Fishing people
Apprehenders of fish
People of the rod
I just didnāt want to exclude the fairer sex from dangling their worms in the water Harbalā¦
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I donāt think Iāve ever seen a woman fishing. I suppose itās the kind of thing that only a man would see any point in. 
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I pass a lot of people fishing on my travels around along the canal network - mostly men but I sometimes see women - I call them all anglers.
Judging by the black looks some of them give us when they have to reluctantly raise their rods as we sail past, I think they may call us something less complimentary! 
I sometimes see people magnet fishing but not very often - it against the bylaws on most of the canal network and inland waterways maintained by the Canal and River Trust and you could be fined Ā£25. I donāt know how much the CRT bother to enforce this bylaw, though.
I would have thought magnet fishing is helping to clear some rubbish out of the canal and the CRT would turn a blind eye unless someone is doing it in a place which may be harmful or dangerous or if they are leaving lots of unwanted rubbish on the tow path.
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Thatās the word we were searching for. 
I thought it may have been! 
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I also see a lot of women fishing, but the men usually outnumber them about 10 to 1ā¦
As a boy I used to go fishing with my 12 foot Spanish Reed or split cane rods. But nowadays every angler seems to have one of those 40 foot carbon fibre poles that runners and walkers have to hurdle over while out on gentle afternoons jog or walk. When did that happen then?
Wouldnāt it be far easier to have a rod or pole half that size and go and fish on the opposite bank.
Mind you, I do like to see the fear in their eyes as I race to leap over the Ā£500 state of the art fishing poleā¦
Iām not sure I like the smugness embedded in that comment.
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@OldGreyFox - I know exactly what you mean about having to jump over (or sometimes limber under) those huge fishing poles as you walk along the Towpath!
For a bit of exercise when weāre travelling, one of us will often walk the few miles from one lock to the next, while the other drives the boat.
Last time we were out on the water, I had to walk past a really long line of anglers stretching for about a mile along the canal bank.
It became embarrassing because, one after another, I was passing this long line of anglers who were having to retract and raise their rods from the canal as the boat passed by then move their rods from blocking the towpath to allow me to climb over them or duck underneath them.
It felt like a walk of shame!
I reached the bridge before the boat, so took a pic looking back at the long line of anglers- Iām not sure if youāll be able to see just how far the row of anglers stretches back
(I think they use the long rods because their CRT fishing licence will only allow them to fish from the towpath side)
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Iāve noticed quite a few Eastern Europeans fishing on the canals near me. You can tell by the sounds their mouths make that they are Eastern European. Their equipment is usually very basic, and I suspect that their purpose is more hunter gatherer than recreational.
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I know many East Europeans donāt understand our love of fish in park ponds, for example, as having any point if not to be eaten. Many got into trouble with the police for fishing those ponds and simply couldnāt get their heads round why we feed the fish, instead of the other way around. 
Different cultures have different rules I suppose.
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I donāt think.its illegal.to catch fish in park ponds and the likes providing that you are following the rules of numbers and sizes of fish caught and of course you have a valid fishing licence which you should have if you are 13 or over, but there may be local bylaws in place
When fishing in licenced waterways, Iām pretty sure you are supposed to return the fish you catch, you are not allowed to take them away and eat them. 
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Maybe, I was just basing my comments on what I read on the gov.uk website as I thought they might know what UK laws were but possibly not.
I live in Scotland where you require written permission of the authority/land owner to fish.
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Although I very much doubt that these Eastern Europeans have fishing licenses, in which case they can hardly be accused of breaking their terms and conditions. 
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True lolol
That towpath is just begging to be explored Boot, absolutely beautiful, minus the anglers of courseā¦Could that have been a fishing match? I avoid walking the towpaths at the weekends, what with Kids, cyclists, dogs and Anglersā¦
Yes, thatās bad enough without jogging pensioners. 
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I was probably a little harsh about cyclists Harbalā¦
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