Author: preid

Some pictures from today’s Kick sampling. Thanks to Lesley Gregg (CRF), Jim Burns, Stuart Bagget and Allan Twigg (FORK) for their hard work.

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Kind regards,
Paul

Thanks to everyone that reported the blockage in the Salmon Ladder, it’s good to know there are people keeping an eye on it. Davie Craigie and I went up and managed to clear it at the weekend, after several attempts with ropes, grappling hook and a two ton puller!
Here are some before and after pictures.

Here you can see the blockage

Massive log trapped just below the surface

Success! The dislodged log floating away

Looking up the ladder. You can see the recent repairs to the wall

One from last year showing the wall prior to the repairs

With thanks to Alan Atkins for liaising with the Garscube Estate on this matter. The Estate paid for, and installed the signs and lifesaving equipment.

We have had a complaint from the one of the residents regarding anglers parking in the private car park adjacent to the flats. Please remember that members cannot park on private roads or in residents car parks along the river. I had an incident where a member thought it was OK to park while he was just down for a look, this is not the case.
No parking at anytime in any residents car parks or private land. Stick to the public roads.
Thanks
Paul

With the water so low the conditions are perfect for some maintenance. With this in mind we will be holding a work party on Sunday (21st), 11am start. We will meet at the old flint mill upstream from Belmont Street. Refreshments will be provided. Wear old clothes and bring work gloves I you have them.
Paul

Just a quick update on the recent discolouration on the lower stretches. As you may have seen on the news there was a fairly serious incident in the Maryhill/Bearsden area involving a burst water main. Several houses had to be evacuated as a result and I believe part of the road next to the main has collapsed. The Fire Brigade were involved and SEPA attended. Given the seriousness of the situation the Fire Brigade were authorised to pump water directly into the Kelvin. This resulted in a lot of silt in the river from the run off and from the pumps. SEPA dispatched an ecologist to check for any effect to the river and we are awaiting the report, however the initial word is that insect life appears unaffected and there were no signs of distressed fish.
The water main is now under control so the water should be starting to clear. The Committee will continue to liaise with SEPA to monitor for any lasting effect.
This is exactly the type of event where the effect could be monitored through the Clyde Riverfly Monitoring Partnership, so the sooner we get this up and running the sooner we will have base line data for any future incidents.

Kind regards
Paul

We have had a number of complaints regarding anglers on the falls above the pool at Bishops Mill. Several of these have been from residents and relate to noise, drinking alcohol, and even drugs! Just so everyone is clear, drinking or taking drugs at the river is illegal and extremely dangerous. Other complaints have mentioned threatening behaviour from people stood on the falls.
Obviously the reputation of the Association is at risk here so we will be discussing options at the next committee meeting, but until then can I ask that no members walk onto the falls unless they have a very good reason, i.e. to retrieve a lure etc.
Groups of anglers hanging about on the island only draws unwanted attention from the residents, and is causing erosion to the grass making the area unsightly.
I had hoped that the recent ban to fishing from the falls would have put an end to the problems we have experienced in the past, but it seems that there are still anglers that feel the need to go onto the falls just to hang about. As a result there have been several reports from members relating to fishing from the falls. While the anglers in question might not actually be fishing, it’s easy to see why a member in waders with his rod by his side might be perceived as fishing. This makes life difficult for the bailiffs and the committee who are charged with responding to these reports.
As far as I can see there is very little to be gained from being on the falls, and while there is a very small slip that can be fished from the majority can easily be covered from the downstream bank. Of course if the present situation continues the residents will take action and we won’t be able to fish there at all.
If you see any anglers drinking or taking drugs at the river, please pass the details to a bailiff or call me (07730682748).
Kind regards
Paul

Just a quick message to thank everyone that helped to remove the Biffa bin from the Falls Pool next to BishopsMill. The bin had been there for a number of years, but the recent purchase of some chains and a two ton hand puller allowed us to get it turned and up out over the falls. One less snag for us to worry about.
On a slightly less positive note, it appears that someone has taken it upon themselves to dislodge a lot of the branches that had built up around the base of the bridge above the falls. A large part of this build up is now in the pool below, so we are back to square one as far as snags go. Hopefully the rain will raise the water level enough to wash this through, however this is of little consolation to anyone who has tried to fish there this week. It would have been an idea to cut the larger pieces of wood before it was all dislodged, and to wait for higher water. If the snags are still there after the weekend we will try to get them out with ropes.
To anyone else that is thinking about taking any maintenance issues into their own hands, please contact the Committee to discuss the problem and your solution before you go ahead. In most cases we can organise a work party to tackle the job in an organised manner.

Kind regards
Paul