Simple Match Fishing Forum

BRITISH WATERWAYS OPENS UP 300 MILES OF CANAL TO ANGLERS

British Waterways is making more than 300 miles of the national canal network available to angling clubs and individual anglers. The new Waterway Wanderers scheme launches on Thursday 15 April and will provide access to 122 previously unlicensed locations throughout England and Wales.

Waterway Wanderers covers those areas which are not already licensed to local angling clubs and the annual permits are priced at:
Adult: £20
Concessions: £10
Juniors: £5 (16 or under on the date of purchase)

What’s more, any adult who is a member of the Angling Trust is also entitled to £10 off the price of an annual permit. Day permits are available from Waterway Wanderers bailiffs on the bank at a cost of £5 and angling clubs who register in advance can join the Waterway Wanderers club scheme, which also entitles them to hold a set number of matches without peg fees.

British Waterways national fisheries manager, John Ellis says: “Canals are great for juniors just starting and experienced anglers alike. After a successful pilot in the North West I’m really pleased to be able to extend the Waterways Wanderers scheme to the rest of the country.”

John Harding, who will administer the scheme, says: “Waterways Wanderers plugs the gaps between those stretches of waterway which aren’t currently being let to clubs. This scheme will make fishing canals much easier and I’m looking forward to welcoming many more anglers to the waterways. “

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust said: “Britain’s canals offer a fantastic resource for anglers of all abilities, in the countryside and inner city alike. Angling Trust adult members will be able to enjoy all that fishing for just £10 a year. We hope that this will encourage thousands of anglers to get out on the towpath and join the Angling Trust.”

For more information, including a list of the waters available on a Waterways Wanderers permit visit www.waterscape.com/waterwaywanderers or contact John Harding on 01829 732 748 or j.harding048@btinternet.com

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact: Nayna Wood, British Waterways
T. 020 7985 7314 M. 07796 191120 nayna.wood@britishwaterways.co.uk


Notes to editors:

Waterway Wanderers Scheme

The new Waterway Wanderers permit is runs for 12 months from the date of issue. Individual members of the Angling Trust are entitled to a £10 concessionary rate on individual permits upon receipt of a photocopy of their membership card.

Season permits for angling clubs:

Any bona fida angling club registering in advance with the Waterway Wanderers Administrator may join the Waterway Wanderers club scheme. Registration is free of charge but all clubs registering must hold third party public liability insurance. Registered clubs with 10 or more joining members could purchase season permits at the concessionary rate of £10. All club permits would be bought in blocks of 5 with a minimum purchase of 10. This also entitles the registered club to a certain number of free matches (a £10 booking fee is required but no peg fees) on any fishery within the Waterway Wanderers Scheme as set out in the table below.

Number of Participating members Number of Matches with no peg fee (only the booking fee is required) Maximum size of free match
10 2 10 pegs
15 3 15 pegs
20 4 20 pegs
25 5 25 pegs
30 6 30 pegs
35 and upwards 10 100 pegs

Registered clubs wishing to book additional matches in addition to the free allocation may do so at a rate of £3 per peg plus the booking fee. Note that not all club members will be required to purchase a Waterway Wanderers permit.

Availability of day permits:

Day permits are available from patrolling Waterway Wanderers bailiffs on the bank at a cost of £5. No concessionary rates are available on day permits from patrolling Waterway Wanderers bailiffs.

Match fishing arrangements:

The arrangements for registered clubs are outlined above. For non registered clubs wanting to book a match the match peg fee will be £5 per peg plus a £10 booking fee with a minimum match size of 10 pegs.

Enquiries and obtaining permits:

For all permits, match bookings and club registration enquiries contact:
Mr John Harding
34 Nantwich Road
Tarporley CW6 9UW
email: j.harding048@btinternet.com
telephone: 01829 732 748

*The same rules still apply to anglers wishing to fish on stretches already leased to angling clubs.
British Waterways cares for 2,200 miles of the nation's canals and rivers. Rich in heritage, abundant in wildlife and teeming with activity, inland waterways are as popular today as they've ever been. Half the population lives within five miles of one of our waterways and an incredible 13.1 million adults use them every year as part of their everyday life – as a short-cut to work, for walking the dog or simply for taking time-out and watching the boats. British Waterways' job is to ensure the waterways attract enough investment to be well maintained and remain appealing to society and the local communities through which they pass.
www.britishwaterways.co.uk

Anywhere in the midlands ?

