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The Tring Anglers

PO Box 1947, Tring, Herts. HP23 5LZ www.tringanglers.org.uk

NEWSLINE

Winter 2009

Back in October, Keith Arthur fished with us at Cooks Wharf … … but we caught bigger fish ! See inside for the full story.

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Contents

1. Cover - A visit from Keith Arthur and Sky TV’s “Tight Lines” crew. 2. Contents 3. Welcome to Newsline - The Editor 4. TTA Juniors 2009 - Dave Burton 5. All in a Day’s work - Ben Ward 6. A short history of Tringford pumping station - Keith Evans 7. “ 8. Tactical Briefing - Dave Burton 9. “ 10. “ 11. Tony the Hat’s Good Summer 12. Your Club Needs You/ AGM Info 13. Keith Arthur fishes Cooks wharf 14. “ 15. G.U.G.G.S 16. “ 17. Membership trivial Facts 18. Fish theft and other issues 19. “ 20. Tring Reservoirs 21. River Thame Ramblings 22. Volunteering with Tring 23. Things You Need to Know 24. “

Editor Dick Pilkinton 01582 841985 RPilki6002@aol.com

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Welcome to Newsline - Winter 2009 edition

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all Tring Anglers, members, friends and associates. I hope you will enjoy the articles in this publication some of which are fun and some serious. A big thank you to all those who have taken the trouble to write and contribute articles and pictures, hopefully Ben’s excellent effort will encourage other juniors. Particularly welcome is the guest piece from Keith Evans of the Friends of Tring Reservoirs as it provides a different outlook to a familiar landmark to those who fish the ‘Wendy’. Please take notice of some fishery or angling information given throughout the Newsline as it is very important that we are seen to keep our own house in order as anglers are under constant scrutiny. As many of you already know I enjoy a regular spot on Keith Arthur’s Fishermen’s Blues, which is on Radio Talksport 6-8am Saturday and Sunday Mornings (1089/53 AM). I am always looking for Tring Anglers items to talk about so please contact me if there is anything you want me say. Even better give the show a ring yourself as long as you don’t use bad language or even worse ‘go silent’ and have listeners thinking their radio has gone off ! There is in fact a 5 second delay between me speaking and real airtime to enable a bleep if needed. Although not as large as some clubs and associations the committee and officers continue to ensure that we punch well above our weight and are well represented at local and national levels. It is important that we give our support to angling and not isolate the club from the bigger picture. We enjoy a an excellent relationship with all our landlords from the farmer to British Waterways. Our canal holdings continue to offer some of the best sport available in the country. I ask that all of us look to the future so that we can ensure that sport continues. Treasure your fishing and help to fight those who would attack our sport, if you cannot do anything else make sure you leave the bank side in a better condition than you found it. Already I am looking forward to the spring edition of TTA Newsline which will feature the match results and highlights of 2009 plus forthcoming events. The full story of 2009’s Iain Rennie Hospice at Home event which was successfully combined with clubs awards presentation An AGM report with all the relevant details you need to know from the meeting and much more. I would like to thank Dave Burton, who tells his story on page 4, for welcoming me into the team of Junior session helpers 6 years ago, prior to that I used to spend my Saturdays peacefully angling. I now bailiff in the mornings then coach in the afternoon. In fact Dave’s philosophy has been inspirational and fundamental to the club reaching its position of strength, which it maintains today. I am sure Dave will continue to take part in all Tring Angler’s activities but from a well deserved retirement to the back benches of TTA service. Thanks also to Dave Horlock and Steve Plant, who have stepped down this year, for their services to the club. I enjoyed working with them, it is a fact of life that you only appreciate people’s efforts when you find, for whatever reason, they are no longer there. Dick Pilkinton Public Relations Officer

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Word Search for fun because it is Christmas, 22 fis hy or angling words to find.

No prizes, only the satisfaction.

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TTA Juniors 2009 “So long and thanks for all the fish.”

