It’s always a great moment at Millbrook when the lakes fill and spill. As that’s happened a lot in the last few years, it’s easy to assume we can take that for granted. But not so. In recent decades, some of Millbrook’s best lakes have become perilously low on the back of successive dry years (remember the aptly named ‘Noughties’?) True, even in the worst years, we’ve always had good fishing somewhere, but it’s fantastic when every lake is brimming. Not only does that guarantee water for this season, it covers next season as well. (Once full, most of our lakes can provide at least 18 months good fishing, even if – heaven forbid – the tap was turned off tomorrow.)
Well, today’s the day. After a pretty good year anyway, in the last 24 hours, August up here has shot past its long-term average on the back of 35mm of rain in the last 24 hours. This was the run-off downpour we’ve been waiting for, the one when heavy rain falls on already-saturated catchments. As Mark says, this is when we’re reminded why we go to the trouble of putting trout-proof screens on lake outflows!
Besides water security, these big inflows/ outflows also help water quality by, if you like, flushing the lakes (changing the old water over with new). Meanwhile, lake water which floods revegetated ‘new ground’, not only gives the trout an initial food boost through all the drowning worms, grubs, ants, beetles etc., the subsequent rotting vegetation is much appreciated by aquatic insects and midge in particular, which really boom on this flooded bounty. (Yum, rotting grass!)
So, it might have been snowy, icy and wet over the last few days, but at Millbrook, we’re smiling from ear to ear!
Well, today’s the day. After a pretty good year anyway, in the last 24 hours, August up here has shot past its long-term average on the back of 35mm of rain in the last 24 hours. This was the run-off downpour we’ve been waiting for, the one when heavy rain falls on already-saturated catchments. As Mark says, this is when we’re reminded why we go to the trouble of putting trout-proof screens on lake outflows!
Besides water security, these big inflows/ outflows also help water quality by, if you like, flushing the lakes (changing the old water over with new). Meanwhile, lake water which floods revegetated ‘new ground’, not only gives the trout an initial food boost through all the drowning worms, grubs, ants, beetles etc., the subsequent rotting vegetation is much appreciated by aquatic insects and midge in particular, which really boom on this flooded bounty. (Yum, rotting grass!)
So, it might have been snowy, icy and wet over the last few days, but at Millbrook, we’re smiling from ear to ear!
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