Well I went to the WUF AGM last night.  As far as I could tell there were no Wye anglers there, at least none I  knew apart from Maurice Hudson and his wife.  There were quite a few WUF staff and trustees and a good few people from the Usk.

The presentation given by Simon Evans was dire.   Many times during it I felt like getting up and walking out.  There were no answers to virtually anything, the poor rod catch, algae and water quality lack of Usk Juveniles, predators etc etc. He searched vainly for anything positive and only came up with a few more parr in the Monnow and Elan and some dross about water management. He banged on a lot about the good works his farm advisers were doing around Hereford to reduce siltation from farmland and improve soil management.  However he could have mentioned the Wye down the road, four feet up the colour of Windsor soup transporting massive amounts if silt and sediment downstream to Hereford just like it has always done and always will.   Farm advisers making a measurable difference - I don't think so.   He blathered on for ages including how new legislation was impacting on finances etc etc.  Come question time there were a few bland questions about protecting smolts/There was talk of eels and an spike in acidity of the Irfon which wasn't the disaster it could have been, and I struggle to think of much else.
I asked a question.  Well I would have except I told him that having heard his presentation it would be pointless having heard what he had to say as he had no answers to anything.  I told him Wye anglers were getting a raw deal.  the rod catch, the water and algae problems, the huge head of barbel and barbel anglers all over the salmon beats, the proliferation of FEBs and canoes. The useless and basically defunct Wye Salmon Owners association, The ridiculous Wye Conservator's and the unfit for purpose NRW ,and then of course there was WUF.  I told him his presentation was a damning indictment on WUFs performance over the past twenty years. The fact that the rod catch was never as good as when they first started, the millions they had spent and the fact that apart from a few fish passes absolutely nothing that those of us who fish the river could see was better in any way than when they first started.   I did mention that SMS was not there,(wash my hands of this year -don't need any flack) and suggested it may well be that there were things he might have done differently had he not been told exactly what to do all the time he had been there.  The buck should really have stopped with SMS and not him.   There was complete silence but he did offer to meet me afterwards
but I left shortly afterwards after Mrs Passey, Trustee Chairman made the usual plug for funds -Xmas cards, calender's etc.etc.
There was no point in stopping to watch the film, the screen was so small only those in the first row or two could have seen anything and anyway I had no desire to see the propaganda put out by Patagonia who, guess what, are one of WUF's sponsors I understand.

So truth be told an opportunity to make yourself heard and demand some changes once again went missing as Wye anglers just don't seem to care any more   So good luck in the future -you will reap what you sow and its called apathy.

Not sure I will continue with this blog in the New Year.