I took over at short notice after speaking to Tony Bradbury, having said ‘If nobody takes it on I would like to try’. That was 10 years ago as of August this year. Previous junior secretaries for the club had their own ways of doing things. Most have been match orientated, gleaning young hopefuls for junior and then senior match teams. I on the other hand have used the juniors as a way of getting more club members keeping it fun and light hearted. This has worked well and we now have a healthy 20% of club membership being junior or cadets. On current inspection this puts TTA in a good position for the future as most clubs have a few juniors or none. This is planning for the future as some of these junior members will stay with the club year on year. Others will move away, get further education and often return to their roots as seniors and then re-join the club. I know this seems like a long shot but over the years it has been happening. When I started I was given 8 carbon top 3’s which were elasticated top pole sections. These were useful but prone to damage and needed replacement. Neil who runs Amersham Outdoor Sports gave the juniors 15 four metre non elasticated whips and these were used until almost total destruction, Tony has the remaining few and brings them along if we expect a large turnout. I started buying items of equipment that were needed for the junior sessions but this was becoming quite expensive, the post within the club paid an honorarium and most years I have used this to finance equipment and match prizes. I started my scrounging campaign and managed to get a few items from local and national tackle shops and tackle manufacturers. Floats, line and shot were always required and when I was given any of these I would pass them to Tony and he would make up new rigs. End tackle is constantly getting damaged as the youngsters learn to fish and Tony is an excellent rig repair man. Neil who I mentioned earlier has been supplying the maggots and pinkies throughout the entire time I have been juniors’ secretary and I believe he supplied my predecessor also. I must point out that without Neill donating the bait the events would not happen. He willingly gives us bait to the value of almost twice the annual budget. Neil has also helped in recent years to get a tackle company to sponsor the junior annual match. To date we have had sponsorship from Daiwa, Masterline, Drennan and Shimano all top names within the sport. As I was getting a good response from attendance figures the club decided to give the juniors a budget of £200 per annum to get the equipment needed to continue with the weekly events. We still get donations of equipment from members within the club, the latest was rods and reels from Joe Burt, and they will be put to good use in future years. Currently we have enough 3 and 4 metre whips to equip between 45 and 50 people, 6 feeder rods, many reels, rigs, 3 - 11metre poles, pole rollers, nets, net handles, holdalls, carryalls, first aid and safety equipment. Over the years I have made many good friends, but most recent is Tony Ward and his son Ben who came to our family fun day at Wilstone in 2008. This session attracted 45 people, all who fished one style or another. Tony his friend Roy and Ben joined in with helping individuals who were stretched out along three canal sections. Tony Beadle (club treasurer) also popped in to help and found himself with one family for a long time getting their catch rate up to speed. 2009 – Dick Pilkinton (club PRO) and I went on a PAA level 2 Angling coach course. Having passed

successfully we have set into action all points learnt to increase the learning and provide a safe area for tuition. Ben helped at all the latter 2008 sessions and again for most of this year’s sessions. He has most experience of fishing the reservoirs but knows enough of the basics to help with juniors using whips and running line. This year Ben caught his personal best mirror carp 27lb 4oz from Marsworth reservoir during a junior session. This is brilliant achievement by any standards. Ben is currently attending a course through the club that has been designed around his needs to get an angling qualification. At 14 he is too young to do the course we attended but

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if he succeeds he will have 3 points towards the 15 needed for the Level 2 Angling coach. Ben calls me a ‘noddy’ angler (something to do with his reservoir upbringing) but is also becoming one himself by frequently fishing light gear for anything that swims. He has one angling goal at present and that is to catch a mega gudgeon and to be able to name his fish. I can safely say that during the past ten years I have introduced just under 1200 people to angling in the Tring area and that many of these anglers I meet on the canal bank when bailiffing. On a personal note, I am sad to be leaving the juniors role but believe the club needs someone younger to lead them into the future. I hope my network of volunteers will support the new man/woman who takes up the challenge as well as they have helped me. My plans for the future are to move to Cornwall, but if I’m still here and the new Juniors Secretary wants help I will be a willing volunteer. Thanks to all who have taken part. Dave Burton Junior Secretary (retiring 2010)

All in a days’ work

I am 14 years old and I help coach juniors and even adults. I really enjoy doing this with Dave Burton, Dick Pilkinton, Tony Bradbury and occasionally some others. I am currently doing a coaching course and I am really hoping that it could open doors for me in the future. I would be very happy to get a coaching qualification. It just goes to show anyone can do this, it just takes a bit of hard work and effort. I am always more than happy to put in 100% effort. I always try to work very hard while I am coaching so everybody will hopefully learn as much as possible. As well as having junior sessions on the canal we have some on the reservoirs which I run. I am basically in charge because I fish them all the time and have a lot of experience and knowledge of the reservoirs. I will do some watercraft before I choose a swim I will put out some corn, pellet and bread at close range so, after a bit of a casting lesson, they will be able to cast onto it. By doing this I have landed a carp of 27lb 4oz on a quiver tip rod, 5lb mainline, 2½lb bottom, size 16 barbless with a single grain of corn. They usually get some good roach, perch and the odd bream and jammy people, like myself, land carp on very, very light gear. I try to teach them methods of casting and bite indication. When they get a bite, I will show striking, playing the fish, landing and then handling the fish, also putting the fish back in the correct and safe manner for both the fish and the child. I would like to thank Dick, Dave and Tony for making me feel welcome in the coaching team. Also thanks to Dick and Dave for doing my coaching course with me. Ben Ward

Ben coaching ,Shabbington Island , R. Thame

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A Short History of Tringford Pumping Station by Keith Evans Friends of Tring Reservoirs

