Advice leaflet for canal users
act as protection policy for boat owners
In
a recent mail shot to all of their customers, British Waterways have sent
out their Waterway Code of conduct leaflets which is directed to canal
users.
They have been released in the following categories: boats with engines,
cyclists, anglers, un-powered craft and one to everyone else outside those.
Most stretches of canal are leased to angling clubs and associations,
the majority of whom sell day tickets.
The extracts from their leaflet relating to anglers (and one other section)
are as follows:
Look after your Waterways
Discarded
hooks and lines, bottles and tins can kill or injure wildlife. Gather
them up and take them away with you.
Make sure that the towpath is easily passable by keeping your fishing
tackle tidy.
Don’t obstruct locks, bridges, designated moorings, water points
or turning points.
Boat crews need access to the bank within 25 metres of locks or moveable
bridges - so do not fish there.
Use a pole cup if you need to feed close to boats: don’t throw or
catapult ground bait on to the decks or against the hulls of boats - it
damages the paintwork.
Don’t bounce tackle off boats or tap them with pole tips - chipped
paint is expensive to repair and hooks in ropes can be very dangerous.
Boats are people’s homes so please respect their privacy, including
those on the opposite bank. Try to fish at least 15 metres away.
Some boats will not be able to avoid you if you fish on the outside of
bends.
Take care not to fish within 30 metres of overhead power lines. Look out
and look up - electricity kills.
The British
Waterways advice to cyclists may cause a few comical mutterings amongst
the angling fraternity and among some of the other towpath users.
Cyclists need a permit and information telling you which stretches are
open to cyclists.
Avoid cycling where your tyres would damage the path or verges (e.g. when
they are wet or soft).
Give way to others on the towpath and warn them of your approach. Pedestrians
have priority, a polite 'hello' and 'thank you' means a lot.
Watch out for anglers' tackle and give them time to move it before you
try to pass.
Dismount under low, narrow or blind bridges.
Never race one another or perform speed trials.
We recommend you obtain third party liability insurance and equip your
bike with a bell or hooter.
Take Care
Access
paths can be steep and slippery - join and leave the towpath with care
You must get off and push your cycle beneath low or blind bridges, and
where the path is very narrow
We strongly advise against cycling on the towpath after dark, but if you
have to, use front and rear lights
Thorny hedge trimmings can cause a puncture - we recommend plastic reinforced
tyres
Only cycle on stretches where it is permitted. Check with the local waterway
office or contact www.britishwaterways.co.uk
for further advice.
From
a personal point of view, while I fully endorse what British Waterways
are trying to accomplish, there are rules and regulations relating to
the canal towpath and until such times as these are enforced, there will
never, ever be a total peace on the towpath.
I am aware that a minority of anglers will never ever comply with any
code of practice and the sooner they leave the sport of angling the better.
But I do feel that the British Waterways guidelines to anglers are more
of a ‘boaters’ protection policy’.
It is just a pity that they have not addressed or emphasised the same
facts for those uncaring boaters who abuse the angling rights on canals.
Picking up on the statement ‘Don’t bounce tackle off boats or
tap them with pole tips’, with the current price of pole tips, no
angler in their right mind would risk damaging the flimsiest and probably
the weakest part of their tackle by tapping it on the edge or deck of
a moored boat.
I am convinced that this document has been compiled based on the views
of a boater.
With regards to cyclists, you can count on less than three fingers how
many cyclists say ‘hello’ or ‘thank you’.
And the majority of this fraternity do not know that four miles per hour
is the recognised walking pace and that they should seriously consider
adjusting their speeds accordingly when approaching other canal tow path
users.
A fond Farewell
This
is my final report as the angling correspondent for the Worksop Guardian
and I would like to take this last opportunity to express my sincere thanks
and appreciation to everyone who has supported me over the past 12 years.
I hope that you will give my successor the same kind of support so as
to ensure that the angling column remains one of the most popular sections
in the weekly publication.
To avoid disappointment would all subscribers to this angling column (past
and present) wishing to have any information published during the lead
up to the festive season please submit their reports direct to the Worksop
Guardian (01909 500500) marked for the attention of Matt Halfpenny or
Will Spence.
Finally, I would like to wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas
and a Healthy and Prosperous New Year and tight lines for the future.
Look out in next week’s paper for details of your new Worksop Guardian angling correspondent.
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Yours in Sport Glyn |