The Towpath Angler
Our monthly look at the angling scene
LAST month I expressed my frustration at those people who never offer to roll up their sleeves and do something useful but are all too quick to criticise those brilliant people who do get stuck in.
I said too that the almost universal use of social media these days has made it even easier for these individuals. Even worse is that occasionally some of these people take it much further, often resulting in quite pointed threats being made.
We must all work together to help ensure that staff just doing their job or volunteers giving of their time for the greater good are fully protected. As I said last time I personally know of people who have stepped away from doing what they enjoyed because of this and, possibly worse, one young man who is now very prone to depression and other mental problems.
Improving access
I have received some good feedback about the different projects being undertaken to help improve access to fishing on all waters. Of course it is essential that whatever needs to be done is done if at all possible. Only this morning I have had a meeting regarding the possible creation of a parking area at one of my club’s fisheries.
It is probably true to say that most anglers these days either prefer not to have to walk too far or, due to age or some disability, are unable to walk very far. However the same can be said for non-anglers who simply wish to walk by the waterside.
Sadly the waterway network, generally, is not well blessed with good access and in particular has very little parking. It is vitally important if the Canal & River Trust wants to see ongoing increases in visitor numbers and people having a good experience that more resource is put to securing more access and the parking that goes with it.
Ignoring guidelines
We all saw an upsurge in activities along our waterways during the pandemic as the Government increasingly encouraged everyone to get out and exercise. Guidelines, even some rules, were laid down as to the best way to do this and this was fine as far as it went but unfortunately there was no corresponding increase in the enforcement resource.
Once again, therefore, the minority who opted not to follow the rules and guidelines and chose to do what they wanted and where they wanted – irrespective of anyone else – tended to dictate things. This resulted in more incidents of conflict which had been on the decline for some years.
These did not just involve anglers. Indeed I am currently involved in a series of meetings looking into incidents involving speeding craft, cycling and general antisocial behaviour. All of these only serve to drive people away from the waterways.
Weather woes
The ongoing very changeable weather does nothing for angling. Water temperatures are rock bottom, not helped by recent frosts down to -6 degrees occasionally interrupted by ice cold rain. A week ago everyone was breaking ice to create a hole through which to fish.
Strangely this sometimes seems to generate an immediate response from fish in the area but, not surprisingly, fish are for the most part loathe to feed and certainly do not spend much energy searching for food. I understand results from our canals reflect this. I know that even on some of the heavily stocked commercial fisheries bites have often been hard to come by.
I fished an open match last weekend and managed to get six bites and six fish. Disappointingly one more fish would almost certainly have put me into the frame and guaranteed a brown envelope. A perfect example of what so often happens in winter was that two weeks ago a very good friend of mine won a match on an open lake with 91lb of big carp. Last Sunday he drew the very same peg and never had a bite!!
Clearly as things stand unless you are committed to turning out, i.e. to fish a match, then it makes sense to monitor the weather forecast and plan to grab a few hours following a day or two of settled weather especially if there are no overnight frosts. If you go out on a windy day then choose a more sheltered swim not just because you will be more comfortable but also you may find the fish prefer to be away from the open water too.
It goes without saying you should wear your thermals and take a flask with a hot drink.
Stay safe and good luck