can someone please explain something

[tonyw]

After stopping 8 yes 8 times on a 2 mile stretch of canal from the town to my home i am confused about something and wondered if anyone could help explain it, why do anglers need to fish with a pole which is very nearly as wide as the canal? had to stop multiple times and on 5 occasions had to lift bike over rods as they refused to move them! i thought fishing was a relaxing hobby, not for me there driving me nuts and are they allowed to block the path totally? i appreciate its their hobby but travelling on a mtb is mine so why can't they just use shorter rods when they haven't enough space?

 

[Octet]

Technically they aren't allowed to block the path completely as it is a public causeway, however unfortunately since it is only a couple of anglers not much can be done.​

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The most you can do is ask them to move, and it might be worth throwing in that blocking the pathway is illegal (I think it's in the Highway Act or something), but otherwise you shall just need to squeeze past (let's just hope you don't *accidently* slip and knock in a rod )

 

[Brandane]

Bunny-hop over them. If you mis-judge a few they will soon stop blocking the path with their rods . I suspect there will be some bye-law hidden away somewhere in the waterways regulations about blocking the path, but good luck trying to find someone to enforce it.

 

[Octet]

A letter to your local council might also work some magic, informing them that people regularly block the path and that it is causing problems.

 

[tonyw]

think i need to find out if they need a licence and also someone to go and check if they have one....might be less of them about then

 

[TVC]

I have before now tripped on a rod as I tried to step over it. Oh dear, how clumsy of me, particularly if I manage to knock over the bait box too. I work with an avid fisherman who has complained to me how the boats on the canal disturb his casts. Point of canals slightly missed there.

 

[coffeejo]

Technically, doesn't one require a licence from British Waterways to cycle on canal tow paths?

 

[tonyw]

they used to require a licence i seem to remeber that being abolished canal and river trust states permits are no longer required

 

[pplpilot]

Its there for all to use. They may say the same about you. Cyclists do no own the waterways/roads/trails etc etc etc ....

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

On the other hand, anglers are probably paying licence fees to fish there. Not necessarily to "block" the path.

Although TBH - You don't make a distinction between a rod and a pole - both of which are entirely different things which change your really cool story.

PS: veron got it covered

 

[vernon]

they used to require a licence i seem to remeber that being abolished canal and river trust states permits are no longer required

Maintain your current air of superiority over other canal users and it won't be long before you're fishing -

your bike out of the canal...

Carp poles are a legitimate anglers' tool whose use is long established on canals and ponds. They facilitate the precision positioning of the bait.

As for blocking the canal - that's not strictly true. An abandoned car on the tow path is a blockage. Anglers' poles are as obstructive as large family or social groups taking up the full width of the tow path. The anglers are free to use their poles canalside just as you are free to use the tow path. If you feel that you are inconvenienced, slow down, take in the scenery, ask the anglers how well they are doing and relax. You have no more right to unimpeded progress than the anglers have to fish undisturbed.

Live and let live.

 

[classic33]

think i need to find out if they need a licence and also someone to go and check if they have one....might be less of them about then

See http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/news-and-views/features/guidelines-for-fishing-along-canals-and-rivers

 

[Supersuperleeds]

After stopping 8 yes 8 times on a 2 mile stretch of canal from the town to my home i am confused about something and wondered if anyone could help explain it, why do anglers need to fish with a pole which is very nearly as wide as the canal? had to stop multiple times and on 5 occasions had to lift bike over rods as they refused to move them! i thought fishing was a relaxing hobby, not for me there driving me nuts and are they allowed to block the path totally? i appreciate its their hobby but travelling on a mtb is mine so why can't they just use shorter rods when they haven't enough space?

The pole is so the bait can be placed at the far bank perfectly every time, it is a very effective way to fish. A legal angler will have a rod and line licence and will have either paid a club or British Waterways to fish from the tow path. This still doesn't mean they should block the tow path, but then again cyclists shouldn't just tear through their poles either, it is all about give and take. I think technically cyclists still have to have a licence to ride down the tow path though it is no longer enforced.

When I fish the canal I place my pole sections along side the canal as opposed to across the tow path, makes the fishing a bit more awkward but means I don't get a smashed piece of carbon in my hand rthat could take a few hundred pound to replace.

 

[paulmad]

avid anglers will pay up to £3k for a pole. dont risk damaging them. anglers usually have to pay to fish. cycling is free. just put up with it. i get the impression many dog walkers feel the same about cyclist.

 

[Maz]

When I fish the canal I place my pole sections along side the canal as opposed to across the tow path, makes the fishing a bit more awkward but means I don't get a smashed piece of carbon in my hand rthat could take a few hundred pound to replace.

Whereabouts do you fish? Kilby Bridge? I keep meaning to go pole fishing there.