Tringford Pumping Station, at Little Tring, pumps water from Tring Reservoirs into the Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal. The Arm is at the summit level, the highest point as it crosses the Chiltern Hills; the station sits alongside the canal, close to the southern edge of Tringford Reservoir. Today, it has three pumping wells and their associated pumps, known as No. 1 (nearest Tringford Reservoir), No. 2 (in the centre of the building) and No. 3 (at the Little Tring end). A fourth, auxiliary pump house stands close by. The pumping station has changed greatly over the years, but most of the infrastructure used today is as it was originally built, a testament to the skill of the Canal’s original engineers. Beginnings Soon after the canal was completed in 1799, the first reservoirs were built at Wilstone (in 1802) and Marsworth (in 1806). Each were provided with a dedicated steam-powered pumping station, both on the Wendover Arm: Wilstone’s at Whitehouses and Marsworth’s close to the junction with the mail line of the canal at Bulbourne. The final reservoirs at Startopsend and Tringford were constructed in 1814/15 and it was to pump water from these reservoirs that Tringford pumping station was built. A heading was driven from the bottom of Startopsend reservoir, under its southern tip, then by a dog-leg course below the bed of Tringford Reservoir to the new pumping well at the pumping station, all at a depth of around 25 feet below Startopsend Reservoir’s maximum, or weir level. A brick-lined paddle pit in the centre of Tringford Reservoir descends down below the bed of the reservoir to the heading from Startopsend so that water from Tringford could be run into the heading and hence to the pumping station. The pit also contains Tringford’s overflow weir, which spills surplus water into the same heading, which, if no pumping is being carried out, runs into the lower Startopsend. In 1817, a new steam pumping engine was purchased from Boulton and Watt and installed to pump from the new pumping well (now known as No. 2). It was a beam engine, like those at the other pumping stations. In these engines a heavy beam was installed above the steam engine, which was supported by a central pivot, so that as the engine operated, the beam rocked from one side to the other. The engine’s steam cylinder was connected to one end of the beam and to the other end was fixed the pump rod, reaching over 50 feet down the well to the water lift-pump. The engine was able to pump the equivalent of 80 locks of water per day. Soon after the Tringford station was built, the separate pumping station at Marsworth was closed and nothing of it now remains. Centralisation In the 1830s, after nearly twenty years operation, a decision was made to centralise all pumping at Tringford. A heading was driven from the bottom of the newly enlarged Wilstone Reservoir to a new pumping well (now known as No. 3). Because Wilstone is over 20 feet lower than Startopsend, major modifications had to be made to the Boulton and Watt engine and pumps. The building was extended and the engine was repositioned, to pump from the new (No 3) well instead of the old (No 2) well. A second-hand steam beam engine was erected to pump from the old (No. 2) well. All of these modifications were completed in 1836-38, following which the Whitehouses Pumping Station was closed, leaving all pumping at Tringford. And this is pretty well how it remained until well into the twentieth century, save for various improvements to the headings within the station and general repairs and replacements. Electrification Following closure of the leaky Wendover Arm in 1898, all the Wendover water was run into Wilstone, but the water ran to waste when that reservoir was full, a situation that could not continue. The solution was to take the water by a pipeline from Drayton Beauchamp to Tringford, which led to major changes at the Pumping Station. The works were completed in 1911-12. A new high level heading was driven from Tringford Reservoir, so that water from the pipeline could be run into Tringford and thus into Startopsend reservoirs. A new pumping well was constructed (now known as No 1) to connect to this new heading so that water from the pipeline could be used, which was mixed with water from Tringford Reservoir to ensure a constant flow. An electrically powered centrifugal “suction” pump was installed over the new well. At the same time, a second larger electric centrifugal pump was installed in the No 2 Well (the original well) and the old York engine, bought second-hand nearly 80 years previously was scrapped. This pump was installed deep in the well, so that it could

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“suck” and lift water up from either of the Startopsend or Wilstone levels. There was no public electricity supply at that time and the electricity, at 220 volts D.C., was generated by two diesel-electric generating sets, of 100 and 50 H.P. Reconstruction The original Boulton and Watt steam engine continued it was scrapped in 1927, after almost 110 years use. At the same time, the pumping station was completely rebuilt, losing its upper stories and tall chimney. Two vertical electric pumps were installed above the No 3 well, each with a shaft descending to its pump, one at the Wilstone level, one at Startopsend level, so (as with pump 2) they could pump from either source. These were powered by a 3-phase mains electricity supply, from Aylesbury. As pumping costs rose and technology improved, a new pump house was built in 1944/5 at the end of the Wendover pipeline, just below the pumping station. This used a pair of variable-flow mains electric pumps to pump the water from the pipeline directly into the summit alongside the pumping station, avoiding first running the water into the reservoirs, all at a lower level. The diesel electric plant was scrapped and the pumps converted to mains electricity in the early 1960s; and this how Tringford Pumping Station remains to this day, although not all of the equipment is in useable condition at present. Nonetheless, it remains a fascinating and historic building.

