recently a 4lb chub was about the top weight for the river, but this has
changed markedly in recent years. The fish of 7lb 2oz referred to above may, by now, be considerably larger – it is
10
recognisable by having a few bright orange scales; an unusual characteristic. I have also seen a number of what are definitely
6lb+ chub all through the fishery from Goldbridge to the tidal reaches. Two seasons ago one of at least this size was
temporarily resident for a couple of weeks in the Andrew’s Stream near Pike’s Bridge and, while it would readily take chunks
of bread drifted down to it, it would ignore any with a hook in it. I will arrange for some photos of other specimen chub I have
managed to bank from the Ouse to be posted on the website; what they have in common is that they are all exceptionally
good conditioned, deep bodied, young looking fish which look like they have a lot of potential for further growth. The half
dozen 5lb+ Ouse chub I have taken have, with one exception, all fell to floating crust, and all were caught while specifically
fishing for specimen chub. So a fair summary of the present situation is that there are now small numbers of specimen chub
throughout the fishery, which are very seldom targeted, with an unknown top weight but certainly in excess of 7lb.
What is the best state of the tide to fish the tidal stretch?
The “tidal” stretch, or at least the bulk of it, upstream of Hamsey weir, is not fully tidal in that only tides above about 5.4m
actually get past the weir. Thus, for several days either side of the neap tides, the tide doesn’t actually get above Hamsey weir
at all. Under these conditions the flow of the river is determined entirely by the freshwater flow. These conditions can be
particularly good for locating and stalking carp with surface baits and some sea trout anglers also find these conditions
productive as the fish settle into lies, particularly on the bends. These conditions can also be particularly good for winter pike
fishing. As the tides build after the lowest neaps they reach a height when they can overtop Hamsey Weir and the flow of the
river is reversed by the incoming tidal flow. At spring tides the tidal flow on both the flow and ebb can be very strong and,
particularly on the lower tidal stretch can be so fast as to make most angling methods difficult while the tide is flowing strongly
– and sometimes floating debris, including seaweed, can compound things. However, the first part of the ebb, after high water,
can be a very productive time for both coarse fish and sea trout. On a number of occasions I have fished to a marked sea
trout as the tide came in and at slack high water with the fish showing no interest, but taking immediately when fished for
again about 30 minutes into the ebb when the tide was starting to flow. Possibly the fish are “woken up” by having to
reorientate themselves into the flow as it reverses as the tide starts to ebb. As far as coarse fish are concerned, simple
observation shows that they move around actively as the tide starts to come in and, while like sea trout, they often take well
on an ebbing tide they will also feed actively when moving upstream with the flood.
Where on the OAPS fishery is there the greatest chance of catching a specimen pike?
With a 30lb fish + caught recently and every season producing a crop of pike into the mid 20’s the Ouse is a very significant
venue for the river pike specialist. While the majority of the 20lb + fish come from the tidal river, an increasing number of 20
pounders (including a fish only a fraction short of 30lb) are now being taken on the non-tidal river, as far upstream as the
upper limit of the C&DAS fishery at Goldbridge. The first mile of so below Sharpsbridge has particular potential for 20lb fish,
but is very seldom fished for pike. However, the very biggest pike are almost certainly in the lowest section of the tidal river,
where the thousands of mullet which enter the river each year almost certainly form an important part of their diet and allow
them to reach a great size quickly. I understand that a fish well into the 30’s, described as like a “crocodile” was encountered
in the course of a fishery survey near Hamsey a few years ago and, as I noted in a previous Newsletter, a 40 pounder is
within the realms of possibility here, not least because the mullet, which previously only used to be present in the river during
the summer months, are now spending longer in the river (as discussed elsewhere in this Newsletter) increasing the food
supply for the large pike. It is worth noting that these “mullet crunchers”, as a few anglers in the know have christened them –
they occur in other Sussex rivers with mullet as well as the Ouse – will habitually be feeding on large prey (even a small Ouse
mullet is around two pounds) and it would make sense to use a very large bait to try and tempt one. The 30lb + fish caught a
couple of seasons ago, the largest fully authenticated Ouse Pike, was however caught on the non-tidal reach above
Barcombe Mills. If a fish can reach that size on the non-tidal stretch, where there are no mullet shoals to prey on, there seems
to be no reason why a fish 10lb heavier than that might not be lurking somewhere in the tidal fishery.
