poles and cyclists

#1

Snippet from "Narrowboatworld"

Angler and cyclist come to blows.

Friday, 25 November 2011 11:52
A cyclist trying to get to work was so upset by fishing rods across the towpath that he and an angler came to blows.

This happened earlier this month on the towpath of the Rochdale Canal near Todmorden, where three anglers had their rods stretched across the towpath causing the cyclist to dismount.

A fight broke out after one of the anglers told him to look what he was doing, Robin Spence was so irritated that he ran straight over the last of the rods, upon which one of the anglers caught hold of him and pulled him off his bike, and it was then a fight broke out.

One of the rods was damaged during the scuffle, and both the angler and the cyclist received injuries, with the cyclist attending hospital for treatment to his face and bruising.

#2

Are cyclists supposed to dismount when going past people on the footpath anyway (Both Anglers or walkers)

#3

This is the reative wording from the BW Waterways for All leaflet

Only cycle on stretches where it is permitted.
Check with the local waterway office or
www.waterscape.com.

Look after your waterways

Avoid cycling where your tyres would damage the
path or verges (eg when they are wet or soft)
Consider others

Give way to others on the towpath and warn them
of your approach. Pedestrians have priority. A polite
‘hello’ and ‘thank you’ mean 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 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 or
puncture sealant.

Hope this helps,

crappity smack bikes

This applies to BW owned towpaths.

#4

Ihad a run in with a women boater at awbridge, she only had to pick her leg up about a foot and moaned i feel sorry for her husband when he is trying to get his leg over if she can only pick them up that high

Golden_balls · #5

I had a situation on the Leeds Liverpool canal many years ago where I had left my pole lying across the towpath while talking to the angler next to me, a cyclist on a mountain bike came flying over the lock, which was more like a hump back bridge.
Only to land smack bang in the middle of my pole, then going over the handle bars and down the embankment into a load of brambles. I din't know whether to go mad at him or laugh, but he didn't say too much as I left him lying there.

grover · #6

is there a leaflet on fishermen's behaviour whilst on the towpath?

#7

There you go-

Essential dos and don’ts for fishing on the UK inland waterways.

Swans glide by, the sun glints on the water, there’s nothing better than relaxing on the canal bank and waiting for a fish to bite. Just keep in mind these common sense safety tips to make sure that angling is enjoyable for all visitors to the water.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do...

1. Clear up litter before you leave – even if it isn’t yours. If you see any litter or discarded tackle, pick it up, take it home and bin it.

2. Remove your rig instantly if it gets caught up in vegetation on the bank, in branches or underwater snags. But do think carefully about the best and safest way to do this. If you cannot recover lost tackle, remember to tell the club bailiffs or the fishery owner so they can remove it for you.

3. Choose where to fish – your swim – with care to avoid the risk of snagging trees on the bank, vegetation and obstructions in the water.

4. Beware of birds swimming into your line or picking up surface baits.

5. Submerge rod tips if you are legering using bite alarms. Keep lines under the surface to avoid waterfowl. Where there is not heavy weed growth, it may be possible to use back-leads to keep the line below the water surface.

6. Watch your rod at all times when you are legering with quivertips or other visual bite indicators. Again, it may be possible to keep the rod tip under or close to the water surface to avoid contact with birds’ feet.

7. Retrieve your line when float fishing if there is a risk of birds swimming through the line. Even if you are using a waggler float with the line buried, the line will be only just below the surface so it still presents a risk.

8. Look out for wildlife. If swans or geese become entangled in the line, cut the line and report the incident as soon as possible to one of the rescue organisations below. You can free smaller birds at once. If they need treatment, hold them comfortably in a small box or other dark space.

National Swan Sanctuary Hotline: 01784 431667
RSPCA: 08705 555999
Wildlife Hospital Trust: 01844 292292

9. Be aware of signs. Fishing is not allowed in some stretches of waterway. In others, fishing is restricted to members-only.

10. Respect other waterway users. Try not to fish too close to marked winding holes or moorings which may need to be used by boaters.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don’t...

1. Drop litter or discard tackle. Remember that discarded nylon is particularly hazardous to wildlife. Take discarded or damaged line home. Burn it or cut it into short lengths before disposal.

2. Feed the birds. If birds associate people with food, there is a greater risk of them becoming entangled in fishing lines. Similarly, as an angler you must take extra care in places where people feed waterfowl.

3. Leave rods unattended while fishing. It is poor angling practice as it may result in a hooked fish becoming snagged. It also increases the risk of birds becoming entangled in the line or taking the bait. If you need to leave your swim, retrieve all your lines and secure the hooks to the rod.

4. Leave rods on the bank with hooks still baited; this food could be picked up by birds or animals.

5. Try to retrieve your line while there is a risk of birds swimming across it.

6. Forget to check your reel line carefully for flaws caused by wear and damage.

7. Use reel line straight through to the hook without a weaker link. Where possible use a hook length of lower breaking strain than the reel line.

8. Attempt to restrain an entangled and injured swan (or any other large bird or animal) by holding onto the line. This can cause severe injury and greater trauma. If the worst happens and a large bird becomes entangled in your line, cut the line as soon as possible and report the incident to one of the rescue organisatons listed previously.

9. Fish from a moving boat*

Fishing is permitted from the back of a boat moored to the towing path bank. However:
1. You must possess a valid permit or be prepared to purchase one from the controlling angling club or riparian owner when approached on any fishery that offers day permits.