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Tactical Briefing

While Dick Pilkinton has been our club PRO our waters have hardly been out of the press. Regular Talksport reports on Saturday and Sunday mornings, several afternoon sessions on BBC Three Counties Radio, Keith Arthur filming “Tight Lines” his Sky TV programme at Cooks Wharf, reports and press releases in Angling Times and the infamous Tactical Briefings with Bill and Virginia Rushmer. Most of our waters have been highlighted in Bill’s reports published in the Anglers Mail. I thought a tactical briefing of a tactical briefing would show the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes within Tring anglers. Bill is a freelance angling reporter and writer and this is what he says about himself. “I am a chartered Chemist and retired teacher who is still fighting to keep the lid off my coffin. I remain as barmy about fishing as I was over forty years ago - and I still love it. Married to Virginia who is just as crazy about her fishing.” Bill is an all-rounder who loves trotting rivers with his beloved centre pin but will fish for anything that has got fins. Although he has had some fair specimen fish in his time he regards his greatest angling achievement as being the Chairman of the London Region of the National Association of Specialist Anglers that raised over £30,000 for Cancer Research. His love for Star Trek stretches into his fishing. Bill and his Klingon wife prefer to fish 'Where no angler has gone before'. Hopefully you will not find Bill or Virginia on any circuit water such as Adams Mill on the River Ouse or Willow Lake on the Stone Acres complex. These waters, with known fish, are not his scene and never have been. "I much prefer doing my own thing, fishing where I want to fish, rather than on a venue because some other angler has caught a big fish. The credit for the fish surely rests with the angler who originally found the fish." The day started after a good lunch at The Anglers Retreat and was completed with time to spare for a bit of well earned fishing. Step 1: Find an unsuspecting angler and use his set up with a suitable stand in. (Thanks Barry). Venue: Startops (Starrups) reservoir.

Bill photographs the location and anglers, and then writes up some notes on rules and membership details.

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Step 2: Move swiftly onto the next location:Marsworth Reservoir (tree swim) Bill practices extreme photography to guarantee the best shot. The anglers under the brolly were far too

comfortable to be moved, but happy for the attention. Step 3: Reservoir Pound Grand Union Canal Once again Dick posed with rod and line for the photographs.

Step 4: Grand Union Canal Bridge 131. Pegs opposite British Waterways Marsworth office. For this briefing I became the reluctant volunteer with rod, line and borrowed hat. (The rod isn’t threaded up and there is no time to attempt catching fish!). More notes, day ticket availability, location and photos.

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Step Five: Red Lion Grand Union Canal For this shoot Bill takes the fishing pose with his famous centre pin.

This briefing will have information explaining the various parts of the section that cannot be fished due to overhead power cables. Moving on – next and final section the Aylesbury Arm - Watery Lane or should I say the Specimen pound, where the first 40+ came out. Gudgeon not carp! Virginia takes up the rod leaving Bill free to take a few more shots.

This whistle stop tour of The Tring Anglers and British Waterways waters has taken around three hours. This last location wound up the briefings for this session. We all moved down to Cooks Wharf where Dick and I guested Bill and Virginia for a short session. On our arrival a club member was landing a carp, well Bill could not resist and took some shots and in theory this young man would appear in The Anglers Mail on Your Shout. Bill and Virginia were both very happy to have caught a carp each. Both were caught from the

inside margin. I hope this gives some insight into how the publicity is gathered. Dick gets all the copy to verify before going to press.

Dave Burton Juniors Secretary.

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Tony ‘The Hat’ Bradbury’s Good Summer

Hi All It’s been a good fishing summer for me: good quality bream from Dixons, above bridge believe it or not! The wife and myself fished Buckland in September, below bridge. Wife got new toy to play with so we’re fishing 4 metres to hand: small roach, perch, gudgeon and skimmers. Float dips, I hit it and, after 5 minutes, I’m convinced it’s a smallish carp. Further 5 minutes, it rolls and it’s a tench, about 4-5lbs. I am Gobsmacked !The wife very quiet. So lads, catch tench-silence the wife - bliss! What’s anyone else catching then? Let Dick P know. Fill in spare in newsletter. It’s what it’s for. As most of you don’t know, Dave Burton is giving up post as Junior Secretary. Ten years, he says, is enough, although some of us go back longer than that! So, any volunteers out there? Ok, it’s not the easiest job to do but there is a lot of satisfaction to be gained from it. It would be a shame to lose the momentum after all the hard work put in so far in attracting new members, both parents/guardians and juniors, to TTA. You won’t be on your own as I am sure the usual gang will still volunteer for the sessions. So, all best wishes and see you all on the bank.

The Hat

The Hat with a Bream from Upper Dixons Gap

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Your help is required

to keep The Tring Anglers ahead of other local clubs

Your club needs a Match Secretary and a Juniors Secretary. We are looking for individuals that can organise smooth-running events in line with current legislation. Assistance will be available from club officers who held the posts previously. For the Juniors post, fishing experience would be ideal but not necessarily essential. The club has a large collection of equipment, forms and previous data to help with getting started. We also have qualified angling coaches that can assist at the events. A crew of volunteers are standing by to help with the Juniors events as they have done for many years.

For the Match Secretary post, some knowledge of match fishing, local venues and event organisation is required. If you are seriously interested in either of these posts please contact Dick Pilkinton, Dave Burton or any club bailiff for more information.

Use Your Membership Rights

- attend the AGM !

Rule 17- The Annual General Meeting shall be held on the first Monday of March each year, venue announced in Newsline. Entrance will be by membership card only.

Monday 1st March 2010 7.30pm The Memorial Hall,

Vicarage Rd Pitstone, Bucks.

