Draining down the Kingfisher Pond indicates just how little we understand about what is happening in the waters we fish.

The main thing that strikes anyone looking at the pond, or the bottom, is the number of mussels. There are thousands, as the picture below indicates.

These unusual creatures sit on the bottom and live by filtering food from the water before expelling cleaner water back to the pond. The problem they cause for anglers is that while we believe the bottom is smooth it is clear from the photograph that it is not. Imagine, what happems to any bait, maggots in particular that fall on such an area! Also think about any line that is on the bottom. Could mussels be responsible for some of the occassions when we unexplainably get fast on the bottom?

Second, and perhaps more important, relates to the amount of fish that were found, some 200lbs, and begs the question, just how effective, or otherwise, is angling at catching fish?

One can only conclude that it isn’t. For example anyone who has fished the Kingfisher and caught 20lbs must have thought that they have had a good day, and yet the figures tell us that they’ve only caught 1% of the fish available. We’re obviously not a good as we think we are!