wild trout trust & orvis conservation awards 20 1...o ver 100 guests attended this year's...

Over 100 guestsattended thisyear's reception

for the Wild Trout Trust &Orvis Conservation Awardsat the Savile Club in Mayfair,which was again generouslysponsored by Orvis. WTTDirector, Shaun Leonard,and Richard Banbury ofOrvis presented the awardsto joint winners Hampshire& Isle of Wight WildlifeTrust who entered a chalkstream river restorationproject on the River Itchen,and Luke Kozak fromWoodland Water &Gardens and DominicLongley from theEnvironment Agency for aproject on the River Somerin Somerset; runner-up wasthe Environment Agency forArborfield Weirs & BypassProject on the RiverLoddon near Reading.Photos from the awardsand the judges report canbe found on pages 8 to 15inside. Julia Holfordpresented a special awardin memory of MichaelEdwards – the WTT &Orvis Michael EdwardsCommemorativeConservation Award – toChester-le-Street & DistrictAngling Club for their CongBurn Fish PassageImprovement Project onthe River Wear in CountyDurham.

Wild Trout Trust Newsletter Autumn 2011

The Wild Trout Trust is dedicated to the conservation of wildtrout in Britain and Ireland through protection and

restoration of habitat

Wild Trout Trust& Orvis

ConservationAwards 2011

WINNERS AND JUDGES REPORT INSIDE

20111025_Newsletter_Layout 2 25/10/2011 21:10

In this issue...NEWS & NOTICES PAGES 2–5CLA GAME FAIR PAGES 6-7CONSERVATION AWARDS PAGES 8–15CONSERVATION NEWS PAGES 16–22MERCHANDISE PAGE 23

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Dennis Moss – latest WTTVice-PresidentWe are delighted to welcome onboard DennisMoss as our latest Vice-President. Living as he doesin the far-west of Ireland, Dennis and the Trust havedecided that his best role might be that of V-Prather than Trustee. Dennis will promote theinterests of the Trust in Ireland and help us toinfluence wild trout conservation across the island.

News

Diary Date Snippets 19-20 November 2011 Irish Fly Fair, Galway –

www.irishflyfair.com13 December 2011 Ocean Silver – Atlantic Salmon

Conference, London – www.atlanticsalmontrust.org

Spring 2012 IFM/EA Small Streams Conference– www.ifm.org

19 April 2012 River Restoration Centre Conference, Nottingham – www.therrc.co.uk

2-3 June 2012 WTT Annual Get-Together, TuftonArms, Appleby, Cumbria.

Survival Guide UpdateWe are nearing the end of an update to the widely-acclaimed WTT Wild Trout Survival Guide, editedby Vaughan Lewis. Again, watch the website forlaunch details.

Auction 2012Work on the auction for 2012 is underway with theautumn gathering of lots. The auction is the majorfundraising event for the WTT, and (we hope) is animportant event in the fishing calendar, when manypeople book their special fishing trips for thecoming season. The auction will be a little earlierthis year – at the beginning of March rather thanthe end of March, and will take place on eBay andby post as usual. We already have some veryinteresting lots, including a Hugh Falkus prototypesalmon rod with his handwritten label donated byMalcolm Greenhalgh, and an exquisite 6ft cane rodfrom Rawson & Perrin.

If you would like to donate anything to theauction, please contact Denise Ashton [email protected] or 07802 454157. Fishingdays, accompanied or unaccompanied, are verypopular, but we also have tackle, flies, books andother lots to auction for a very wide range ofprices. We do need all the lots in by Christmas!

PHOTO COMPETITION

Calling all fly-tyers and entomologists! Our stand at the CLA Game Fair this year added anew attraction: fly-tying for children. This proved tobe very popular not only with children, but withadults who took the chance to learn how to tiesome simple flies without feeling intimidated by theexperts! The fly-tying was complemented by anextended ‘bugs and grubs’ display, complete withmicroscope, an example of the killer shrimp (dead,of course) and a ‘Mayfly in the Classroom’ set up.

If you tie flies and would like to share yourknowledge with children and adults, please join usat the Game Fair next year and help out on thestand for a few hours or a few days. We also needvolunteers to help with bugs and grubs so if you dothe Anglers’ Monitoring Initiative or have an interestin river flies, please come along. In depth expertiseis not required. We can guarantee that you will havean interesting and enjoyable time as it is a veryrelaxed and sociable event for the WTT. And youwill be encouraging people – young and old – toshare a passion for rivers, flies and fishing.

The CLA Game Fair in 2012 will be held atBelvoir Castle in Leicestershire, July 20 – 22.

If you would like to join us, please contact Shaunvia [email protected] or on 07974 861908.

Closes 30 November. Send high resolution photos onCD to the WTT office. Check the website for detailsor call Denise Ashton on 07802 454157.


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News

New Conservation OfficerThe Trust is delighted to welcome onboard a newConservation Officer, Gareth Pedley, adding to theteam of Paul Gaskell, Tim Jacklin and Andy Thomas.Gareth’s role is the product of an excitingpartnership with the Environment Agency and EdenRivers Trust that sees Gareth employed for half hisweek by ERT to progress their River EdenRestoration Strategy, with the other half carryingout Advisory and Practical Visits across the North-West and North-East. Gareth is a prize catch forboth WTT and ERT; for sure, he has wild troutrunning through his veins. See Gareth’s introductionto us on page 4 of this newsletter.

Future WTT Get-TogethersFollowing on from the huge success of the WTTGet-Together on the English-Welsh border in April2011, we have nailed down dates for both 2012 and2013 – nothing like forward planning. So, 2 & 3 June2012 will see us gathering at the Tufton Arms inAppleby, Cumbria and on 8 & 9 June 2013 we’regoing to try a slightly different approach, taking overthe Dartmoor Training Centre, Princetown. At bothvenues, we’ll enjoy locally-flavoured talks, walk therivers to see habitat works, exchange (tall?) storiesover a pint and take the chance to sample somegreat trout fishing.

