Some things belong in the river and some things don't. Yesterday, in a dropping spate, I went out in the hope of a salmon - several of which have already been caught on Club water. Long story short, I didn't connect with one but a nice big Brownie took a shine to my Ally's Shrimp; and a big Brownie is something we all agree belongs in the river. On another part of the river I was entertained by an otter who dolphined up through the waves at the tail of a pool towards me. It made several dives from the opposite bank, oblivious to my presence, and eventually emerged with a trout in his jaws. Otters, a native species, and part of the natural ecology, also belong in rivers. I don't begrudge the otter the odd trout. I know he isn't a club member, doesn't have a licence or permit and arguably uses a dodgy fishing method; but I don't depend on the river to feed my kids - He does.
Many other things definitely do not belong in the river. We see examples of them every time we go fishing. Oil spills, sewage, slurry, grass cuttings, the ubiquitous plastic drinks bottles, saws ( yes, a couple I've found are now doing service on work parties ) and, err, mountain bikes. Yep - you read that last one right. On my way back home I spotted a half submerged wheel below Buttermilk Bridge and waded over to remove it. I was astonished to find it attached to the rest of the bike. The chain had come away from the gears and other damage seemed minimal. My brother Jim, a cycling enthusiast, would have that up and running in short order. How the blazes does a machine like that accidently find itself in the river? I could only conclude that some eejit had heaved it off the bridge. On the grounds that maybe, just maybe, there was an innocent explanation I wheeled the bike out ( frankly, if the chain had been in position I could have pedaled the damn thing home ) and placed it at the base of the bridge in the forlorn hope that a grateful owner might retrieve it. Always the pessimist, chances are I'll wind up snagging my flies on it some day.
If you want to recycle your cycle please don't do it by chucking it in our river.
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