Lines of duty
I’M out on my angling club’s work party this weekend.
Keeping the venues in good condition takes a lot of time and effort and there is no way a normal local club could afford to subcontract this work out as this would have a massive impact on the cost of membership.
Some chalkstreams and salmon beats might employ full-time river keepers but the majority depend on maintenance carried out by volunteers, dedicated bailiff teams and the committee.
If you want to see better access on the banks or that annoying branch taken out from your favourite peg, then coming along to work parties and AGMs is the way to make a difference, help out and get your voice heard – plus there’s normally a barbecue or stove at most events to provide much-needed sustenance and the kettle is always on the boil.
Plastics and litter are getting a lot of coverage. You can’t avoid seeing rubbish when you’re out fishing.
I’ve been on a beach clean and a couple of these angling association clean-ups this year and it’s striking the difference a few hours and a few bodies can make to the place.
We’re looking at installing line recycling bins at the club as well. We’ve all gone home with pockets full of tippet that’s bound for the landfill. If you contact the Anglers National Line Recycling Scheme, they’ll provide you with details for your local club to get involved and a set of stickers for the bins.
Something as simple as a few bins in the right places and the yards of line that fill fishing vests over the season could end up as a recycled rod rack or bench on the banks.
They’ve collected more than 4.5million metres of line, so if you gather all your old waste line from when you respool your reels, make rigs or go fishing, take it along to your local recycling point.It’s not just braid, fluoro and mono. They’ll take in your empty spools and fly lines too.
If you can spare a few hours, local angling clubs’ work parties are good craic as well as a good way to get to know the club officials and other members.
You’ll see the same faces out on the bank to nod hello to – but once you’ve spent a cold afternoon dunked in the river pulling up trees, there’s more chance of getting a pointer to the best swims, learning more about the venue and getting that secret fly over a pint at the end of the day. ●www.anglers-nlrs.co.uk/ get-involved