Trout Habitat DVDThe filming for our trout habitat enhancement DVDhas finished, so now editing and final preparation forproduction starts. The professionally-producedDVD, funded by the Environment Agency, will add toour library of information sources, complementingthe habitat CDs and the Wild Trout Survival Guide.The DVD, hosted by and starring Jon Beer and our

Where Do We Go To(My Lovely)?The WTT Conservation Officers have, as ever, beenfuriously busy with Advisory and Practical Visitsacross England, Wales and Northern Ireland in theselast few months. Here’s just a flavour of some of theevents attended and contributed during this period:

June: Rivers Trusts/RAFTS Invasive Non-NativeSpecies event; Meon Springs 3-Fly Fundraiser;Fisheries MPs Meeting; Eden Wild Trout Weekender;South Coast Sea Trout Action Plan Launch;Chilterns Chalkstream Forum; Tarrant PreservationSociety; Arun & Rother Rivers Trust Launch; RiverGlaven Conservation Assoc Open Day.

July: Killyleagh Fly Fair; Bugs & Grubs Course;RRC Workshop; Game Fair; Avon & Tribs AAmeeting; South Downs EA training day.

August: Meet with EA Chief Executive & SeniorManagement Team and Angling Trust, Rivers Trustsand Salmon & Trout Association; Meet with GeorgeHollingbery MP and Angling Trust.

September: Rivers Trust Conference;Sportfish/Sage One Launch; Patagonia StoreOpening; Meet Mid-Counties CoOp; LoddonFisheries Workshop (Part 1).

October: Loddon Fisheries Workshop (Part 2);Fisheries & Angling Groups CEOs Meet;Conservation Awards; Meet Richard Benyon MPand Angling Trust, Atlantic Salmon Trust, Rivers

Trusts & Salmon& TroutAssociation; IFMConference;Wilts FisheriesAssoc; trainingday for SouthDowns NationalPark staff.

team of Conservation Officers, takes the viewerthrough identification of good river habitat, issuesaffecting our rivers and possible methods toimprove life, not only for trout but for the diversityof things in and around our rivers. The DVD will beavailable early in 2012; watch the website for news.

↓ Beautiful Eden will host the Annual Get-Together in June 2012.


Gareth PedleyGareth Pedley is the latest recruit to the WTT’steam.

I have recently taken on a Conservation Officer’spost with the Wild Trout Trust, in an excitingcollaboration with the Eden Rivers Trust. ERT is mymain employer and I will be based in the ERT officesin Penrith, but half my week will be working on aproject as WTT CO. Here’s my story.

After my degree in Fishery Management atSparsholt College, I spent a short season river-keeping on the Chatsworth Estate in Derbyshire.This funded nine months of travelling round theworld, which in fact turned out to be a glorified, six-month trout fishing expedition to New Zealand.

When I came back, I was lucky enough to start asthe River Wye keeper on the Haddon Estate. Mypersonal goal there was to achieve a fully wildcatch-and-release fishery which happened in 2003;the fishery still operates today as a thriving wildtrout and grayling fishery.

After Haddon, I joined the Environment Agencyas a Fisheries Technical Officer, managing projectsand providing management advice in the North East.I enjoyed that role but now I’m back to my roots,conserving wild trout with WTT and delivering theexcellent River Eden Restoration Strategy with ERT.

My personal goal for this new venture is to offersupport and advice to fishery managers and clubswanting to make the move from stocked to wildfisheries, while helping to focus their skills andenthusiasm for fishery management towards the keyaspects that will really improve their wild fish stocksand fishing. I will be working not only in the Edenvalley but across the N-W and N-E. If you wouldlike to hear more from me or to arrange for me tocome and see your water, call 07500 870583 oremail via [email protected].

South Coast Sea TroutAction PlanIn recognition of the importance and need forconservation of sea trout in the rivers on the southcoast of England, WTT, together with theEnvironment Agency and the Atlantic Salmon Trust,has launched a South Coast Sea Trout Action Plan.The Action Plan aims to raise the profile andunderstanding of this special fish and to implementpractical steps for the protection and enhancementof populations in Kent, Sussex and Hampshire. A fullversion of the Action Plan is on the WTT websitewww.wildtrout.org.

↑ New WTT Conservation Officer Gareth Pedley is flanked byEden Rivers Trust Director, Simon Johnson (left) and WTTDirector, Shaun Leonard (right).

WTT discounts Fish4FliesWith this copy of the newsletter you will havereceived a discount card for Fish4Flies. This is anonline fly retailer selling a huge range of flies, thathas very kindly offered a 20% discount to WTTmembers. Keep the card as you need to quote thereference number on your order.

When you use your discount card, Fish4flies willdonate 5% of the money you spend to the WildTrout Trust.

SportfishSportfish continues to support the WTT by giving

a 5% discount to WTT members. Simply quotediscount reference ‘WTT’ when ordering online, byphone or at the till in the shops. Sportfish willmatch the discount with a 5% donation to the WTT.

News

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Membership available of small fly-fishingclub in Staffordshire for 2012 season.Small river fly-fishing for wild trout in the vicinity of

Burton and Uttoxeter. For further details contact Tim Jacklin 07876 525457.


A few words…A 75th birthday brings very fewcompensations. In my case I thought that itwas goodbye to full days fishing a stream, tyingsize 24 flies, relinquishing editorial duties andhullo to 10pm bedtimes. I had reckonedwithout the WTT!

I was delighted to receive a bottle of verygood whisky at the Conservation Awardsevent at the Savile Club and doubly delightedwhen I found that the Scotch wasaccompanied by a very good fishing rod.When Shaun appeared with the BV award Ithought that I was being treated in a rightroyal fashion: the stuff that dreams are madeof.

But the thing that brought a lump to mythroat was the content of the envelope that Iopened when I reached home – a voucher fora David Miller picture accompanied by a cardsigned by friends from the WTT. That willbring immensely pleasurable memories of fish,fishing and fisheries but most of all, of thepeople involved. Thank you all.

I was a little overwhelmed at the ceremonyand, with my unreliable memory, I did notmention the immense amount of help Ireceived from Christina Bryant, especially inthe early years. I could not have managedwithout her guidance. Thanks Chrissy.

John Williams

The Bernard VenablesAward 2011: John WilliamsThe Bernard Venables Award is presented annuallyby the Wild Trout Trust to commemorate the artist,conservationist, angler and creator of theinspirational angling cartoon, Mr. Crabtree. TheAward recognises lifetime services to wild troutconservation, someone whose vital work, perhapsunusual, sometimes outstanding, often goesunrecognised.

Previous winners include some of the giants ofwild trout conservation: messrs Mills, Butler, Twiddy,Frake, Hayes, Slocock, Jacklin, Pike, Crofts and Ash.