As to tactics, deadbaits – especially large sea deadbaits – do seem to sort out the bigger fish although very large lures
consistently take pike into the low 20’s. Some anglers have used huge spinnerbaits to great effect on the tidal fishery at times
when the water clarity is reasonable. In the narrow upper reaches large floating plugs – giant rapalas and the like – can be
particularly effective as they can be floated downstream a long distance and then crawled back very close to the bank. I have
personally also done well on the upper non-tidal reaches with smallish (6-8”) deadbaits float fished right down the margins,
regularly checking the progress of the float to cause the bait to rise and fall in the water. I’ve only had the time to try this a
couple of times, producing fish to 16lb, but I’ve no doubt it would just be a question of putting the hours in to secure a 20
pounder.
Are the Bevern and Longford Streams worth fishing?
Anglers new to the river will notice that an Annual Permit gives access not just to the main Ouse but to lengthy stretches of
two tributaries, the Bevern and Longford Streams. The Longford stream in particular carries, other than after heavy rainfall,
very little flow and while it does hold some small dace, roach chub and pike in the few deep holes it is very overgrown and of
little consequence of a fishery until it widens and deepens a short distance upstream of its confluence with the main Ouse.
There is a circulation of fish into this very bottom stretch of the Stream from the main river and it is most definitely worth
fishing. Specimen chub and perch can enter this reach, particularly at first and last light, and large carp also investigate it.
When the main river is in flood, all sorts of fish, including large bream, will move into the lower Longford to avoid the force of
the current in the main river. A similar situation applies to the lower Bevern; it provides a refuge for fish when the main river is
in flood and during a winter flood, when the weather is not too cold, virtually anything can turn up in the lower Bevern including
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large tench, chub, bream and carp. During the summer months the lower Bevern generally holds a reasonable stock of carp to
at least the 20lb mark – a remarkably large fish for such a small water. Unlike the lower Longford, where only the bottom
100m or so of the stream is likely to produce a decent fish, the “fishable” stretch of the lower Bevern – at least that where a
large fish may be encountered – extends several hundred metres up from the confluence with the Ouse. However, further
upstream from this, although the stream gets more interesting in that there is a sequence of pools and riffles, the fish get
smaller, dominated by small chub, roach and dace and a half pound fish is a good one.
New research on the Ouse sea trout stock
Last year I introduced readers to the Atlantic Aquatic Resource Conservation Project (AARC, often called the “Atlantic ARC
project”) through which it will be possible to establish genetic profiles for migratory fish populations present in rivers flowing
into the English Channel, including our Ouse Sea Trout. At the time of writing last year the details of the project were being
worked out; they were clarified shortly afterwards and the details relevant to OAPS permit holders are summarised here.
The project is led by the Westcountry Rivers Trust, and includes a number of partner organisations, including the University of
Exeter where genetic analysis is being undertaken. An important element of the study is to provide a reference genetic profile
for each discrete fish stock. In the case of sea trout this can be determined by taking and analysing genetic material (DNA)
from a sample comprising at least 50 juvenile sea trout from a particular river system. This part of the study was achieved by
the Environment Agency, in the course of its routine electric fishing surveys, taking tiny tissue samples (this can be done
without harming the fish) from juvenile trout encountered. Juvenile brown and sea trout (which are anyway the same species)
cannot readily be distinguished, and in practice it appears that virtually all small “brown trout” in Ouse tributaries such as the
Bevern are in fact young sea trout encountered before making their downstream journey to the sea. DNA from the sample of
juvenile sea trout is used to establish a reference genetic profile for a particular river. This is complemented by analysing DNA
from returning adult fish, and this is where the scale samples provided by OAPS sea trout anglers are proving invaluable.
