Axwell Park and Derwent Valley Angling Association

Happy New Year to all!

The new season is just around the corner and the the committee has been working hard in the close season to ensure 2012 will be as successful as last year. The club has appointed a further River Watcher Graham Robinson who will assist Nick and the Environment Agency in patrolling the river. Graham can be contacted on 07899050262.

Work has commenced on the new fish pass at Ladysteps and the Environment Agency have released the following press release:

Work to build a new fish pass on the River Derwent near Swalwell in Gateshead will start on Monday, January 16.

The fish pass in Derwent Walk Country Park will allow salmon, sea trout and eels to swim past an impassable weir which has kept spawning fish out of the river since the industrial revolution.

The fish pass will be a single channel with two ‘resting pools’ to allow fish using the pass to rest and regain their energy before completing their upstream journey. An eel pass will also be incorporated into the design, to allow young eels returning from their spawning grounds in the Sargasso Sea to enter the Derwent.

The joint-funded partnership project between the Environment Agency and Gateshead Borough Council will also include the potential for a hydropower scheme in the future, should funds become available.

Jon Shelley, project manager for the Environment Agency, said, “We want to improve rivers for people to enjoy. The fish pass at Derwenthaugh will allow salmon, sea trout and eels to swim up the river to spawn for the first time in over 300 years.

“As well as improving the ecology of the river, this will bring affordable salmon and sea trout fishing within easy access of the residents of Newcastle and Gateshead.”

The River Derwent upstream of the weir currently achieves ‘moderate’ ecological standards under the Water Framework Directive – EU legislation governing the water quality in rivers. By enabling fish to pass upstream, the fish pass is expected to improve the river to ‘good’, which is a target of the directive.

The River Derwent is at the centre of the Derwent Walk Country Park – home to a wide variety of wildlife, including deer, otter and the famous recently re-introduced red kites.

The whole area near the weir was formerly a coke works. The site was the subject of a large clean-up project by Gateshead Borough Council in the 1990s, but some historic contamination from the coking industry still remains below the weir.

Specialist contractor, Lumsden and Carroll, has been employed to build the fish pass without harming the environment. They will start by building a dam around the section of weir to keep the river away from the historic contamination. Any water that does get inside the dam will be pumped out and treated to remove any pollution, before being returned to the river.

Gateshead Council cabinet member for transport and environment councillor John McElroy said: “The River Derwent was once at the heart of an industrial and heavily polluted landscape, but the transformation since is nothing short of amazing.

“This fish pass represents the latest major improvement in the Derwent Valley, an area now known more for its wildlife than its industrial past. I’m sure that the newly accessible upstream stretches of the Derwent will provide a fantastic home for a variety of new fish species.”

Work to build the fish pass is expected to take around 16 weeks to complete.

The Club in partnership with Gateshead Council and the Tyne Rivers Trust has also arranged for a clean up of the river banks day on Sunday 26th February. Everyone is welcome and we are meeting at Rowlands Gill Park at 10.00am. For further details please contact Adam.Brougham@tynewearsport.org

New Members First Season

Stephen Blood joined the club this year, getting back into fly fishing in the last couple of years. He keeps a blog of his trips which can be viewed here Below is a review of how his first season on the river has gone:

Well with the season at around the half way mark I thought it would be a good time to do a half season review to see just how my first full season back on the river is going.

To be fair the season started pretty badly in December in to January, the really cold weather and high water hampered my start, well thats my excuse, leaving me looking at three straight blanks and not even a bit to be had… I was starting to think I had lost my touch.

As the weather warmed and we got in to March though the fish started to come , Olive nymphs and GRHE doing the job for me on most days with the Partridge and Orange also fairing quite well.

I wont forget the shock of hooking in to my first stock fish of just under 2lb , not knowing there were fish of that size in the river, the shock was unbelievable as my rod bent down towards the water and battle commenced!!

