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Boating and angling.
By Glyn Williams. Grafton Angling Association
Moving on to another delicate matter that some individuals may consider
to be a serious clash of interests on the waterway i.e. - angling
and boating.
As an angler, I do not see boaters as a threat to our sport and contrary
to belief, I, along with many of my angling colleagues welcome and
relish the sight of a boat 'trudging along the canal towards us like
an old rag-doll' (Rosie and Jim comes to mind).
This acceptable intervention would be even more welcomed - if we anglers
were experiencing little or no response from the fish that are supposed
to be swimming about in the water in front of us. In most instances,
once a boat has passed through the swim, the anglers are more likely
to catch a fish because of the minor water disturbance - and very
grateful we are too.
The problems encountered between anglers and boaters can - and should
be easily overcome with a little bit of common courtesy being shown
from both parties.
It goes without saying that the majority of anglers and boaters are
decent individuals who do get on with each other, but once again there
is always a minority from one side or the other who spoil it for the
majority.
There are some bad anglers who completely disregard the Country Code
of Practice with regards to litter, vehicular parking, urinating in
open places, noise, coupled with foul and abusive language, as well
as fishing tackle such as poles strung across the towpath (instead
of parallel to the canal) etc.
Likewise - there are boaters (mainly on hire craft) who ignore the
Code by allowing their dogs to foul the footpath and surrounding flora,
discard their bottles of wine or Bucks Fizz in the hedgerows, travel
at excessive speeds (causing serious damage to unprotected banks),
do not acknowledge other waterway users, and take it for granted that
the canal is a facility purely for their own personal self-indulgence.
In an ideal world wouldn't it be nice for anglers and boaters to acknowledge
each other with a polite smile and a warm greeting coupled with a
friendly exchange of banter during the short period of passing each
other. Surely that is not too much to ask for - is it?
This type of human behaviour would then break down the barriers and
eliminate any conflicts of interest between the two largest subscribing
waterway users. Both parties would then be able to enjoy the same
environment without one detracting from the other!
Some caring boaters often ask me "To avoid any conflict -What measures
should I take when approaching or passing through an anglers swim?
To answer this question properly, I think it is important that boaters
should be made aware of the tactical skills that anglers implement
when fishing waterways such as a canal.
Under normal circumstances, the anglers would be fully aware - whether
or not the location they were fishing is a navigable section that
is subject to boat traffic and they will then set their stall out
and act accordingly.
They would then pre-bait at least three, maybe four locations within
their peg area to try and attract the resident fish into their swims
and hopefully to counteract any disturbance created by passing boat
traffic.
The areas that the anglers are likely to feed are as follows: one
on the inside (on top or at the bottom of the near shelf), down the
track (deepest location), another at the bottom of the far shelf,
or tight into the features towards the far bank.
It is also important for boaters to note that the angler considers
the far bank as their bonus fish zone, so contrary to what boaters
might think - try and keep away from the far bank line.
When a boat is seen to be approaching an angler, who at this stage,
would probably be catching fish in the deepest swim down the track
or towards the bottom of the far shelf, the angler would automatically
start baiting their inside line at the bottom or top of the near shelf
in the vacinity of their keepnet.
To clarify this important procedure for the boaters, - "Anglers work
on the proviso that the fish will temporarily move away from their
productive swim down the deep track and head for cover in the margins
on the near or far sides".
Under these circumstances - an angler with any level of common sense
would be foolish to extend his pole across the water to fish on the
far shelf when a boat is approaching their swim - as they would risk
getting their expensive equipment damaged by the passing craft.
What they would actually do to prevent this happening is to ship down
their pole sections (hopefully - parallel to the water) and fish short,
down the near shelf in the hope of picking up one or two fish from
over the bait that they have recently put in - under, or around their
keepnet.
Once the boat has passed through the swim and the swirling wake of
water has diminished, the angler would immediately put some more bait
down the deep track or bottom of the far shelf to try and entice the
fish away from the margins back into their original productive swim.
So, what line should the boater take?
The simple answer is, "That provided the waterway is sufficiently
deep enough and safe enough, most anglers would prefer and appreciate
it more if the boater took a course between themselves on the towpath
and the middle of the waterway. Not too close, however, so as to catch
and damage their keepnet or other equipment.
This procedure would result in the smaller fish temporarily moving
to the near or far shelf for protection but without disturbing the
bigger resident species. The angler would simply withdraw his tackle
while the boat passes, wave or nod an acknowledgement to the boater,
probably with a few kind 'choice' words, and then get back to the
business of fishing.
What a great facility we have available for us all to enjoy, so whether
you are an angler or a boater, please don't let us spoil each other's
enjoyment because of personal vendettas and lack of courtesy for other
users.
Yours in sport
Glyn Williams |
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