PSFFA – April 2019
Dear Member,
Welcome to another fishing season, especially if you are a new member, I hope that it will be one with plenty of opportunities for
you to enjoy the fishing that we offer on both river and lake. The keepers have worked hard through the winter to get the beats
ready for us. It is often a constant battle to keep banks stable, weed cut, trees and bankside vegetation under control and fish
stocked to ensure that we can enjoy such exceptional fishing. Many of our keepers are of extremely long standing, but we felt we
should acknowledge the contribution that John Williams, Matt Owen-Farner and Alan Hudspeth in particular have made to the
club as they have now been keepers for well over 20 years – and there are a host of others who are hot on their heels so it goes
without saying that on behalf of the Committee and all the Members we thank them all for the sterling work that they do on our
behalf.
This newsletter is a little longer than normal but please do read it through, it is intended to help you and to make sure that
everyone starts the season fully informed of the latest news and changes.
Finally, whilst I am looking forward to a stress-free and enjoyable season, I appreciate that not everything can be perfect all the
time. If you do have any issues, concerns or suggestions then please let me know. Of course, it is always pleasant to hear when
things are going well too!
Beat Tour:- The Beat Tour this year will take place at 1000 on Sunday 7 April. Attendance this year is something of a record so I
should be grateful if participants would muster in the central car park in Bishops Waltham in good time to allow groups to be
formed and assigned guides. Lunch will be taken at the Crown (https://www.crowninnbishopswaltham.co.uk/) in Bishops
Waltham this year which should make the parking easier.
Brambridge:- Thanks to Derek Bond and Tony McEwen, Brambridge will now be available until the 31st January to fish for
grayling.
Cheriton Mill Fishery:- The Association has acquired a three year lease on this stretch of the upper Itchen. I am indebted to
Philip Ellis for the following notes:
The fishery forms part of the headwaters of the Itchen catchment that runs from the source, a pond south of the A272, through
Cheriton and Tichborne villages until it meets the Candover and Arle that then forms the main river Itchen running west to
Winchester.
The Cheriton Mill beat has been held by Sussex Piscatorial Society since 2002. Below the mill the fishing is held by the
Tichborne Syndicate that lease the remainder of the river. It is a Wild Trout Conservation Area where there is no stocking. Only
brown trout are found and for some reason Grayling have never found their way into the river.
Fly life is varied with huge numbers of tiny cased Caddis, but very few large Mayfly. Invertebrate sampling over 10 years has
seen little changes in numbers.
Do not expect to catch anything huge, maximum 12”. Being a small stream, the fish are very spooky and the approach has to be
with stealth and best waded and I suggest walking the beat before contemplating fishing to find the fish. Very often tiny fish will
scatter and scare target fish. As for flies, certainly small, 14 being the absolute maximum. Nymphs tend to work better than dries,
but both are worth a try.
The SPS members found that they could fish out the river in a short time, so a break retiring either to the Tichborne Arms or The
Flower Potts in Cheriton is a good option, both have real ale.
Anyone wanting to learn more can contact Phillip Ellis on 01903 504317 or at elsteadbysea@btinternet.com.
PSFFA website access and Beat Bookings for the coming season: message from the Webmaster:- After some quiet winter
months for most of us and with the new season fast approaching, it’s perhaps useful to explain how to get the best out of the
PSFFA website, especially as we have quite a few new members. By the time you read this, Membership Renewals will have been
completed via the website for the first time, which was a big success for those managing the activity behind the scenes so thanks
to everyone for making this happen so smoothly. As we start the new season, the main activity for most Members using the
website (https://psffa.org) will be to check how the beats are fishing (Latest Beat Updates), book a beat and then submit a catch
return. A few things to remember, to make your life easier:
When logging on to the website, it’s most important to use exactly the correct login credentials, which don’t forget are
case sensitive, and we recommend you get your computer to remember these credentials to save you having to type them
in (and risk making a mistake) at that crucial moment when you want to book a specific beat in a hurry! (NB. Too many
failed attempts and the Firewall will lock you out temporarily for an hour).
For those Members with SMART ‘phones, you can access the website from those devices, although the ‘look and feel’
will naturally be rather different to the full page view you see on a full sized computer screen – we recommend you
familiarise yourself with the web access on these devices (if applicable) so you don’t end up getting frustrated when
trying to use it for the first time when ‘on the move’.