A nice surprise

Only a couple of evening , night time sessions were had this year, one catching loads of fish and ending with a nice 14” wild brownie of just under 1½ lb and another just a week or so ago where I got in to a couple of nice brownies just in the 10” range maybe about ½lb (on a good day!)

I have been surprised by the amount of small grayling in the water all less than 5” hopefully this will bode well as the temperature drops and I can get in to some of their big brother and sisters?

It has also surprised me just how few other anglers I have seen on the water, I bumped in to a few at the back end of last year up at Rowlands Gil but haven’t seen a single one on the water around Winlaton Mill all season, Is River Derwent one of the North East’s best kept secrets?

The beautiful River Derwent

So as we are now in to early September it has been a cracking start for me , really enjoyed my fishing , caught fish every time out of varying size, got a good few surprises in the size of some of the fish landed.

Hopefully between now and March will be in a similar vein!

Damp August!

The rain and adverse weather conditions certainly made things challenging at certain times in August. The river was in heavy spate 3 times during the month with coloured brown water knocking the trout fishing on the head during these periods. In between the rain and fluctuating river levels members have had some really good sessions. Kevin Dick has had some productive evening sessions averaging 15 fish per visit with his biggest measuring 17 inches. Pete Macparlin also managed a fish just under 2lb from the points pool at Rowlands Gill on a medium wet olive. On a seperate note Pete has just published his latest book The Lambton Worm: The Definitive Guide to Angling in North East England which does contain references to the club waters in the trout section. The book can be purchased here

With September now upon us we move into the final month of trout fishing, given the right conditions the river can fish really well with the trout preparing for spawning and the cold months ahead they can start feeding frantically. Larger dark olives should return along with sedges picking up fish.

First Game Angling Club in Tyne & Wear Gains National Quality Mark Recognition!

Axwell Park & Derwent Valley Angling Association (APDVAA) have been awarded ClubMark, Sport England’s cross sport quality accreditation for clubs. They are the first game angling club in Tyne & Wear to achieve this prestigious award. APDVAA are one of five accredited clubs in the North East and this demonstrates a real commitment by the club to developing young anglers and providing high quality opportunities to local young people.

The Angling Development Board’s ClubMark scheme is based on a three year award system on which clubs are assessed annually on their ability to provide a safe, effective and child friendly environment in which young people can acquire and develop their angling skills.

Adam Brougham, secretary of APDVAA said “We have been working really hard to develop the club across a number of areas in the last 2 years. It is testament to the committee, qualified coaches and volunteers that we have gained accreditation and recognition for our efforts. The club is now in a position to offer young people and adults the opportunity to receive quality coaching and experience the excellent fishing available in the Derwent valley.”

Aidan Pollard said “this award is a major step in modernising angling in the Derwent Valley, the club now has the means to approach local schools and community groups with increased confidence for participants.”

Ben Thompson, Angling Development Board said “The club are working very hard to increase opportunities for young anglers to participate in angling. This award demonstrates a real commitment by the club to developing young anglers and providing high quality opportunities to local young people. The club are helping to develop angling within Tyne & Wear and are members of Tyne & Wear County Angling Action Group (CAAG). They are also delivering angling projects in their local community and have a number of very dedicated volunteers who are committed to seeing the club develop further”.

A Day On The River, Sunday 17th July

Working in partnership with Gateshead Council and The Tyne Rivers Trust the club is hosting an open day on Sunday 17th July from 10.00-3.00pm at Rowlands Gill Caravan Park. As part of National Fishing Month we will have fully qualified ADB coaches offering instruction and a range of fun activities free of charge. All ages and abilities are welcome so just turn up and have a go!

The river continues to fish well and those anglers staying on the banks until last light have had some real success. Some pools that appear empty suddenly become alive with rising fish! Both brown and black sedge patterns continue to be effective and rises to these patterns are usually explosive!

Some remarkable returns from the last couple of weeks including Peter Laws taking 25 browns and 3 grayling in a day on the lower stretch with two of those fish around the 2lb mark. Michael McDermott taking 10 all on dries and Andrew Sowerby from Hardys Greys fishing on a day ticket had a memorable day returning 8 fish including the one below. He also lost a fish which looked to be around the 3lb mark which was awfully unlucky as he was on for a while before slipping the hook!

