The Pleasure Angle - Virgin Territory

Alternative Challenges, Virgin Territory This is the first of a few articles that will come over the next few months that hopefully will inspire those out there who are rapidly losing the desire to follow the modern trend of bigger is better, and more is success, angling. Your own piece of Heaven This is the angling merry-go-round that is spinning in ever decreasing circles, and throwing those without the time, money, strength or stamina, into the wilderness that is the golf course, gardening or dare I say it, twitching (that's bird watching to those who are not aware of the term, not some debilitating disease!). Although I have met a few who have been left with uncontrollable body movements no doubt induced by the frustrations of modern angling, and then there's the lifestyle specimen hunters who developed scurvy due to surviving for months on pot noodles and Stella. But anyway, we'll talk about those unfortunate souls another day, back to the alternative challenge that is tackling a virgin water. The Explorer Spirit Its most likely got something to do with the eternal child within all of us but as Captain James T Kirk famously said (week after week) “To boldly go where no man has gone before” stirs an excitement and trepidation that is unequalled in angling. The expectation, anticipation, and at times fear, of what the great unknown can throw at you stirs primeval emotions and desires that were originally intended to help man survive in the days of Canals offer miles of unfished water loincloths and clubs. Now those same emotions just contribute to our thrill seeking endeavours, and ours just happens to be fishing. If you're unhappy at the predictability of your angling, jump from the merry go round and find your own playground, find your own undiscovered, unfished, unknown piece of H2o and re-engage the explorer that dwells within all of us. Finding your own piece of heaven I can hear the groans of “there's no such mythical places anymore”, or “its all right for him, he's got access to some unfished paradise.” Well, that's not the case. It is true that this year I have fished two venues that no one has ever wet a line in before, but plenty had the same opportunity. The only difference is that firstly they would not step off the great precipice that is angling certainty, secondly they didn't won't to put the effort in that is required to enjoy such ventures, and thirdly, they lacked the imagination that fires such angling dreams. I guarantee you all that within 20 miles of wherever you live you could find an unfished water that you could get access to, usually for free, and live the dream. Some might even find three, one of each, a canal, a river and a stillwater. Treading the towpaths Thanks to those wonderful pioneers of the industrial age our country is crisscrossed with canals. And as the road is now king of the transport hierarchy they are left mainly to those who seek to use them for pleasure. Canals are the last great untapped resource of unknown, unexplored fishing. From where I am currently sitting typing this, I can reach five different canals within 10 miles, all of which have miles of unfished towpath just waiting to be discovered. If I move towards the city the choice is unbelievable. And although the rural canals offer some stunning scenery, it is these urban waterways that if explored could throw up some real surprises. Predators, especially those on the wing, aren't that happy with traffic and commotion, meaning the inner city canals have largely escaped the black death that is cormorant predation. This combined with inner-city regeneration schemes and the ever increasing lack of polluting industries mean these red and grey-lined waterways are sometimes just bursting at the seams with fish of every species. If you don't believe me just get on a mountain bike and explore, a ten minute walk past the nearest access point A unfished nature reserve, true pioneering stuff and the club stretches stop, and you have miles of canal that you can call your own, get there at dawn or dusk and have a look around, and you'll soon realise that a little effort and time could prove very worthwhile. The running water dream This one is a little harder but again you just got to look in the right place, and again if you head towards the inner city waterways you can't go wrong. Many of our urban rivers have guardians in the community whose efforts have cleaned up what were once little more than open sewers and transformed them into wonderful fisheries. Take for example the river Cole, that had for years the rather unfortunate privilege of running somewhat not very peacefully through Chelmsley Wood, near Birmingham, once the largest council estate in Europe. This river now contains roach over a pound, dace to 12oz, brown trout, chub to over 4lb, double figure pike, bream and the odd carp, and these are just the fish I have seen whilst gazing off the bridges that cross its path. No-one fishes it, not even the more rural parts, again it and its unknown treasures of this and like rivers could be yours for the taking with just a little effort. There are also some lovely little rural brooks and streams, not forgetting some stretches of major rivers, that thanks to the right to roam can be accessed and fished, just present yourself in the right manner to the landowner or farmer and cross his palm with silver and more often than not they will let you wet a line, giving you the chance to catch fish other can't. Placid waters Untapped Stillwaters are, I have to admit, as rare as rocking horse droppings, but for those willing to sit in front of an OS map, or its modern day equivalent, Google Earth, they can still be found. Many farms and estates have ponds that have been largely left untouched for years. In these days of rural hardship a little e Three Pegs, millions of features, result - large headache! xtra income is welcomed and as long as you're polite most farmers and landowners will let you fish for a small expense, eager to see if they have a viable fishery on their hands. You could be the first to test the potential. Using farming and rural contacts (Mrs H's father was a herdsman before Tesco and foot and mouth put the dairy industry to the sword) I have fished many waters that had never seen a baited hook. In our courting days I had access to two farm ponds, two miles of river and a castle moat: dream fishing; trouble is, cars, beer and music came first then. I really should have done more fishing! Aghh, the inexperience of youth. But it just goes to show that unfished, unpressurised waters can still be found with a little effort. The 2007 case studies To show that such fishing can be found without much effort here are the two examples of the virgin waters that I have fished this year. The first is small rural stream a local farmer lets me fish for the sum of ten pounds a year. He wanted nothing at first but I insisted on a token gesture, and I think he is just pleased that someone else with the best of intentions is regularly walking around his fields keeping an eye on things. The fishing isn't heart stopping but a wild uncut bank, brown trout to 2lb, roach, dace and chub to 3lb that have never seen a baited hook provide a sense of excitement and resultant satisfaction that sitting in a prepared peg fishing for the same fish someone else caught last week can't provide. This stream I had driven past on the way to work for over two years before I eventually plucked up the courage to drive up the farm drive and make a polite enquiry as to whether it would be possible to wet a line. A large roach (with just maybe a touch of rudd), never seen a hook before The second is a nature reserve that was until this season the preserve of bird watchers. However, the summer floods had seen a lot of carp in an adjoining water jump ship and seek out the peace and quiet of the reserve. Three pegs were cut and the only rules were if you caught a carp it went back into its original home. Acres of an unfished reserve beckoned, you would think you wouldn't be able to get near the place, but I was the only person I ever saw fish it. The place had so many features to fish to it was a bit of a nightmare deciding what to do, and the end result has been so far a bit of an anti climax, but some good bream, roach and rudd that have again never seen a bank before have left a sense of satisfaction that is irreplaceable. I think others felt insecure fishing for an unknown stock of fish, and so it has been left alone, and is, as far as I'm aware, my own little project so far. “The times, they are a changing” Thanks to the worst floods in living memory a form of virgin fishing will be available to all for the next couple of seasons. Many fish have moved about and many water's stocks are largely unknown now as a result. Some anglers have reacted quite badly, but I find it quite refreshing. Big old bream from the previously unfished reserve The floods have given many waters a blank sheet as fish moved miles, some ending up in stillwaters as opposed to their previous running water environments, and vice versa, and as a result such waters they can once again be considered virgin territory for the great unknown factor has once again been injected by mother nature. However you find your own unfished water to explore, whether you do it alone or in company, I implore you to give it a go, for the expectancy and excitement of not knowing “what actually is in there” is a part of fishing that is sadly lacking today, and you will find joy in exploring your own little paradise, whatever its environment. And you never know, there just may be monsters waiting to be caught.