By Bruce Hyde
On a still, warm morning at the end of September I was walking along the bank of the river Tech.
On a still, warm morning at the end of September I was walking along the bank of the river Tech.
Normally that particular stretch is deserted, but on this occasion I saw a tent pitched near a gap in the bankside vegetation. It turned out that a fisherman was camped there; he was with his wife and small son - they may possibly have been there all night as night fishing for carp is popular.
As I arrived he had a fish on his line and was bringing it in to the river bank, very slowly and carefully. He took quite some time to land it, both to take care not to lose the fish as well as not to damage it.
I watched the process with interest and, having asked if he minded, took a few photographs.
With the fish alongside, he called on his son to bring him the landing net; the boy was small and the net was large.
As I arrived he had a fish on his line and was bringing it in to the river bank, very slowly and carefully. He took quite some time to land it, both to take care not to lose the fish as well as not to damage it.
I watched the process with interest and, having asked if he minded, took a few photographs.
With the fish alongside, he called on his son to bring him the landing net; the boy was small and the net was large.
He very painstakingly coaxed the fish into the net. It did not make too much of a fuss, and it occurred to me that perhaps it had been caught before, and was used to the process (or perhaps a fish brain does not work that way!).
The fish - a large carp - was gently transferred from the net to a landing mat where the hook was slowly removed from its mouth.
The fish - a large carp - was gently transferred from the net to a landing mat where the hook was slowly removed from its mouth.
The hooks are without barbs so that the fish is not damaged. A side effect of this is that it makes the process of bringing the fish to land more difficult.
The fisherman then held the carp up to show me. He said it weighed around 7 kilos - it really looked a handsome specimen.
The fisherman then held the carp up to show me. He said it weighed around 7 kilos - it really looked a handsome specimen.
The carp was then delicately returned to the river where it lazily swam off, apparently none the worse for the experience.
What impressed me most was the fastidiousness with which the fish was handled and returned to the river. Clearly the angler took nature seriously, and preservation and protection were uppermost in his mind.
I have seen carp swimming in the Tech many times - there is a particularly good viewpoint on a bluff above the river - but have not been standing by when one has been caught.
What impressed me most was the fastidiousness with which the fish was handled and returned to the river. Clearly the angler took nature seriously, and preservation and protection were uppermost in his mind.
I have seen carp swimming in the Tech many times - there is a particularly good viewpoint on a bluff above the river - but have not been standing by when one has been caught.
It was good to see catching wild life for sport going hand-in-hand with conservation.
