Is the great canal revival purely a localised thing?

IT WAS great to see the report that revealed the number of anglers on canals has doubled, but I can’t help but think that the Midlands and the South are the root cause of this.

I used to live in Lancashire, and the fishing on the likes of Bridgewater and Leeds/Liverpool Canal was dire, to say the least.

News of a double-figure match net or something as meagre as a 2lb bream would be talked about in the tackle shops for days – hardly recordbreaking stuff, I’m sure you’ll agree!

But since I moved down south I have seen a completely different side to the canals. The stretches of the Grand Union Canal close to my home have produced lots of big fish for me – perch to 2lb 10oz, pike to double figures and even carp to just under 20lb.

Canals like that will definitely be of interest to anglers, and I reckon they are the reason this arm of the sport is on the up.

Clive Holden, Milton Keynes