Again, a sample of 50+ fish (with a minimum of 35) is needed for a statistically valid genetic profile to be established and in
addition to the scales submitted by Sea Trout Permit holders, samples from any dead fish found (including kelts, which died
naturally after spawning) can be used to ensure that a large enough sample of fish is obtained. Additionally. It is hoped that
genetic material can be extracted from the scales collected by OAPS sea trout anglers over the last two decades – if this
proves to be the case, they will potentially be a unique and scientifically very valuable resource.
Scale samples submitted to Jim by sea trout anglers (along with scales from any dead fish encountered) are first sent by him,
as has been the case for many years, to Dr Clive Fetter for reading, to establish the growth and life history of individual fish.
Subsequently Clive sends the scales to Exeter University for genetic analysis. In addition to scales from newly caught fish
Clive has also submitted a batch of scales from his archive (he has retained all the scales sent to him over the years) to see if
they are still suitable for genetic analysis – if this proves to be the case, potentially his entire archive of hundreds of scale sets,
not just from the Ouse but from the Adur and other neighbouring rivers could be subject to genetic analysis. The AARC project
runs for several years and it will be some time before the full results are published, however this is not just an academic piece
of work, but one with major practical implications. In particular, once the genetic profile of sea trout from individual rivers is
established, if sea trout are caught at sea, their home river could be identified. If it can be established where the Ouse sea
trout feed at sea, something which is at present a complete unknown, this will help with protecting and managing the stock.
There is also the prospect that the genetic research will confirm that there is a discrete “Sussex” strain of sea trout, which is
genetically different from the fish in other rivers.
The second study referred to last year, on the sea trout stocks of rivers within the EA Southern Region (which includes the
Ouse), undertaken for the Environment Agency and Atlantic Salmon Trust by the Wild Trout Trust, has now been completed.
The report produced fills a gap which had been created by the previous restriction of statutory Salmon Action Plans to salmon
only, meaning that rivers which held a significant sea trout population, but no salmon, including the Ouse, Adur, Arun and
Eastern Rother missed out. It is likely that the report will be published online; if this happens we will provide a link to it on the
OAPS website.
Outlets for Permits
The allocation of annual Sea Trout Permits (Adult, Senior and Under 19’s) is likely to have sold out by the time this Newsletter
is received, however if any are still available these can be obtained from our Permit Secretary, Andrew Woolley – please
check the Society’s website for availability. Coarse fishing annual and winter permits plus day tickets are available from the
following outlets. (Please note that Sussex Angling Supplies in Heathfield has ceased trading and is thus no longer included in
the list of outlets. The Anchor Inn also no longer sells permits on behalf of OAPS)
Barcombe - Barcombe Post Office, High Street, Barcombe Cross, East Sussex, BN8 5DH (P.O. hours only)
Barcombe Mills - Boathouse Organic Farm Shop, Uckfield Road, Clay Hill, Lewes, BN8 5RX (Day Tickets only)
East Grinstead - M.A.Wickham, 4 Middle Row, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 3AX
Haywards Heath – Joe Raczkowski, 40 Bentswood Road, Haywards Heath, RH16 3PW – please call Joe first on 01444
455580 to confirm that he will be available.
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Hove – Lagoon Bait & Tackle, 327, Kingsway, Hove, BN3 4LD
Lewes – Percy’s, 9, Cliffe High Street, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 2AH
Uckfield – Uckfield Angling Centre, 212a, High Street, Uckfield, TN22 1RD
When purchasing annual or winter permits you will be issued with maps giving full details of our waters and a list of our rules.
You will also receive a car parking sticker.
Prices
Prices for Coarse Permits have been increased slightly (roughly in line with inflation). The cost of leasing our waters has again
increased and we do need to charge a small additional sum to reflect this. Sea Trout Permit prices (these permits cover
coarse fishing as well) are set at a level which includes a £25 supplement in addition to the basic Coarse Permit price.
Annual Permits
Adults (aged 19 – 64years): Sea trout and coarse fish:
Coarse fish only:
Senior Citizens (aged 65+): Sea trout and coarse fish
Coarse fish only:
Under 19s (aged 14-18 years): Sea Trout and coarse fish
Coarse fish only
=
£95*
£70
£60*
£35
£43*
£18
* Sea Trout Permits are only available from our Permit Secretary Andrew Woolley and are limited to 50 per season. Please
check the Society’s website to see if any are available. If no permits are available and you wish to go onto the waiting list,
please contact Andrew.
