Urban Angling

This is a dedicated thread for discussing article: Urban Angling

Nice read Cliff , suppose if you live in a large town or city and don't want to travel
Then "Urban Angling " is what you do , have to say its not for me .
I think the surroundings , ie landscape and wildlife are a big part of your day out .
I know a fisherman who fishes Chelmsford Town centre and when nature calls finding a public loo is a nightmare , who is gonna keep an eye on your Tackle if your fishing alone ?

Maybe its where MG caught his Huge Common, nah maybe "The Crouch " ?

Michael Loveridge 2 said:

Nice read Cliff , suppose if you live in a large town or city and don't want to travel
Then "Urban Angling " is what you do , have to say its not for me .
I think the surroundings , ie landscape and wildlife are a big part of your day out .
I know a fisherman who fishes Chelmsford Town centre and when nature calls finding a public loo is a nightmare , who is gonna keep an eye on your Tackle if your fishing alone ?

Maybe its where MG caught his Huge Common, nah maybe "The Crouch " ?

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Is there a Chelmsford Town in Canada ??

One of the benefits of living somewhere horrible is that any urban river is a nicer option than going down the shops. Also they tend to be free fishing. The downside is the litter and spending a penny. To counter the latter i'll often move from a good spot if I need to go and walk to an area where there's cover then pop back. If you lose your swim so be it as to leave the gear unattended would be pure folly.

There's some really nice urban stretches of river in the country if that makes sense.

Great article and enjoyable to read.

The river flowing through my town is stuffed full of grayling and wild brownies. Another town nearby is full of big redfins, right where the river flows through the shopping centre.
It seems that these urban areas are havens for fish and the more people around, the better.
Something to do with no cormorants and otters?

robertroach said:

It seems that these urban areas are havens for fish and the more people around, the better.

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Could be predators but Wroxham/Hoverton used to get packed with Roach (and the Pike that followed them) every winter way back before otters were a problem. They packed into the boatyards in the day and came out onto the rivers at dusk. Caught some really good fish right in the middle of town.

I always assumed it was a bit warmer and sheltered than the open rivers and broads.

Either way, they do seem to be attracted!

Stu

Enjoyed reading that, could have been the Don running thro Sheffield /Rotherham/ Doncaster area.

Did some of my very early Carp fishing on the canalised section of the Soar that runs through Leicester near to the old city ground at the hot water outlet from a power station, the rats were sometimes bigger than the Carp but we were always kept entertained by drunks on a Saturday night even seeing one thrown in off a bridge one night. caught the bus there on Friday and back on Sunday morning, good days.

I love urban fishing for reasons dictated purely by the quality of the fishing itself


Over 5 named rivers and one decent Brook close enough to call "local bread and milk shop" aint bad, lots of brutally honest concrete sites with the same character as perhaps Chernobyl, unable to hide the dirty, gritty-esque graffitti riddled smack-den banker swims from being discovered by the more adventurous angler.
Numerous frothy weir pools, one nestled among the industrial estate high above on both sides, some involve the required "over a wall and under some barbed wire" action at the cost of a pair of half decent water proofs bearing the scars to prove it, while others, the stink of stale tramps p155 alone guides you to the swim like smelling salts to a victim who has fainted due to deprivation of quality Chub fishing.

Evenly spread over the town centre/s....the high-frills ugly as sin free stretches or isolated swims that are clearly out of interest of most anglers who are happy to blank on over pressured local club swims or cannot be bothered to put the effort in finding the fish among the hum of human civilization (?) otherwise hidden, out of sight and thus out of mind, having never even seen a hook let alone felt one before.

Much to my advantage, its not unlike having some fishing equivalent of a list of low-brow greasy spoon cafe's I can visit locally, close to the 5 star Michelin restaurants when the pang is upon me.......hungry for the raw uncooked grissle that urban fishing offers, that is where it's happening for me still and I also love fishing the countryside too, when I can afford it ..........win win.

The more difficult to get to (with in reason of safety) the better!

Cans, needles and Graffitti show at the very least a degree of accessibility.....but put the effort in and you will be rewarded.

He who dares.....

The theory begun three years ago, slowly being put into practice and evolving into a methodical almost surgical study of every achievable access point along practically all flowing water in the outward direction from my front door....firstly involving Google earth, then making of rope ladders lol, even befriending the odd homeless person, simply to gain knowledge on how to gain access to that next secret urban swim.

I guess some of us are just born "Townies" mg:

Interesting article, well written and I can understand why some town centre stretches would be good spots for fish to be, especially in the colder weather.

I have so far avoided urban areas because I really enjoy being out in nature and enjoying the quiet time and scenery.

The local canal is bad enough some days when the local oddball comes over to chat to me and spends 15 minutes telling me that he used to catch about 300 roach per minute on left over bits of his jam sarnie - but that was in the good old days you know, its not like that now, I feel sorry for the youngsters today, we had it much better, been totally ruined by Thatcher/immigrants/aliens etc......:wh

Stumbled across this today, two guys barbel fishing the Don next to Doncaster Prison and of all things they catch two plaice and a dab...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpzdLGolxMI

Looks a nice piece of water, its surprising what can be found in urban areas, strange that flatties are caught there.

thecrow said:

Looks a nice piece of water, its surprising what can be found in urban areas, strange that flatties are caught there.

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I thought you said fatties then, I was just about to say...
































Well, it is Doncaster!