Please remember, if you have issues with the website, please ring the PSFFA Helpline 01962 657802, but don’t be
alarmed when you are asked to leave an answer-machine message, as this message is sent straight to the person best able
to help you out most quickly (although as this is manned by volunteers, the response may not be immediate).
Please familiarise yourself with both the latest Rules of the Association and beat maps (accessible from the Member’s
Area Menu), as there are some small changes this season.
Before booking a beat, there are links on the booking page for you to check the weather, weed cutting dates on the Itchen
and also the Latest Beat Updates, which will give you a good idea of which beats are fishing best (TIP: please read the
notes at the top of the Latest Beat Updates page to learn how to search, filter and sort the information relevant to the beat
of interest).
When booking a beat, there are 3 options (Normal Booking, Late Booking, and Shareholder Booking) – please make sure
you use the correct one, otherwise it may affect your ability of when you can book that beat again.
Please note that the Booking System is NOT designed for a Member to make a booking on behalf of another Member
(without unnecessarily using up one of your Guest tickets) – if you want to fish the same beat as another Member on the
same day, would you please both book the beat separately.
Once you’ve booked a beat, you will get an online confirmation that it’s booked (NB. if you don’t see that online
confirmation, your booking is not confirmed); this will be followed very shortly by an e-mail with your booking details
and Reservation Number (which you will need when you subsequently submit your Catch Return), plus an up-to-date
beat map with beat-specific instructions and information. This confirmation e-mail will also give you a web-link to
CANCEL the booking at any time up to 00:01hrs on the day you’ve booked to fish. (TIP: if you make an error with your
booking, such as you selected the wrong day, or want to add a guest after making the original booking, simply cancel the
original booking and re-book).
The day after you go fishing you will be sent a Reminder to Complete your Catch Return (if you haven’t already done so)
in accordance with the Rules of the Association, which will also remind you of the Reservation Number you will need to
complete your Catch Return.
Please add any useful comments to your Catch Return about your day’s fishing, as these are added verbatim to the Latest
Beat Updates page on the website to help other Members – please don’t use this space to leave derogatory remarks or
make a complaint – please use the correct channels if you want to bring anything to the attention of the relevant
Committee Member.
Making Catch Returns:- With the new season almost upon us it’s timely to remember a few ‘golden rules’ to follow when
making your Catch Returns that will help significantly with analysing data at the end of the season. Having a year’s experience
under our belt also means there have been a few ‘tweeks’ to the return form since last year, the aim being to make it simple to
complete and more accurate.
Changes from 2018:- The first change to the Catch Return form is that you now need to include your e-mail address in the return
so that you will receive an e-mail confirmation copy after submission. This means adding one more field to the return (your email
address), but once this has been filled in on your first return, then most (if not all) web browsers will ‘remember’ your address and
offer to fill it in next time round without you having to re-type it. This admittedly adds a little to the task of making a return, but it
means:
a) there is absolute proof you made a return successfully, and
b) if you spot an error when you receive a copy of your return there is a way to correct it almost
immediately by contacting the Recorder – recorder@psffa.org.
The second change to the form is that validation criteria have been added to all of the boxes to help improve data accuracy. All the
fields, except the Comments box, are now compulsory and all the fields that expect a number will only accept a whole number
(integer) and nothing else. In practice this means that all the fields from the Total No. of Rods down to the Comments section
will need your input (even if you caught nothing) – but a number (integer) only please. Anything else will be rejected. To give
you some examples: if you enter the word ‘two’ instead of 2, ‘nil’ instead of 0, ‘inch’ in the length field or ‘NA’ in any field, the
return will ‘flag’ an error in red under the relevant input box and cannot be submitted until corrected.
The Comments section, which is not mandatory, is now limited to 60 words and we do encourage you to add as much information
to help fellow Members see how the beat is fishing, as these comments are fed directly into the Latest Beat Updates page of the
website.
TIPS for making a successful Catch Return
First and foremost – please make your return asap after fishing, ideally as soon as you get the automatic online reminder
the day after fishing, assuming you haven’t already submitted it. As a ‘back stop’ the Recorder will prompt you after a
week if no return is received but after that, you risk a fine!
If you did not fish on the day (eg last minute illness etc) and cannot cancel online then please let the Membership
Secretary (membership@psffa.org) or Recorder (recorder@psffa.org) know.
Please check you have entered your details correctly – there are data validation checks now, as described above, but
please remember that just a single letter wrong in your name or booking reference for example, will put the return in the
wrong part of the database.