This year’s recipient is described by his friends asa ‘proper gentleman’ whose ‘heart and soul is inwild trout conservation’. He has been instrumentalin bringing sustainable fishery management to anumber of rivers and their fishing clubs in thesouth-west of England, including the By Brook, theMole and Yeo and the Shreen. He has played asignificant role in education, sitting on the IndustrialLiaison Panel of Lackham College and organisingWTT’s Bugs & Grubs courses held at WiltshireWildlife Trust’s Langford reserve. He has, on atotally voluntary basis, edited the WTT Newsletterfor ten years and also for five years the Trust’shighly regarded annual journal, Salmo trutta, andserved on the Trust’s Executive Committee formany years.

The Wild Trout Trust is delighted to present the2011 Bernard Venables Award to John Williams.

Thames Waterdonation forhabitat projectsThames Water have given theWTT a grant of £10,000 to carryout habitat projects in theThames Water area. Initialprojects have been identified onthe River Wey and River Kennetand we will be working with localfishing clubs and landowners todeliver the habitat improvementwork during 2012. Thames Waterhas previously supported theWTT with a grant of £3000 forTrout in the Town. Thank you toRichard Aylard and RupertNewby of Thames Water fortheir support and interest in thework of the WTT.

News

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C L A G A M E F A I R 2

Game Fair 2011

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It was another successful year for the Wild TroutTrust at the CLA Game Fair which this year was atBlenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. It was good to seethe many WTT members who dropped in to sayhello and along with new members and othervisitors enjoyed a range of refreshments kindlysponsored by John D Wood & Co.

The stand was constantly busy and much interestwas generated by the excellent living chalkstreamexhibit created by Wessex Land & Water whokindly provided this free of charge.

As usual the WTT staff and conservation officerswere on hand to answer questions and give advice,and we are indebted to our WTT volunteers whogive so generously of their timeand energy to man (and enliven)the stand including Don Burgesswho kept the team well fed eachevening from his BBQ.

During the three days of theFair, 42 new members, includingseveral life-members, joined theranks of the WTT, 1429 raffletickets were sold and sales ofmerchandise raised £670.


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Game Fair 2011

2 0 1 1 - B L E N H E I M


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Conservation Awards Ceremony

CONSERVATION AWARDS 2011

AWARDS CEREMONY

↑ JOINT WINNER Martin deRetuerto (centre) receiving theAward from Danni Hicks and RichardBanbury of Orvis.

↑ RUNNER-UP Dominic Martyn(centre) receiving the Award fromRichard Banbury and Danni Hicks ofOrvis.

↑ RECIPIENT of the BERNARDVENABLES AWARD: John Williams (left)with WTT Director Shaun Leonard.

↑ Chairman of the judging panel AllanFrake summarising this year’scompetition.


Conservation Awards Ceremony

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← JOINT WINNER Luke Kozak(centre) and Dominic Longley (right)receiving the Award from Danni Hicksof Orvis.

↓ WINNER of MICHAEL EDWARDSCOMMEMORATIVE AWARD Andrew Veitch(left), David Lockley (centre-left) and AlanElliott (right), receiving the Award from JuliaHolford, on behalf of the Chester-Le-Street &District Angling Club.


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Conservation Awards Judges Report

This annual event is the Wild Trout Trust’s way ofcelebrating and acknowledging the efforts, ingenuity,imagination and achievements of those involved introut habitat management. The competition is nowin its 13th year and as it has run for such a longtime and has involved a tremendously wide diversityof projects, it has the added advantage of giving thejudges the opportunity to reflect on how things arechanging and evolving in the wild trout habitatimprovement scene. Allan Frake , Martin Janes(Managing Director) & Jenny Mant (Science &Technical Manager) from the UK River RestorationCentre at Cranfield were the adjudicators this year.

At this same event last year the judgescommented that “gone are the days whenindividuals or single organisations submitted entries,nowadays it is partnerships, collaboration andworking together that is the normal way of gettingprojects funded planned and completed.” Thatremains definitely the case but just a few alarm bellsare beginning to ring. The Big Society andencouraging the third sector, volunteers to carryout projects, is very laudable but not without somepotential problems for the unwary.

There was evidence this year of an increasingproblem of individuals involved in projectsexhibiting ‘heroic, if not passionate persistence inthe face of adversity’ associated with significantproblems with the process of obtaining the plethoraof permissions and procedures required.

Small scale amateur projects often involving amassive un-paid voluntary input need help andsupport from the various controlling authoritiesinvolved, not impediments, otherwise projects willnot get completed. People understandably get putoff and will not tolerate having to deal with the verysignificant hassle factor involved.

Last year comments were made to the effect that“people are being a little braver in what they do; adecade ago projects were a tad timid andrestrained.” These days it’s much more of a ‘let’s gofor it’ attitude... people are more confident, betterinformed on good practice, which hopefully may inpart be due to WTT Guidelines, CDs and booklets.”A little concern was expressed this year in thatwhat some would call ‘old style’ techniques stillbeing used, perhaps a job for WTT to consider isreinforcing communication of new, more effective,sustainable techniques to the ‘wet wellie’ audienceand project participants.

BACKGROUND TO THE 2011 AWARDS

JUDGES REPORTOn a much more positive and happier note, it is

good to see that across the board much morecomprehensive and meaningful monitoring ofprojects is being done. Some form of projectappraisal is essential to evaluate whether moneyand effort is being well spent, so that others canlearn from success (and failure). It is appreciatedthat that is not easy within the constraints of tightbudgets, and often limited resources.

Perhaps not surprisingly this year’s entries arestill addressing issues of the ‘old enemies’:obstructions to fish passage, diffuse pollution,excessive sediment, bank damage from farm stock,over-wide dredged channels, poor physical channelstructure and lack of quality ecological habitats forthe various life stages of fish and other rivercommunities.

Despite this, the judges all agreed that the 2011entries were notably unique in that they were allvery different, ranging from some good examples ofexcellent, almost traditional in-channel habitatimprovements, to fish passes and easements ofvarying complexity, catchment-scale initiativesinvolving a number of different communities, tourban river restoration in the centre of the towninvolving markedly different local communities anddifficult challenges.

This makes judging quite a challenge, particularlythis year, so it is worth reiterating what process thejudges use to arrive at their decisions.