Winter Permits
Valid from November 1st to March 14th
(and until April 30th on Piltdown Pond)
£45
Day Tickets
Adults and senior citizens: £8 per day, under 19’s £4
These are for coarse fishing only, on specified stretches of the river and must be purchased before fishing.
Anglers under the age of 14 years
Young anglers, who have yet to reach their 14 th Birthday, may fish free of charge, provided that an adult, or senior citizen
permit or day ticket holder, accompanies them.
Coarse Guest Permits
These are available to annual and winter adult and senior permit holders only and cost £8 per day (under 19’s £4). They are
for coarse fishing only.
Sea Trout Guest Permits
A new category of guest permit, available only to Full and Senior Annual Sea Trout permit holders, covering sea trout fishing
on the tidal stretch of the river only. Full details of these new permits, which are only available from the Society’s Permit
Secretary, Andrew Woolley, and cost £15 each (Annual Sea Trout Permit holders may purchase 2 permits per day) are
included in the Sea Trout Supplement provided with the Information Pack when an Annual Sea Trout permit is purchased.
Sea Trout guest permits can be bought to fish the Mill Pool and surrounding streams but the annual permit holder must also
buy Pool permits to cover both themselves and their guest.
Pool Permits
Barcombe Mills Pool may be reserved in advance by annual Sea Trout Permit holders, for two rods only per day, at a cost of
£10 per rod. Contact Jim Smith as usual. Details are in the information pack provided when buying your permit.
Coarse fishing annual, winter and guest permits, plus day tickets are also available by post (please phone if you need one
urgently) from our
Permit Secretary, Andrew Woolley, 14 The Martlets, Mill Lane, S. Chailey, E Sussex BN8 4QG (01273 891312)
or our Head Bailiff, Jim Smith, 15 North Fields, Isfield, Uckfield, E Sussex TN22 5XN (01825 750366).
Please remember… Jim is your contact for Pool permits and Andrew is your contact for Sea Trout guest permits.
At this point, I shall, as always, hand over to Jim for his Bailiff’s report. I do hope to meet you on the river during 2011.
D.B. April 2011
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Bailiff’s Report
Sea Trout
In spite of the often very difficult conditions, over 50 fish were reported in 2010, an improvement by around 10 fish over the
2010 season – and by no means a bad result considering the drought flows which prevailed for much of the summer. The
season opened on 1st May with a reasonable flow; a few early fish came in with the tides and the first was taken on
Wednesday 19th May. This fish, a four and a half pounder, was taken (and returned) from the Hamsey Cut by Mr D. Sudds,
who has fished the Society’s waters for many years. Catch and release, which is strongly supported by OAPS is practiced
increasingly on many rivers, including the Ouse for sea trout as well as salmon now, as sea trout stocks are also under
pressure.
Flows dropped away as June arrived, however a number of fish had by then run in. Fishing was difficult though, with the fish
hard to tempt, as spring turned into what was a generally dry summer. Heavy rain on Friday 11 th June brought the level up
briefly, and the river became very coloured although the extra water did draw in more fish from the sea. When the river fined
down a number of fish were seen; some had run upstream of the Mills. On June 25 th I saw a number of fish in the lower river
below the Mills and one was caught with severe injuries caused by a seal. A couple of days later, June 27 th proved to be the
hottest day of the year, with the flow by then very low and temperatures into the 90’s. Fish were however seen in the Mill Pool
and the main river. July 5th saw a fish taken on fly (an Ally’s shrimp) from the main river, the first to have been caught there in
this way for many years – well done to Tom for his perseverance. Later the same week the temperature reached 84 degrees
and the low flow was a cause of concern. On 13th July I received a call to say that a very large fish, its weight being reported
as15lb 9oz, had been caught in the Mill Pool. I received scales from this fish, but no photographs.