2. You must also possess an Environment Agency rod licence available in advance online or from any post office.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Before going fishing, ensure you read The Waterways Code.

This applies only to BW stretches

grover · #8

didnt see anything regarding beware of cyclists? so i cant see whos at fault if a cyclist rides over ur pole or summink else, we know, but whos side is the law on? towpaths were not designed for hoards of moutain bikes! unless they've been re-done with that shingle stuff.

Sluicer · #9

I had two sections of my pole smashed to smithereens by a greyhound 18 months ago. The owner was stood next to me, talking about the fishing and his dog had trotted off ahead of him - only to come pelting back towards us. The bloke was stood between me & the dog, so I only saw it a split second prior to impact - too late to take avoiding action. The pole was on the roller at the back of the towpath, so up it went in a cloud of carbon fragments (formerly a No5 & a No6) - and out came the bloke's wallet....

Yes, unbelievably, he stumped-up the £500 for replacements straight away; nowt else he could do really as he had a dog off a lead in a public open space - which is against the law. Can't fault the bloke for holding his hand up straight away, but I've steered clear ever since; just in case lightning strikes twice...

#10

didnt see anything regarding beware of cyclists?

It's on the cyclists bit; how it reads is that the onus is on the cyclist to wait for the angler to get out of the way.

The interesting bit is Avoid cycling when the paths are wet,,,,,,,,, what can you say

grover · #11

my m8 had a similar thing on the ouse at ely in the 8os, a boat moored up near my m8 and a big old labrador jumped off,and made a be-line for him, jumped in the air and landed on his pole and smashed the 3rd or 2nd section, he had a go at the owner which was a woman, who had by then got off the boat to go shopping, anyways as i was in the next swim (10yrds away) i witnessed the whole thing, i think she foned the ol bill from the cafe behind us,and 1 officer turned up! the woman went back on her boat waiting to tell her version,but the dog didnt, and whilst my m8 was sitting on his box telling the copper what had happened, the dog went and smashed his tip section aswell!! i was fuming and so was my m8, from what i remember she and the dog got away with it? and didnt offer to pay for the damage,if my m8 wanted to pursue it in court he may or may not have won his case,in the end he didnt bother,as we lived a good hour or so away.

#12

Grover,

Probably sounds daft but from my limited knowledge your mate was possibly better off not persuing this.
Initially it would have possibly cost him an arm and a leg in solicitors fees.
OK, say he won the case which was also possible. There is no guarantee the offenders are going to pay up and although he probably would have had peace of mind he actually could have been poorer in the pocket.

The Law is a complete ass in cases like this.

Arch · #13

I had two sections of my pole smashed to smithereens by a greyhound 18 months ago. The owner was stood next to me, talking about the fishing and his dog had trotted off ahead of him - only to come pelting back towards us. The bloke was stood between me & the dog, so I only saw it a split second prior to impact - too late to take avoiding action. The pole was on the roller at the back of the towpath, so up it went in a cloud of carbon fragments (formerly a No5 & a No6) - and out came the bloke's wallet....

Yes, unbelievably, he stumped-up the £500 for replacements straight away; nowt else he could do really as he had a dog off a lead in a public open space - which is against the law. Can't fault the bloke for holding his hand up straight away, but I've steered clear ever since; just in case lightning strikes twice...

Not strictly true, the wording is "Under close control" One of my two comes under that wording, the other................He does what he likes.

As an aside, what about the well trained sheep dog 3 fields away working with the Farmer, that can't be on a lead can it ??

If i'm walking the Canal and there's Anglers about, my 2 are on the lead, no hassle then.

joffmiester · #14

i had mine broke and the chap replaced it

i think its the way you handle it as well but some are hell bent on ruining your day

Sluicer · #15

I had two sections of my pole smashed to smithereens by a greyhound 18 months ago. The owner was stood next to me, talking about the fishing and his dog had trotted off ahead of him - only to come pelting back towards us. The bloke was stood between me & the dog, so I only saw it a split second prior to impact - too late to take avoiding action. The pole was on the roller at the back of the towpath, so up it went in a cloud of carbon fragments (formerly a No5 & a No6) - and out came the bloke's wallet....

Yes, unbelievably, he stumped-up the £500 for replacements straight away; nowt else he could do really as he had a dog off a lead in a public open space - which is against the law. Can't fault the bloke for holding his hand up straight away, but I've steered clear ever since; just in case lightning strikes twice...

Not strictly true, the wording is "Under close control" One of my two comes under that wording, the other................He does what he likes.

As an aside, what about the well trained sheep dog 3 fields away working with the Farmer, that can't be on a lead can it ??

I offer my humblest apologies - I obviously know nothing.

How could I? You've succinctly demonstrated you know it all.

Arch · #16

No, i'm sorry. For daring to have an opinion.

trypewriter · #17

At great expense, most of our local (urban) lengths of the Trent and Mersey Canal had a cycle path built, several yards behind the towpath - do cyclists use it? No, they'd rather bike through the dog mess on the towpath. And why anyone needs 18 gears to cycle along something as flat as a cow's a**e is beyond me.

grover · #18

im sure that cyclists have to have a licence? although its not compulsary.. if that makes sense? maybe one day they will have to be insured?

joffmiester · #19

AK 47 should do it !! Jeremy clarkson thinks its ok to shoot the strikers yesterday on national television

me · #20

AK 47 should do it !! Jeremy clarkson thinks its ok to shoot the strikers yesterday on national television

i will supply his bullets