The judges assess each of the projects against aseries of specific criteria including:M the impact on wild trout,M appropriateness of the scheme to the river,M techniques and materials used,M funding sources,M monitoring,M sustainability and after-care management,M value for money - and value to other wildlife, in

addition to trout. Inevitably, with such high quality, and very

different project entries this year, the judges, asalways, were on the lookout for just that little bit ofextra ‘buzz’ or ‘wow’ and signs of innovativethinking and solutions to problems. For the firsttime in the 13-year history of the awards the judgesdecided that it was difficult to tease out an overallwinner and it was appropriate in this instance torecognise joint winners of the award.


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JOINT WINNERS

One of the joint winners was the Hampshire & Isleof Wight Wildlife Trust who entered a chalkstreamriver restoration project on the River Itchen, justnorth of Winchester at the Winnal Moors WildlifeReserve incorporating the more well known anglinghistorical location of Abbots Barton. The mainchannel site is predominantly of low gradient,depositing habitat, canalised over-wide, historicallydredged and influenced by artificial impoundmentsand historic over-zealous vegetation management.The project mantra was ‘sustainability and costeffectiveness’ with clear objectives involving riverrestoration, fisheries management with close liaisonwith the angling interests, and comprehensivemonitoring. Clearly a lot of innovative thinking hadgone into the design and construction as well assolving some serious logistical problems ofimproving and managing both watercourses and thesurrounding flood plain meadows, including one ofthe few real examples of re-connecting the riverwith the floodplain and also managing stock so as tominimise the use of watercourse fencing. The

project also managed to head towards reinstatingoptimal channel widths and bed variation, bank re-profiling and wet margin creation, create and installriffles, pools and flow deflectors using as much site-won material as possible. The judges wereparticularly impressed with the predominant use ofon-site material with very little extra material beingbrought on to site. The overall natural look of thefinished project also was noteworthy, by effectivelyblending into the landscape; the positive attempt toreconnect river with floodplain also wascommended.


↓ ← The River Itchen at Winnal Moors.


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For the second joint winner,something completely differentawaited the judges in the HighStreet at Midsomer Norton in

Somerset where Luke Kozakfrom Woodland Water & Gardens

and Dominic Longley from theEA showed the judges around a

fascinating restoration project onan urban section of the River

Somer originating from theMendips. Formerly impounded by

three weirs, resulting in copiousquantities of polluted silt, detritus

aptly described as an ‘olfactorynuisance’, urban litter, zerovegetation and wildlife, the

channel had been successfullytransformed by removing the

weirs and associated silt,constructing a meanderinglimestone berm to create

complex flow patterns,introducing vegetated marginsand gravel substrate to createboth an aesthetically pleasing

enhancement as well as a wildlife-and fish-friendly habitat.

Superficially appearing to be asimple project but, as with mosturban projects, the ‘devil was in

the detail’ and needless to saypolitical and practical obstacles

there were in abundance. Thejudges were impressed by the quality of

the design and functioning of theenhancement, particularly the vegetation

planting regime which would not havelooked out of place at Chelsea! The

attention to detail in getting it right foran urban setting was also commendable,

as was the tenacity in overcoming theneed for many permits. Clearly there was

much support and enthusiasm from thelocal population who had recognised the

success of the project.

JOINT WINNERS


The River Somer running through the ↑ →High Street at Midsomer Norton.


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The runner-up this year had a tortuous 19-yeargestation period from initial inception and projectdesign to completion which is usually indicative ofhaving endured a number of complications! TheEnvironment Agency’s Arborfield Weirs & BypassProject on the River Loddon near Reading clearlyhad some challenging impoundments, weirs and flowcontrol structures to overcome, with the purposeof not only facilitating free passage of coarse fishand salmonids but also to improve other keywildlife species and habitats. The key feature was animpressive ‘semi-natural’ bypass incorporating eightpools, spawning gravels and other fish habitatsincluding woody debris, coupled with creating 200mof new river channel designed to create optimal

RUNNER-UP

habitats containing riffles, pools, backwaters andalso copious amounts of woody debris. Anadditional 4km of impounded river was alsoimproved and 2.5ha of wet woodland, fen, swampand marsh created. The judges were impressed bythe technical problems that were overcome increating not only better habitat all round, butmanaging to incorporate a very naturalised fish passwhich blended well into the landscape and thecreation of a wet woodland area was to beapplauded. Again the journey from beginning to endwas a long one with a lot of challenges along theway ably sorted out by a very determined projectmanager.


↑ The judges view the impressive bypass channel on the RiverLoddon near Reading.


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The winner of the WTT & Orvis Michael EdwardsCommemorative Conservation Award went to aproject on a tributary of the River Wear; the CongBurn Fish Passage Improvement Project in CountyDurham being carried out by the Chester-le-Street& District Angling Club. The burn is one of only twomajor tributaries of the Wearsystem and is important forsalmonids, as well as eel and lam-prey. The project focused onthree major obstacles, removal ofa weir to extend and improvespawning and juvenile fish habitat;and to ease fish passage through85m and 35m long culverts by in-stalling baffles to increase depthand provide resting areas for mi-grating fish including sea trout. Aswell as the demonstrable projectsuccess in facilitating migrationover hitherto formidable barriers,the overall project managementaspect of this initiative caught the

MICHAEL EDWARDS COMMEMORATIVE AWARD

Other finalists in this year’s competition were asfollows:

Southern chalk river restoration continues onthe lovely but heavily pressurised River Darent justsouth of Dartford at Lullingstone Castle, where theenhancement works focussing on wild trout habitatis being carried out by the Kingfisher Angling &Preservation Society and the North West KentCountryside Partnership. In-channel work toimprove this very straight section of river involvedcreating a more sinuous flow, spawning areas,narrowing the channel and varying the flowcharacteristics using LWD and woody faggots,selective clearing of heavily shading trees and scrub,and the planting of marginal vegetation. Overall theproject focussed on improved chalk stream habitatwhich in turn would lead to better fish populationstructure and greater angling potential andopportunities to develop the fishery further.

Two catchment-scale initiatives were submitted:the first from the Wye & Usk Foundation tacklingthe Rivers Lugg and Arrow in the vicinity ofLeominster. Elements of delivery including the usualsuspects of addressing point source and diffuse pol-

lution by targeting specific farms in the catchmentand developing farm audits focussed on advising onall matters affecting water quality and offeringgrants for infrastructure improvements. Fencing toprevent bank-side damage by animal stock, remov-ing barriers to fish migration and addressing poorhabitat and fish recruitment issues were also carriedout. A key element of this project was to develop apositive relationship with the Internal DrainageBoard who inevitably have a highly significant influ-ence on watercourse management in the area.

