River Restoration and Maintenance

Part of our river work and maintenance is to replace old and decayed features on the river bank such as bridges and styles and fishing seats.  This is to allow good access for fisherman to move easily up the river whilst they are fishing.  We also carry out bank maintenance such as strimming, mowing and cutting the bank side fringe during the warmer months

We cut river weed within the appropriate weed cut dates with hand scythes, cutting in a way to benefit the ecology of the river and creating holes for fish to hang in.  We can cut leaving bars of weed to hold up the water levels or alternatively cut channels to drop the water levels.

Using fully qualified and insured tree surgeons one of our objectives may be to clear fallen trees across the river, or cut branches to let more light onto the river. This will encourage the preferred chalk stream weed Ranunculus to establish and grow.

Brush and cut logs may be pinned into the river to narrow it, create flow deflectors, Salmon lies, or sediment mattresses. The formation of sediment mattresses using hazel faggots and chestnut posts can be installed at average summer levels so they will flood during winter flows pushing river sediment into them.  This technique will manipulate the river profile and by narrowing the river  increasing river velocity. The faster flows will clean river bed gravels for encourage fish spawning.  The mattress can be planted with sedge and once established will provide shelter for fish fry, good habitat for fly life and insects and provide feeding areas for water Voles and other small mammals. 

Because the materials for these soft furnishings would be harvested from onsite there would not be any adding to the flood plain so therefore no additional flood risk would be created in the area.  

Removal and Disposal of steel shuttering to re profile and restore the river bank back to its natural shape.

WINTER PROJECT 2016/17

River restoration project on a 1/4 mile stretch of The River Test. Re-profiling the river bed adding pools and fish holding areas.  Adding Gravels to Speed up the flow to encourage Ranunculus growth and eradicate ribbon weed growth. Re-directing the river profile to create meanders and features to restore it back to its more natural chalk stream shape. Installation of brush mattresses to benefit flora and fauna and solid berms for fishing access.  Installation of Terram material to firm up river bank for electric wheel chair access. Installation of 2 bridges of 15 meters and a small walkway bridge.  This project was designed to gain a balance between improving the fish habitat and fishing accessibility and also to enhance other  environmental factors on this site. 

River and Banks before

WINTER PROJECT 2018

We were commissioned to restore a 750 metre stretch of the Upper Test near Overton in Hampshire.  We provided detailed plans and recommendations which we submitted to the Environment agency to gain A Flood Risk Activity Permit to carry out the works.

Our objectives were to enhance the environment here to provide good habitat for the wild Trout and to promote spawning and increase the insect and fly life of the river. Apart from this, the work was designed to provide improved fishing along this stretch.

Our plans included the instillation of brush mattresses to narrow the river and speed up the flows to clean the gravel bed.  By doing this, Ranunculus weed would be encouraged to grow and the clean gravels will create the right environment for Wild Trout to reproduce by forming 'reds' in the gravels. The mattresses were planted up with sedge and will trap sediment in high winter flows.  These structures will provide cover for fish fry and increase the insect and fly life around the river.

Trees and branches were coppiced along the river bank to allow more light onto the river and therefore promoting the Ranunculus growth and the brush was used as infill in the brush mattresses.

We also pinned logs into the river bed in different ways to create features in the river.  Some were pinned in to allow water to push over them in high flows to form a hole behind to hold fish.  Others were put in to narrow the river up at certain point to pinch the flow up and provide better conditions for Ranunculus growth. There were some installed in a stgaggered effect to create meanders in the river on a particullally straight section.

We also worked on a fish pass that needed attention and this will encourage the wild Trout to push up river and spawn and reproduce, increasing the wild Trout population.

Our objectives were reached and now there is an enhancement of the natural ecology of the river in many different ways and at the same time benefitting the fishermen on the river.  We will be continuing to maintain the river here by weed cutting during the fishing season as an ongoing concern.

TEL : 07751 840044

Email : simonaqfish@gmail.com