We are approaching the AGM and the time for the renewing Club membership, so it is useful to have a brief recap of some of the events and highlights of what has been an eventful year for the Club. We can also review where we are now and to look ahead to some of our plans for the future.
- Bordeaux Stock Management
- Whittlesford Developments
- Lake Conditions, Predation. Maintenance and Working Parties
- River Ouse Stretches
- Matches
- Youth Open Day
- Clubmate
- Members’ Fish Gallery
- Committee changes
Bordeaux Stock Management
This year saw us take significant steps to address the past predator-driven depletion of fish stocks at Bordeaux. The following stock was added to the lake during the colder months:
150 F1’s [6 – 8 inches] – approx. 50 lb
Approx 6,000 Roach [ 6 inches plus] – 705 lb
Approx 330 Bream [ 1lb to 6lb] – 1,156 lb
The majority of the roach and bream were stocked to the Main Pit, but we also added a few of the mature bream to the Small Pit, in the hope that they may breed. The Roach and Bream were collected in our own transportation tanks by our in-house fish-wranglers, Dennis Gowlett and Trevor Kappes.
Catches improved almost immediately and the bream in particular are beginning to show in increasing numbers as the water slowly warms.
Sadly, almost immediately, we were recently visited by one or more otters. There is very little that we can do [legally] about this as they are a heavily protected species.
At Bordeaux, where fencing is impractical, we have adopted a ‘multiple deterrent’ path. We have placed a number of motion-activated ultrasonic and strobe light devices near various pegs and the gas-gun we use for cormorants is being retained as an added noise maker. In addition, we have tried something a bit left-field and gone ‘biological’. Our friends at Linton Zoo have kindly let us have bags of used [soiled] bedding from their lion and tiger enclosures. We have spread it around potential access points [It does whiff a bit]. At present, the approach seems to be working, though the appearance of a couple of dead otters on the road nearby may be purely coincidental.
Whittlesford Developments
Longmoor Lake had historically been suffering from being under-managed for a long time. This has been addressed during the winter months with a major programme of improvement works, which are still on-going. These works have been significantly helped by Life Member Dennis Gowlett’s very generous long-term loan of his 1.7tonne Takeuchi digger.
The pictures below do not really do justice to the amount of fencing, groundwork and tree-felling that has been done, particularly around the car park area and down the left side of the lake. The Whittlesford ‘Pixies’ have done great work to date, under the active management of Tony Holmes and James Morgan. There is still significantly more to come – if it looks like it isn’t finished, that is exactly because it isn’t finished!
As members already know, in December we took delivery of a new [and very good looking] ‘Target Fish’ for Whittlesford, to replace the sadly departed ‘White-Tip’. We were also successful in getting hold of some notoriously difficult to obtain Pike [just eleven of them, totalling 67 lb]. They have settled in well and seem to be thriving amongst the thousands of small Rudd.
Sadly, we also had evidence of a number of otter visits at Longmoor Lake, costing us a few quality fish.
In a stunning example of ‘rapid response’, the necessary materials were obtained inside a week and the ‘Whittlesford Pixies’ swung into action in spectacular fashion. In less than three hours, the team installed a 500 plus metre temporary electric fence around the lake. It was fully checked and double braced and, in a truly momentous outcome, it worked FIRST TIME – an excellent result as none of us have ever installed one before. It has been further enhanced by the addition of a solar charging panel. The only down-side is that the right-hand bank, and far end of the lake are CLOSED to anglers until further notice.
Lake Conditions, Predation, Maintenance and Working Parties
The water levels at Bordeaux are again quite high, although a little down on the peak seen this time last year. A number of pegs are semi-submerged, but by being a bit creative it is possible to access the water around the majority of the lake’s pegs. There are no major works planned at Bordeaux this year, but there will be some occasional maintenance and tidying of the pegs and pathways.
The water is also quite high at Longmoor Lake, with several pegs just going onto the wrong side of soggy. Work has been done to stabilize some areas of the bank and back-fill and raise the pathways. See above for details on the major works being undertaken.
We regularly monitor the oxygen levels and test the water for acidity, nitrates and ammonia. Both lakes are currently very healthy, with DO levels well in excess of 75%.
At the beginning of the winter period, we were again troubled by the appearance of a number of cormorants. The Club again successfully applied for a license from Natural England which allows us to cull a small number of cormorants as part of a wider passive predator prevention plan. The most intrusive measure we use is the automated gas-gun bird scarer. We understand that the firing can be a bit of a nuisance, but it is a necessary evil.
We have this year organised a panel of authorised volunteer shooters to operate under our license and they seem to have been very successful in reducing the number of cormorant visits to a very small number. We are very grateful for their efforts which were concentrated on the early mornings and late afternoons and evenings.