The second catchment-scale project was enteredby the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust and centred onRaydale incorporating the River Bain, a tributary ofthe River Ure in Upper Wensleydale. The projectaimed to develop a model of communityengagement and action to enhance biodiversity andwater quality, public access and understanding of theriver catchment. Although the catchment was smallin terms of population size, communication andeducation by public meetings and newsletters werea key element in homing in on identifying priorities.In practical terms farm audits and nutrientmanagement plans completed together with the

OTHER FINALISTS

judges’ eye in terms of a very thorough and profes-sional approach and hope that the particular suc-cess of the fish easement project is continued in theproposed future initiative of alleviating the waterquality problems identified.↓Andrew Veitch (left), David Lockley (centre-left) and AlanElliott (right), receiving the Award from Julia Holford, on behalfof the Chester-Le-Street & District Angling Club.


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usual fencing out of stock, woodland planting andreinstating bankside public access. Water quality,fisheries and invertebrate monitoring were alsoincorporated with some early encouraging results.One innovation, perhaps unusually, was that ahydropower scheme had been incorporated togenerate funds for future community-basedprojects.

In Snowdonia, the Prysor Angling Association,with help from the Environment Agency, is tackling anumber of issues in the streams aroundTrawsfynydd, notably the Afon Pryor and the RiverEden. Improving access for anglers is a priority,together with fisheries and habitat improvementinvolving a great deal of enthusiasm from clubmembers again tackling the seemingly ubiquitousproblem of siltation by fencing out stock, installingin-channel swing gates, drinking pumps and gettingthe balance of tree cover right by thinning andplanting. As well as wild trout populationimprovements, an anticipated spin off benefit is toimprove the endangered pearl mussel.

The judges would like to thank all the finalists forsome excellent projects and taking the time toexplain and show the judges around the projects. Asmentioned in previous years, what never ceases toamaze is the continuing infectious enthusiasmexhibited by all the competition participants.Hopefully this will inspire others, through the WTT,to carry out similar habitat improvement initiativeslong into the future.


↑ The judges view work aimed at establishing marginalvegetation on the River Darent at Lullingstone Castle.

↓ Fencing out livestock to prevent bank-side damage on theRivers Lugg and Arrow.


Conservation news

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When I am writing this update I always look back toprevious newsletters for inspiration and it is verypleasing to see that many of the Wild Trout Trust’sAdvisory Visits (AVs) and project proposalspreviously delivered have come to fruition andresulted in real, in-the-river habitat improvements.One in particular stood out this time and that wasthe work done on the River Leven in NorthYorkshire (a tributary of the Tees) by Hutton RudbyFly Fishing Club. They had an AV in April this yearand have wasted no time in putting it into practice:managing woody debris, providing crucial over-wintering habitat for juvenile trout and creating an‘easement’ to help trout migrating into a spawningtributary over a very tricky barrier. For the latterimprovement you can see two short videos (beforeand after) on the YouTube website (search for PottoBeck).

A visit to the Irish International Fly Fair inKillyleagh, Co. Down, provided the opportunity formyself and Paul Gaskell to carry out an AV forDromore Angling Club on the River Lagan and toprepare a project proposal for Gracehill andGalgorm AC on the River Maine, Co. Antrim. Againit was fantastic to see an improvement to fishpassage at a weir on the Lagan installed withinweeks of our visit, as a result of a short meetingwith the landowner during theAV. The Dibney RiverConservation Trust organises theFly Fair in Killyleagh and alsocampaigns tirelessly for theimprovement of their eponymousriver which is one of a number ofspawning tributaries for the seatrout of Strangford Lough. Theriver has a number of problems,the legacy of land drainageschemes and a former tannery(heavy metal pollution). We areworking with DRCT and haveprepared a project proposal forhabitat improvements and Hardy& Greys have generouslyprovided a bursary of £1000which will go towards thisproject.

AVs to rivers in the YorkshireDales (Ribble, Aire and Nidd) inrecent weeks have provided a

reminder of the influence of the whole catchmenton habitat quality in our rivers. Many of these riversand their tributaries running off moorland areassuffer extremes of flow as a result of moderndrainage schemes, climate change and evenprehistoric deforestation by our Bronze Ageancestors! The result is large spates which run offquickly, down to very low levels in dry weather. Theeffects were neatly summed up by an experiencedEA fisheries officer who attended one visit as“ripping the backside out of the river”! Channelscan be devastated by these large flood events whichwash out trout and salmon redds and leave channelsover-wide, shallow and lacking finer gravels –extremely poor fish habitat. Tackling such problemsis difficult for individual clubs and landowners and itemphasises the importance of supportingorganisations such as your local rivers trust,government agencies, other interest groups andpartnerships which are working in these areas.Moderating upland drainage has a host of benefitsfor society (less flooding, carbon sequestration),wildlife (such as ground-nesting birds) and fisheriesso strong partnerships have to be the way forward.

In more lowland areas, the Anglian Sea TroutProject (funded through the Interreg Living North

↓ Upper River Ribble – poor in-stream habitat typical of manymoorland streams.

Conservation update from the North and EastT I M J A C K L I N


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Conservation news

↑ Experimenting with where to place baffles for easing fish passage at a weir on the Potto Beck,River Leven, North Yorkshire.

Seas Project and the EA) continues to make steadyprogress. The bottlenecks for sea trout populations(and other migratory species) are largely centredon obstacles to migration such as old mills, tidalsluices and weirs. There are often many interestsinvolved at each of these sites and carefulconsultation and planning is required to makeprogress; this is ongoing at a number of sites on theNar, Glaven and Burn. Work is also taking place on

the River Welland and its tributary the Gwash. TheWelland has been identified as one of the ten pilotcatchments in England and Wales for theimplementation of the Water Framework Directiveto achieve ‘good ecological status’ and the WildTrout Trust is working with the Environment Agencyand Welland Rivers Trust.

↓ Discussing fish pass options with a landowner on the RiverLagan, Co. Down.

↑ The resulting ‘baulk’ fisheasement constructed bythe landowner (shown inthe dry, with waterdiverted for construction).Photo: Michael Shanks.


