A £9,000 project has been undertaken along a popular but recently hopeless length of the Lower River Witham at Kirkstead near Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire aiming to improve marginal habitat for coarse fish including roach, bream, tench and other species.
Some 450 meters of coir roll (coconut fibre) have been successfully installed by EA Officers between existing angling platforms and planted with appropriate native emergent marginal plants such as norfolk reed, carex sedges and yellow flag iris.
As the plants establish and grow they will provide shelter and refuge for fish and also promote a more favorable habitat attracting a variety of insects, which contribute to the overall ecology and supply food for the fish.
Local anglers have welcomed the improvements following a prolonged period of perceived poor fishery performance in this area. The new plants are now growing and improvements to fishing in the area will hopefully be evident in the near future, says the EA, who will continue to monitor this area of the Witham and ensure that more planting is undertaken along this stretch as necessary. But it may be something of an under statement to say that it may be some time before the Witham hosts a National or Fish O Mania qualifier again…