As the summer progressed, the river was looking desperately low but in spite of these very difficult conditions, some fish still
continued to come in on the tides. August 4th saw a brief respite with the river up a little after a thunderstorm. Around this time,
work started on the Andrew’s Stream habitat restoration project. August also saw blue-green algae in the upper river; not
desirable as some types are potentially harmful to humans and wildlife, including fish. Fortunately no adverse effects were
observed, however the Environment Agency was informed. Last year I reported that I had unfortunately found some dead sea
trout at the foot of Sutton Hall weir and the same regrettably occurred last summer when on July 18 th I found two dead fish,
the largest being 30” long, a double figure fish, at the same location. However overall there was very little sea trout mortality
observed – good news, although somewhat surprising considering how hot it was and how low the flows were at times.
Conditions started to improve, for both sea trout and anglers, with the cooler days of September and at this time fish were
seen moving upstream from the lower river. A number of fish were taken during the month and I received scale samples from
some of these. Improved flows at long last and high tides brought in a fair number of finnock amongst the usual much larger
fish; it is good to see finnock in the river as this bodes well for the future. October saw more fish caught, the best reported
being one of 10lb. Conditions continued to improve with a better flow for much of the time.
In total around 50 fish were reported to me, with the usual high average weight of about 5lb maintained, and I received around
30 sets of scales Thank you to all of you who sent scales to me last year; please continue to send them in. Please note that if
you keep a fish it is a rule of the Society that scales must be sent to me from it; these are needed for scientific research. In
addition to the scale readings which Dr Clive Fetter has been doing for many years now, after Dr Fetter has read the scales
he now sends them to the University of Exeter for genetic analysis so the scale samples you send in are now doubly
important. Thanks to all who provided me with a catch return in 2010, please remember to send your catch return for 2011
along with any scale samples from retained fish. As well as the scales themselves Dr Fetter needs the other information on
the catch return form, including a record of the length and weight of a fish so as to work out its life history and growth rate. The
catch return information you provide is also very important in helping the Society to monitor and manage the sea trout fishery.
Please note that to fish for sea trout on the OAPS fishery you need, as well as your sea trout permit, an EA migratory fish
licence and that this is needed even if you fish the river estuary, or actually in the sea, for sea trout.
I noted last year that SOCS (of which I’ve been Field Officer for many years) is now working hard on a number of projects
which will help both sea trout and other species of fish and wildlife on the Ouse system generally. SOCS has recently joined
with the River Adur Conservation Society, RACS, to form the Ouse and Adur River Trust - OART; the Hon. Secretary has said
more about this earlier in the Newsletter. OART is run by a very dedicated management committee who are all volunteers and
are doing all they can for the Ouse and Adur catchments. Last summer I was involved in a project to enhance spawning
gravels and undertake other environmental improvements in the tributaries throughout the Ouse and Adur catchment. This
has proved very successful and, while the severe winter weather and flooding made observations of spawning sea trout and
redds difficult, fish have already found and used them and there were plenty of redds in new gravel in stretches where it was
introduced last summer and where there had been no redds for a very long time. Such projects, of which there will be more
this summer, are highly beneficial to our sea trout stock and if you would like to get involved in this work why not have a look
at the SOCS website at www.sussex-ouse.org.uk (it will change to an AORT website, but not immediately) or better still join
SOCS, the annual subscription is only £15 and you can join by contacting the membership secretary, Neil Pringle
(neil.pringle@sussex-ouse.org.uk ). I’d particularly like to give a vote of thanks to Karl Parker, a committee member of OAPS
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and a member of SOCS, who is a builder by profession and who gave up a lot of time last year to lead on some of these
projects, including the Andrew’s Stream habitat restoration.
Please note that the only area on the Society’s waters where night fishing is permitted is the Mill Pool (and only then when
fishing on a Pool Permit, which is obtainable only from me). The only circumstance when anglers may park overnight is in the
Society’s car park at Barcombe Mills, and only then when fishing on a Pool Permit. You must display the car parking sticker,
supplied with your annual permit, on your car when using this, or the Society’s other car parks, thank you for your continued
co-operation with respect to this. I did receive a report of attempted snatching (foul hooking); this activity is both unsporting
and illegal and is treated as a very serious issue by the Society. If you see any evidence of this, or other poaching or
suspicious activity, please report this to directly to me or to the Environment Agency on its Hotline, 0800 807060 and
appropriate action will be taken. Please report any pollution incidents in the same way.