Committee meetings prior to AGM at Pitstone Mon 18th Jan. Mon 15th Feb. Please read your handbook rules should you have any proposals for rule changes, nominations for committee or officers. If you have any queries regarding procedures please contact Hon. Secretary. Reg Harper. 0785 225 5902

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Keith Arthur fishes with us at Cooks Wharf

For some little while Keith Arthur has been telling our PRO Dick Pilkinton that he wanted to fish our canal waters but with his TalkSport radio programme, Sky Sports TV show and weekly page in the Angling Times, Keith is a busy man so the earliest free date in his diary was Tuesday October 27th. Dick couldn’t make that date ( away on a boating holiday – turncoat !!! ) so he arranged for some other TTA Officers to meet Keith at Cooks Wharf early in the morning and spend the day with him. The “meters & greeters” team consisted of Tony Beadle, Tony Bradbury, Dave Burton & myself, and we turned up at around 7.30am to find things looking good – a decent day’s weather in prospect, with only a few moored boats, Keith & his team ( cameraman & director ) arrived by 8.30am, all three successfully dodging the pot-holes in the car park. After introductions, discussions about what they wanted and some general chin-wag & banter we put Keith to fish at the extreme far end of the first marina while we all set ourselves up further back along that stretch. During the day we wandered up for brief chats with Keith, all the time mindful of the fact that he was in fact working ( ! ) so not wanting to disturb him too much. We needn’t have worried though as he was more than happy to chat and have a laugh with us, even when Tony Beadle was passing on his seemingly endless store of jokes ! Keith showed himself to be a gentleman too when he didn’t question my amateurish fishing method, instead just enquiring whether I was “emptying the canal” with my efforts.

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Sport was nowhere near as good as it can be at Cooks – maybe we can blame the half-term boat traffic and the annoying breeze that sprang up from the south to blow straight down the canal. Keith was happy with his day’s “work” though – he’d caught skimmers to 1lb 8oz, perch to almost 2lb, roach, gudgeon ( yes, he made it into GUGGS ! ) and a surprising number of ruffe, or “pineapple impersonators” as he calls them. See the front cover for the picture of Keith with his final bag and the big perch he caught. Our boys used their local knowledge to catch some cracking fish too, including Dave Burton’s 2lb 2oz perch and Tony Beadle’s 1lb 8oz roach, both shown below.

A very enjoyable day for all concerned – thanks, Keith & team. Sky Sports have since used some of the footage on their “Tight Lines” show and Keith wrote an excellent article about his trip to Tring in his Angling Times column. Keith’s in regular touch with Dick via eMail & the TalkSport “Fisherman’s Blues” phone-in and he has said that he’d very much like to fish one of our waters again next Spring. We’ll give him a chance to meet some other TTA-ers on that occasion - maybe Dick can make sure that he’s not away “sleeping with the enemy” next time … Neil Williams Membership Secretary

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“Size doesn’t matter …” There’s a Carp Society and there’s a Barbel Society so why not a society for the species that most of us canal anglers are most familiar with – the gudgeon, or to use its scientific name, gobio gobio ? I decided to form one, scratched my head for a name and eventually came up with Grand Union Gobio Gobio Society whose acronym GUGGS does its job by sticking in people’s mind very, very well apparently ! It does have a slang meaning too ( look it up – I did ) but it certainly doesn’t apply to any of the Society members. Well, maybe one or two of us … As the Society’s founder member I decided that the only possible place for the first GUGGS session was the gudgeon stream swim of the Aylesbury Arm at Wilstone, so I strolled down there on the gloriously sunny afternoon of June 29th armed with 4m whip, maggots & landing net, determined to catch some gobbies. It was easy of course, as it usually is if you’ve got even half-a-clue about what to do, and within a couple of minutes I had landed the Society’s first official gudgeon. The scales I had at the time weighed only to a minimum of 2g so that fish was recorded at 12g and by the end of the session I’d increased the Society record to 22g. Right, so the Society had a name and a record fish – maybe some more members would be the next good idea. I’d decided that to qualify for membership you had to catch a gudgeon witnessed by an existing Society member, so the obvious candidates were my usual fishing mates Colin Moore and Pete Weedon, and sure enough they soon became the second and third members of GUGGS. Since then membership has rocketed and stands at almost 60 at the time of writing. Some members are more active than others ( ! ) and most are local to Tring but we have one or two scattered across the UK, and former TTA officer Richard Gibbs who now lives in Ireland is a proud member and is pictured overleaf with 29.5g Geraldine. Our most famous member is Keith Arthur, known for his Sky Sports & TalkSport angling shows and for his Angling Times column, who joined GUGGS in October. In common with other members, Keith has a Society nickname, ArKe, formed from the first two letters of his surname followed by the first two of his forename. We’re all relieved that his parents didn’t opt for Selwyn instead. Several of our members now have precision scales which measure down to 0.1g so our weighing of gudgeon has become much more accurate. Since the beginning of September the Society record has stood at 41.4g, a clonking specimen I tempted from the top pound of the Aylesbury Arm. It’s the only 40 so far but other members of the elite ’30 Club’ include BeTo (Tony Beadle) whose 39.0g fish named Gargantuan came from Dixons upper, as did the specimens caught by MoDe (Dave Moss) at 38.8g, MaPh (Phil Madley) at 35.1g (The German) and LiIa’s (Ian Little) 33.3g Gareth. The only 30 from anywhere other than the Arm has been 36.8g Grayling caught by BuDa (Dave Burton) from the ressie pound at Startops. In case you were wondering about the specimen naming, we introduced this towards the end of September so that any fish of 25g or more can be given a name, which must begin with G. On January 1st that changes such that the name must begin with H – if it was good enough for DVLA, it’s good enough for us.

