Preditors
BIRD PREDATION
Phil and myself have been fishing together for seven years a lot of the
time has
been spent on the Welsh Dee, in the upper reaches ,which is part of the Corwen Angling Club Our favorite quarry is the Grayling , this specie is bountiful in the upper river and grows to a good size. Each season we take fish in excess of two pounds , with the odd fish above three pounds , with one exceptional fish of four pounds two ounces. We do fish other rivers and in 2002 we went up to the River Teviot in the Scottish Borders, accompanied by Steve Cullen and Shane Kelly two experts on Grayling fishing , they caught several Grayling above three pounds . Looking back on this visit the Teviot is certainly different, seeing different methods for taking fish. Steve and Shane use indicators, they call this method "high sticking" ,Czeck nymphs are used to great effect , there was very little surface activity through the day with very few rises , on the Dee they take dry flies freely. I doubt if the river has as many fish as the Dee but they certainly are of good quality. From our records and photographs it is surprising the amount of damage caused by avian predators, these fish eating birds are called sawbills , they have serrated edges to their long slender beaks, swim very fast underwater propelled by webbed feet. Observing fish of above ten inches long it is noticed that as many as sixty percent have marks to the flanks, these stab marks are just to the rear of the dorsal fin, sometimes it is just scale damage but sometimes there is flesh damage. We have asked ourselves why none of the lesser fish show any signs of damage but the answer is simple , as long as the predator can turn the fish it can swallow it, it is the larger fish that can escape during this arching movement, the stab marks are in this set position to allow for balance in the manoeuvre to eat the fish. Most of our photographs are of Grayling but we have seen some trout badly marked along with other fish. It would need a extensive survey to be undertaken in order to get a full picture. If the problem is with all species and not only Grayling , then it must be looked at in order to find a remedy. The predators are no longer put off feeding if fishermen are on the river as Phil and myself found out on a very recent trip to the Welsh Dee when a Cormorant landed within 10 yards of were Phil was fishing ,the bird went under the water and resurfaced twenty five yards down stream and continued fishing the pool until the river became to shallow for it to dive, it then moved slowly through the shallows until it was out of site.
These observations are made chiefly on the Welsh Dee , we would be
appreciative of information on predation caused by fish eating birds
Otters or Mink These records are necessary to all fishermen because as
these preditors generate the fish stocks will dwindle.
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