Bidewell’s Wood cleared

A whole new stretch of river at the start of the County School beat has been cleared for the first time in over 30 years. Bidewell’s Wood extends along about 300 yards of river bank adjacent to the unused Mid Norfolk Railway line and has rendered the river inaccessible to anglers as the majority of the trees have died and fallen into the river over the last decade or so. In addition, the exposed areas have grown into an impenetrable tangle of nettles, brambles and bindweed which has rendered pedestrian access almost impossible.

We can now report, however, that after a herculean effort by the club’s intrepid volunteer corps, most of the 300 yard stretch has been cleared and is now fishable. A lot of woody debris has been left to provide cover for fish and other wildlife, but large amounts of crack willow which had taken root in the channel have been removed. Once the obstructions were cleared and flow returned to the main sections a number of clear, gravel sections were exposed and we anticipate more being scoured of silt now that the river can flow cleanly through the wood. There is still a lot to do in terms of removing tangled weed and dead wood, but it is already possible to see that this will become a great habitat for wild trout in the future.