Humber Bank Wall safe after Environment Agency u-turn
DECISION MEANS THERE MUST BE COOPERATION WITH LOCAL FISHERMAN
FOR a change, we’ve got some good d news from the Environment Agency y (EA) - they are not going to replace e the barriers on the Humber Bank k Wall.
They do expect cooperation from m the local fisherman, so if anglers see e anything please report it through the e incident hotline on 03708506506, and if the problem gets worse over r the next six months the EA will review it again and concrete blocks will be put in place.
We must keep on top of things and d work with the EA, so if you see any y fly tipping report it. Hopefully we e will keep the rights to take the vehicles on the wall and continue fishing g there – this is not only good news to o the anglers but also for our local l tackle shops.
Although this is great news, we e need to make sure that we do not t lose access s to this fantastic fishing venue.
I know many anglers have said d that they can’t stop you walking, but this venue is used by a lot of anglers who have mobility issues, and it would reduce the amount of anglers that use the wall, which in return would affect the tackle shops. This reprieve is our last chance, so if you see anything report it and also take your rubbish home. It does not only look disgusting, it also endangers local wildlife.
One person who has done all he can to help keep the wall tidy is Frank Sparkes, he regularly goes along the wall clearing the rubbish, and he does a fantastic job and would always welcomes some help. John Atkinson commented that Frank is an unsung hero, and I like many others quite agree.
On to the matches, and we kick off with the sea angling, the Fishing Friends decided to go on the Humber Bank Wall last Sunday, and once again it was a very good turnout.
The in-form Ian Nelson showed how it should be done with nine flounders for a total length of 216cm to take the victory.
Then it was Jack Barlow, who got a big surprise as he was reeling what he thought was a cod with a lot of weight behind it, but this was no cod, but a very large eel, and only counted for 30cm.
The anglers were getting a lot of v very quick bites and these could have been small eels, which can be very hard to hook. Smaller hooks and smaller baits are sometimes the answer.
Jack had seven fish for 195cm, while Steve MacGregor was third with eight fish for 192cm.
The next Friends match is on Monday, April 19 at Humberston – meet at the large car park near the creek 8am, with fishing until 12.30pm. This match will be a rover. On Tuesday night it was back on t the wall for the prom match. It was a very nice night and an excellent turnout.
Many of the anglers were equipped with quiver tip style rods to do combat with the small eels if they turned up.
Once again it was that man Ian Nelson fishing the early numbered pegs. He was into the fish straight away and finding a decent stamp of flounders – he finished up with 11 fish for 301cm.
Next in was yours truly, but it could have been a first place.
On my second cast, the line somehow got behind the back of the spool and jammed the reel, and while trying to untangle it the line snapped and went off into the river.
Two casts later, I retrieved the lost rig and two good sized flounders, but as they were not on the main line, they were thrown back, which ended up costing me, I finished up with nine fish for 252cm.
Next in was Jim Nicholson, who was next door to me and we had a battle all night, with Jim in front for most it.
Then, just before the end, he had a double shot of flounders and did not have another rig ready to cast out, while I managed a 30cm flounder to put me in front. Jim ended up with nine fish for 238cm.
The next prom match is on April 28, fishing from 5.30pm to 9.15pm on the promenade between Brighton Street and the leisure centre.
Onto the coarse fishing, and I had the pleasure of fishing with the Lindsey Oil Refinery Angling Club on the ultimate lake at Wold View. The lake was nearly fully pegged, and this made it hard for some of the anglers, but not for Glen Tucker, who was in fantastic form fishing the long pole over the far side.
He was catching carp from the off and finished up with a fantastic total weight of 86.11lb from peg eight. Next was Dave Dobbs, who was fishing next door on peg seven, he had 46lb, but lost a lot of fish in the hidden roots underneath the water. Third was Matt Daniel, who missed out on second by only two ounces. Paul Power and Rob Skelhorn were the section winners. The following Sunday, Carr Lane had their first match of the season at Tripp lake, and Messingham’s Ray Love shone on a very difficult and cold day with 51lb, followed closely behind by Chris Parker with 49lb.