Those anglers that fish it regularly will know that we continue to have a weed problem at Hurston lane. The committee have put into place a number of measures to try to keep the weed in check with some but limited success. We will be trialling our latest plan on the Match Pond over the next few months and we would appreciate some help in making it possible. We have work parties scheduled for;

SUNDAY JULY 31^st starting at 8.30am. (We are not sure when this will finish but the more people that come along the sooner it will be.)

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 3^rd starting at 5.30pm and going on to dusk.

The Plan

We have come across a dyestuff that is added to the water and restricts the light getting to the weeds and hence significantly slows / stops their growth. To make this work we need two things.

1. An enclosed water body with no inlet or outlet. Currently at Hurston water flows into the Match Pond from the field above the fishery, this water then flows through the three ponds until it reaches the outlet in the Tench Pond where it runs off into the stream. We will be digging a ditch above the Match Pond to divert the water from the field into the stream at a higher point. We will combine this with the facility to still run the water into the ponds if the water level drops. We will also seal the outlet from the Match Pond to the Middle Pond.
2. A good ½ metre (preferably more) of water depth that is completely weed free. We will need to rake out all the weed that we wish to stop growing. This will not include the lilies or the reeds, just the weed that chokes the swims.

We will then be able to add the dyestuff to the water and distribute it with the aerators. The dyestuff which is a food colourant has no adverse effect on our fish but in scientific tests and field trials on a number of water bodies around the country has significantly reduced weed growth. It works by reducing the amount of light that gets to the weed and hence slowing or stopping its growing cycle. As an added bonus we understand that the dyestuff also puts off cormorants although we have not seen any evidence to back this up.

The dyestuff is not totally permanent and will still be subject to some dilution from rainfall so we will top up the level periodically.

If we find this works in the Match Pond then we will consider continuing the treatment in the other ponds.

If you would like to read more about use of the dyestuff click HERE

If you would like to read about an extended trial on a number of waters click HERE