Fisheries Winter Management

Here we take a look at a few of the common problems and how you can improve your fisheries winter management plans.

There are lots of jobs that can be done in the winter and you need to keep an eye out for common problems. This is especially prevalent if it is a cold, hard winter.

However, the majority of problems with fisheries do occur in the warmer months.

Ice

This may not be as much of a problem as it used to be. It is now quite rare to see fisheries covered in ice for days on end. However, with changing climatic conditions we can’t discount another ‘Big Freeze’ as seen in 2010. The issue of managing ice on ponds is one that always generates lots of questions.

The main issue from ice is the build-up of noxious gases from the breakdown of organic materials.

In sensibly stocked water, fish will be okay under the ice for three or four days. After this time gases can build-up and dissolved oxygen levels can fall leading to fish kills. Problems with ice are compounded in shallow lakes.

As with most problems, prevention is better than the cure. You should try to keep an area of water as ice free as possible. This can be achieved by using a small aerator to gently agitate the water and stop the ice from forming.

Another option is to encourage the wind to work on the water by pruning or removing trees. You may need the help of local tree surgeons. This should be done before the end of February so as not to impact on nesting birds.

Habitat

We may see predators on our waters all year round these days but they can have a serious impact through the winter when vegetation has died back, fish are less active and angler numbers drop. Research clearly shows that predator success is reduced when there is some structure in the water in which fish can hide.

There is a glut of ready-made refuges at this time of year in the form of Christmas trees. A couple of these lashed together and weighted down make great refuges for small fish.

Try and put refuges together in groups so that there is a larger area. This makes them more of a stable habitat instead of just boltholes.

Cormorants

If cormorants are a particular problem in the winter you may want to consider giving over a corner of the pond as a semi-permanent refuge. This area can then be filled with brash, large branches, Christmas trees or any other suitable material to create one large area for fish to aggregate in during the day.

You can even wire it off to prevent birds from gaining entry.

Wiring ponds is a good idea for smaller waters but again it needs to be done adequately. There are lots of waters that don’t have sufficient wires over the ponds as they are worried about anglers being able to fish. As a result the wires are too high and not close enough to prevent the birds from getting underneath. Aim to get your wires as close to the water surface as you can. 45 – 90cm if possible, this stops the birds from simply walking underneath.

If you are only getting a couple of members down during the week and only double figures on a weekend just leave a few pegs open and wire the rest. This may even improve the fishing as you concentrate the bait and thus the fish into a few areas.

Silt

Silt is another area that fisheries often struggle with and would like to control. Applying lime, over the winter months can help to breakdown existing silt.

It is important to point out that this is not a silver bullet and you will not gain metres of new water back in one dose. Results are definitely mixed. This can be down to a number of factors including the organic content and pH of the silt, dosage and how it is applied and water conditions.

Regular treatments are required to keep on top of the silt. It is also important to manage the source of the organics in the first place. Cut back trees, manage aquatic plants and other inputs such as stock levels, bait, bird waste etc.

Hydramix Lime 25kg

Algae

If there is one problem where forward planning will definitely be advantageous, its algae control.

If you have suffered this year with algae (and lots of fisheries have) then now is the time to start thinking about control in the spring. To get the best response from barley straw it needs to be in the water long before the algae starts to bloom. The end of February or early March is the time to get it in. Perhaps even earlier if the winter continues to be mild.

Have your straw bales and netting ordered. Use work parties or volunteers to build your bundles/sausages so you have them ready to go. Putting them in at this point ensures that they have begun to break down and release their algae controlling compounds before the algae gets going.

The key to using barley straw effectively is to ensure that you are using enough and that it is well aerated. Hence the need to break bales down and use Christmas tree netting to add it to the water.

We hope this helps with your winter management plans!

Give us a call and speak to one of the fisheries team 01308 485422 for further information on any of our products.