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If you think all this sounds a bit silly then yes, you’re right, it is very tongue-in-cheek but it’s good fun, believe me, and has added an extra dimension to most of our canal sessions. Possibly the daftest moment yet came when I used my landing net to disturb a carp feeding on the bottom close in to the near bank, scared that I’d hook it and drive the gudgeon away ! We do have a (slightly) more serious side though and in August our GobioMania 2009 match raised £80 for the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home, a figure that we’ll be trying to beat in GobioMania 2010. For more details of GUGGS see our website www.guggs.frihost.org or eMail us on guggsmail@googlemail.com. Go on – you know you want to be silly too … WiNe (Neil Williams) GUGGS founder member

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What’s in a name ?

We haven’t had a Mem Sec “Anorak” page for a couple of years, so I thought it was about time that I stunned you again with some of the useful ( ? ) information we can get from the TA membership database. Have you ever wondered, for example, what are the most common forenames amongst our members ? If you have, wonder no more because I can give you the Top 10 taken from our current list:

• John 30 members • Dave / David 28 • Michael / Mike / Mick 22 • Peter / Pete 20 • Brian 16 • Bob / Rob / Robert 15 • Alan / Allan / Alun 14 • Steve / Steven / Stephen 14 • Chris / Christoper 13 • Dick / Richard 12

Predictably, they’re all men’s names – we have just 2 members with the most popular female name, Kim. A bit surprising though, are the most frequent surnames:

• Lee 7 members • Jones 6 • Davies 5 • Bradbury 4 • Brown 4 • Cox 4 • Duff 4 • Fretton 4 • Smith 4 • Waters 4

with a whole load of surnames where we have 3 members. And so to the BIG question as far as names go – if John’s the most common forename and Lee’s the most common surname, do we have a member called John Lee ? Answer - no, we don’t. The most common birthdays are:

• July 9th 6 members • January 28th 5 • July 31st 5 • September 19th 5 • March 4th 5 • February 2nd 5

Overall, July is the most popular month for birthdays ( 57 members ), October is next ( 51 ) whilst December is the least common ( 31 ). Well done if you’re still awake at this point. Be grateful that we don’t record what colour eyes members have, which football team they support, or what their inside leg measurement is … Neil Williams Membership Secretary

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Fish Theft and other issues As many of you will have realised over the last few months, Tring Anglers in cooperation with the Environment Agency and the local police have been active on the bank side. My first need is to thank those bailiffs who have given their time and energy to evening patrols in addition to their usual duties. I am pleased to say that many volunteered to join in activities and those who are yet to be called to duty will be summoned over the next year as our program is ongoing. The Environment Agency enforcement officers also combined with us on joint patrols as well as making their presence felt during normal daylight hours. A lot of criticism is often levelled at the EA I would like to thank them also for giving a lot of time to helping with our campaign, with stretched resources they really came across with the required support. To expect an officer to turn up on demand is almost impossible but don’t let that prevent you from reporting any incidents. I am proud to report that the feedback from the Chief Enforcement officer of the Thames region is that we (Tring Anglers) have inspired an extending programme involving closer cooperation with angling clubs. The local police have played a considerable part in the recent exercise; on some occasions following up our evening patrol with a patrol of there own a couple of hours later. I have written to thank the Chief Constable for the level of concern and activity shown by the local Thames Valley Police. On occasions when we have dialled 999, response has been swift and also the officers have shown an understanding of the potential problems. This also includes the Hertfordshire Police who have been equally helpful with any call outs. I also would like to thank the members of the public including boat dwellers and local parishioners who have helped considerably with our endeavours. Dog walkers and birdwatchers, particularly Friends of Tring Reservoir have also reported incidents. Also thanks to the owners and staff of the White Lion and the Anglers Retreat who continue to be always on the ball on the section of nearby canal and I would describe as pro active in efforts against illegal angling. What have been the results of all this activity? The number of reports of illegal angling activity in the Tring area has declined. As the weather has remained mild this has not been a deterrent to possible unwanted visitors. This does not mean we have become complacent and we will always vigilant. As well as the major incident the police report appears at the end of the article other confrontations have occurred mostly on the Aylesbury Arm. At this point it is worth mentioning that our next door neighbours Luton Angling Club, Aylesbury and District Angling Federation and the LAA have all given permission for us to move on to their waters should the occasion arise. These problem people don’t disappear they only move to areas where the enforcement pressures are less. Another benefit has been the Environment Agencies recognition of the value of not only local angling clubs but also the whole community in a combined effort towards stopping these crimes against the countryside and those who live or enjoy their recreation in it. I emphasise again that the efforts of the local police has been exemplary so if you see them on the canal side stop and have a chat. Please bear in mind that any officer can ask to see your fishing licence not just the EA and I have been encouraging them to do so. It is worth pointing out that although the perception is that eastern Europeans are the culprits around 50 percent of licence evasion and a large number of fish thefts are committed by people not of any ethnic or foreign origin Some actions you can take as members will help Tring Anglers , the EA and Police. Always report any potential fish/angling crime or evidence as soon as possible to the EA .The number is on your fishing licence-put it on your mobile phone. Try and be accurate as to where you are – not always easy as our canals cross a number of different boundaries. All Tring Officers will try and help if you are in doubt. If a crime is actually taking place ring 999 first then EA, do not approach any of the suspects yourself as experience has taught us that they can be dangerous. Do not risk confrontation. If you find either discarded multi hook rigs or other obvious illegal tackle make a not of when and where you found it and if practical bag it up. Report it to the EA and or a Tring Officer who will log it. If you find net in site in the water ring the EA immediately also, British Waterways if it is a navigation. Reports help all the enforcement parties involved build up a picture so future patrols can be focussed on hotspots, maximising the use of resources. I am happy to discuss these issues with members at anytime either when I meet you on the bank or over the phone.

