A gloomy day in mid November saw a small work party start the main installation of the 4 new fishing platforms, which will include fish refuges beneath them – the aim being to reduce predation by cormorants, which have been a significant problem for the club.
The task on the day was made easier by the earlier [hole digging] attention in the preceeding week by Geoff Perkins and a trial installation by Steve Booth. As the first set of pictures show, the limited working space coupled with the size and weight of the platforms tested the group attending (Geoff, Steve, Richard, Josh, Tony and Chris), but a combination of enginuity and brute force saw the job completed before rain stopped play.
Funding for most of the cost is coming from an Environment Agency grant – so, another good reason to ensure you buy a rod licence !
Further work planned to complete the installation includes adding the decking, rasing the path to meet platform edge, then installing fish refuge netting to the platform edges – followed by a floating vegetation barrier.
Dec 2023: The platforms can now be used, but some further work is needed to complete the fish refuge aspect, i.e. netting and vegetation.
Photos from 1st session.
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- Geoff reviews final two bank holes
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- Platform frame
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- Steve, Chris and Tony plan their next moves
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- Legs inserted, ready for lowering into water
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- Steve makes final adjustmentsFinl
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- A [nearly] finished platform
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- View across pool at end of session
Photos from 2nd session – Decking installation and levelling
Photos from 3rd session – Final adjustments and laying stone on access paths.
Photos from 4th session – Building up paths to platform edges.
Contributing to the various work parties were: Steve Booth [project leader], Geoff Perkins, Tony Morris, Gary Huddleston, John Bullough, Gary Huddleston, Richard Underwood, Terry Nutt, Mike George, Pete Nickolic and Paul Edwards.
If I’ve missed your name above, apologies – Thanks to all who helped.