Please use the drop down boxes to select the beat and date – much easier (and more accurate!) than entering via the
keyboard.
All the fields for entering the numbers of anglers (rods), fish caught and length of best fish (trout and grayling) are set up
to receive whole numbers (integers) only. When you input into these fields, please make sure it’s only a number – don’t
enter any words or letters. If you didn’t catch or don’t have a best fish to report – please just enter 0.
Before submitting your return, please double check the data entered for accuracy.
After submitting you should get an online confirmation on your screen, followed up by an e-mail copy of your return – if
you don’t, then the return has not reached the database and you need to re-submit.
If you spot an error after submission and/or have any problems making the return please contact the Recorder on
recorder@psffa.org
Both the booking system and returns are constantly evolving so if you spot any problems with either please don’t hesitate
to get in touch with your feedback.
Length vs weight – or does size matter – message from the Recorder:- I’ve been doing the recorders job for a long time now
and throughout that time I’ve religiously scanned the data each year for the ‘best fish’ from each of our beats. To be honest – I’ve
never given this particular data a lot of thought – I put the best fish details in my annual report more out of interest to other
members (and our land owners) than for any other reason. We don’t give a prize for best fish – we don’t even recognize the
member who might have caught one – so there’s never been a lot of kudos in catching the ‘best’ fish!
Last year we switched to an online booking and returns system and the best fish data field changed from lbs and ozs to length (in
inches). I suspect I’m like most anglers of a certain age – the fish we catch are measured in our head to the nearest half or quarter
pound rather than its length. Perhaps younger anglers use to the nearest kilogram? So, to change to inches seems counter intuitive
in a way – in my innocence I thought it was to avoid errors – a field asking for lbs and ozs is inviting mistakes and we get more
than enough of those already! But that’s not the case. This year we’ve been trying to reduce the error rate in returns and it crossed
my mind to ask whether we even need the ‘best fish’ details. We do – having asked the relevant committee members why the
change to length they responded with these three main reasons:
a) The takeable size limits on most waters are generally set by length
b. All fish surveys that are undertaken by the EA etc. record the fish length in their data and not weight. This makes any
data comparison we undertake much easier when looking at fish populations and bio mass.
c. We know what size fish we stock and although they may lose weight after stocking, they don’t shrink and therefore if we
want to use the data with a view to likely stocking numbers caught (not all members can tell the difference between
stocked and wild) we can do so.
When you add in the fact that measuring length is so easy to achieve in literally seconds (just a few pieces of tape on a rod or
landing net handle to replicate a rough ruler) and is less stressful for the fish then the reasons for keeping the field and using
length instead of weight are strong.
I hope this has explained the rationale behind keeping length as the measure of ‘best fish’. We’re not asking for a slide rule
measurement to a decimal point – just a rough measure of the fish from the tip of its snout to the fork in the tail. All fields are
mandatory this year (again to avoid errors) so if you didn’t catch any fish or only very small ones then please just enter 0 in the
field. Still no prizes for best fish of the season – but to answer the question posed at the beginning – does size matter – yes of
course it does where fish are concerned!
PS For those who might be interested there are any number of length to weight ratio tables on the internet so I’ve reproduced one
below for interest (from Durhamflyfishing). Please note it carries a serious ‘health warning’ – firstly it’s for brown trout only (not
rainbows) and secondly, as we know from human experience it’s impossible to accurately estimate weight from a single length
measurement alone so the table gives different figures for the relevant girth of a fish – but it’s still a very rough guide only
Brown Trout Weight Conversion
Length Weight/Condition
Inches Poor Slim Normal Good Fat
10
11
4oz
6oz
5oz
6oz
5oz
7oz
6oz
8oz
6oz
9oz
12 7oz 8oz 9oz 10oz 11oz
13 10oz 11oz 12oz 13oz 15oz
14 12oz 14oz 15oz 1lb 1oz 1lb 3oz
15 15oz 1lb 1oz 1lb 3oz 1lb 5oz 1lb 7oz
16 1lb 2oz 1lb 5oz 1lb 7oz 1lb 10oz 1lb 12oz
17 1lb 6oz 1lb 9oz 1lb 12oz 1lb 15oz 2lb 2oz
18 1lb 10oz 1lb 14oz 2lb 1oz 2lb 5oz 2lb 8oz
19 1lb 15oz 2lb 3oz 2lb 7oz 2lb 11oz 2lb 15oz
20 2lb 4oz 2lb 9oz 2lb 14oz 3lb 2oz 3lb 7oz
21 2lb 10oz 3lb 3lb 5oz 3lb 10oz 4lb
22 3lb 1oz 3lb 7oz 3lb 13oz 4lb 3oz 4lb 9oz
23 3lb 8oz 3lb 15oz 4lb 6oz 4lb 13oz 5lb 4oz
24 3lb 15oz 4lb 7oz 4lb 15oz 5lb 7oz 5lb 15oz
25 4lb 8oz 5lb 1oz 5lb 10oz 6lb 3oz 6lb 12oz
26 5lb 1oz 5lb 10oz 6lb 5oz 6lb 15oz 7lb 9oz
27 5lb 10oz 6lb 6oz 7lb 1oz 7lb 13oz 8lb 8oz
Grayling Fishing
With the new online booking system up and running this is the first year I’ve been able to keep any records of grayling returns
from those members who fish for them after the trout season has closed. I thought it might be interesting to put together a short
article for the PSFFA spring newsletter to illustrate how successful our grayling anglers have been. The data only covers fishing
outside the trout season so from 22 October 2018 to the end of our grayling season on Hockley and the Manor on 31 January
2019.
