Canal Boat Owners

[Georgie Boy]

I've been thinking about writing on the subject of canal boat owners for some time and have always put it off as to not cause any rift between them and us fishermen, but today really disappointed me. A new marina was built on my local stretch of canal around 15 years ago and about 10 years ago I noticed some decent looking carp residing among the wooden pontoons and boat hulls. Naturally, as I fished on the canal, I started stalking these carp and after catching quite a few regularly began to build a picture of their movements, favourite spots and hideouts etc. Over the next 5 years I occasionally fished for these carp but mainly just studied them and only fished for them to get measurements of growth rate and, of course, overall weight. They were like my own fish that I watched grow and feed and hide, and I knew exactly where to find them without being there, just on the conditions and if you'd have a chance of catching them or not. The main boating community in the village knew about the passion and obsession I had with these fish and would often have to stop me from going on about them. The marina manager also would regularly ask me how my "babies" were getting on, and it felt as if I had exclusive rights on these fish. Now when anybody else has fished for the marina carp I've always been excited to know how they got on and what weights the fish were and so on, but one particular fisherman decided he needed to take every item of fishing kit with him to the tow path. This did not go down very well with the boaters! He pitched a bivvy just inside the marina entrance and in general annoyed a few people which then led to one boat owner claiming there was no fishing allowed in the marina. I'd made a deal with the marina manager that if I fished in the marina he would give me a key so if anyone came round I could say I was on a boat and it was private fishing, althogh it was quite public. The same boat owner objected and was generally quite an arse by making my life hell throwing things into the water to scare away fish and starting his boat for no reason but to make me leave. Well that was 5 years ago and I've continued to watch these fish and me and my mate decided they had got quite large and needed measuring. So with the manager's permission we set off around the marina on a stalking session. My mate Si struck first into a beautiful shiny golden common that went 16lb 8oz which is his new PB. Then it was my turn, and after striking too early on one of the big ghosties, I was determined to hold one of my fish again and that fish came in the shape of a perfect 12lb 10oz common. With these two fish under our belts we really wanted one of the big ghosties of which I'm sure have to go 20lb. So just as we begin to plan our attack, Mr boat owner pipes up and begins his rant on his made up no fishing rule. Now to be honest I don't want to cause any bother so we just left and mentioned the situation to the marina manager, but I've lived in the village 26 years and fished that canal 21 of them and this particular boat owner has been living here for about 7 years and I get so disappointed that some people just won't listen to reason and try to understand other people's opinions. It was so nice to be reaquaited with the fish we caught today and I hope one day I'll get the chance to have another go without any trauma or controversy. I've always tried to be polite and curteous, it's a shame some people can't be the same.

Check out the last two pictures of my "Random Carp Adventures" photo album for the pics.

[Scotty]

Gutted to hear that mate. There is always one spoilt prat to rek everybody elses enjoyment. Does anybody have the fishing rights for that stretch? is so contact them get a yearly ticket, when your "no fishing mate" says no fishing show him your ticket and tell him to FISH OFF! if no body has the rights then ur ok to fish, or set about getting the fishing rights for your self. then you can again tell him to fish off!

[MarkeR]

i'd be telling him to 'fish off' too

[sold the house]

hello as a canal boat owner i would just say we are not all the same and your best line of attack against this idiot would be to befriend some other of the owners and be seen with them by him. Is he aware of your friendship with the manager /owner surely he must. an old friend of mine always says just keep on keeping on and he will back down, goodluck

[Tom]

Best of luck Georgie, you have far more patience than me, after the first time the guy had wound me up he'd be having a lifejacket surgically removed from somewhere we wont mention

And before anyone thinks it...i have nothing against anyone in particular, i just wont suffer a tool