Urgent Help Please

Declaration of Interest - I am applying for a post for which a small part of the job description is to a )increase revenue from angling on a canal system and b)increase the numbers fishing.

What is stopping you fishing canals? - (please no responses like we haven't got any within 50 miles etc!!!)

Why are they not utilised so much more - I know as an ex -WAA member being "gobsmacked" at how little fished are the miles of canal they have on their book.

Please accept that we are unable to torpedo the narrow boats - although I have always found the owners to be extremely considerate (notice I said owners not necessarily hirers!)

I also appreciate that actually charging cyclists to use and abuse the towpaths may bring in some revenue.

If I get the job - why I may even buy a gill for the most helpful suggestion /forum/smilies/nerd_smiley.gif

How about making a general 'holiday licence' available to boat hirers. I've recently returned from two weeks on the Cheshire Ring and, being the sort that doesn't like to poach, I had to restrict my little bit of evening fishing to Warrington waters where we have a reciprocal arrangement. It would have been good if I could have paid, say, £5 which allowed me to fish off the boat anywhere for the duration of my holiday. It wouldn't be a big issue for the Clubs already leasing as the requirement is very small but its an idea.

Also when the Club I'm in wanted to rent some canal fishing the price was unrealistically high. You might want to suggest working closely with local Clubs to arrange sensible Club rates.

Good luck.

M

Thanks Matthew

Very much appreciated. Thinking your point through -it wouldn't cripple the hire companies to factor a "holiday licence" into the cost of boat..so that the permission to fish resided with each boat for each holiday season.

Looking at the BWB websites there are fewer and fewer clubs leasing canals - however I suspect that the BWB fishing permit is not being heavily subscribed or enforced!

Regards

Poshers

Why don't I fish canals reularly even though I live 2 mins from the Bridgewater?

Because there is no where to go for a dump in private!

Miles of narrow topath with nowhere to hide.

Now, if I get an interview, I'll try and include this in my responses.....just got to think of the appropriate way of presenting this....

...never seems to stop dogs....amazing the number of dog owners who leap upon their pooches' steaming wasteproduct, plastic bag akimbo, on the streets but seem to have an absence when on a canal towpath.

Mind you the idea is to take your placcy bag home...not hang it on my neighbour's hedge..we'll catch the b*****d in a photo soon and then straight down the council to get the full £1,500 fine dumped on him/her

I've just hijacked my own thread...

back on track now everybody please

errrr the fish? Do they have any in them?

Narrow paths a pain. How about some areas where you can widen the path thus making it easier for people to pass?

Parking often a problem.

Get some people fishing, and publish the catches regularly (do they have a web site?). Get into local angling shops with flyers and spread the word.

Find a local angling "name" and get him/her to fish for a few hours and see what he catches, again publish.

Or, you could of course get loads of the local girsl with mammoth "charlies" to walk up and down the towpath?

I can only speak as an ex patriot brummie who used to fish the canals of Birmingham on a regular basis and very productive they were too. Handy for 3 or 4 hours fishing after work and though the fish weren't of specimen size I have had some wonderful roach fishing on those canals.

In my experience of canals it is mainly match fishermen that use them with the very occasional pleasure angler but for the life of me I can't understand why because it is a very satisfying way of spending a few hours and unless it is the coldest days of winter it is very rare not to have a good days fishing. Quality roach, bream, tench, perch and carp are all there for the catching and even the pike are worth any pike anglers time. The one major problem on the canals is the possible danger for the solitary angler and it is an all too common occurrence for anglers to be attacked for their gear, the Bridgewater is renowned for it and there are other no go areas for the lone canal angler.

Thanks Bully and Graham

Interesting how some Canals are still relativley high profile whilst others have disappeared..I remember when the Leeds Liverpool round Aintree was the form venue with huge catches of tench...now you hardly notice ...there is a big weed problem now..which BWB are trying to manage with a weevil!

Security is clearly a major issue particularly on urban lengths or those near big urban centres. It is a similar issue for those on narrow boats - I can remember doing a huge diversion through some of the minor canals of Greater Brimingham to avoid New Street basin where boats were being "bricked" as they entered and left the area.

Paul a different way of lookingatit could beto ask why some fisheries are so popular with anglers, and then possibly try to emulate in some way.

Things like

1. A historyof producingauthenticated big fish
2. Ease of fishing/catching eg a commercial
3. Good accesibility
4. On site facilities
5. Peace and quiet/solitude

etc.

I would argue that many stretches of canal tick one or two of these boxes, but I know of none that would actually tick all or even the majorityof them!

Ipersonally would try to develop one or two areas properlyfirst of all, get anglers travelling to fish them, then use the successes as a blueprint for other areas!

We fish the canal on several occassion and I enjoy it but would enjoy it even more if I could fish the pole there more often, however, the narrow paths make it difficult to ship back.

Also, some and I'm saying some not all, dog walkers could be a little bit more concidered and not let their pooches just run off, trying to nick my bait or even just jump in my swim/forum/smilies/angry_smiley.gif

Thanks to EC and Claudia

EC - I have been thinking along those lines - and looking at examples of cooperation between angling clubs and local authorities - for example the relationship between an angling club and Stockport MBC - where the local authority physically maintain two reservoirs in terms of the requirements of the relevant Reservoir Act - in return the angling club has one reservoir for purely club use and the other is club/day ticket. The club bailiff issues the day ticket, collect revenue which is then shared between Council and Club. The club is responsible for the fishery management and small scale maintenance.

Claudia - again a very pertinent point.

The job will involve working with all user groups...and identifying potential new users (perhaps we can artificially freeze lengths of canal and develop an Olympic gold winning speed skating squad). I feel that one area that needs immediate address is dealing with blocks to existing users full enjoyment of canals. Reckless dog owners and cyclists are certanly an issue - I walk the Macclesfield canal a fair amount and forget worrying about your pole - just walking you're taking your life in your hands when you get the poser moutian bikers -who aren't fit enough to actually visit the peaks but think the towpath is a raceway - really galling as there is a perfectly good cycleway parallel to the canal!!!

On the other hand being faced with a match length of poles does make you feel a bit like Colin Jackson before a 110 meters final!

Anyway I'm only applying -whether they want an aging Bingo Calling teacher, who did once work for the parks department - and now would really love this career change - we'll wait and see!

Call me a cynic if you like Posh but trying to preserve a section of a canal for a particular sport is definitely a no no if only for the fact that it needs constant supervision and I would doubt if the BWB would give it any backing financially unless they were going to make a few coppers themselves. They do very little to maintain the canals as it is and it is a fact that you can fish virtually any canal in the country for free because there are few, if any, bailiffs, apart from some club owned sections.

We at Clissetts in the 90's rented our own stretch of a canal alongside the A38 under Spaghetti junction and they required us to do all the things that they wouldn't including placing permanent peg numbers at a not inconsiderable cost, maintaining the towpath and continuous bailiffing during daylight hours.The BWB are like all councils they want everyone else to do the work and payment for the privilege but good luck anyway mate.

allthough many canals are fishing very well indeed the demand for this type of fishing has declined to an all time low, i like graham leased a stretch of the trent and mersey canal for the club i used to run i wouldnt dream of making that expense now ,sorry to be so negative posh but with commercial mania and the lust for easy carp it sounds like you may have your work cut out. ...good luck.