Lee,
Nice article. I can relate to everything you say as I've suffered from many of the circumstances you describe and yet just like you I always go back for more!!
On the River Don?.
I've been 'shot at' on three separate occasions!! One time the three kids (12-14?) stood, laughing, on the opposite bank and took turns to pass the gun around and take shots at me knowing that there was absolutely no way I could get across the river to sort them out!!
I've had 14 metres of pole smashed in half by a flying house brick which 'flew' out of the undergrowth on the far bank along with another dozen bricks.
I've returned to the car to find all 4 tyres let down.
I've had a brick thrown of a railway bridge that left a huge dent in the side of my Celica door. On this occasion I chased the culprits for nearly a mile and caught 4 of them( kids about 10-14)!! I dragged them back to the car and phoned the police, the police arrived took their names and address's and more or less said that because they were under age there was nothing I could do about it!! From their address's the police said it was more than likely that their parents would be on the dole and if I was to prosecute them they would be unable to pay the costs/fines and they would probably end up paying me ?1 a month for the next ten years!! In other words "accept what's happened the systems screwed yer mate" was more or less what they meant!!
As for litter?the best one I saw, not a million miles from where you fish, was when, how shall we put it, a female member of our ethnic minorities appeared on the far bank and proceeded to tip 3 bin bags of soiled nappies into the river!! I was lost for words and packed up??and to be honest I've never been back to that stretch.
Public Health - Some stretches, immediately below 'outlets' are decorated with women's toiletries and condoms, the tree's are full of them after the winter floods. If you fish behind the hotel just downstream of Lady's Bridge on the wicker then you will witness drug dealing of epic proportions on the bank side under the new fly-over and behind the car park. It really opens your eyes!!
But for all of the problems listed above, and lots more besides, I always return because it is full of fish!! But IMO I would say that it is not a place for the elderly or young kids as there are some seriously dodgy characters who loiter on the banks of this river. Watch yer back, I jest not, but don't be put off by my negative comments because like Lee says it is full of fish just use some common sense.
As for your Grayling Lee, I can't believe you've only caught the one!! It's full of them, I caught them at Meadowhall 7 or 8 years ago and you can now catch Grayling several miles downstream of the stretch you mention in your article in Rotherham town centre. Some anglers still don't believe it until they see it!!
To sum it up, you will have 'experiences' on inner city rivers that you won't taste on your local commercial!! All good fun.
Regards
Steve.