Roped-off swims could be the new bankside norm

RIGHT now, all anglers need to practise social distancing on the bank – so when Angling Direct’s Swindon branch manager Kev Hewitt had an encounter that was far too close for comfort, he decided to take action.

Would you feel more comfortable behind a rope like this?

“I’d gone to Bluebell Lakes in Oundle, near Peterborough, for five days and was setting up when another angler walked straight in and stood next to me, probably less than a foot away,” Kev tells us. 

“I’d only been there an hour and it made me feel very uncomfortable. 

“To make sure that it didn’t happen again I grabbed an old ratchet strap and some bungees from my van and made a barrier behind my swim. I even put up a sign telling people to stay behind the rope.

“After that I never had a single person cross the line and I have been able to chat to other anglers from a safe distance.

“We are very privileged to be able to fish right now, so let’s not mess this up.”

Kev Hewitt’s cornered-off swim at Bluebell Lakes

Since fishing resumed in England on Wednesday, May 13, staff at the five-lake Bluebell complex have been keeping anglers safe by closing the on-site-tackle shop, collecting day-ticket money from them in their cars and enforcing a strict two-metre distancing policy on the bank.

They also see no harm in letting anglers adopt Kev’s approach.

“Anything that will help anglers stick to the 2m social distancing rule is backed by us,” says Bluebell staffman James Waller. 

“We hope that common sense will prevail, but creating a barrier around your swim does remind anglers to adhere to the rules we’ve put in place.

“As anglers we have a responsibility to help prevent the spread of the virus, so it’s very important we stick to the protocols.”