Has the mania about otters died down?

[OldBoy]

As per topic,

So much stuff a few years ago about otters, gone very quiet now, guessing it's not a big thing anymore??

[yonny]

Seriously?

Almost every decent water in the country has had to be fenced. Most that are not have been decimated. The effects of otters on carp fishing have been beyond comprehension. 

[kevtaylor]

They're everywhere, I think we're just done talking about it coz nothing will change.  Numbers will just go up and up and lakes will continue to be fenced.

My syndi isn't fenced and obviously we have otters to contend with, it's a constant threat.

I've fished two fenced lakes and both still had otters getting in and out, once they smell the fish they come back every night looking for weaknesses in the fence, it never stops!

My uncle has a lake, stocked it with carp in the 80s, nowhere near a water course and now he has just a handful of tiny baby carp and small roach left thanks to Mr Otter.

I'm NOT a fan - it's disgusting how land owners are being treated!

[Carpbell3]

To make it worse otter fencing is being cut couple of reports on twitter, not surprised by that either but different topic.

Anglers are being steered into pollution being the biggest threat that's pollution from farms producing food if the angling groups stick to script they won't get bullied by... see above topic.

[jh92]

A lot of my waters have been ruined by otters tbh, there's not many being caught from the tidal anymore.. we've seen otters swimming about and found dead fish in the hedges and reeds etc, wasn't long ago we found a big mirror all chewed up in the hedge, was probably a 20+.

The canal has lost a few old ones as well, it does get restocked by the local club but a lot of the old fish have gone.

A local pond has got a fence up now but lost most of its original stock. They were really old fish, owners estimate were around 40 years old. I cant say for certain but they were apparently priory fish? I'm not too clued up on that though lol

We've got otters on the reservoirs as well. They seem to be on all the unfenced waters around here 🤷‍♂️

It's a shame but tbh a lot of these waters I've stopped fishing, I still like a go on one of my reservoirs as there's still a good stock there and still some bigguns left, but I mainly fish a fenced complex now on a season ticket and moving forward I'm gonna spend most of my time here 👍 

[salokcinnodrog]

6 hours ago, OldBoy said:

As per topic,

So much stuff a few years ago about otters, gone very quiet now, guessing it's not a big thing anymore??

It's still a big thing. Waters that can't be fenced are under threat, even a water that is fenced, the fence needs regular inspection.

A fallen branch, a hole, otters soon get in.

 

Like @kevtaylor my water isn't fenced, and I have seen otters on there, although the fish we lost were pike, one common had tail damage. A syndicate member was playing a pike and then just got reeled. I found his trace around 50metres away from the lake in the meadow, and I have found pike heads and skulls on the bank.

The only protection is the gamekeeper!

 

[Carpbell3]

Best bit is the RSPB have also fenced some waters they also use terriers and shooters on their land otters are over protected think the longterm plan is to introduce a animal that will compete with the otter, same people that think foxes do vermin control by feeding on rats, the level of denial is frightening.

[salokcinnodrog]

57 minutes ago, Carpbell3 said:

Best bit is the RSPB have also fenced some waters they also use terriers and shooters on their land otters are over protected think the longterm plan is to introduce a animal that will compete with the otter, same people that think foxes do vermin control by feeding on rats, the level of denial is frightening.

They had to fence the area in Norfolk that Springwatch was filmed on. Quite amusing seeing on television an otter raiding and killing a coot and it's nest on a bird reserve.

[jules007]

not allowed to name my local water but they were proactive with otter fencing, but when tarka is determined to get a carp they find a way in, we lost about 5 carp while fence was beefed up and now there are camera`s and more fencing but still has to be checked pretty much daily

[framey]

Can’t see an otter being put off by a camera lol

least it lets you know they are in there if you see them on it

[kevtaylor]

On 23/02/2025 at 17:41, framey said:

Can’t see an otter being put off by a camera lol

least it lets you know they are in there if you see them on it

Really need a fence with overhang and 2 electric wires near the bottom.

But as has been said even with everything in place the fence still needs checking daily for damage/fallen branches, electric still working.

Then some clown leaves the gate open 🤷‍♂️

[framey]

1 hour ago, kevtaylor said:

Really need a fence with overhang and 2 electric wires near the bottom.

But as has been said even with everything in place the fence still needs checking daily for damage/fallen branches, electric still working.

Then some clown leaves the gate open 🤷‍♂️

Or a ninja with a shot gun/rifle 

one of my club waters (4 lakes on the complex ) has a river in some places less than 10 foot away from the lakes.

its gonna happen….

We have 2 gates on it and no fence…

As made to take it down 

 

Edited February 27 by framey

[jules007]

34 minutes ago, framey said:

Or a ninja with a shot gun/rifle 

one of my club waters (4 lakes on the complex ) has a river in some places less than 10 foot away from the lakes.

its gonna happen….

We have 2 gates on it and no fence…

As made to take it down 

 

Just out of curiosity is it legal to shoot otter`s, even on private land, i have heard they are more protected than a BBC presenter

[framey]

39 minutes ago, jules007 said:

Just out of curiosity is it legal to shoot otter`s, even on private land, i have heard they are more protected than a BBC presenter

Nope not at all legal 

hence ninja comment.

