Well hi folks, and allow me to introduce myself.

I am not an angler, that is to say I fished when I was a lad, may still dangle a hook and drown a few maggots from time to time, but I am by no means a serious angler and have never belonged to a club or fished a competition. Now I've got kids of my own, we may occasionally do a spot of fishing for half an hour when moored up at night. Yes, that's right, moored up, meaning that I am one of that hateful species, the bane of your lives, the narrowboater.

So why have I joined? Well it seems that ‘us lot’ and ‘you lot’ don't always see eye to eye, and we thought it might be interesting to look at things from your point of view.

The problem seems to be that many canal anglers seem to resent us wanting to use our waterways and intruding upon your sport or pastime. Many can seem sullen, a minority can be abusive, and you are frequently in the most inappropriate places. There is hardly any commercial traffic on the canals nowadays, their time as a transport network is consigned to history and they have become a leisure facility, but boaters, anglers, cyclists and walkers should all be able to peacefully co-exist.

Personally, if I see someone fishing I try to cut my engine revs to a tickover and stay in the centre of the channel, but there are times when that's not possible if there's 2-way traffic or you're hiding in the bushes, and let's face it, 12 tonnes of steel doesn't stop that quickly.

So is that ‘slower and down the middle’ approach correct, or how would you prefer us to pass you? Come on, have your say, we can take it, what gets up your collective noses?

Ade.

i don't realy mind boaters on rivers/canal as i don't fish them that often, but when i do fish them and a boat comes along i just simply reel in or ship my pole back. i can't see the point of boaters or anglers getting worked up over it, as you can just reel in or some smaller boats just slowing down is a simpler solution. everyone wants to enjoy the water so we have to work together.

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I'll fish anytime and anywhere (as you can see).

Its only when boats go through miles too fast and right against the far bank that anglers get annoyed ... straight down the middle is always the best bet although I'm sure most canal anglers would prefer you to come slightly towards the side they are sitting on as we do catch most of our fish on the far side of the canal thats why they get really annoyed by boaters saying "I am staying right over the far side out of your way!"

Straight down the middle please!

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Simon Young
Admin
www.TalkAngling.co.uk

Fishing tackle shop online

Hi Moley and welcome to Talkangling. I’m personally glad you have taken the time to write this post to see things from the other side, so to speak.

From reading your thread it would seem that you are the ideal person to be navigating a narrow boat through a match length, unfortunately there are other skippers who are not as considerate as you. I fish canals on a regular basis and have seen all sorts of encounters from very irate anglers to very irate and abusive narrow boat passengers!

Some anglers detest boats passing through their swim, especially if they are catching well, or after they have introduced feed only to have an irresponsible skipper come along full steam ahead like a ship going to war with total disregard to anglers. This generally means that the feed they have introduced will be washed well away from where it was introduced and generally a mouth full of abuse to the Captain.

Personally I don't have any concerns with boats passing, providing they are responsible in doing so, and I will generally speak to the Skipper and ask if any more boats are following. Depending on their reply depends on how I approach my fishing after that.

The waterways are there for us both to enjoy and were purpose built for narrow boats not for anglers. You as a boater pay fees for the use of the water the same as anglers, this is compulsory for us to enjoy our pastime. Cyclists and irresponsible dog walkers on the other hand should be banned for life! They have caused me more grief and financial hardship than all the narrow boats put together.

As an angler I welcome your views and once again thanks for raising your head above the parapet.

The problem is not the boaters but the anglers.

one angler tells the boaters to stay down the middle, the next down the inside and then the bloke catching inside tells the poor boater to go across.

At the end of the day canals were built for boats not anglers.

From a personal point of veiw i would be happy to have a boat come though at a reasonable speed, straight down the middle every hour before and during every match i fish, and i fish a canal EVERY week of the year.

Ade I wouldnt concerne my self too much because those sullen looking and sometimes abusive anglers will be there again next week so your presence hasn,t interfeared to much with their sport, "they just aint realized it yet" ,. I will add that their will always be a minority wether they be anglers looking for reasons as to why they,re not catching, mountain bikers assuming that the "TOW PATHS" where put there for their purposses and fishing poles were convienient obsticals or the odd boater that attempts to break the world water speed record and wash away the embankments whilst doing so. Its a fact of life you cant please em all mate.

Thanks, that's what I thought (and I personaly have never received any abuse), but some anglers give mixed advice and many boaters are unsure. Members of our waterways forum are reading this topic, and one has already replied:
"I think this is a brilliant move - Well done Moley!
And, being one of those that always gave fisherman a wide berth, I've learned something that I was doing wrong already!"

Actually, one of our members asked if anglers spoke about us behind our backs, and we searched, and it was one of your own postings which led me here; quote: "as normally happens on the Union there is a lull in the boats around lunch time when all the hippies who drive the boats dissapear into the pubs, go off to smoke a joint or sit round their camp fires or whatever they do.... this gave me about an hour in the middle of the match when I started to catch well and got the roach to grow in size a bit with the odd 2ozzer... nice....

Then with an hour and a half to go the wind really got up badly and more and more boats came through - it was like the M25 of boats, dont you just love it when they are going past and the bloke has got a beer in his hand and a pipe and says "I'm staying right along the far bank out of your way" ..... I resisted the temptation to issue a volley of abuse which is surprising as with the hangover I had at the time I wasnt in the best of moods!"

I actually thought that was quite intuitive (though I smoke cigars).

Gary, thanks for the welcome and a good reply.
It seems that 'my lot' and 'your lot' share very similar views on 'that lot'

Again, thanks to everyone for the comments so far,
Ade.

Well done for asking our views.I have fished and run matches on canals for years.I have had rows with speeding boats,i even lived on the norfolk broads,where the boat traffic is horrendous.But nowadays if a boat comes through resonably,i will have a pleasant chat.If captain pugwash blasts past,then i ignore them.On a canal the middle is the deepest.the far side the shallowest.so its logical to stay down the middle[unless another boat comes towards you].If you dont then its your boat that could run aground.
Thanks for the chance to air our views,maybe some bikers will bother to ask our views as well
thanks
cornerstone.

Im with Gary and Woodhouse two good posts.I myself prefare the boat to go down the middle as on 90% of canals thats the deapest part and it settles quicker. Ive no problem with boats at all

Thanks again for the comments, keep 'em coming.

However, I think one of our boating forum members (who is also a serious angler) has hit the nail on the head:

“Unfortunately I suspect that the kind of people who care enough about their sport and other people to talk about it are the ones we are getting a positive response from on the fishing forum.
The ones who cause the problem - the really grumpy, ignorant, arrogant, rude, aggressive sods probably don't contribute to either forum.
So, in effect, we are "preaching to the converted"
Is there a chance, do you think, that if more boaters take the lead in consideration the attitude may spread amongst anglers in return?”

If I may pick up on Gary's post above, “You as a boater pay fees for the use of the water the same as anglers, this is compulsory for us to enjoy our pastime.” this seems to be one of the main bugbears. Please don't bite my head off. I realise that many angling clubs exist, who pay fees and have rights to certain stretches of water. A good part of the fees you pay to these clubs must go to British Waterways towards maintenance of towpaths etc. However, can anyone tell me how much (if anything) of the standard Environment Agency rod licence goes to BW, or where my £24 goes (and yes, I do have one myself). This is our main issue as, yes you pay fees, and yes that gives you rights, but if we (the combined boaters) didn't pay our rather hefty boat licence fees, neither of us would have any water.

Thanks again,
Ade.