Dawn & Dusk Raids

With the days at their longest and sun at its most intense there is no surprise that members have had more success during the early mornings or last light. The May Fly hatches have almost deserted us now but many anglers have taken advantage of the rich pickings with some fantastic wild fish caught over the last couple of weeks.

Currently fish are turning their attention to sedge patterns and members will do well with both wet and dry imitations of the caddis fly. A further sign of a healthy river is a population of grayling and one of these lovely fish was caught last night on a grey duster parachute pattern:

The club has arranged its annual open day which will be on Sunday 17th July at Rowlands Gill Caravan Park. The event will commence at 10am with a range of activities and instruction available free of charge from ADB qualified coaches. Please come along and have a go!

May Days

The last couple of weeks have seen some good hatches of Mayfly on the water and trout have been turning their attention to these tasty treats. That being said many members have had more success using size 18 duns and nymph fishing. There has been some really impressive returns reported with anglers matching the hatch and returning up to 30 fish in a session. The windy conditions over the bank holiday didn’t do the casting or mayfly hatches any favours and many members reverted to searching the deeper holes for the biggies than tend to put in an appearance at this time of year. One member to do just that was Stephen Blood who is having a cracking first season with the club. He used a GRHE to land this superbly condition wild fish:

The club is busy planning a number of coaching and taster sessions over the summer holidays so keep checking the website and Facebook page for further details. Prospects for June look good although anglers may need to wait until that sun begins to set before seeing the best of the dry fly action.

APDVAA joins Forces For Good

Axwell Park & Derwent Valley AA hosted two coaching sessions on the river with About turn /Forces For Good, a wonderful social enterprise with charitable aims and objectives that provides support and guidance to ex-service men and women. The sessions were delivered by the clubs ADB qualified coaches who were on hand to offer advice and tips on catching the river brownies!

Despite the bright and windy conditions the group had a great time and were able to catch a number of fish. Stuart Greenwell who had never caught a brown trout before managed to return 3 using dry fly techniques. He added “I’ve had a great day and thanks to the coaches was able to catch fish. I can’t wait to go out again and try for that big one that got away”!

Stuart returning his first brownie of the day.

The club would also like to thank Gateshead Council for their support with access and transportation during the sessions. Club secretary Adam Brougham was also delighted with how the sessions went “The club has developed significantly over the last 18 months, gaining Clubmark accreditation and being able to offer groups like About turn and Forces for Good the opportunity to receive expert coaching and experience what the Derwent Valley has to offer”

Axwell Park is currently planning a number of coaching sessions for schools and community groups in Tyne & Wear. For further details about up and coming events or if you would like to arrange coaching sessions on the river please contact us through the website www.apdvaa.co.uk

Hawthorns on the menu

The river has seen some prolific hawthorn hatches over the last couple of weeks and the fish have responded accordingly. Many of the trout are confidently feeding on the surface and those with the correct imitation on the end of their line have done extremley well. Kevin Dick managed to get down to the river for a couple of hours this week and managed 7 fish. The best being this beautifully marked specimen which measured 13.5 inches.

Happy Easter!

Members have experienced some quality days fishing over the last couple of weeks as water temperatures increased and items for trout to feed on are in abundance. Despite the bright sunny conditions trout have not been deterred and can still be caught from dawn until dusk. Members have reported catching in excess of 10 fish per visit. One of the larger brownies in the river came to the net last week with Stephen Blood being the lucky captor, the trout estimated to be nearly 2lbs took a gold headed GRHE.

Quick reminder that our monthly meetings have now changed venue and will be at Swalwell Juniors FC on the first Wednesday of every month. Members are encouraged to attend and contribute to developing the club in the future.

With May Fly time nearly upon us it will be interesting to see if any of the larger wild fish come to the net. Tight lines to all!