Canals on the rise as anglers flock back to fish them
A research project has revealed that the number of anglers fishing the UK’s canals has doubled in the last four years.
Hundreds of stretches had been left deserted in recent times as a result of the commercial fishery boom, but the latest statistics have shown a remarkable turnaround.
Officials from the Canal & River Trust have announced that sales of their Waterways Wanderers permit have rocketed by 100 per cent since 2012.
The ticket allows anglers to target hundreds of miles of canal for a small fee each year, and national fisheries and angling manager John Ellis believes there are a number of reasons for the revival.
“Gone are the days when anglers saw canals as venues capable of producing small fish and nothing else, with the awareness of their incredible potential,” he said.
“Whether you’re a predator, match or general pleasure angler, there is certain to be a stretch close to home that will appeal to you.
“Add to this, improved access and pegging in many areas and it is easy to see why canals have drawn back a lot of anglers.”
A national surge of interest in lure fishing and drop shotting is also thought to have aided the comeback.
Korum-backed specimen angler Gary Knowles said: “No matter where you are in the country, a cheap and affordable stretch of canal that is home to perch, pike or zander will be on your doorstep.
“At the drop of a hat, with practically no preparation and carrying just a light rod and reel, shoulder bag and landing net, you are ready to go.
“You can walk for miles fishing a very effective method and catch some cracking-looking fish from both industrial and rural settings. Given all this, it’s no surprise to me that the popularity in fishing canals has increased rapidly.”
Monster perch from underfished canal stretch
Targeting overhanging vegetation on his local section of canal worked a treat for Matthew Perring when he netted this 3lb 3oz perch.
The Banbury based, Marukyu and Deeper sponsored angler roved a relatively under-fished section of the Oxford Canal using white coloured, three inch Ecogear Bug Ant lures.
In just a few hours he had netted a total of six perch and one zander including a 2lb 6oz stripey. All the fish were caught using a 3-12gram Tronix Rockfish Pro jig rod with 10lb braided mainline and 8lb Berkley flourocarbon hooklink and a size two, five gram jig head.
7lb 14oz chub tops an amazing week
The incredible run of big chub from venues nationwide continued this week with the capture of a 7lb 14oz heavyweight from a canal!
In what has been a fantastic week for catches of the species, carp angler Richard Hogg was left shell-shocked when he netted the monster specimen from a seldom-fished section of the Staffs and Worcester Canal.
Targeting a swim where he had previously caught carp, the Brownhills-based angler set his stall out by scattering a few boilies by hand.
Then he carefully cast a wafter hookbait into the swim.
“When the alarm sounded I thought it was a small carp but then, when I lifted up the net, I was confronted by the biggest chub I’ve ever seen,” he said.
“It wasn’t my target species, but I will take that fish any day of the week.”
It’s not the first big chub to be caught by the West Midlander. Richard’s previous best stands at an impressive 7lb 8oz, and you can see more of his catches by visiting his Facebook page, Canal Carp Diary.
It’s not just on canals where anglers have been enjoying some superb chub sport, though, as Alfie Naylor proved when he smashed his personal best for the third time this season with a
7lb 8oz fish from the River Trent.
Just a few weeks after landing a 7lb 2oz chub, the Nottinghamshire rod revisited his local stretch and went one better.
“I visited the swim a few times leading up to the session and scattered a few 110 Baits Redball Plum boilies around before fishing it with just a small PVA bag of five or six boilies dusted in krill powder tight in one spot,” he said.
Alfie’s set-up was made up of a short section of 20lb Drennan Sink Link hooklength tied to a size 6 hook.
Drive to get more clubs on canals
A major drive is underway to get more anglers to fish canals by offering clubs the chance to take over dozens of untapped stretches.
Hundreds of miles of waterway are currently without tenants, and the Canal & River Trust wants angling clubs to take advantage of the situation by boosting its portfolio of waters.
C&RT National Fisheries and Angling Manager, John Ellis, is leading the charge. He believes clubs are missing out on what is some fantastic fishing. He told Angling Times: “There are literally miles of canal which are barely fished but offer superb sport with a huge variety of species.
“We prefer to work with clubs rather than just leaving stretches to be fished by individual anglers – it’s a win win situation.
“Clubs help us to fight poaching and antisocial behaviour, while the members get a great venue to fish at the same time. Clubs who can’t afford to rent waters can still enjoy the canals, as most of our stretches are available to book for matches on our Waterways Wanderers Scheme for less than the price of a day ticket.
“We want more and more anglers to discover the magic of fishing canals.”
One club to recently take advantage of the push is Little Britain Anglers. The North West outfit took over an extensive stretch of the Bolton & Bury Canal last year. Speaking at the time, club secretary Eric Owen said: “Our main aim was to bring back fishing to as much as the canal as possible so that it could be enjoyed by the area’s anglers. The canal was a somewhat forgotten venue and we wanted to change that.
“Taking over stretches like this is a great way for clubs to offer their members places to fish other than just your typical ponds or stretches of river – you’d be surprised what lurks in canals.”