BW and Anglers

[Jon]

FOR ORIGINAL THREAD, SEE HERE

[Harold_shand]

This thread is great

 

I too have been moaned at by one of these sour faced, strange individuals for using a winding hole. He didnt take his rod out of the water and his line got snared up in my prop and snapped. I suggested he do like most other fisherman and lift his rod out of the water when a boat comes past. Swearing followed, not at me, but as if he was talking to someone else. eg "E's only taken me ******* line, aint he?"

I enjoy fishing too by the way, my rod is always set up and ready to go. I would much rather go to a lake or something, but the cut is right on my doorstep. These canalside fisherman who think they have more right to be there than a Narrowboat with a Gold Licence, should have their dole money stopped.

[maffi mushkila]

These canalside fisherman who think they have more right to be there than a Narrowboat with a Gold Licence, should have their dole money stopped.

 

What's the relevance of the Gold Licence?

[Harold_shand]

Fishing licence is £30, my BW licence was £700.

[Webchem]

Its the usual story isn't it, a handful of people making a bad name for others.

 

For the most part as long as we narrowboaters treat them with care Anglers seem to respect us. I've been warned on numerous occasions (particularly on the approaches to Birmingham) of obstructions by kind hearted Anglers.

 

But there is always the one, there is also always the inconsiderate chap who has hired a boat and moored it either at a dodgey place on a junction , such as one fool who nearly prevented us from turning into the Birmingham and Fazeley from the Coventry canal, or the mooring at a winding hole or a water point.

 

It only takes one!

[weeble]

When I crawled through a fishing competition along the Amington section of the Coventry at the week-end not only did most of the anglers say good morning but 4 (yes that's FOUR) of them actually thanked me for going slowly.

 

It's not that I usually get any real abuse along this stretch, but the positive change in attitude was very noticeable. If any of them log in here then thanks guys, it does make a difference.

 

Mike

[Martin]

I trust you were nice to them too?

 

It is miserable boaters who have made a lot of anglers the way they are!

[Webchem]

Yep, and sadly in the last five years that I have been narrowboating the number of miserable boaters has apparently increased. The number of times I have waited for someone to go through a lock so that water is saved, and then the amazing number of times that someone deliberately empties it so they can go first.

 

A couple of times this has made us run aground, despite frantic waving.

 

I always make a point of waving and saying hello to all waterway users however miserable they look - sometimes you even get a cheery response - hurrah!

 

[weeble]

I trust you were nice to them too?

 

It is miserable boaters who have made a lot of anglers the way they are!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ah yes, I invariably say hi, or enquire after their "luck"..... that is, to those who don't avert their gaze or pretend to be fiddling with their maggots. I'm a very genial person

 

The point I was making was that the difference in attitude I observed was marked, and obviously a result of some combined effort on their part to be more friendly -- an effort that I appreciated.

 

Cheers.... mike

[tonymac]

I allways try to look friendly when i'm playing with my maggots!

[Gary Stacey]

I have had fishermen ask me to speed up in order to 'murk the water' a bit! This happened at the topside of the chesterfield. I find most fishermen are Ok as are most boaters, there are bad in bothe bunches. Iu had one fisherman say that I could have got much closer in to the opposite bank (not in such polite terms), Obviosly he did not realise or care how shallow it was there! I have alsdo had boaters ignore me or empty locks as I approach presumably so that the do not have to share a lock with a rather tattily painted cruiser stern

[Andy Woods]

As both a boatowner and a fisherman, I can see both sides of the story. However I think I made one fishermans day when I bought my 70ft boat to a reasonably speedy halt on the Erewash canal to allow him to land a beautiful 5lb Chub. Best fish I have seen taken from there recently.

If anyone is thinking of a trip that way in the spring, watch out for the local brats in Cotmanhay, they like throwing stones at the boaters!

[wynd lass(nb.Black Pearl)]

Andy,

Your dawggy has a lovely smile!

Im not commenting on the subject of fishermen, I made plenty of comments on the board before Jon updated it and I vowed to drop the subject, as I ran out of valium tablets...... lol

[DHutch]

Im not a fisherman my self, but i dont have a problem with tehm fishing in the canal, and slow down if somone if there, and wish them well, and once i even free someones line that was snaged on a bush on the other side.

 

- but there is always one who has to give everyone else a bad name, one memrable occasion when somene missjudge the height of our funnel and hit there rod on it, despite my calling to to him, and then started giving it mouth about how us "pleasure boaters" didnt know what we where doing, so i just had to appolagise and ignore the abbuse - i mean, its not my fault we he didnt see our funnel, and i certainly coulnt have stoped in time.