[yonny]

It is legal for approved parties (which are very few and far between) to capture and relocate otters from within fenced fishery boundaries under certain circumstances. You risk prison for shooting one.

[framey]

1 hour ago, yonny said:

It is legal for approved parties (which are very few and far between) to capture and relocate otters from within fenced fishery boundaries under certain circumstances. You risk prison for shooting one.

It would be easier to hide it happening on a locked fishery.
Where fires are usually burning during work parties not like anyone’s gonna grass 😉

**only in jest of course I would not condone it happening 🫣🫣 **

 

Edited February 27 by framey

[salokcinnodrog]

19 hours ago, kevtaylor said:

Really need a fence with overhang and 2 electric wires near the bottom.

But as has been said even with everything in place the fence still needs checking daily for damage/fallen branches, electric still working.

Then some clown leaves the gate open 🤷‍♂️

We have a fence on Bromeswell, including the stock ponds and a branch fell across it one night. Within 24hours we found a carp that had evaded the nets in the stock pond dead on the bank with the tell tale gut damage.

The otter had worked its way up the feeder stream to the River Deben. 

16 hours ago, yonny said:

It is legal for approved parties (which are very few and far between) to capture and relocate otters from within fenced fishery boundaries under certain circumstances. You risk prison for shooting one.

We removed it by the simple measure of letting Sky off lead into the stock pond enclosure and opening the gate. She chased it out and off. It was actually the only place I would let her off lead on the fishery anyway when I was there so she could get a run around.

 

18 hours ago, jules007 said:

Just out of curiosity is it legal to shoot otter`s, even on private land, i have heard they are more protected than a BBC presenter

I've seen a few 'run over' on the roads in my area. I'm not sure all were actual traffic hits.

 

[kevtaylor]

I know a guy who has encountered many otters in his work, he warned me to keep my spaniel away from a big dog otter, said it would rip him to pieces, they are about 4ft long tbf.  A friend of a friend walked his staffy along the Grand Union Canal local to me, an otter followed them, got out and chased them off.

Sky's a big dog thankfully 👍

[salokcinnodrog]

8 hours ago, kevtaylor said:

I know a guy who has encountered many otters in his work, he warned me to keep my spaniel away from a big dog otter, said it would rip him to pieces, they are about 4ft long tbf.  A friend of a friend walked his staffy along the Grand Union Canal local to me, an otter followed them, got out and chased them off.

Sky's a big dog thankfully 👍

Sky's a lump, 😆, and I love her to bits, wouldn't be without her.

What a lot of people don't know or forget is that huskies have a high prey drive, and in Siberia, often fend for themselves in  summer. I have seen her go for a muntjac, in fact she slipped the lead as I fell over with my foot in a rabbit hole. I caught up with her around half an hour and a mile later, and that was only because her lead got caught up on a branch. I think that she has chased or spooked an otter off the current lake, but I am not sure as I could not identify 100%. She then decided to go for a swim followed by mouse and rat hunting. 

I've seen an otter take on a fox and win, in fact Ellie Harrison on a Countryfile episode caught the same on a trail cam. 

[OldBoy]

At least the new craze for releasing Beavers, that obviously won't eat fish can't provoke any reactions can it??

 

[framey]

1 hour ago, OldBoy said:

At least the new craze for releasing Beavers, that obviously won't eat fish can't provoke any reactions can it??

 

 

until they start damming up and peoples houses flood.

apparently it’s happening in some places already

 

 

[commonly]

I'm in damp proofing, so I'm looking forward to some extra business👌

Eco warriors, think they're doing the right thing, without actually weighing up the real world consequences.

See the size of the rats in Brum!!!

[OldBoy]

23 minutes ago, framey said:

 

until they start damming up and peoples houses flood.

apparently it’s happening in some places already

 

 

Any facts about that mate?!!

Suspect a lot of peoples housing now flooding because of... new builds on flood plains, to much overbuilding over natural drainage... concrete drives, artifical grass etc etc.

Bring on the beavers, might have stopped the flood disasters in some where like Boscastle if they could have stopped the dredged out river to cause so many lost lives?

Oh and poor farmers will no doubt be bleating on later... what about the toxic waste they (some of them) allow to pollute our rivers...

Tin hat on but just a cynical old git lol

[jules007]

Otters raiding all the fisheries and now Beavers coming back, i guess next step will be the Wolf as a predator to maintain numbers  

[Carpbell3]

1 hour ago, commonly said:

I'm in damp proofing, so I'm looking forward to some extra business👌

Eco warriors, think they're doing the right thing, without actually weighing up the real world consequences.

See the size of the rats in Brum!!!

I sometimes engage with the more extreme end of the EWs on twitter they ain't got a clue it's all political opportunist trying to sell the impossible I'm fairly well informed on hunting with dogs or hounds and terriers to be correct,  I school the fool out of them on the many environmental and and wildlife positives there are in using dogs as opposed to any other method, you just need to get them to admit there is a need for predator/pest control, they can get a bit irate as they like control the narrative of there is no need for hunting of any sort.

Keeps me busy better than a crossword puzzle.