The table overleaf shows the number (members and guests) who fished on each of our grayling beats, how many grayling were
caught (excludes any trout caught out of season) and the rod average – much like the short table I prepare for the AGM each year
for trout fishing. Details are also included for the Lake returns during the same period but for trout catches only.
Grayling Fishing – 22 Oct 2018 to 31 Jan 2019
Beat No Fished No Caught Average per rod
Brambridge 09 84 9.3
Compton 03 07 2.3
Hockley 35 126 3.6
Segars 02 0 0.0
The Manor 26 24 0.9
Upper St X 04 12 3.0
All Itchen 79 253 3.2
Lavington 05 11 2.2
Wintershill 41 44 1.1
All Lakes 46 55 1.2
As you can see, Hockley and The Manor are very popular but please keep in mind they open a little longer (to 31 January)
whereas Brambridge and others close at the year end. (Please note Brambridge will be available until the 31st January from this
year). If I exclude repeat visits and guests, then the total number of members who fished for grayling in this period is just 34 and
the number fishing the lakes is just 22.
On the face of it the number of grayling caught and subsequent rod averages (particularly Hockley and Brambridge) are
impressive but another caution here – one or two exceptional nymph anglers are catching large numbers of fish so can easily
‘skew’ the average. For example, of the 35 visits recorded to the Hockley beat no less than 12 or roughly a third of these
resulted in a blank. In stark contrast, the best individual return for this beat (in January) was for two members nymph fishing
who shared a total of 38 grayling in a day! Similarly, another member plus guest managed no less than 22 in a single day on
Brambridge. The same nymph fishermen have not been at The Manor in this period and this is perhaps reflected in the low
numbers reported from there. I think the safest deduction we can make therefore is that the grayling are present in good numbers
on most of our Itchen beats – and with the right tactics red letter days are possible.
Just for info I’ve kept the Lake fishing data for the same period and the details are shown above. There is a small group of
dedicated winter fisherman on the Lakes as you can see (especially Wintershill) but the trout are obviously difficult in the cold
conditions and this is reflected in the rod averages which are relatively low compared to our grayling anglers (but surprisingly
very similar to the summer averages on these two lakes).
I hope the figures are interesting. If there are any queries just get back via recorder@psffa.org and I will do my best to answer
them. I hope to repeat the process next year when I will have a first chance to compare one year with another. Tight lines for the
forthcoming season (and remember – please send your returns in asap after fishing and please check them carefully before
pressing that submit button!) Many thanks.
Committee positions: – You will remember that we are recruiting for several positions on the Committee. I have volunteers for
the role of Risk Management Officer and we are very pleased to welcome Mark Nicholls as he assumes that role. His may be
contacted at riskmanager@psffa.org. We are still in the process of identifying a Social Secretary, but once this appointment is
confirmed you will be notified, and the website updated.
Buddy System:- A few members are not as agile or confident as they used to be fishing on their own any longer and they have
expressed an interest in fishing with another member. If you would be happy to volunteer to be a ‘fishing buddy’ please would you
let Denise know and we’ll get the information out to all members.
All that remains is for me to with you Tight Lines!
Yours Aye,
Nigel Carter
Hon Secretary PSFFA