Shropshire Union Canal reels in national angling championship

[Ray T]

CANAL & RIVER TRUST PRESS RELEASE 

Shropshire Union Canal reels in national angling championship 

Hundreds of the nation’s top anglers are set to descend on the Shropshire Union Canal this August for the Angling Trust Division One National Championship. 

The Canal & River Trust charity, which cares for 2,000 miles of waterways, will be working alongside the Angling Trust and Hodnet Angling Club to host this major championship along “the Shroppie” in Market Drayton on Saturday 19 August – the largest single one day event in the angling calendar.

 Up to 500 of the UK’s best anglers will be congregating along a 15 mile stretch of towpath, hoping to hook success from the hidden depths of the beautiful rural waterway. It is the first time the competition has been hosted entirely on the Shropshire Union Canal and with some 50 teams, each fielding ten anglers, plus a number of advance practice matches, the contest promises to give a major boost to the local economy.

 Dozens of volunteers and angling club officials will be helping to marshal and organise the competition. The winning team will be the club with the greatest number of points at the end of the contest. Prizes include coveted trophies and medals for the top three teams and most successful individual with the highest weight.

 The national championship has a long and distinguished history dating back to the first All England angling contest in 1906. The National Federation of Anglers was established in 1903 and the sport grew hugely in popularity. However it wasn’t until 1937 that a canal was selected as the venue for the national competition and then for a second time in 1963. Since then a total of 66 national angling championships have taken place on canals, hosting matches in six different divisions.

 This August will be the pinnacle of the fishing year for Canal & River Trust national angling and fisheries manager John Ellis and his small team. Their work involves managing £40 million of fish stocks across the canal network, organising agreements with over 250 angling clubs and encouraging more people, especially youngsters, to take up the sport.

 He said: “This 2017 competition promises to be a fantastic event both for the anglers and for Shropshire. There will be about a dozen practice events before the big day. If you factor in the money spent on accommodation, food, drink and fishing tackle, the payback for the county is considerable.

 “Our canals are brimming with wildlife, even in urban areas. They are home to more than 20 native species of fish including pike, perch, roach, bream and dace. Fishing is a really fun sport and it’s cheap to get into. You don’t need much to get going - just a rod, some bait, angling licence, permit and a nice spot to fish. It’s a great way to spend a day.

 “Once you get the angling bug, there are dozens of competitions up and down the country where you can test out your skills. This 102^nd championship is the pinnacle of that competition world, with the nation’s best anglers pitting their wits to be crowned national champions. We are all looking forward to a spirited and closely-fought competition.”

 Andre Grandjean, Chairman of the Angling Trust’s Coarse Competition Committee, added: “We are extremely excited to be working with Canal & River Trust and Hodnet AC for our blue riband event of the year.  The ‘Shroppie’ is in very good form at the moment and we are looking forward to a very competitive match.”

 For more information about the National Angling Championship, practice matches or getting started in fishing along a canal, visit www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/fishing or join the discussion on Facebook www.facebook.com/Canalrivertrustangling

 ENDS

For further media requests please contact:

Lynn Pegler on 07783 686246

Lynn.pegler@canalrivertrust.org.uk

[matty40s]

15 miles of tickover in the middle of the school holidays.......

[mrsmelly]

3 minutes ago, matty40s said:

15 miles of tickover in the middle of the school holidays.......

You couldnt make it up. There will be fun if locks are busy with boats queueing.

[Ray T]

Just now, matty40s said:

15 miles of tickover in the middle of the school holidays.......

Just pull up and put the kettle on - you've 364 other days to cruise that stretch. 

[matty40s]

Pull up where, fisherman every 20 feet .....

 

I was actually thinking of the poor hire boating families who have decided on a 7 day route for their holiday and get caught up in the competition or practice days.

Edited April 27, 2017 by matty40s

[Sea Dog]

Well at least the CRT have now published that notice, which is good, so boaters can follow the sage advice they carefully included ... Oh, they didn't.

[MtB]

1 hour ago, matty40s said:

Pull up where, fisherman every 20 feet .....

 

I was actually thinking of the poor hire boating families who have decided on a 7 day route for their holiday and get caught up in the competition or practice days.

 

At 3.00pm (ish) angling matches usually finish for the weigh-in. So assuming you start your cruise at 9am, that's a maximum of six hours' cruising without a stop. 

Hardly onerous is it?

[zenataomm]

Unless your 8 stone German Shepherd decides to hop off at a bridge and walk to the next one.

Something which he has been used to doing as and when required for the last 8 years.

The temptation of the round tins of wriggly things only just takes priority over the foil wrapped sarnies.

[MtB]

3 minutes ago, zenataomm said:

Unless your 8 stone German Shepherd decides to hop off at a bridge and walk to the next one.

Something which he has been used to doing as and when required for the last 8 years.

The temptation of the round tins of wriggly things only just takes priority over the foil wrapped sarnies.

 

How do you pick up the dogsh1t if your GS decides to have a dump on the towpath when you are still on the boat?

Just curious.

[zenataomm]

I never mentioned having a sh1t.

I was talking about stretching his legs.

I'm disappointed in you Mike.

I had a higher opinion of you.

[Dave_P]

23 minutes ago, zenataomm said:

I never mentioned having a sh1t.

I was talking about stretching his legs.

I'm disappointed in you Mike.

I had a higher opinion of you.

But, how do you prevent him from answering a call of nature when he's stretching his legs?

It's a fair question. 

[MtB]

1 hour ago, zenataomm said:

I never mentioned having a sh1t.

I was talking about stretching his legs.

I'm disappointed in you Mike.

I had a higher opinion of you.

 

But I did, and you swerved the question. 

I'm disappointed in you too. I had a higher opinion of you.

Dog sh1t on the towpath is a constant problem. There is a massive dog dump right outside my boat right now. 

[zenataomm]

If my dog fouls a towpath, pavement, road, park etc. I clear it up.

I didn't swerve your question as you had no evidence to ask it.

I mentioned the possibility of it happening because I used to have a GSD that was used to jumping off from the tug deck when she felt like it. The only action was for wife to jump off from the rear and accompany her in case she decided to be antisocial.

On one such occasion after they got around the corner they found a fishing match, and were forced to imitate The Grand National for over a mile.

[mayalld]

1 hour ago, zenataomm said:

If my dog fouls a towpath, pavement, road, park etc. I clear it up.

I didn't swerve your question as you had no evidence to ask it.

I mentioned the possibility of it happening because I used to have a GSD that was used to jumping off from the tug deck when she felt like it. The only action was for wife to jump off from the rear and accompany her in case she decided to be antisocial.

On one such occasion after they got around the corner they found a fishing match, and were forced to imitate The Grand National for over a mile.

It was a fair question to ask though, as your post implied that the GSD would take itself for a walk unaccompanied.

Indeed I have seen a number of boaters whose dogs do just that, and the boater can't remove the dog eggs from the towpath.

[zenataomm]

Well it's now answered.

The issue I have with lengthy angling matches is the inconvenience it causes to all other canal users. And has anybody boated through a day or so after such an event? If I were anywhere near this one after I'd be interested in counting the dead fish afterwards

[cuthound]

1 hour ago, zenataomm said:

Well it's now answered.

The issue I have with lengthy angling matches is the inconvenience it causes to all other canal users. And has anybody boated through a day or so after such an event? If I were anywhere near this one after I'd be interested in counting the dead fish afterwards

Never noticed dead fish after an event. Rubbish, now that's a different matter.