It is such a mild winter that the tree’s are already showing bud and lots of our bulbs are poking their heads above ground long before they are normally seen. Temperatures remain in double figures and the water is showing all the signs of feeding fish. Lots of stirred up silt and the odd showing fish are a good sign that feeding in carrying on in earnest and accordingly we are upping the levels of maize that we are putting out. It is all looking good for the start of the season and providing we can escape a last blast of winter then the carp will be on top form when the first anglers arrive. I will have a ‘test fish’ next month, just to see whether the stress of the drain down has held growth back at all, however my gut feeling is that spring will see the carp in fine fettle and fatter than ever.
The mild wet weather has its downside and we are working in pretty claggy conditions, with mud everywhere. We have had to restrict our use of the truck and tractor as even with 4 wheel drive the wheels are sliding all over the place and in turn creating other problems to be sorted before the season begins. I was working on the Home Bank yesterday, clearing many of the scrubby tree’s that just take up room but contribute nothing to the look of the place. Our hope is that by letting more sunlight through the tree line we can encourage more shrubbery to start growing. Even along this bank the constant rain has left the path in a very slippery condition and we have now decided to gravel the path all the way from ‘Sams’ up to the ‘Sanctuary’ swim. One pleasing aside was that whilst toiling away I saw 2 good fish jump out near the island. So unusual at this time of year and again, an indication the mother nature is acting very strangely at the moment. It is also noticeable how quiet the birds are at this time of year. Very little birdsong is to be heard and even the woodpeckers seem to have given up on us and moved to pastures new. The kingfishers are more often seen than heard and our regular guests, the egrets and herons can be seen huddled up and looking pretty miserable in the rain. I think we are not the only one’s waiting for spring proper to arrive.
