Ghostbusters!

Today the River Erewash Foundation received training from the Wild Trout Trusts Tim Jacklin. Subjects covered were gravel sortment, spawning opportunities and gravel cleaning using our new Ghostbuster backpack.
Needless to say Tim proved informative and instantly grabbed the interest of our riverkeepers who will be dotting a few prepared gravel spots throughout their own sections during Sept/Oct. This period provides a suitable window in the river season, in between coarse fish and trout spawning seasons and well past the summer nesting period - perfick!

Riverkeepers turned up for a bash using our high powered blower, a real boys toy with a steel adaption made to provide extra power and prevent stones jamming while working into the riverbed removing most of the silt, leaving sorted and prepared gravels. After a few teething problems like keeping the fuel tank full rather than empty, combined with standing upright rather than leaning therefore letting air into the fuel system causing engine cut out. After working this out all members got cracking with no further problems but I suppose before today nobody was used to working with an engine on their back.

In terms of a leading river authority Tim Jacklin comes top of the list along with Paul Gaskell (The Doctor)also from the WTT - Trout In The Towns project. Imagine having Lionel Messi and Diego Marradonna playing in the same team at their best, thats how lucky we are having their support in river restoration attempts today. If your not a football fan I'm telling you their the dogs danglies - nuff said.

On reflection today couldn't have gone much better with keepers now armed with the confidence to prepare gravel spots dotted throughout their catchments, hopefully tempting any trout seeking a ready made futon in a riverbed of nails,not forgetting a double up for barbel etc. Of course fixing short logs in tail ends of pools would last much longer, providing similar gravel sortment while also offering suitable spawning opportunities, but in the real world the whole process would take an age, especially with nearly 20 miles of river, not counting the 6 tribuatarys. For now we see our attempts very necessary for the near future giving the odd isolated trout a slim chance of thriving rather than none.
REF members should be proud that they raised their own money yet again to buy our riverbuster in the first place, let alone what they intend to carry out with the equipment,hats off to the River Erewash Foundation.
Finally when theres something strange in the neighbourhood,
who yer gonna call.