15-May-2006 - A new £50,000
coarse fishing lake with special facilities for
young and disabled anglers opens at Bideford this
weekend.
The completion of the Bideford
and District Angling Club Lake at Gammaton Cross
is the result of a successful partnership between
the Environment Agency and local anglers who,
until now, did not have their own club lake and
had to fish at other sites.
Now, after four years of planning
and construction the 1.5 acre purpose-built lake
is ready to use and will be officially opened
on Saturday May 20, 2006 at 1.00pm. Set in 3 acres
of countryside, the lake has full disabled access,
car parking, paths, fishing platforms and toilets.
Most of the funding for the
scheme came from extra sales of Environment Agency
rod licences. The project has also been supported
by Torridge District Council and Devon Waste Management
through its Landfill Tax Scheme. Additional support
has come from local businesses and individuals
who have given their time and services free of
charge.
The fishery is owned and managed
by the Bideford and District Angling Club. As
well as club members using the site, a limited
number of day tickets will be available for visiting
anglers.
The lake is stocked with several
species of fish including carp, roach, tench,
rudd and bream. Most of the carp came from ponds
at Kenwith Nature Reserve, Bideford, where fishing
is no longer allowed. The new fish include some
specimen carp up to 20 lbs.
It wasn’t only the local anglers
who were watching the lake’s progress. Toward’s
the end of it’s construction an otter found its
way passed an ‘otter proof’ fence and started
helping itself to some of the newly-stocked fish.
The gap in the fence has since been sealed.
‘We are very pleased to have
helped create this new lake that is also a wildlife
haven. It is a first class site and while it took
a little longer than expected, I think most people
will agree it’s been worth the wait. Members of
the Bideford and District Angling Club can be
proud of their achievement,’ said Paul Carter
for the Environment Agency.
Torridge District Council helped
with the project by providing surplus fish from
Kenwith Nature Reserve. The Angling Club contributed
around £5,000 with another £8,000
coming from Devon Waste Management through its
Landfill Tax Fund.
The first major event at the
lake will be an Environment Agency ‘Learn to Fish’
day on June 3, 2006 between 10.00 – 4.00 when
budding anglers can try their hand at fishing
free of charge. Coaching will be provided by trained
angling instructors. Although aimed mainly at
juniors, the event will be open to all.
