Pike Angling At Glasson Dock Nr Lancaster

[IanBass]

I have just read this on another site. If it is true, and it appears to be so, I, as a once a month angler to this location am totally disgusted and can not(due to financial reasons) and will not join the PACGB just to fish there. So that's one pike angler less. Well done PAC!!!!

Lancaster Canal : Pike and predators - Sea fishing Forums • Sea fishing Forums

Edited May 20, 2013 by IanBass

[Vagabond]

Judging from the evasive replies to what seem reasonable (and foreseeable) questions, one wonders how well thought-through this acquisition is.

 

Citizen's arrests, eh?

 

Evidently those who refer to "pike police" are nearer the mark than I thought.

 

I shan't be volunteering as a bailiff, for one.

 

FWIW The Lancaster canal has a good head of grass carp - they lurk in the reed/rush fringed stretches, close to the bank. Catchable on bread crust.

[Alan Roe]

Thankfully the grassies are above Carnforth.

 

The aquisition of the fishing on the Lanky cut is a brave move to make and given some of the people I know who have fished the cut I would suggest that in some areas the bailiffs would be better going in two's especially down at the Preston town end!

I have a strong feeling that certainly initially there will be a good deal of resentment and resistance as the cut has been essentially a free fishery as long as I can remember. Many years ago northern anglers had it and there was in theory at least a £3 charge for a day but in all the years I fished it I never saw anyone try to enforce that.

Whilst there is talk of using the revenue to improve the cut as a fishery, the elephant in that particular room is the level of boat traffic and boaters pay a great deal more than anglers for the use of the cut and many of them like to fish off the back of the boats..

A lot of baillifs are going to be needed to cover the cut effectively as it is a very long piece of water with many remote stretches.

Somehow I have the feeling that there needs to be a significant amount of strategic planning to be done here not the least in getting the word out about the changes.

Many casual anglers do not read the angling media nor access angling sites so the issue is how to reach out to these people.

Another potential issue is how many casual anglers who do not fish for pike does the PAC want as members...too successful a recruitment drive could potentially change the shape of the PAC.

Whilst this may seem something of a negative post it is not intended to be that way but I am just wondering how far this has been thought through.

[AddictedToScopex]

Good luck to them if they want to try and police that canal. I dont believe this announcement will bring about any changes whatsoever other than having a few more anglers from PAC on the bank. It wont get policed at all and nothing will change in my opinion.

[Eric Edwards]

Some interesting thoughts there. Yes the PAC have taken over the Lancaster Canal from Preston to Hest Bank, a distance of some 35 miles. CRT were looking for a partner organisation to take it on and had it not been PAC, it would have been one of the larger clubs or a private individual. Since the change from British Waterways to the Canals and Rivers Trust they are looking to do things differently and you will see many more canals and some stillwaters passing from CRT control to clubs and others.

 

The canal has never been free to fish, despite what people think. It was formerly on the BW rover ticket but that was not enforced. PAC became involved with the CRT after several high-profile nettings on canals across the country where pike, including some specimens, were removed at the request of match groups. The pike removal on the Stainforth and Keadby Canal in particular has enraged pike anglers across the land as this was a very good pike fishery. It is the PAC view that by controlling waters such as the Lancaster canal, we can ensure that no such pike removal will take place.

 

Stewardship of the canal fits in very well with the PAC's growing educational programme (I am also the club's Angling Development Officer) and we will be using the acquisition to enhance this programme still further. I'm aware of the problems and I'm aware that some people are not happy with the situation but we are only asking £25 a year for general fishing and £16 a year, on top of PAC membership (£22.50) for pike fishing.

 

The quality of the fishing on the canal is superb, despite the poaching problem (which we wiil deal with) and we already have a match group running a series of successful matches. Last week the three-hour evening match was won with over 34lbs with second and third places of 28lbs and 22lbs respectively. A 22lb carp was caught from Glasson back in February and local anglers report some very big roach, particularly from the Salwick area. There is the potential for a very big pike, that's what attracted the PAC in the first place, and with proper care, the pike fishing is only going to improve.

 

Here are some pics from tuesday's match.