Anglers and Canal Boaters

[GSer]

My husband is a relatively inexperienced narrowboater and during a stint at the tiller recently he made the mistake of trying to avoid an angler's pole by going to the other side of the canal and almost got us grounded. We were clearly having difficulties and the angler thought it was highly amusing.

 

I was rather cross - partly with the angler but mostly with my husband. He had refused to do as I instructed (I'm the one with several years narrowboating experience) which was to keep on course and not to make allowances for the angler and his tackle (we had just passed moored boats so were still going very slowly). My husband is a very polite person and was adamant that it cost nothing to be polite and accommodating. I pointed out that it had actually put us into a mildly dangerous position:

 

We were approaching a blind bend with a bridge hole

There was a lot of vegetation on the other side of the canal indicating shallows (and putting our prop in danger of being fouled)

He was unfamiliar with this stretch of canal and didn't realise that we were about to enter a fairly sharp and exposed chicane in canal terms - any boat approaching the bridge hole from the other side could itself be in some difficulty due to the problems with cross winds

 

I also pointed out that the angler was in fact sitting in the middle of a 'No fishing' zone - plumb directly underneath overhead power cables. My husband didn't believe that - he hadn't noticed the first warning sign, the angler was obscuring the middle sign and we were still arguing as we passed the sign at the other end, so he didn't see that either.

 

He did admit that had he stayed on course he might not have scraped the boat through the bridge hole but did not concede my point fully until the return journey when he did see all the warning signs, and also found he had to stay in the middle to avoid running aground.

 

There is really no excuse for fishing where there are clear 'no fishing' signs (in locks, at lock moorings, winding holes, overhead power cables etc.) and I'm not even sure we should be particularly polite to such anglers.

 

Pam S

 

 

 

Men eh! I must admit that made me laugh, i've heard of anglers getting the blame for alot of things but that takes the buscuit

 

Paul

[garethevans1986]

That angler obviously didn't even know the basic rules with fishing.......NEVER fish under any type of overhead lines - even if they are telephone ones, treat them all as live.

 

GE

[alan_fincher]

Some winding holes do have very obvious "No Fishing" signs by them.

 

Around here the warnings about not fishing under overhead power cables seem to be just about universally ignored. This is another case of where a very large budget was expended on signage, but where it does not achieve it's purpose.

[GSer]

Some winding holes do have very obvious "No Fishing" signs by them.

 

Around here the warnings about not fishing under overhead power cables seem to be just about universally ignored. This is another case of where a very large budget was expended on signage, but where it does not achieve it's purpose.

 

 

Maybe not 100% effective, but if the signage has saved one life, it was worth it.

 

Paul

[Daftmare]

And in the unfortunate situation of the signage NOT saving a life, then at least BW cannot be sued? More money saved to be spent ridiculously.

 

J.

[carlt]

I can't recall ever seeing an angler fishing between "Danger of death" signs. I think the risk associated with waving a long fishing pole around, with power cables above, make these signs worthwhile.

[Nine of Hearts]

I passed a set of anglers on Sunday. Several of them made a waving gesture which transpired to mean, "keep to the middle or you'll run aground". (I had been skirting the far bank to avoid their poles). Now, you'd think this a friendly and considerate piece of advice, but not one of them had as much as a smile for us as we passed, or even acknowledged my "thank you"s as they raised their rods. Was the advice merely to make sure I got out of there as quickly as possible? Does keeping to the center disturb fewer fish? I note that the BW Boaters' Guide recommends keeping to the center on encountering fisher folk. Just trying to do the right thing in future (even if the surly buggers don't appreciate it).

[GSer]

Perhaps I'm one of lifes 'innocents' but I thought the signs were there to inform anglers of a danger they may not know existed in the area, these signs went up nationwide not just canals, so its not just a BW thing.

 

If anglers and boaters decide to ignore warning signs then they are fools, but I know how easy it is to start fishing in half light and miss the signs especially when there are urchins in the area removing the signs, so if I see an angler under wires I just point them out to them politley, 9 times out of ten you will see them move away from the danger.

 

The one that dosn't move will, i suppose, eventually prove that Darwin was right.

 

Paul

[dor]

There's no problems with fishing in winding holes, thats allowed

 

It's true that it's generally allowed, but they don't half get upset when you try and turn a boat! If they don't like boats turning in front of them, wouldn't you think they would fish somewhere else?

[GSer]

It's true that it's generally allowed, but they don't half get upset when you try and turn a boat! If they don't like boats turning in front of them, wouldn't you think they would fish somewhere else?

 

 

In a match situation they will have had no choice in where to fish, and to draw a 'turning bay' in a match is such a rarity, as they are renowned good fishing spots, the angler was probably flapping before you turned up with your boat and decided to churn it all up Such is life

 

Pleasure anglers also know the fishing is good in the wide bits, but a boat can ruin their day all the same, and its hard to be all happy and smiley watching your fishing plans wrecked. Such is life II

 

Paul

[mayalld]

An interesting set of posts!

 

From a boaters perspective, I would feedback to the anglers as follows;

• You really should know that you shouldn't fish from lock landings and in winding holes. Firstly, it ought to be self evident that boats will need to come into the back at a lock landing. Secondly, it ought to be self evident that the wide bit is where boats turn round, and that they will stir things up when they do so. Thirdly, the angling clubs that you are either a member of, or buy a day ticket from, really should tell you!
  
• I agree that boats should go as slowly as possible. You do need to understand they do have to keep the propeller turning in order to steer, and that they sometimes need to apply a bit of power to steer.
  
• I will gladly try and accomodate your wishes as to the course to take, but this is not always practical. You need to trust my judgement as to whether I can move over a bit more or not. If I move over too far, and run aground, the resulting use us engine is going to wreck your swim for hours.
  
