Dozens of perch, roach and bream were released into the Rochdale Canal in Manchester city centre today (Friday 24th April) to mark the start of a new fishing agreement between the Canal & River Trust and the world’s oldest angling club, the Salford Friendly Anglers Society.
The club, which can trace its roots back to 1817, currently has fishing rights on the River Irwell and a few small lakes and reservoirs around Greater Manchester. However from this week their members will now be able to extend their angling activities to a 12 mile stretch of the Rochdale Canal, from the canal’s start in Castlefield, through Manchester city centre to Middleton, near Rochdale.
Anglers will be able to fish for roach, bream, perch, pike, carp, tench and eels which swim between the canal’s many locks.
John Ellis, national fisheries and angling manager with the Canal & River Trust, is delighted the Rochdale Canal will soon become a mecca for anglers. He said: “The canal provides a green corridor of peace and tranquillity through the busy urban streets. The water quality has improved greatly in recent years and we are very pleased to welcome Salford anglers as a friendly presence on our towpaths.”
Mike Duddy, chairman of the Salford Friendly Anglers Society, added: “This new agreement is a fantastic opportunity for the city’s anglers to enjoy excellent fishing, right on their door step.
“The rejuvenation of the Rochdale Canal through Manchester is great for anglers but also for walkers, joggers, boaters and cyclists too. It’s wonderful for people to escape to the canal to enjoy a piece of countryside in the middle of the city. I have recently spotted kingfishers and red shanks flying over the water. It’s a wonderful, peaceful place to enjoy a spot of fishing.
“Anyone wanting to fish on the Rochdale Canal should contact the Salford Friendly Anglers Society via www.salfordfriendlyanglers.co.uk. Membership is available free online, as the Society actively encourages people to take up angling as a pastime in a region where so many of the lakes, rivers and canals were polluted by our industrial past.”
In addition to being a member of the Salford Friendly Anglers Society, any angler also needs an Environment Agency rod licence (if aged 12 or over) available from https://www.gov.uk/fishing-licences/when-you-need-a-licence
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