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Conservation news

ANDY THOMAS REPORTS

I know I know, you don’t usually find pools inchalkstreams! The best you can generally hope for issome slight variation in depth, usually found below abridge or sometimes caused when a tree has goneover in the winter and it has taken several monthsbefore a team has been organised to remove it. Thetree usually goes and eventually so does the newlyformed pool! Unfortunately even on some sectionsof chalkstream, where enlightened owners andkeepers retain woody debris in the channel, youmay have to wait for years before a really wetwinter produces enough flow power to carve outthese rare but exceptionally valuable habitats. Thenearer the perennial source you go, the less likely itis that the stream can generate sufficient power tobreak through the hard bed crust. With no erodedbed gravels, this usually results in a flat bedtopography with limited trout holding capacity andoften few good spawning opportunities.

It was no surprise therefore, that on inspection asection of the Candover Brook in Hampshireshowed there was precious little holding habitat foradult trout. The Candover is one of the threeheadwater streams that form the world famousRiver Itchen. The upper Itchen deserves itsreputation as a premier chalkstream trout fishery

and many sections of the lower Candover provide awide range of high quality trout habitat. The sectionI inspected above Abbotstone however wascharacterised by a wide and very shallow channelwith very limited holding habitat available forresident or pre-spawning adult trout. Great for parr,but they have to be produced somewhere!

Having been contacted by the fishery owner Iwas delighted to find that the Environment Agencywere also looking for opportunities to improve theCandover, not only for trout but also for nativewhite clawed crayfish that still populate a fewfragmented sections downstream. It was a verygood time to produce a WTT Project Proposal.

An obvious solution to the lack of variation inthe bed topography would have been to employ thevery popular ‘dig and dump’ technique where a poolcan be dug with a 360 excavator and the materialremoved from the bed. That material is then used toform side bars or cheeks to pinch the channel atthe neck of the pool to promote a cleansing flow.There is no doubt this method is hugely effective atcreating instant pools and providing good qualityholding habitat for adult trout. One downside to the

↓ A typical section of the Candover above Abbotstone. A wide,shallow channel with poor holding potential for adult trout.

A novel approach to pool creation in chalkstreamsA N D Y T H O M A S


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Conservation news

→The WTTDirector

‘blowing’ out anew pool offthe end of a

newly installedsallow trunk.

technique is that, in digging the pool, it is extremelydifficult to create the natural ‘up-ramp’ or tail that isusually thrown up when a pool is naturally carvedout by a stream powering over, under or around afallen tree. This type of feature is prime habitat aswhere they do exist they provide superb holdingand spawning opportunities.

The challenge for me was to find a technique thatwould create a self cleansing pool where adult troutcould sit safely and comfortably, and also to providesome good spawning habitat. I wanted a subtlefeature in keeping with the chalkstreamenvironment. It was then I thought that it would beworth trying to mimic a spate flow by using a largepump against an installed flow deflector.

The plan was to win some local live trees, dig theroot wad into the bank and lay the trunk over theriver to promote undershot scour. The next stepwas to scratch the river bed using the machinebucket to break up the hard surface crust and thenuse a large pump to blast the bed adjacent to theflow deflector, mimicking an exceptional flood flow

(rarely found in chalkstreams). It was hoped that thebed material would then naturally settledownstream of the pool to form a natural up-rampor tail.

With the Land Drainage Consent in place andsome funding generously provided by theEnvironment Agency, the project was successfullydelivered in late September. Although not as costeffective as the dig and dump technique, four areaswere significantly enhanced using the new methodover a two-day period providing what appear to bewonderful holding areas but also new spawningopportunities as well.

Thanks are due to Richard Redsull and DaveHunter from the local EA Fisheries Team and to BenRushbrook from the Hampshire & Isle of WightWildlife Trust for support and advice in making surethe project was also a success for native crayfish.


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Conservation news

2011 is turning out to be quite a tumultuous yearso far following the great success of our urbanconclave and Wandle Practical Visit early on. A‘changing of the guard’ in the Sheffield Project asJohn Blewitt stepped down as chairman to pursueyouth-angling coaching has led to a re-organisationat SPRITE (Sheffield Project for Rivers in TownEnvironments). We have now created several newposts that were previously components of thechairperson's role and have run some successfulinvasive plant removal events (both independentlyand in partnership with Winn Gardens Tenants andResidents Association (Winntara) and the RivelinValley Conservation Group:http://www.rivelinvalley.org.uk/).

SPRITE also has purchased some ‘stem injection’kit for controlling Japanese knotweed infestationsand we are in the process of obtaining theappropriate licence to use glyphosate weedkillernext to watercourses. The huge advantage of steminjection is the specific targeting of individualinvasive plants – and a lack of overspray ofweedkiller onto non-target native plants and theadjacent river. For a great example of this – and alsoto credit the EA flood-risk management teams fortackling invasive plants in areas where floodmitigation works are carried out – the section ofthe River Don adjacent to Club Mill Road inSheffield has recently been treated with steminjection kit by teams under the instruction ofJonathan Moxon and his colleagues at the EA. Thishas come about through our ongoing dialogue withthe EA through Jonathan as we work to improvethe efficacy and environmental benefits of flood riskworks. Mayfly in the Classroom(http://www.mayflyintheclassroom.org) training hasbeen provided to establish the project inBasingstoke, as well as a special group-training dayfor four schools in the Milton Keynes area atGeorge Eaton’s excellent outdoor classroom facilitythat is part of the award winning Rectory Farm(http://www.rectory-farm.org.uk/). This event wasscheduled to be run by myself but the onset ofwhat transpired to be epilepsy in my 6-month oldson meant that my colleague Tim Jacklin stepped inand saved the day (thanks Tim!).

Also we have been in negotiation with therelevant EA regulatory people over the habitatworks that I designed for the River Erewash inNottinghamshire. Following a degree of back and

forth since early this year over the proposeddesigns and the relevant site visits, it seems that wemay be progressing towards being grantedpermission to do the habitat works installation(hopefully before autumn this year when the troutwill start to think about spawning). This will becarried out as part of a WTT Practical Visit (PV)where staff from the Trust train local volunteershow to carry out the prescribed improvementworks. PVs (staff time and materials) are sponsoredby the WTT funding infrastructure and are free torecipients (up to a maximum value of £1800). In themeantime, Tim Jacklin has dropped in on the RiverErewash Foundation (REF) to train them in the useof their new gravel cleaning machine – an adaptedleaf blower that was bought following a fundingdonation from the Trout in the Town project to theREF (http://www.rivererewashfoundation.co.uk/).

