A Sad Day

[soft plastic]

Just returned from a trip to the Welland/Coronation channel. It's years since I fished there but thought I would make the three and a half hour round trip. Now, before I left I was wondering how weedy the waters would be. I imagined it would be much like the other Lincolnshire rivers at this time of the year.. Low, clear and very weedy and covered in floating duckweed. Have to say my expectations were met, and then some!
What really depressed me though were the large piles of rubbish left along the channel approaching it's junction with the Welland. Loads of strong lager cans, of an East European origin, and various bottles, food wrappers and the like. Along with the usual fire/Barbecue remains. Pretty much all of the water is also unfishable. This is due to the overgrown banks and a solid reed bank along the entire length. I am sadly aware that this is fairly typical of a lot of English rivers but having fished a lot of them in their prime, from the mid sixties onwards, an experience like today is a real sickener. As I don't want to spend my time on commercials, then unfortunately a fair portion of the summer months are lost. A real shame as they are, or used to be, my favourite time of the year.

 

[binka]

I was only thinking about the Welland the other day and how you never seem to hear about it these days, I only ever fished it along with the Coronation Channel in the early eighties when they were thriving match venues where you battled with the masses of bootlace eels if you weren't on one of the big bream or roach shoals, iirc the Welland was one of the waters where Billy Lane was very prolific.

Sad to hear it's come to all that though and we can only hope that, like many things, the tide turns at low tide too and things may improve to something resembling their former glory.

 

[theartist]

There is a bonus to it being overgrown in that it stops access to lots of river for undesirables who leave litter and no doubt take fish.

 

[reeltime]

very sad indeed

 

[thecrow]

Last time I fished the Welland was when I lived in Lincolnshire as I had been told that there were a good number of Perch, I fished down towards Conningsby and although the weed wasn't to bad then the rubbish was, some of it was of the same EE origin as that you mention some of it though was obviously from anglers where they were from I don't know. Its a shame it has come to this and not a carp angler in sight

 

[108831]

Ahhhh,but you know it was them,don't ya...

 

[thecrow]

Ahhhh,but you know it was them,don't ya...

Oh no I dont

 

[jasonbean1]

I loved fishing the drains, being from Leicester as a young lad that's where we would end up most weekends fishing our club matches.

Glassmore bank and the 40ft at Ramsey were my favourites.

I'd like to head up that way again as its perhaps one of the last wilderness's for coarse angling in England left.

 

[dicky123]

While it may seem a pointless task. I think it would be worth bagging off a letter to the local council and E.A regarding the litter and weed.

With flooding high on the Governments agenda, the council and E.A will sit up and take note and send a team out for evaluation. The same letter to both parties and tell them you're sending one to your local PM. If it was my fishing place I'd give it a try, you lose nothing? Out of interest, a letter to the local club that lease the water spelling out your concerns, and how disappointed you are. That may even get a local litter party out from the club? We all have to do the little things or we are just as bad? Best wishes Richard.

PS. The Trent with the recent floods has deposited a load of flotsam over the banks. I did collect much of it yesterday, but I only had two litter bags with me, I could have done with a 100. I did get the dog a small football and several tennis style balls, she will be happy once they come out of the washer? Ha! Silver lining?

 

[fred hall]

Must say I have never fished any of these Fenland waters that you are talking about but it did remind me of how devastated I was when my beloved Ribble suffered 2 horrible pollutions way back when. I would say be optimistic, Mother Nature always finds a way to fight back.

 

[flightliner]

The Coronation cut at Spalding was high on my list of favourite match venues back in the mid to late sixties and a little later in the late seventies on the odd occasion, no weed or very little and I can't remember any litter of sorts . First with the swingtip for Bream then the bodied waggler for roach and skimmers.
On the odd occasion I would stay at the Golden ball pub near Cradge bank and where the wide river Welland narrows as it enters the town.
Such happy memories of great days, catches, and good company.
Over a hundred miles by car so little chance of getting down that way now sadly!

 

[108831]

An old mate of mine moved to the Wisbech area and he tells me that everywhere that you park to fish the Ouse,Middle Level,drains etc is EE lager tins,bolstered by the fact most 'anglers' he sees are spinning without a landing net,litter is a serious problem in society,one that nobody should be immune from punishment for...

 

[Paste paul]

Just returned from a trip to the Welland/Coronation channel. It's years since I fished there but thought I would make the three and a half hour round trip. Now, before I left I was wondering how weedy the waters would be. I imagined it would be much like the other Lincolnshire rivers at this time of the year.. Low, clear and very weedy and covered in floating duckweed. Have to say my expectations were met, and then some!
What really depressed me though were the large piles of rubbish left along the channel approaching it's junction with the Welland. Loads of strong lager cans, of an East European origin, and various bottles, food wrappers and the like. Along with the usual fire/Barbecue remains. Pretty much all of the water is also unfishable. This is due to the overgrown banks and a solid reed bank along the entire length. I am sadly aware that this is fairly typical of a lot of English rivers but having fished a lot of them in their prime, from the mid sixties onwards, an experience like today is a real sickener. As I don't want to spend my time on commercials, then unfortunately a fair portion of the summer months are lost. A real shame as they are, or used to be, my favourite time of the year.

I’ve never fished the welland but I know exactly where you’re coming from...... we used to be Trent and witham men and I used to love it but unfortunately it died a death as you are probably aware. Although I’m thinking about making a return visit to the Trent later in the year.
I’ve managed to locate a couple of small natural venues close to where I live so I’m a bit happier.