Stocking the White Cart

[River Chatter]

I don't think I catch more than a couple of stocked fish each year (if that) and wonder how many other members catch. I never take a fish for the table either (I still want to be able to if the notion takes me) so from me at least, there's not much pressure on the stocks. And going by the catch returns not many members take a fish - unless they're too shy to admit it. What do you think?
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[T H Gordon]

Chatter I thought we voted at the AGM not to stock the Cart as we felt it was pouring money down to the lower reaches of the cart.
I think I have only fished the river on about 4 occasions in the last two seasons so the stock is quite safe. Probably no matter how many times I fished it would be safe.
On saying that I just filleted for dinner tonight a couple of the end of last seasons catch from another water, that I had in the freezer can just taste them now.
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Time is but the stream I go fishing in.

[River Chatter]

[T H Gordon]

Did we not propose to do something charitable with the monies we would normally throigh away on stocking.
Meybe I was dreaming two pints and I am in dreamland.
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Time is but the stream I go fishing in.

[Methuselah]

THG, you aren,t dreaming, however, this suggestion/feeling came after Willie Yeomans gave his talk. This was not part of the business of the AGM and whilst, perhaps, a worthwhile suggestion is not binding on the club.
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The 3 F's, Fishing, Football & France

[T H Gordon]

Thanks Meths its the old computor it does'nt always recall all the information that is stored and it is full of useless information.
Sorry R.C. for the mix up it all happened after the meeting. Willie Yeomens was so good I forgot when the meeting closed.
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Time is but the stream I go fishing in.

[goosander]

It was myself who mentioned at the A.G.M. after W. Yeomans talk that the money spent on stocking would do more good given to the Clyde Foundation than wasted on stock to stock the water from below the dam downstream.
Was myself under the impression from what John Kimble said at the time that this would be disscussed at the next committee meeting.
After this hard winter it would in my view be well worth stocking the upper reaches with yearlings and let them grow and drop downstream as there can not be much that has survied being frozen solid.
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Life is to short to waste other than fishing time

[Tree Fisher]

I would agree with Goosey that we stock with yearlings in the event that we may have lost a lot of fish over the winter.
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We do not choose, we are chosen.

[River Chatter]

Ok, stocking yearlings gives rise to another question. Is there any point in dicussing the genetic integrity of the trout in the White Cart, or do you think the indigenous trout strain has been diluted too much by stocking over the years? In other words, is there such a thing as a 'White Cart Brownie'?
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I'll probably type a little slogan in this space someday.

[T H Gordon]

Before the science of DNA who could tell the difference between brown trout. I know people said that the trout in kype resorvior were loch leven trout as their spots covered the gill covers. And so it went on but was there any scientific method?. It would be interesting to know?.
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Time is but the stream I go fishing in.

[goosander]

The Cart has been stocked for over fifty years that i know off with fish from all over the country so can not see what the big deal with gentics is. Better to have fish in the river from somewere than no fish from our existing stock.
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Life is to short to waste other than fishing time

[Methuselah]

The committee has been discussing stocking for the last 3 meetings and will continue to discuss it. Stocking small fish in our river isn't really viable because of the mortality rate - estimated at 80% +. Therefore, 1000 small fish stocked this season will be 200 next season, 40 the following season, 8 the next season and in season 4 just one or two survivors. If after 4 years the fish was 10-12 inches we would probably need to stock 40,000 small fish now so that in 4 years we would have enough survivors to equal what we stocked last season. We can't afford that cost. A simple questions is why does a trout lay so many eggs - because so few of the hatched trout survive. Nevertheless, we will be stocking and as everyone knows stocking is a never ending discussion not just in this club but in other clubs
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The 3 F's, Fishing, Football & France

[T H Gordon]

I know exactly what you are saying meths as regards to why fish lay so many eggs. that goes for the human species also it is a proven fact that females in poorer regions are more fertile so that the species survive.
What I would like to know is why all of a sudden we are moving towards not being able to stock with fish from other areas.
As goosey says stocking in certain rivers has being going on for years Are the authorities being influenced by those who have very good feeding rivers and want to put the not so good out of the picture and then start charging vrey high fees so that only those and such as those can fish?
Just a thought from someone who has never forgot he never always had a backside in his trousers.
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Time is but the stream I go fishing in.

[goosander]

Meths have no wish to cross swords with you but the present policy of stocking large fish is as has been mentioned elsewere is a waste of money. Lucky if they stay in our water for more than a few days. Stocking with yearlings was the method used in the past and there was always a good head of fish in the water. By your own admission there will still be some there in four years time. With most members returning all there trout there is no point in stocking larger fish as it is the catching and not the eating that matters nowadays.
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Life is to short to waste other than fishing time

[fit2fish]

goosy imo is 100% correct with this one ,the cart fished best when it was stocked with small fish ,yearling ,fingerlings and fry,but no matter how the cart was or is stocked it will never please 100% of the anglers,but is there another reason why the cart has fished poorly over the last few years .Years ago there were many deep pools throughout the river from top to bottom ,with many pools over 4 or 5 feet deep upstream of kirkland bridge sadly this is no longer the case ,so where do the fish go in the depths of winter ,what is the survival rate in very cold winters ?