 

 

daniel

[hellolittlepig]

i am about to try angling on coventry canal but i have never done it b4. does it cost money??? if so how much? i would really like to give it a go. thank you alot if u no its would really help if you could tell me.

[Paul Evans]

It depends where you fish. Some places you only need the usual rod licence but in others you have to pay for a day ticket as well. There are some places where the owners of the fishing rights don't sell day tickets at all. The best places to get more information are a local tackle shop or the club that owns the fishing rights.

 

And don't forget - smile at all those boaters, say good morning (or afternoon) and make appropriate hand gestures to describe the size of fish you have in your keep net.

[John Orentas]

I have always understood that you are permitted to fish off your boat anywhere on the canal system, provided your boat is fully licensed etc. I have seen it in in official BW documents but I can't remember where.

 

Before you start you must practise and perfect the angling techniques, not the casting and worm impaling thats easy, but the surley expression in response to a greeting and the more advanced skill off displaying intense concentration on your hook as a boat passes to such a degree that you cannot commumicate in any way.

 

There are many more things to master, I am sure other members will update you on some of them.

 

John Squeers

 

"A fishing rod is a stick with a hook at one end and a fool at the other".

Oscar Wilde (I think)

Edited November 28, 2004 by John Orentas

[Alastair]

And the gestures

 

Which I got on Sun, as I motored past (on river) at 5kts. It's a 6Kt limit there, I did stick to middle of river, but bu993red if I was going to slow down for the anglers - they lined the river for 4 miles!

[David Schweizer]

I had the same experience on the G.U. through Milton Keynes a few years ago. nearly six miles of Anglers. Apparently it was a National Championship. Has it never occerred to the idiots that organize these fiascos that if they notified boaters through BW and the Waterways Press that most boaters would keep out of their way. (even a couple of advance notice posters upstream and downstream would help). When I raised this point with one organizer he told me that he had every right to use the water and didn't see why he should let boaters know, it was their problem if they had to slow down for anglers. Why wasn't I surprised at this response?

[rustyduck]

It makes you wonder who they think will come off worse in an argument - a 20 ton narrowboat or a fishing rod.

 

As my dad used to say "There's no point in being right and dead". Although he did say it about driving, but I think it still counts. And if it doesn't, I still like it.

Edited November 30, 2004 by rustyduck

[Paul Evans]

Now, now boys! This is no way to speak of our angling brothers and sisters. Show tolerance and understanding for the feeble minded, smile politely, say

 

"Hello and How Are You?"

 

and ask technical questions such as

 

"Have They Woken Up Yet?"

 

"Does Bread Really Work HERE?"

 

"Is That Maggot Still Alive?"

 

You are sure to receive a positive response which may be restricted to a series of hand gestures because they realise you can't hear what they are saying!

 

A friend of mine once said "The only good angler is the one who's packing up to go home" but I would include those who have just arrived, haven't got their rods out and are wondering just how many more boats are going to disturb them. Do I care?

[larry Teepot]

..

Edited January 12, 2007 by larry Teepot

[Dave45]

I have always understood that you are permitted to fish off your boat anywhere on the canal system, provided your boat is fully licensed etc. I have seen it in in official BW documents but I can't remember where.

 

Before you start you must practise and perfect the angling techniques, not the casting and worm impaling thats easy, but the surley expression in response to a greeting and the more advanced skill off displaying intense concentration on your hook as a boat passes to such a degree that you cannot commumicate in any way.

 

There are many more things to master, I am sure other members will update you on some of them.

 

John Squeers

 

"A fishing rod is a stick with a hook at one end and a fool at the other".

Oscar Wilde (I think)

What makes you think that fishermen would want to communicate with you?

Im sure not many people would find your opinion at all amusing in fact childish would better describe.

[Janet S]

Im sure not many people would find your opinion at all amusing

 

I don't find it amusing, but I do see where he was coming from.

 

He does have a valid point. Many anglers come across as dour and unfriendly. Many boaters do too! Fortunately our currently running Boaters v Anglers thread is managing to dispel many of the misconceptions on both sides.

 

Janet

 

Annoying Fisherman

 

Edited to include clickable link. Hope I've done it correctly!

 

Edited again because I didn't do it correctly!

Edited January 12, 2007 by Janet S

[John Orentas]

What makes you think that fishermen would want to communicate with you?

Im sure not many people would find your opinion at all amusing in fact childish would better describe.

 

 

Hi Dave.

 

Did you happen to notice the date on the top of my post.

I had forgotten all about it, wouldn't go back on a single word mind in fact I think it is rather good.