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The following is still under investigation

TVP Statement:

Thames Valley Police can confirm that two Romanian males were arrested in the early hours of the 27th September 2009 on suspicion of theft after it was alleged that they were fishing on the Grand Union Canal in Marsworth without a licence and stealing Carp. This is an on going investigation and further enquiries are currently being conducted. If anyone saw anything suspicious on that evening please contact PC Levens on 08458 505 505 who is investigating this incident. PC Levens said “These arrests are living proof of the success that can be achieved by working together in partnership. Illegal fishing and stealing from the canals & reservoirs causes many problems to the natural environment. I hope that these arrests send a strong message to anyone intending to steal from these locations that they will be dealt with robustly and prosecuted.”

Some useful phone numbers to put into your mobile.

EA Emergency hotline -0800 807060

BW emergency line-0800 47 999 47

BW Marsworth 01442 823194

Herts police non emergency- 0845 3300

Thames Valley Police non emergency 0845 8505 505

Dick Pilkinton

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Tring Reservoirs. The Tring Anglers has now been associated with Marsworth , Startops and Wilstone Reservoirs for nearly two seasons which has provided a good chance to look at this enigma of a water ‘close up’ with all its moods. It certainly is the windiest place to fish with Wilstone being extremely bleak and exposed. However , providing the wind is in a favourable direction , certainly not easterly, then all the Reservoirs fish best in a real howler. For the visiting angler then Marsworth provides the most consistent sport with bream averaging 5lb plus. One of our matches saw a brace of bream weighed in for 21lb, but this was exceptional. Tench, which featured rarely in 2008, seemed to reappear in 2009 particularly in the reed fringed swims. Roach to 2lb were witnessed but the average was only hand sized. Autumn did see a number of 1lb plus fish. The huge catfish did not show but a number of kittens were caught spicing up a catch of roach and bream. Perch were prolific but not sizable. Startops provided a number of personal bests with Tench and Bream in particular showing to national specimen size. Wilstone was little fished until recently but double figure tench were landed and recently has produced a number of 5lb plus perch. I was lucky enough to witness such a catch, believe me a 5lb perch is big. This has only been a brief summary and a detailed report will be offered at the AGM and in the Spring Newsline. Suffice to say that The Tring Anglers Hon. Treasurer grins with satisfaction if you mention ‘The Ressies’.

Marius Martinic with part of his winning 159lb 4oz catch of 29 bream in the Marsworth July open. The matches were a great success and will continue next year (2010). They also raised over £500 for the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home, so thanks to all those who supported the events

Dick Pilkinton

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River Thame Ramblings

Long-time TTA member and river angler extraordinaire Mike Weedon has produced an excellent document called “The River That Keeps Tugging At My Sleeve”. It describes the time he has spent on the Thame over the last 5 decades, and it isn’t just a catalogue of the big fish he has caught, although there ARE plenty of those, like the 2lb 14oz Shabbers perch shown above ! Mike also talks about the various venues he has fished & walked, not just the TTA ones, the way his tactics & baits have evolved, the wide variety of wildlife has seen, and the various friends he has shared the river with over the years. Throw in Mike’s photographs and you have a labour of love to keep anyone even the slightest bit interested in the Thame out of mischief for a couple of long winter’s evenings. Mike wants us to use it for the benefit of the Club but we couldn’t include it here as it runs to 28 pages ! We’ve decided instead to convert it to PDF format and make it viewable / downloadable from the website. Go to www.tringanglers.org.uk, click the ‘Links etc.’ button on the menu, click the ‘Downloads’ tab on the Links page, then follow the instructions to either view or download the document. Amazingly, Mike has never fished our downstream section at Shabbington but now that we’ve given him a nudge about it I’m sure he’ll be over there soon, checking it out and baiting up with his favourite cheesepaste, crust and lobworms. Maybe this time next year he’ll have updated his document with tales & pictures of big chub and perch caught from that section of the river. C’mon Mike – if anyone can do it, it’s you !

