Canal Fishing - is it falling out of favour?

[peter crabtree]

as said before the access and parking has made many of my old local canal haunts simply too much hassle with parking etc. Also I find pole fishing blimming frustrating with the tow path traffic. If anything good came out of canal fishing ( myself included ) it is a great place to learn to fish the waggler.

 

[S-Kippy]

For several years [before the rise of the commercial and the cormorant] I fished hardly anywhere but canals....and terrific fishing it was too. I rarely visit one now because the roach stocks simply aren't there any more and because of the parking/vandalism issue. I gave up fishing the Kennet for the same reason...I didn't want to arrive back at my car to find it wasn't there or had been trashed. That and the crayfish.

I grew up on the Slough Arm of the GUC catching crucians & tench but I've not fished it in nigh on 30 years and I'm not likely to now either. Too much hassle.

And with so few anglers on them you rarely get any feedback as to what's occuring anymore. Shame...there was [may still be] some fabulous fishing to be had.

 

[Ray Daywalker Clarke]

The Lee/Lea Canal isn't fished that much now, there was a time when it was packed every weekend, and during the summer evenings there was always anglers fishing.

You will be lucky to see 2 or 3 anglers some weekends, and nobody during the evening. There are a couple of hot spots for the chub and thats about it, and even at the hot spots you will have no problem getting a swim. The strange thing is at the weekend I walked along around 4 miles of the Canal, and never saw one fish, not even a Bleak, and the Canal used to be packed with them.

 

[alfie]

the first place i ever fished was the bridgewater canal in sale cheshire... had some massive bream and roach at dane road in sale cheshire.... havnt fished for a few years tho....biggest pain is the constant flow of pleasure cruisers.... and kids on motorbike wizzing up n down towpaths....must have a few hours fishing next time i go visit my oldest lad....

 

[richiekelly]

loads of big carp in the cuts in my area but they are mostly in marinas where fishing is not allowed unless you are a boat owner.

 

[Andrew Macfarlane]

I'll be fishing the canal a fair bit this year since I've moved onto Tench.

One problem I do see with canals is the scenery. Unless you have a particularly nice spot, one bit is much the same as another. Uniform and boring.

Luckily I have found a couple of nice bits to fish.

 

[andreagrispi]

I've been fishing a couple of canals in Yorkshire for big perch.

I've not had any big perch but the fishing for other species has been superb.

One has produced loads of bream and some big roach, also some chub - on lobworms. God knows what I would catch on maggots; casters; sweetcorn ect.

The other has produced loads of tench - again on lobworms.

Both waters have little, if any, pressure from anglers. Last year I tried for the perch on a lure - two pike came in to intercept the lure and literally crashed into each other, they were like peas in a pod - BOTH ABOUT 25lb. Frightened me to death......they looked massive!!!

Canals have a lot to offer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jbulla]

Anyone know the Canal record fish in the UK ?

I know 40lb + carp have come out of the Grand Union but wonder about other species, what the biggest Tench to come from a canal ?

 

[barbelboi]

Anyone know the Canal record fish in the UK ?

I know 40lb + carp have come out of the Grand Union but wonder about other species, what the biggest Tench to come from a canal ?

Try Google – this is my local GU stretch
grand union canal, harefield @ go-fish.co.uk

I doubt if official records are kept for canals, also don’t forget that many record beating fish are not reported. Especially on rivers.

 

[flightliner]

Been fishing my local canal with Hemp n tare since late april, bite a chuck, a mile away there is a little circular commercial that is packed every time I go past, its that small the guys pole tips must be touching.It all looks rather sad to me when such good, spacious canal banks are pretty quite by comparison.

 

[quickcedo]

Pegging matches especially in Summer is difficult as there is hardly a decent length of towpath without moored boats. considering that we anglers are the only users of the towpath that pay for the priviledge it strikes me as strange that we seem to have to fight for the right to be there against the cyclists and dog walkers

As I live on a boat i feel I have the rite to reply to this.
1/ I pay £850 a year to have my boat on the canal, at 62ft long I'd say I pay a damn site more than any fishing club.
2/ The Tow path is for all to use. Fishing clubs pay for the rite to fish, not cover the right of way with Poles and tackle (inc. bivvies!)
Despite the fact I have fished for over 40 years and know most of the local fishermen I still end up every winter having to defend boaters from foul mouthed matchmen who catapult maggots and pellets at the moored boats and threaten owners if they dare to move their boat during a match.

There are two sides to everything, and please note the above is just to show that not to incite an arguement.

