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So....How far is ‘local’ then?

Roger Hopkins

Roger Hopkins

Senior Member & Supporter
Well I’m climbing the walls now... nowhere to fish within 5 miles and I won’t go to a commercial.
Any one been stopped or had a bad experience for going 6 miles or more?
Not asking how far anglers have traveled, but as the season is coming to a close it would be nice to get out between floods!
 
Most of us are not fishing as we want to Roger. I’m having the contain my fishing to a local (5miles) gravel pit. I’m itching to get down the the river but it’s a 70 mile round trip to my closest Barbel fishing. If you don’t want to fish your local commercial you obviously don’t want to fish that bad! At the end of the day it’s down to your conscience, if you get collared by the boys in blue then you’ve only got yourself to blame.
 
I lived just outside Bridgnorth for a number of years, and could walk to the Severn. But, having moved towards Wolverhampton, I have been sticking to the rules and not travelling. Bridgnorth is 15 miles-ish away, and it's just not an option.

Trying to turn a negative into a positive, I am within walking distance of both Shropshire Union and Staffs & Worcestershire canal. So, I have enjoyed exploring both of them. Lots of lure fishing, trying to target the decent roach and the odd carp session have kept me occupied.
 
There is no fixed term that defines local but I think it’s relatively clear what taking the piss looks like. Personally I’ve got a stretch of the Stour and Avon within 5 miles (as the crow flies) from home, then a lake complex 6 miles from home. I’d class all that as local.
There’s another stretch of Avon I’d like to fish but it’s 11 miles away, whilst I’d under normal conditions call that local I’d be driving past a number of far more local spots to reach it and I’d consider it questionable. I could see the law saying it wasn’t local, and whilst I recon it wouldn’t hold up in court I can’t be doing with aggro especially seeings as... I travelled past other places to get there.
If I were to leave East Dorset and the adjacent New Forest district for say North Dorset or Hampshire proper, a journey of 20 miles I’d be asking for it really.
 
the upper lea is about 8 miles for me so haven’t been but veralum angling sent emails out asking for people to do work party’s quoting government guidelines and social distancing... so the way i see it is if i’m allowed to go and do a work party then it should be ok for me to go fishing
 
The guidance states to stay local when possible. Iv travelled 12 miles to my nearest stretch which I class as local twice. Not been stopped although there was a police car that pulled up on the road on the opposite side of the river from where I’d parked and believe if I was fishing that side they would of come and spoke to me. I think Iv got 2 lakes that are closer but that would both be probably heaving with anglers as they’re popular day ticket lakes. Both times Iv been to the river I was the only person there so much safer in my opinion
 
I only need to travel just over a mile to get to the main river and about 20 lakes but none of the places have been fishable for months due to flooding. I think that's the official definition of frustration.

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I asked an angler for his Permit last week he had travelled 19 miles, most are local. I kept quiet but did warn him we now sometimes get British Transport Police on a bridge over our Fishery checking people. The Bridge is the boundary of Middlesex and Bucks and lots of walkers use it.
 
Mark Swaby said:
I asked an angler for his Permit last week he had travelled 19 miles, most are local. I kept quiet but did warn him we now sometimes get British Transport Police on a bridge over our Fishery checking people. The Bridge is the boundary of Middlesex and Bucks and lots of walkers use it.
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Difficult isn’t it, To say what’s right or wrong,
Sure everyone who decides to travel think it’s just a few minutes more in a car, how can that hurt anybody which I think is true, But I can’t ...my conscience won’t allow me! Aarrrgh!! Then the frustration sets in....

So.....what should I do today... diy baitdropper, more bloody floats, I’ve changed all the line and serviced my reels!!
Or.. those jobs for the mrs, that’s been waiting years!

baitdropper me thinks.....
 
Edward Adcock said:
I only need to travel just over a mile to get to the main river and about 20 lakes but none of the places have been fishable for months due to flooding. I think that's the official definition of frustration.

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Fancy a house swap Edward, doesn’t need too much decorating...Promise 🤣
 
Few places along the Severn police have been stopping cars and asking where they are from ..and two of my angling clubs have stop us fishing there if more then 5 miles
 
I had a shoulder operation on 14th of January and have been in a sling since. So even if we could go fishing, I couldn't. I'm driving the missus up the wall apparently. The river is probably a little too far away anyway, so it could be next season before I get on a river. Hopefully get some Tenching in though.
 
Jim Ufton said:
My nearest bit of river(2 of them) are approx 7miles, and my nearest (propper supermarket for a full shop,not the local arkwrights)are 8 miles away, so to me thats good enough,
Regards and good luck for the last 4 weeks
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good luck for the rest of the season unless a change by Boris 77 miles is out of the question
 
Of the two rivers I fish, both are 37 miles away , one to the east and one to the west, so they are both way off being local, its a beggar that there is nowhere nearer, apart for canals and stillwater fisheries , which are mostly either commercials, or club venues which look like and are kept as commercials with the main thrust being pole fishing for carp.

I have been more or less stuck for quite a long while without wetting a line, as I wont venture to the commercial like venues at all, no interest there for me.

David
 
Jamie Dawson said:
Hopefully next Monday 22 February Boris will give us some good news and unchain us,the vulnerable have been vaccinated that was the governments target,I'm gagging for a session on a river.
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My understanding is that there will be some sort of announcement in the w/c 22 Feb - not on the 22nd itself
 
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