A
handful of Gold...
As
usual, my hectic schedule was fully booked when I learnt that the guys
at Barlow Trout Fishery had done some stripping... no - not that sort
...but the stripping of eggs from their brood fish at the hatchery.
(Thoughts of 'fishy' calendar girls crossed your mind then, didn't it!)
 So
after lots of nagging they agreed to do a 'demo', just so I could get
some pics (and probably just to shut me up!)
Now the middle of February isn't really the time to start juggling trout
- the banks are very muddy and slippery, the water is freezing, the
air temperature is nearly zero - and there's hardly any daylight for
photography, particularly if the day you choose just happens to have
the worst rainstorm of the year.
So arriving at the fishery I waited in the car until the downpour eased
a little, then made my way to the hatchery to meet owner Rex Ward and
be greeted with the words: 'If you'd arrived half-an-hour ago, it was
lovely and sunny!' Mmmmm...
 But
true to his word, he'd organised one of the stew ponds to be netted
by Steve Jenkinson the fishery manager, ably assisted by work-experience
trainee Chris Bradley from Sparsholt College.
I must admit, I stood there thinking I'd blown it. With a combination
of wet, freezing fingers and a super-slippery bankside, there were thoughts
of me - or worse still - the Nikon, ending up in the pond with the trout.
But unperturbed by these conditions, Steve and Chris dragged a net down
the length of the stew pond and proceeded to sort out some of the more
gravid fish.
Lifting a beautiful brownie from the net, Steve muttered to himself
'this one will do' and carried the fish over to a bowl to collect her
eggs.
Now stripping fish is an acquired skill - but
Steve made it look easy as he directed the flow of eggs into the waiting
bowl.
Under Steve's watchful eye, trainee Chris tried his hand, but to his
dismay, he discovered just how difficult it is to hold an angry trout
firmly enough - so you can run your fingers down its belly, but gently
enough - not to damage the fish.
You have to remember these fish were netted and still full of energy,
not tired by the fight of being landed on the end of a rod and line.
But after a short struggle (with accusations regarding the trout's parentage)
and the fish making several somersaults in a bid for freedom, John managed
to direct eggs in with the rest.
During this time, Steve had sorted out a male brownie and was quickly
stripping its milt into the eggs.
With a comment of: 'Milk or cream in your coffee, Sir?' he deftly demonstrated
just how experienced he was at handling fish - and within seconds the
job was done and the fish was back in the stew pond, totally unharmed
by its experience and probably feeling a lot better!
After gently mixing the milt and eggs together with his fingers, he
rinsed the eggs in fresh, clean water and lifted a handful towards the
camera lens so I could try to capture their delightful beauty on film.
The
eggs, only a few millimetres in diameter, shone like polished beads
of amber in the pale wintry light, each one with the potential to grow
into a record-breaking fish.
But
only time will tell, it's a long arduous journey until the fish are
large enough to be stocked into the lakes for anglers to try and catch.
But with constant care and attention, a little patience and a bit of
good luck, they should develop into yet more beautiful brown trout like
this...
With thanks to Rex, Steve and Chris for all their help.
No
fish, cameras or photographers where harmed during this session.
Good
fishing to you all
Kevin Miles
Editor
|