The Towpath Angler Our monthly look at the angling scene
IT HAS been eerily quiet in recent weeks. That is not to say nothing is happening but I have personally not had a great deal of involvement with things.
Earlier in September my wife and I went on, unusually for us, a coach tour for a few days. It was certainly not our best holiday ever but making matters worse we both tested positive for Covid a few days after we arrived home.
Thankfully we have been negative for a week now but, unfortunately, it caused me to miss the autumn meeting of the Canal & River Trust’s National Council and Annual Meeting. I was especially annoyed at this as I regard these meetings as vital not just because of the updates from the senior management but also because of the opportunities to network with other delegates.
That said, I am concerned that the trust is becoming less mindful of its angling club customers than it once was. Recently a couple of issues have been referred to me in my capacity as the Fisheries and Angling representative on council which would support this theory.
Also in the past year I have experienced, as a club secretary, two instances of the trust seemingly showing little interest in situations when, my committee strongly believes, it should have really been fighting our corner. Of course we have no real idea of the possible outcomes from these but I can honestly say that the trust’s reputation is not particularly good right now.
As I had suggested last time September was indeed a busy month with lots of events taking place. Some highly successful, others not so. While I was unable to attend myself, it sounds as though one of the real success stories this year was the National Celebration of Young People in Fishing. Eventually there was just shy of 300 participants all of whom had an absolutely great day. Tremendous credit due to all involved.
To effectively conclude the big event season will be the final of the AT/CRT Canal Pairs. Again I suspect a cracking event is on the cards where anyone going to watch will see some of the best in the business when it comes to canal fishing.
Catch reports continue to be very encouraging despite the alarmingly low water levels at some venues. In the interests of fish welfare some fishery owners have maintained their suspension and/or limiting of matches. Without doubt this has saved what might have been a disastrous period and, assuming we get some normal autumn rainfall, should guarantee a reasonable winter’s sport.
Welcome rain
Just today I called in at my local commercial and, while levels are not much better, the long period of steady rain we had a couple of days ago has really freshened things up. People were catching pretty well all around the complex.
I have not received too many catch reports of late but one outstanding bit of news was of a match on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal in mid-September where the top two anglers both clocked up more than 100lb of bream. Some of the backing weights were very good too.
Rivers, again due to low levels, have been decidedly patchy. The normal ‘bread and butter’ fish have proven difficult to catch in numbers often leaving match weights to be boosted by an odd bonus barbel or couple of decent bream. There have been some spectacular weights from some commercials but it seems that in places the ongoing low water levels have made the fish reluctant to feed consistently in match hours.
Finally I am pleased to tell you that my run of good results goes on with a win, two seconds and one third place in my last four matches, all on different venues. It goes without saying that it is important to draw ‘on fish’ but I am still convinced that my much improved decisionmaking has contributed greatly to this run of success. It does seem I am more confident at my peg at the moment and so waste less time on unproductive methods. However I must not get complacent. These runs do not last forever.
As we move into autumn the change in our weather is quite apparent. Cooler nights, fresh winds and, of course, the first rains for months. It is certainly more comfortable to sit for a few hours. If you have the chance to snatch a bit of time on the bank, start by looking for signs of fish activity e.g. an area of coloured water. But be careful with feeding until it is clear the fish actually want to feed.
We are not in ‘winter mode’ just yet but a more cautious approach will pay off, I am sure.
Good luck.