• You do need to appreciate that steering a boat at very slow speed is far more tiring than steering one at normal cruising speed, and isn't really that much fun. Showing consideration for you has made my day slightly less fun. Could you afford to smile, and offer a pleasant word, so that it feels worth doing?
  
• I would rather pass another boat between pegs, so that I don't run into your keep net, but boats don't respond to the throttle like a mini cooper, and it isn't that easy to achieve without really stirring up your swim.
  
• Yes, from your perspective you move your rod in time. The problem is that I have very limited visibility at the water line ahead, and if your rod is still down when I lose sight of it, I can't tell what is happening.
  

Sorry if it sounds like a bit of a moan, but I do think that expectations need to be more reasonably set.

[RLWP]

I have adopted a new strategy with anglers which is broadly in line with what has gone before. Steer down the middle - yes, slow down - yes, smile and nod - no. Instead my usual approach is to ask "Any luck?". 99% of the time this will get a response and start a brief conversation. I must admit I have learnt a lot about fish and fishing this way.

 

Richard

 

Oh yes, leaving the rod in the water until the boat almost touches it. If the kingfishers are anything to judge by this is an effective method of catching fish!

[David Schweizer]

In gave up trying to understand what anglers want me to do years ago, as one poster pointed out earlier, we will never get it right for everyone. I just drop the revs a bit and go down the middle, if they have a keep net dangling in the water, I slow down a bit more in case ity isn't secured to the bank very well, thats it.

 

If they are casual anglers I usually say good morning/afternoon and sometimes ask "any luck yet?" but if it is a match I don't speak. They don't want to speak to me, and always manage to find something on the end of their line far more interesting. Oh, and if they shout something rude at me, I ignore them and pretend they are not there.

[Pie Eater]

Down the middle for me, unless the anglers wave to for me pass closer to them, then I usually oblige.

 

Steve

[mayalld]

It's true that it's generally allowed, but they don't half get upset when you try and turn a boat! If they don't like boats turning in front of them, wouldn't you think they would fish somewhere else?

 

I always chuckle when I recall my encounter with an angler in a winding hole a few years back...

 

"Do you have to do that HERE"

 

"Well, yes actually, I do. Or I could go a few miles further on to see if there is another miserable bastard waiting to sulk at me"

 

There is a winding hole just up from our mooring (200 yards), so if we are facing downstream and want to depart upstream, we tend to reverse up to the winding hole, with the attendant extra silt stirring that this brings.

 

Doesn't stop the same miserable soul setting up there every weekend, and sulking every time we wind there!

[SteveE]

Maybe not 100% effective, but if the signage has saved one life, it was worth it.

 

Paul

 

Dear oh dear! I bet you'd like a defibrillator on every lamp post as well!

SteveE

[GSer]

Dear oh dear! I bet you'd like a defibrillator on every lamp post as well!

SteveE

 

 

 

That's a strange thing to say Do you know me? If you did, I doubt you'd ever say that.

 

Signage costs little and can be very effective and is a far cry from what you are suggesting I'd like to see, your just being silly

 

I only speak from the experience of having lost a fishing friend to a very innocent looking overhead cable, i'd rather not get that kind of news again, thanks.

 

Paul

[alan_fincher]

Signage costs little

 

I don't think that would be true in the case of the fishing warning signs, Paul.....

 

There was a pretty long and extended exercise to put them in, and it involved the use of hired boats and non BW people for many months.

 

Because there was nothing already in situ to put them on, large posts, (often oak, I suspect), had to be put in the ground, which in turn involved sinking holes.

 

My guess is it cost a lot.

 

I'm pleased that they seem to have some effect in other areas, but stand by my statement that around our local area they are regularly ignored.

 

A shame they didn't put them on lock aprons too, if people actually do take notice of them sometimes!

 

Alan

[saltysplash]

I have adopted a new strategy with anglers which is broadly in line with what has gone before. Steer down the middle - yes, slow down - yes, smile and nod - no. Instead my usual approach is to ask "Any luck?". 99% of the time this will get a response and start a brief conversation. I must admit I have learnt a lot about fish and fishing this way.

 

Richard

 

Oh yes, leaving the rod in the water until the boat almost touches it. If the kingfishers are anything to judge by this is an effective method of catching fish!

 

Reading that reminded me of a trip we took back in the early eighties, passing a lone fisherman my brother called out "any luck?" the fisherman replied "not much chance of that now is there" I chuckled then and still remember the crest fallen look on my brothers face at his attempts to be friendly.

 

My rule of thumb is keep to the middle, reduce revs but not tickover.

 

Also....can anyone else remember, I always seem to remember that the reason for slowing down was to avoid ripping out the keep net due to the boats by flow?

Can any anglers confirm, do you want us to get past your swim quickly or slowly? the silt is stirred up whatever happens.

[Night Hawk]

I've been on the cut a few years and have never, as yet, had any infortunate incidents with fishing folk. I slow down and stay in the middle and make polite conversation with those who raise their heads to chat.

 

We need to realise that there are grumpy sods out there irrespective of whether they fish, steer or even knit!

[carlt]

While I was chatting to a fisherman, many years back, my dog polished off his lunch. Fortunately the boat was near so I knocked up a sarnie and a beer.

[Night Hawk]

Ibsen, our dog, piddled over one guy's tackle box!

 

He didn't notice!

[Barry]

He'd have noticed if Ibsen had piddled over his lunch though

[carlt]

He'd have noticed if Ibsen had piddled over his lunch though

With fingers stinking of maggot ammonia? Probably not!

[Barry]

Tchah - a guy who is prepared to spend hundreds of pounds - if not thousands - on a pole will never waste his effort on fishing with old stinky maggots