 

[canalcamper]

As I live on a boat i feel I have the rite to reply to this.
1/ I pay £850 a year to have my boat on the canal, at 62ft long I'd say I pay a damn site more than any fishing club.
2/ The Tow path is for all to use. Fishing clubs pay for the rite to fish, not cover the right of way with Poles and tackle (inc. bivvies!)
Despite the fact I have fished for over 40 years and know most of the local fishermen I still end up every winter having to defend boaters from foul mouthed matchmen who catapult maggots and pellets at the moored boats and threaten owners if they dare to move their boat during a match.

There are two sides to everything, and please note the above is just to show that not to incite an arguement.

there are till quite a few, who fish lancaster canal, myself im out 2-3 times a week,but only night sessions to many boats and we have it the oppisite from mark. they try to chase us because they pay all the money to be on a boat, we now have a group of match anglers who have bought boats and try tell me the canal for boats.tow path for every one, pity it wasnt about enjoying the canal any more instead about who has the biggest right because they pay more.

 

[quickcedo]

That's not what I meant. It doesn't matter who pays the most The canal is there for all to enjoy but, not at the cost of anothers enjoyment. I have had to step in when a matchman has threatened physical violence to a lady boater (big man eh?) because she dared to move her boat during a match.
The fact is most of the time we all get on fine and you will often find me making tea for the guys opposite my boat before a match. People also come to my boat for advice on where to find the Carp and Perch on the Oxford canal. But you have to take into account the fishing clubs pay for fishing rites not the rite to take over the towpath. Animosity from anyone is wrong esp. in this instance.

 

[Ray Daywalker Clarke]

It's strange how some clubs think that when they lease a water it give's then all the rights of the water and land.

Having dealt with many a lease for clubs, in most case's, all you get for your lease is the right to fish, and use of the bank, and the use of the bank will vary, ie tow paths puplic foot paths etc etc.

On one part of the Lea/Lee Canal there is a narrow boat that is also a coffee shop. It has tables and chairs on the tow path, No problems with bikes, dog walkers or Anglers,

 

[S-Kippy]

Try Google – this is my local GU stretch
grand union canal, harefield @ go-fish.co.uk

I doubt if official records are kept for canals, also don’t forget that many record beating fish are not reported. Especially on rivers.

Some serious fish on that stretch. Bit swimmy though.

 

[neil_146]

As I live on a boat i feel I have the rite to reply to this.
1/ I pay £850 a year to have my boat on the canal, at 62ft long I'd say I pay a damn site more than any fishing club.
2/ The Tow path is for all to use. Fishing clubs pay for the rite to fish, not cover the right of way with Poles and tackle (inc. bivvies!)
Despite the fact I have fished for over 40 years and know most of the local fishermen I still end up every winter having to defend boaters from foul mouthed matchmen who catapult maggots and pellets at the moored boats and threaten owners if they dare to move their boat during a match.

There are two sides to everything, and please note the above is just to show that not to incite an arguement.

Hello Mark,
If you read my post at no point did I question the right of (licenced) boaters to use the canals in accordance with BWB regulations, my comments regarding towpath users were specific. I'm old enough to remember when cyclists were required to purchase a permit to cycle on towpaths (I was a keen cyclist in my youth).

If you are comparing your annual boat licence fee with the costs of leasing the fishing rights, your licence fee is less than half what my club pays BWB annually. Of course I agree that per foot its much higher.

 

[quickcedo]

Niel, I did read your post and I'm sorry if it appeared I was having a pop at it. I was just taking that bit (out of context) to get a point across. Of course you are right about the costs esp. per foot The fact is BW gets money from wherever they can and usually as much as they can! It's up to all the canal users to come to an amicable usage. I have even taken anglers out on my boat so they can see both sides and it proved very amusing. One of them got his hair off because an angler was fishing at one of the lock mooring points. I did have to laugh.

 

[dezza]

What we as anglers must never forget is that canals were built to take boat and barge traffic, and nothing else. We as anglers are guests on the canals and we really don't have to litter up the towpath with tons of debris and pole supports as I see quite often.

There is no reason for anglers to stick poles out behind themselves onto a roller which will obstruct the towpath. Bob Nudd has made umpteen DVDs on how to fish a canal with a pole without obstructing the towpath so I'll not repeat his advise here.

Canals have excellent fishing. For example some of the biggest roach in the country live in them, but most times they are never fished for.

 

[jbulla]

Anyone who gets angry cause a boat moves on a river or a canal is an imbecile.............it is a stretch of water after all ! lol

Ok it can be annoying but to get genuinely angry about it is nuts

 

[geggsnick]

i've been fishing the locals canals a bit lately and what confuses me is they all seemed to be controlled by different clubs/associations. I can't afford and don't really want to but a multitude of permits.
Mark Todd may know what permit do i need to fish the stratch between Ayhno and Sommerton?