WELL, the great riverside tree slaughter has passed Skipton on its way upstream and quite frankly, it appears to have been a waste of time and money.

There’s little change to see but it has alienated many anglers against the Environment Agency’s seemingly ill-thought out flood prevention policy.

Apart from a few branches left here and there on the river banking, most of trees have been untouched, especially if there was any difficulty in reaching a particular low branch projecting out over water.

One gang of Barnsley tree surgeons operating on Heslaker Lane were easily talked out of tackling the few trees that caught their eye.

I do not think a single tree felt a chainsaw including a tall specimen that was supposed to be removed in its entirety.

Apparently the cost of the project is to come out of substantial funds allocated by the Government to pacify the people of Leeds and I suppose that if there are a few branches here and there as evidence of the chainsaw’s work, then the Environment Agency and the tree surgeons will be more than happy.

For the anglers there is the prospect of mitigation work to the river banking with the aim of ultimately improving the fishing by fencing off the water’s edge.

This prevents cattle disturbing the banking sufficiently to bare the earth which washes into the river during flood water conditions.

An excess of silt is a barrier to successful spawning and therefore fewer fry. Besides more fish, the fenced off barrier provides improved habitat for a wide range of animals, insects and birds.

Prospects for this weekend’s sport will depend very much on the weather which does not seem to be all that great at the time of writing with a return to easterly winds and even snow showers.

The Aire is at a decent level for angling and both the grayling and the pike are not averse to feeding when it’s cold.

Perhaps the basin at Skipton may be worth trying for a couple of hours to see if the specimen perch have returned as a prelude to spawning in a couple of months time.