PATROLLING WATERWAYS WANDERING BAILIFFS that will be the day
still the eastern boys will have to watchout

Interesting concept - my initial reaction to the idea is supportive towards it.

The Waterscape website does contain a link detailing the waters available on the Waterway Wanderers permit - viz

http://www.waterscape.com/features-and- ... ers-permit

At the bottom it also includes details of waters not covered by the scheme.

The initiative does beg a couple of questions/observations though .

On a personal note, whilst The Cannock Extension Canal is not included in the available waters - it’s controlled by myself on behalf of Harrisons S&SC - it’s also not excluded, which could cause some confusion/dispute on the towpath with any new permit holder. I could do with the Extension adding into the exclusion list

Also looking from a personal perspective (on behalf of Cashmores AC) at the Wyrley & Essington Canal the following sections/lengths will be available to WW permit holders

BCN - Wyrley & Essington Canal
• Coopers Bridge – Yorks Bridge
• Hollands Bridge – Forest Footbridge
• Perry Hall Bridge – New Bentley Bridge
• Deans Road Bridge – Horseley Fields Junction

Other than locating via the website details, are prospective WW permit holders given a ‘hard copy’ of all available waters to them - perhaps in a printed club card

How will WW permit holders  identify where ‘Coopers Bridge to Yorks Bridge’ is and again where Hollands Bridge is sited so that they are effectively aware that the intervening sections of waters are club controlled and not available to be fished without the necessary permission/controlling club permits

How would changes to the available waters be communicated to WW permit holders 

Say given in the example above Club ABC take on the lease of the canal between Coopers and Yorks bridge? needs to be some communication to avoid towpath disputes between any 'new' controlling club and WW permit holders.

How effective will the policing of BWB bailiffs be? Guess only time will tell with the volume of day permits sold.

Will effective policing of the towpath by BWB lead to a rise in the instances of ‘poaching’ of rented club sections by individuals looking to avoid paying the day ticket price of £5 or annual permit

£5 a day to fish the cut does appear a little ‘steep’ although I can probably understand the reasoning behind this to encourage canal anglers to purchase annual WW permits.

Interestingly there are no concessions with the £5 day ticket although a junior could purchase an annual WW permit for the same price, £10 for those over 65.


Will the introduction of the WW permit impact on some existing clubs that control sections of the canal system

Whilst our club waters - 1.6mls - can be fished on an annual club card which we believed to be a snip at only £5 (we aint in it to make sacks of money, just cover our lease and insurance liability costs), will ‘local’ anglers shy away from us in preference to the purchase of a WW permit which they may perceive to offer ‘greater’ value

The season tickets for clubs with ‘free matches’ is certainly interesting. It could possibly impact on some existing lease holding clubs who allow bookings on their waters by ‘3rd party clubs’  All down to doing your sums. 

(Mind a £1 peg to book either the Cashmores W&E canal or the Harrisons Cannock Extension canal has still got to be decent ‘value’) 

In fact I can see it encouraging some clubs who may make a number of match bookings per annum to explore the possibility of controlling their own sections of canal.   


Just a few thoughts and queries………….

Just another quick thought - how will 'forthcoming' match bookings be communicated to WW permit holders to avoid possible towpath friction between pleasure/match anglers?

Thought with all the cut cracks that use this forum this topic might have generated a few more views

Just another quick thought - how will 'forthcoming' match bookings be communicated to WW permit holders to avoid possible towpath friction between pleasure/match anglers?

The answer to that one is that the matches will be advertised. Good point though.

I went to the launch of this at Whitchurch last night

i hope they will put notice's out on the morning as well
in Holland they have a flag man who gets to the venue at 5am puts hi flags out and then sits there until the anglers turn up to the pegs he kicks off any angler that turn up to pleasure fish
are you impressed well you should be as the matches don't start until dinner time

are you impressed well you should be as the matches don't start until dinner time

crappity smack that; do they hate drinking that much?

To answer you q the matches should be advertised in the press, crappity smack them crappity smack flags off.

OK aall right carm down

he's a big fuc#er bill that flag man VAN BUSTER JOFF FLOAT

He can stick his orange flag right up his Dutch wobbly cheeks

he won't like that

i'm off to the woodies see you bill

Especially sidewards