CAN THAMES FLOODS TURN BREAM FISHING ON AGAIN?
Roll on June and we’ll find out if the big bream bags are back
HAVING read many opinions about fish being washed to sea by floods – not something I subscribe to – I wonder if the current heavy flows in my local River Thames will result in the rejuvenation of sport in the ‘full tidal’, by which I mean from Richmond Lock into London.
Aside from one or two fairly isolated bags of big bream at the very start of this season, it has to be said that fishing has been poor, and has been worse each year at the annual TideFest match.
The last proper spell of very high water the Thames had was in 2014, and sport at Kew, Barnes and Putney was brilliant in 2015. It didn’t deteriorate above Richmond Lock... except perhaps there were fewer big bream. They were, however, quite prolific further down. It may be nothing more than a coincidence, but we won’t find out for sure until June.
The full tidal was once a brilliant dace fishery too, but in recent years it has become more mixed, with roach far more in evidence and chub appearing, unheard of 15 years ago. That may be following the clean-up of Mogden Sewage Treatment works that, in times of reasonably heavy rain, would discharge untreated sewage into the river in an area that immature dace used as a haven. Since modernisation, only heavily diluted sewage is discharged.
Even that isn’t desirable. The raw stuff, in far smaller quantities, still pours in at Hammersmith – but it’s a massive improvement.
Once the Tideway Tunnel is operational all that will cease. What a river we’ll have then!