Lets all hope for some reasonable sport in 2011 and well into the future. Finally, please do have a look at the Sussex Ouse
Conservation Society website, www.sussex-ouse.org.uk , it is very informative, is regularly updated, and includes a lot of
information about the Ouse sea trout and the work SOCS is undertaking to help the sea trout population. As well as being
Head Bailiff for OAPS, I am also Field Officer for SOCS.
Coarse fishing
The season started on 16th June with, then and on the following days, some good mixed bags of roach, dace, bream and
rudd, together with a few carp, being taken in the Barcombe Mils area. Some of the carp fell to sweet corn. Over on the
Andrews Stream two barbel were reported, being taken on worm. Some larger barbel were caught in the Anchor weirpool,
including one of about 8lb to a day ticket angler; I saw a picture of this fish on a mobile phone. A further good sized barbel
was reported as falling to meat from Goldbridge weirpool. Its good to see that barbel are doing well in the river now; there
have been various stockings of barbel since the 1960’s and the small fish seen a few years ago are now growing well. More
recently a lot of small chub, dace and roach were also stocked at various points from Barcombe Mills upstream and these also
seem to be doing well. A number of pumpkinseeds featured in mixed bags to anglers fishing with maggots. As the season
progressed the Andrews Stream produced more smallish barbel to about a pound and a half, some of these falling to prawn.
Baits of all sorts produced lots of chub from the Stream, mostly small but with some bigger specimens amongst them.
While the Andrews Stream produced some barbel, the Andrews Cut, which feeds it, yielded some good carp to 14lb. Carp can
be seen on the surface of the Cut in warm weather, along with some good rudd; they have been taken to a pound and a half
here. Like other rivers in Sussex and the SE generally the Ouse suffered from low flows during much of the summer, although
good catches continued to be made. The Hamsey area fished well with many double figure carp and a grass carp was also
reported. This area also fished well for silver fish and a tench of 5lb + was reported from the Cut, along with the odd mostly
small barbel. The lowest stretch of the Bevern fished well, with some good carp falling to a variety of baits there, including
curry flavoured paste. It is nice to see that perch are continuing to make a comeback and decent specimens are now turning
up throughout the entire fishery.
The pike season started well with plenty of fish into mid double figures but heavy water and the prolonged cold spell
interrupted much of the rest of the season. Fewer anglers than usual ventured to the river because of these conditions and the
pike season can best described as being, due to the adverse weather, patchy and hard work. One cold winter day a seal
ventured upriver as far as the Salmon Pool, 13 miles from the sea, though fortunately it did not stay around for long.
Conditions finally improved towards the season’s end, with more pike taken, and some early mullet were already in the river.
On a less pleasant note I spent a lot of time clearing litter, especially around the Mills. Most of this is left by day trippers and
picnickers, not anglers, but occasional there was some angling related litter including empty ground bait and dead bait bags,
and even rubber gloves. Please do not leave such items (or other litter) on the bank; this behaviour will not be tolerated and if
anyone is caught doing this they will be banned. Please also note that night fishing for coarse fish is not allowed anywhere on
the river (the only night fishing is for sea trout anglers fishing the Pool by those who have booked it). As I noted in my sea
trout report, If you encounter any poaching or suspicious behaviour, please contact me directly or the Environment Agency on
its Hotline, 0800 807060. Please do the same if you come across any pollution. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the
anglers who reported finding cattle in the river; they were all hauled to safety.
I would like to thank all who fished in 2010/11 for your support and I will no doubt see many of you on the banks again as
soon as the 2011 season is upon us.
Wishing you tight lines for the coming season.
J.S. April 2011
We both look forward to seeing you along the river in 2011/12,
Dave Brown
Jim Smith
Hon. Secretary
Head Bailiff