A day spent surveying the River Irwell with the‘Action Irwell/Salford Friendly Anglers’(http://actionirwell.blogspot.com/ andhttp://www.salfordfriendlyanglers.co.uk/ ) group wasused to help identify potential sites to beincorporated in their planned Riverfly PartnershipAnglers’ Monitoring Initiative(http://www.riverflies.org/index/riverfly_monit.html).Subsequently the group received their invertebratesampling and identification training and themonitoring plan is being put into action. In theinterests of multi-tasking, I carried out thenecessary investigations to compile an Advisory Visitreport to identify potential habitat bottlenecks andany relevant ecological issues on the Irwell. Theresultant report identified a series ofrecommendations that the Irwell group is findingvery useful in presenting to potential projectpartners as well as to council and regulatoryrepresentatives. The report also makes direct linksto the priorities identified in the relevant WaterFramework Directive ‘River Basin ManagementPlans’ to show how the Irwell group can help theEA achieve the required ecological improvements.Wild Trout Trust members can sign into themembers’ area on the WTT website and read thereport in full (www.wildtrout.org). The visit,including its follow-up report, was delivered free ofcharge using Trout in the Town funding provided bythe EA and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.

The Wandle Trust has been making good progressthis year. Some of my previous blog posting has

Trout in the Town – Summer 2011 updateP A U L G A S K E L L


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Conservation news

covered the terrific urban conclave and theattendant WTT practical visit hosted by the WandleTrust(http://urbantrout.blogspot.com/2011/03/return-of-urban-conclave-even-bigger.html ). The Wandle Trustand the Wild Trout Trust have a long shared history(long may it continue!) and I am very proud of thetechnical training input and habitat/wild troutpopulation restoration strategy developed throughthe Trout in the Town project. I am equally in awe ofthe amazing way that the Wandle Trust has

The WTT’s Bugs & Grubs days have changed subtlyduring the nine years since they were inaugurated.

In 2002 the course, (then run out of LackhamCollege of Agriculture now in partnership withWiltshire Wildlife Trust) consisted of acomprehensive review of the little creatures livingin local rivers and lakes and the conditions in whichthey would flourish or fail. Water quality, pollution,aquatic plants, agriculture and public works allfeatured as factors in the lives of the invertebratesliving in our waters: samples were sought and foundby the students under the expert guidance of thecourse leader, Richard Cripps.

These things remain fundamental to the coursebut, in 2011with the addition of Shaun Leonard tothe tutorial team, we found that the topicsaddressed in the first waterside-sessionencompassed a very wide range of fisherymanagement matters. The tutors answeredquestions on matters as diverse as the managementof whole catchments to the identification of thesmallest bug in the water. These things have becomea permanent part of the programme for the day.

The course will maintain the expandedprogramme in 2012 – with ample time for instreamwork!

In 2012 the course is to be held at LangfordLakes and the adjacent River Wylye (HangingLangford near Salisbury)on 7 July. The classes arelimited to 20 students. In the event of over-subscription for that date a second date will bearranged. Please register early if possible.The basic agenda for the one–day course is:

Bugs & Grubs

9:00 am Meet for coffee.9:30 am Welcome by Richard Cripps for the

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and Shaun Leonard for the Wild Trout Trust.

9:45 am Introduction to the factors that affect life in rivers and lakes, recognition of harmful and beneficial influences, means of collecting specimens, methods of identification, bankside and instream flora, questions of stream management.

10:45 am Fieldwork on the nearby river Wylye (bring your own waders or gumboots).

12:45 pm Lunch (bring your own picnic; coffee and tea provided).

2:00 pm Fieldwork on the nearby Langford Lakes.

4:00 pm Closing discussions (all times will be flexible).

The cost of a one-day course is £25. Applications,accompanied by full payment, should be sent toChristina Bryant, The Wild Trout Trust, PO Box 120,Waterlooville, PO8 OWZ. Tel 023 9257 0985,email:[email protected].

Members who are following the activities of Trout in the Town can find regular updates on: http://urbantrout.blogspot.com/2011/08/summer-2011-updates.htmlhttp://urbantrout.blogspot.com/2011/09/astounding-events-on-new-tintt.html

implemented its habitat works programme andseamlessly integrated it at a whole river scale (withparticularly large doses of kudos to Wandle TrustDirector Bella Davies required!). Read the WandleTrust Blog entries from 20 July 2011 (weir notchingat Carshalton) up to the most recent entries to seehow much work all of the Trust staff, trustees andvolunteers are putting in (www.wandletrust.org).


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Conservation news

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is a pieceof European legislation which came into effect inthe UK in 2003. So, it is nothing new, but it is nowhaving a real effect on funding and priorities forriver habitat improvement and is well worthunderstanding at a practical ‘how can we takeadvantage of it’ level. The legislation demands thatwaterbodies in the UK (that includes rivers, lakes,groundwater, coastal waters and estuaries) mustmeet ‘good ecological status’ by 2015, or have agood reason not to do so. Invertebrates and fish arekey elements of good ecological status.

Like most European initiatives, WFD is complexand associated with large amounts ofdocumentation and data, which can be hard todigest. The aim of this article is to show how WFDcould benefit you if you are involved with river orlake or habitat projects. It is, therefore, a narrowview of a large topic and is focused on England andWales, but the WFD also applies to Scotland. Muchmore detail is available on the EA and SEPAwebsites.

There are 11, detailed River Basin ManagementPlans covering England and Wales which are brokendown to river catchments and defined reachesknown as waterbodies. The plans are reviewed on asix-yearly basis to identify current ‘pressures’(abstraction, diffuse pollution, nutrient enrichmentetc) and the actions required to address thosepressures and achieve ‘good ecological status’ by thenext review (2015).

In terms of practical habitat improvement actionsfor a particular reach of a river, the key piece ofinformation to find is the current status of thewaterbody (see box).

In simple terms, if a waterbody is in bad, poor or(possibly) moderate status currently, then it is likelyto be a priority for improvement project fundingunder WFD. It is worth talking to your local EAcontact to find out what plans they have to deliverimprovement themselves, or if they are willing tofund a project via a partner (you/us) to address theissues. Some of the public funding for achievingWFD objectives has been given to the Rivers Truststo administer, so they are also worth contacting.

WFD funding is having a direct effect on someaspects of our (WTT’s) habitat work. We areincreasingly working with the EA and Rivers Truststo deliver projects that will help rivers achieve‘good ecological status’, and the information in theplans is helping us to focus our efforts in areaswhere we can make the most difference to wildtrout. This is good news and very much in line with

To find out thecurrent status of a waterbody

The quickest route is via the ‘what’s in yourbackyard’ section of the EA website: www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure.

