The bit you should read.

I’ve always been an angler and after around the country moving I wanted to discover and document the best places to fish (where ever I might be) in the way of rivers, lakes, canals and ponds. When previously fishing in South Wales I often fished in club and winter league matches, however living up north presented me with new challenges, venues and angling clubs that I acquainted myself with. Now down in the South West I plan to do the same.

This fishing blog details my angling adventures around the UK (although depending where I am in the country I also sea fish from both Boat and Shore, Carp, Pike and Fly fish). I will be giving a summary of 3 values considered by most anglers as well as the additional Disabled Access rating. Since being diagnosed with CIDP and regaining my motor function Disabled angling and Disabled access is now something I always consider when visiting venues. They will all be rated on a scale of 1* to 5*;

1. Fishability *****

2. Accessability *****

3. Value for Money *****

4. Disabled Access *****

I think these 4 points are the key issues which are readily identifiable with all anglers. Feel free to take a look and add your own comments along the way!

Tuesday 20 March 2012

Trip #25 - A nice place for a Bike ride and a Picnic

When I wrote recently that I was in need of a greater challenge I thought that this past weekend would be the answer to my prayers. It was the turn one of the many Leeds ASA waters, a stretch of the Aire and Calder Navigation Canal, just off Skelton Grange Road. From a young child my grandfather had told me about matches on venues which resembled this, the Grand Union canal and the Brecon – Monmouth Canal. Scratching for small fish, but still constantly catching, trying to get a bag full of silver bits to get that vital win in the section. Looking at this place on the map as well as my first impressions when I arrived I thought I had hit the nail on the head! Well...




Arriving at the venue and setting up as efficiently as I could in between being “tutted” at by all the cyclists, I set up my pole to fish the middle of the canal at 11.5 meters and on the ledge at around 4 meters. I was set up for what I thought was going to be a tough but enjoyable day. Plumbing the middle line I quickly found out that this was a deep part of the canal and if I fished dead depth it would be close on 12/13ft. Assuming the bottom was similar to that of the canal nearer my house, I shallowed up and fished at a depth of 9 feet, not wanting to catch any snags which may be on the bottom.  I potted in two good cups of Van Den Eynde Supercup, laced with hemp and casters I began my session waiting for the float to disappear.



I should have realised when a walker past me and told me that he had never seen anyone fish this section and everyone usually fished about “a mile or so up round the corner”, still I thought fortune favours the bold! I fished the pole for a solid 3 hours at both lengths mentioned, going down to dead depth and shallowing right up to a few feet from the surface. Not a bite. At this point I still had faith and out came the waggler rod and it wasn’t long before I was covering a lot more water. Casting across to the opposite bank, then pulling my cast short and letting the current push it down the canal. I stuck with this method for another hour, again, not a bite, despite trying everything in my bait arsenal. Worm, Maggots, Casters, Pinkies a grain of hemp, nothing would get me a bite. This called for the big guns! Out came the feeder rod, and with an hour or so left I aimed to sit it out with a lump of worm waiting for a perch which I knew the canal held. The only time my rod registered movement proved to be a branch which had slowly been working its way down stream.

At this point thoroughly deflated by my fishless outing I decided to call this trip to an end as all I had managed to do was drown some maggots. Then I remembered how far the car was and my bad mood came very close to being a full blown sulk, until I noticed the river running very slowly behind where I had been fishing. It looked very “fishy” and meant that the only good that came out of this trip was that I had found a nice new place to try and catch a River Aire Barbel when the season starts back up in June. As for the canal, I won’t be venturing back to that stretch despite it how good it looked. As I said, a good spot for a picnic and bike ride, but sadly not much else!

As a rating I would say;

Fishability - *
Accessability - * (It’s a long walk up a private road)
Value for money - £Free (If you are a Leeds ASA Member)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

That would be the Aire and Calder Navigation not the Leeds and Liverpool Canal

Unknown said...

Apologies, duly noted. Will edit as soon as I get home. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Paul, if you venture that little bit further towards Rothwell\woodlesford you will catch plenty, and no long walks.

Unknown said...

Edited! Thank you Anonymous person.

Anonymous said...

The river behind you is full of fish below the small wier
If you go to Woodlesford Lock and park up then cross over the lock and walk towards Leeds you will get plenty of fish and it's owned by Leeds

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