As already mentioned in passing, both waters need constant maintenance to keep the pegs fishable and accessible. Looking after the Club’s venues as ever falls to volunteers. We have jokingly referred the teams as the ‘Elves’ at Bordeaux and the ‘Pixies’ at Whittlesford and this seems to have stuck. At present both teams are small, with the same few individuals undertaking most of the work.
The Club will always need more help and volunteers to assist in working parties. We will be advertising planned works a bit more proactively in the future and hopefully more members will want to be involved. The working sessions are a good way to meet the committee and other members and are always sociable and not excessively strenuous.
The Ouse Stretches
Once again, Ashley Kinsey ran a well-supported league of summer matches on our leased stretch of The Ouse. A growing band of thirty or so members took part in the ten-match league that ran from June to October.
The ‘river regulars’ once again did a major job in early June, bank clearing and opening up even more pegs this year; forty-six in total.
In an exciting first for the Club, our Ouse stretch was featured in the Angling Trust Division Two final. The even better news was that the ‘AK Match Team’ ran out as overall winners on the day. A great achievement!
Ashley will be running the Summer League again this year and details of dates can be found by following the link to the rolling list of matches that appears at the top of the Facebook page.
Club Matches
Last year saw us run a full programme of matches throughout the year.
Apart from our own waters, we visited:
Rockell’s Farm- Duddenoe End; Home Farm – Little Walden [big and small lakes]; Long Pond – Clare; Lawn Farm – Cambourne and also Hall Farm and Beggar’s Hall [ BSDAS] – for inter-club matches.
A number of short-notice ‘Knock-up’ matches were also arranged mid-week at Bordeaux [both lakes]. These have recommenced after a break for the winter months.
With the recent significant stocking of Bordeaux Pit, the intention is to run the majority of future Club matches ‘in-house’ here, to increase the amount of feed going into the lakes, and to do away with the need to pay fees to commercial venues.
A programme of Spring Matches has just started, and the Summer programme of river matches will be followed by a further series of matches at Bordeaux for the Autumn / Winter.
Youth Open Day
We repeated our regular Youth Open Day on Saturday 16th August. Bordeaux Pit was at its stunning best in the sunshine for the event which was well attended. A good time was had by all those taking part with everyone catching fish during the ‘knock-up’ match. A couple of the larger fish appeared, just to spice things up a bit!
Well-done to all who took part and to our wiling volunteers on the day, with special thanks to Pip Kerry for acting as MC for the day. We were also grateful to the Angling Trust [AT] for support with the license waiver and providing stickers and certificates for our participants.
The Regional Development Manager from the AT has just started running some junior coaching sessions on the Small Lake at Bordeaux. Full details are on the AT ‘Get Fishing’ website and is all great publicity for the Club.
Membership System – Clubmate
Memberships for 2026 / 27 will be on sale from late April for new members or those wishing to renew. When you sign up for 2026 / 27, please verify your e-mail when initially asked by the system; this will mean we will be able to communicate directly with you via e-mail with information, such as matches, lake closures and notices of maintenance. If you get the Clubmate App on your phone, it is even easier.
Use this link to sign up if you are not yet a member, or if you have already registered and maybe forgotten your password. Follow the instructions for ‘Forgot Password’ – and don’t forget to verify your e-mail address
https://saffronwaldenangingclub.clubmate.co.uk/register
Members’ Fish Gallery
We have made more of an effort to promote our waters by regularly posting pictures of members’ catches both on Facebook and the club website. We had a better response to the appeal we made last year, so please do feel free to continue to send your pictures to us [via Mesenger].
Committee changes
Some of you will already be aware, Dinan Gunawardena has stepped down as Secretary, with Trevor Kappes taking over from him in January. Sadly, Dinan is also standing down as Treasurer at the up-coming AGM. The Club and Committee are hugely grateful to him for his efforts over the past years and wish him well for the future. Fred Hunt also stood down as Match Secretary after many years on the committee, with his service being recognised with the granting of a Life Membership. Ashley Kinsey stepped into the role.
Chris Monk has retired from the committee due to work commitments preventing him from attending meetings. This means we had two vacancies to fill, and we co-opted members Stewart Goddard and Dave Morgan into the hot seats. The Treasure vacancy will be filled at the AGM, and the mid-year co-options will [hopefully] be confirmed.
The Committee is working hard to move the Club forward, but we are always grateful for any help and suggestions that members may be able to offer. Committee members are often at the venues working, and sometimes even fishing. Feel free to chat with us and we’ll be happy to tell you more, and hopefully rope you in.
Tight Lines
SWAC Committee
Saffron Walden Angling Club 