Go straight to the maps and select the topiccalled ‘River Basin Management Plans –Rivers’. Search for a village or postcode andget a colour-coded map with the status ofyour river. Click on the river on the map tofind a summary of the status. For more detail, open ‘Annex B’ of the RiverBasin Management Plan and use the searchbox to find the table relating to your river. Annex B starts with useful explanations of thetables and summary data for the river basin.

our objectives. Funding for WFD work has alsoallowed us to enter a partnership with Eden RiversTrust to employ another Conservation Officer –see the pieces on Gareth Pedley.

There are, of course, plenty of flaws, problemsand frustrations to deal with. For example, riversthat are supposed to be in ‘moderate’ or ‘good’status but which clearly are not, and a desire byDefra and the EA to focus on the easy, quick winssuch as fish passes rather than the fundamental, butmore intractable problems like abstraction anddiffuse pollution. As ever, the WTT is taking apragmatic approach. We are taking advantage of thefunding to do good habitat work wherever we can,whilst working with organisations such as theAngling Trust to lobby the Government and the EAto be more ambitious in their plans and address thefundamental issues.

What does the Water Framework Directive mean for us?


23

WTT BADGESCLOTH

£4PIN BADGES

£3.50CAR STICKER

£1 – all free p&pLife member badges free with £300

life membership

ORVIS MARQUESAS SHIRT (LIMITED STOCK)

Colour Indigo and Light Blue (not shown) £39 + £2 p&p

sizes M, L, XL, XXL

SNOWBEE SHIRTColour Putty £30 + £2 p&p

sizes M, L, XL, XXL

SUPER WARM FLEECEWITH WTT LOGO

in dark green or black£20 + £3 p&p

sizes L, XL, XXL

FULLING MILLEVENING RISESELECTION£9 + £1 p&p

MATCHING THEHATCH by Peter Lapsley &Cyril Bennett£7.99 + £1.20 p&p

WHEATLEY FLY BOXESWITH WTT LOGO12 compartments and a foam lid at£30 and the Double ripple foam inner at £19 +£1.25 p&p

FINE BONECHINA MUG£9 + £1 p&p

BASEBALLCAP£15 plus £1.50 p&p

WILD TROUT TRUST SHOPAll WTT merchandise can be ordered via the Shop on our website at www.wildtrout.org; by

sending an appropriate cheque to the WTT Office; or by debit/credit card over the phone – callthe WTT Office on 023 9257 0985. All postage prices are for the UK, please enquire for overseas.

WTT Merchandise

WTT GUIDES AND MANUALSThe Wild Trout Survival Guide (softback) – £10 + £1 p&pThe Uplands River Habitat Manual (CD) – £10 + £1 p&pThe Chalkstream Habitat Manual (CD) – £10 + £1 p&pUrban Rivers Restoration Guidelines (CD) – £10 + £1 p&p


WILD TROUT TRUSTReg Charity No

1077041 www.wildtrout.org

PresidentCharles Rangeley-Wilson

Vice-PresidentsJon Beer, Professor David Bellamy,

Brian Clarke, Gareth Edwards, Oliver Edwards,

Dr Malcolm Greenhalgh, Dennis Moss, Pat O’Reilly,

Peter O’Reilly, Jeremy Paxman, Paul Procter,

The Rt Hon Lord (David) Steel ofAikwood

ChairmanEdward Twiddy

Director and Conservation for Scotland & Ireland

Shaun [email protected]

tel 023 8027 6037

NewsletterEditor: John Williams

Design and layout: Richard [email protected]

Sponsorship &Communications

Denise Ashton [email protected]

07802 454157

Conservation Officers Tim Jacklin

North East; North West; Midlands,Anglian; North Wales

[email protected] 07876 525457 M

Andy Thomas Southern, Thames, South West,

South & Mid Wales [email protected]

07876 525499 M

Paul Gaskell Trout in the Town

[email protected] 07919 157267 M

Gareth PedleyEden Rivers Trust, North East &

North [email protected]

07500 870583

Wild Trout Trust Office The Wild Trout Trust

PO Box 120, Waterlooville PO8 0WZ Tel / Fax: 023 9257 0985

email: [email protected] Christina Bryant is the Trust

Administrator and is normally ather desk 10:00–15:00, Monday to

Thursday. When this is not possibleand at all other times, please leavea message on the answerphone

and Christina will respond as soonas she is able.

New Orvis/WTTlogo'd shirtPro guide cottonlong-sleeved castingshirt. Breathablecotton (alightweight 3.4-oz.poplin weave). Idealin warm weather,whether you'reheaded for the flatsor summer streams;pleated front pockets with aconcealed security pocket letyou carry everything you needto bring along. Sunglasses loop.Versatile roll-tab sleeves.

Colour Light Blue in M, L, XL and XXL. Price £59

WILD TROUT TRUSTA N N UA L R A F F L E 2 0 1 1

To be drawn at 7pm, Wednesday 7 December at

The Thomas Lord, West Meon, Hampshire.

We have some splendid prizes again this year. They include:1st Prize

Kindly donated by The Peacock at Rowsley & Haddon Fisheries, worth £575. TwoDay Tickets on the River Wye plus one night’s B&B and dinner for two

(double or twin) at The Peacock, Rowsley in high season or four Day Ticketsplus one night’s B&B and dinner in low season.

2nd Prize

Kindly donated by Sage, worth £549. A Sage TXL-F 7ft 10in, 3-weight, 4-piece fly rod.

3rd Prize

Kindly donated by Orvis, worth £425. An Orvis Superfine Touch 9ft, 4-weight, 4-piece full flex fly rod.

4th Prize

Kindly donated by the Wild Trout Trust, worth £300. Life Membership of the Wild Trout Trust.

5th Prize

Kindly donated by Gresham Angling Society & Edward Twiddy Esq, worth £100. A day with WTT Chairman Edward Twiddy on eight miles of the rivers Loddon and

Lyde in north Hampshire. Intimate chalkstream fishing with heavy hatches offly, strong stocks of wild trout and the chance of a specimen. Date to be agreed in 2012 season (includes mayfly).

An order form is enclosed – please buy a ticket or two or more... and persuadeyour friends and colleagues to do likewise.

To purchase tickets, please use the order form or go to the shop on

our website, www.wildtrout.org


wild trout trust & orvis conservation awards 20 1...o ver 100 guests attended this year's...

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