Casting an eye over guardians of the river

The first meeting of the founders of Ryedale Anglers Club occurred on May 30, 1846 and was probably held at the Black Swan in Helmsley. Its official foundation day is June 1 1846.

From its beginnings, the club decided to employ a river keeper whose role included rearing trout to release into the river, enforcing the membership rules, maintaining paths and stiles and sending a weekly report to the secretary listing all visitors to the stream.

The club has a detailed chronicle of its history; it is a fascinating account of the evolution of Ryedale Anglers. One notable feature is that three generations of the Storey family were its keepers from 1858 until 1992.

John Storey was the first and fulfilled his duties until 1914. He is credited with the development of the fly that still bears his name; there are members who insist that no other fly is necessary on the Rye. Arthur Storey was the last of the family to look after the river. He handed the reins to Jim Gurling in 1991 but still lives in Helmsley.

At first, a membership of 40 was deemed appropriate whereas the club now supports 60 subscribers. Originally, many of the members were drawn from the clergy and the medical profession; today the membership is much more local in origin. One feature of membership remains unchanged; everyone is elected by the club and then must be approved by the estates upon which the club fishes.

On one of the few warm mornings last May, I met Jim at Mill Bridge. We sat upon the parapet of this lovely old stone structure, scrutinising the waters of the Rye as they scurried busily below us. Our reverie was gently interrupted by the arrival of a fellow member. Although Ken was keen to flick a fly over the water, this was not his priority. Having greeted us, he slowly turned his gaze to the west. The glory of the Deer Park unfolded before us, verdant in the morning sun. The flat bottom of the valley stretched away from us like a fresh green, newly laid carpet. New-born lambs and their attendant mothers, voicing their encouragement to one-another shared the vale with a few distant cattle.

“I can never tire of that view” said Ken, before joining us upon our stony seat. For a few moments, six eyes and three souls silently absorbed the tranquillity of a scene that has changed little in 200 years. To our right stood a cluster of lime trees that are the tallest in Britain, on the horizon, to our left was the silhouette of a stand of oaks reckoned to be the oldest in the country.

This morning meeting of minds illustrates what sets Ryedale Anglers Club apart. At its heart is the river. The whole philosophy of this club is to care for the river, to nurture and protect it and in return to enjoy the splendid angling that it provides as a reward.

A healthy water-way provides a supportive habitat for birds, mammals, insects, plants and, of course, fish. There are different ways to create an organisation for anglers; one approach is to frequently introduce reared fish to the water thus ensuring easy fishing. There is no denying the fact that recently stocked fish verge on suicidal.

Ryedale Anglers Club does not adhere to that approach. The river has not seen an artificially reared fish for over 10 years; every trout and grayling within the club’s waters is a wild fish, spawned and grown in the feeder streams of the Rye.

Caring for the river has worked wonders and it has repaid the love and attention. Turning over a few stones in the riverbed reveals an astonishing array of all the goodies that a fish could ever wish to eat. In 2007 the club, in association with the Environment Agency and North Yorkshire Moors National park, received a conservation award for carefully opening up sections of the river to sunlight.

The timber removed was not wasted either, it went to ensure winter warmth for the good people of Helmsley.

The clue is in the name Ryedale Anglers Club, not angling club. This is for those who appreciate and acknowledge that there is a skill to catching fish.

Eyes and ears of the waterway

Because the membership is enlightened, it becomes the eyes and ears for the river.

It is no coincidence that the keeper’s annual report includes details of all the wildlife in the valley, because the diversity reflects the health of his river. I choose that possessive noun carefully.

Jim Gurling’s care for the river in his charge is without compromise.

He nurtures it and tends it with love as a parent for a child. Jim derives huge satisfaction from ensuring that members fish successfully. with Jim providing a walking, albeit modest, reference book.