Note This is a cracking read – if you do not have access to the internet find someone who does and have a look, you will not regret it.- Ed

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Volunteering with Tring As many of you know I am always harping on about how much Tring anglers contribute to the local community and also how much time and effort officers, committee and some of you members put in to the club and our waters. I have recently completed a report for British Waterways giving some idea of what us at TTA get up to when we are not fishing. I will not bore you with the full stats but provide a summary of the interesting bits. You may ask why bother to make a report in the first place? The answer is that it provides our major landlord with evidence that we actually care about, not only the fishing but the whole environment. Also and equally important is that a monetary value can be placed upon the time given if you are seeking grants towards the club. If we ever apply for a lottery grant then the hours can count as money in terms of the assets of the club. I think you will agree that it is worth keeping records as it like putting money in the bank. Firstly, bailiffing does not count as volunteering. This is because as part of our agreement with British Waterways we have to bailiff the waters on the lease. However, should we go the extra mile such as the recent bailiff patrols with the EA and police., then these could count towards our total. As a rough break down around 600 man hours were spent on junior coaching. 120 hours on events such Reservoir Day, GUSAC junior match and day’s out for various groups. 40 hours for cubs and scouts. School visits 28 hours Extra bailiff duties 160 hours This is over 1000 hours of peoples time freely given, sometimes not only Tring Anglers but David Lewis of Milton Keynes disabled angling club and Peter Hearn of the Friends of Tring Reservoirs joining in. So a special thanks to them. In between the club raised over £1000 for the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home. It would say on our school report Well done TTA, keep up the good work ! Ed. Pictures and more details next Newsline – Run out of space this time

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Information you need to know

Member / venue survey

Those of you receiving this NewsLine as a printed copy through your door will also find survey forms enclosed, one for each TTA member in your household ( hopefully ! ). If you’re viewing the digital NewsLine you can access the survey from the website. It’s some little while since we carried out a survey like this and they’re the best way of finding out how often each of our waters is being fished and by whom. Obviously the more members who reply, the more representative that summed-up information will be, so we’ve set up a prize draw as a small incentive for you to reply and let us know which TTA / B&DAC / VAC venues you’ve been fishing and where you plan to fish in the future. Full details are on the form itself, so grab your chance to win by filling it in and getting it back to us by the date shown. We look forward to hearing from you …

Livestock at Shabbington island

Following an incident at Shabbers earlier this year in which a member’s car was damaged by the cows grazing in the field, we thought it best to remind everyone of the potential dangers of parking your car inside the gate. If you see livestock in the field, we’d advise you to leave your car in the small parking area on the right before you reach the gate, or in the field across the river from the Old Fisherman. DO NOT use the pub car park itself ! We’ve attached a warning sign (above) to the gate to remind you again when you arrive. We are also looking at the possibility of making a fenced-off area of hard-standing parking inside our gate, but that’s not going to happen overnight obviously.

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Information you need to know

Bulbourne parking Tring Anglers are pleased to welcome the new Landlords of the Grand Junction Arms, Ian and Ellie and thank them for continuing to offer the members the car parking facility. Please repay their cooperation with our club by patronizing the pub if only for a coffee or orange juice.

Marsworth fishing – bridge 131 > lock 38 Red Lion Although these sections have been available for sometime British Waterways have at last completed the new posts and signage. Please obey the No Fishing area signs.

Barnet and District AC Waters – Sheperds Way Lakes Unfortunately BDAC have decided that as from March 2010 Sheperds Way lakes will no longer be available to TTA members under the Watershare agreement. As we have a meeting with BDAC prior to our AGM, then I will not prejudice any outcome by detailing the relevant correspondence. Suffice to say that the TTA committee have elected to not through our toys out of the pram. The rest of BDAC waters are still available for us to enjoy.

Dixons Gap Bridge- Number 2 Aylesbury arm.

The bridge was rendered unsafe by a road accident a nd is not usable by vehicles. This will continue for the foreseeable future, the club’s members only car park is accessible from the north, Gubblecote, side only.

OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE – DECEMBER 2009 President Albert Smith Chairman Andy Allday 01494 580674 Vice. Chairman &bailiff Dave Burton 07837 273054 Hon. Secretary & bailiff Reg Harper secretary@tringanglers.org.uk Hon. Treasurer & bailiff Tony Beadle 07710 335888 Hon. Membership Secretary Neil Williams memsec@tringanglers.org.uk Hon. Junior Secretary Dave Burton juniors@tringanglers.org.uk Hon. Fisheries Officer & bailiff Dave Grove Hon. P.R.O. & Head bailiff (reservoir) Dick Pilkinton 01582 841985 pro@tringanglers.org.uk Committee members

Kevin Ridley Reservoir bailiff Richard Beckwith 07903 851981 Canal bailiff Tony Bradbury 07775 732309

Webmaster & Canal bailiff Neil Williams webmaster@tringanglers.org.uk At the AGM on 1st March 2010 we will be looking for a Junior Secretary and a Match Secretary. Also, even if the 3 current Committee members want to continue next year we will still be 2 Committee members short. Please be considerate and don’t contact Officers af ter 9pm unless it is an emergency.

The Tring Anglers, PO Box 1947, Tring, Herts HP23 5LZ