The Times, January 19th, 1934
Canal Fishing
New Stock for Wombwell, Stairfoot and Mexborough
Sheffield Association’s Aid
A Miners’ Sport Reviving
With monumental patience six or seven anglers stood in the cold at the top of Broomhill Lane, Wombwell, for two hours on Saturday afternoon. Nobody troubled to enquire their business, but it was obvious from the anxious glances they cast up the road that they were looking for someone. They had been there since 2-30 and the little group, notwithstanding that anglers are accustomed to wait for it, were a trifle impatient. Then, just as the light was beginning to fade, one of them spied something in the dim distance and shouted “They’re here boys.” There was something coming which might have been the ghost of a Dearne Valley tramcar or a pup off a menagerie. It was on wheels and rapidly drew near. It proved to be a motor vehicle loaded with tanks. The tanks contained fish.
Evidently the driver was aware that he was expected. Seeing the little group, he pulled up and stepped out. Another man wearing sea-boots hopped out after him. There was shaking of hands all round. “How’s Jim” asked the man in the sea-boots addressing Mr. James Billington, the big water bailiff of the Sheffield Anglers’ Association and Jim assured him he was “O.K.” “Brought many?” asked Jim as his pals crowded round and the man in the sea-boots answered. “Not many, but they’re all good ‘uns.” Harry Cousins was with the party and so was Major Hitchen.
There was a little more chat, and then the man in the sea-boots, who had more calls to make and wanted to be getting on, asked “Where will you have ‘em?” That was Jim’s job. “Bring ‘em down here,” said he, and in a few minutes, they had the lorry on the canal bank. Jim directed the operations. They lifted the big churns off his lorry on the Wath side of the bridge in Broomhill Lane and emptied them onto the towing path.
Specimens
“By gum,” they gasped. “Them IS beauties.” And so they were. They were what the hardened angler calls “specimens” – bigger than anything we have seen taken out of the canal in these parts, though we have heard of bigger. At the instigation of the Sheffield and District Anglers’ Association they had been brought from Hillsboro’ Park, Sheffield, to give local anglers something to “go at” and to improve the local strain. Other consignments from the lorry were dumped into the canal at Stairfoot and at Mexboro’. The man in the sea-boots said that as far as numbers went it had not been a good catch. He had had trouble with the trawl. “Couldn’t get along nohow, somehow.” But, as they could see, they were a good lot. We didn’t count them but there must have been at least fifty. Worth waiting for they all agreed. “And now you know where to catch ‘em,” said one. “If they are still here in the morning you can bring your rod and try your luck with an early worm.”
There is a general impression among non-anglers that if a fish is kept out of water for a few seconds it is dead and done for. These men knew better. The tanks were emptied not directly into the water but on to the embankment. There the fish wriggled and flipped and flopped for quite a long time before they either were pushed into the water or slithered in. It was not a rushed business. The onlookers had every opportunity for admiration and inspection. There was one particularly large specimen and Jim, who wields a rod as craftily as any in these parts, said he hoped to be the first to “grass” it again. But the fish were all away now. The empty tanks were reloaded, the lorry turned Mexboro’ way, and the little group of enthusiasts went off to tell their pals all about these three-quarter pounders. They were all roach by the way. The tench and perch may come with the next consignment this week-end.
Miners’ Sport: A Revival
During the long period of trade depression angling has gone out of vogue a good deal among miners in this district The older end have not had the money to follow the sport and the younger ones have not taken to it with the same enthusiasm as the old hands. Once upon a time the Sheffield and District Anglers’ Association had a branch at Wombwell, but many of the members dropped out and there are now only individual members with clubs at Turf Tavern and Queen’s Head (Hoyland, Elsecar Midland, Wombwell and Station Lane Junction Inn (Wombwell) and Darfield Welfare. The men spoke contemptuously of the new fishing and outing clubs with more “outing” than “fishing.”
But there seems to be a revival in the offing. The pits are working better and many of the old-timers are getting their rods out again. There has been more fishing on the towing path between Wombwell Junction and Aldam during the past six months than at any period for the last ten years. And, moreover, quite considerable catches are reported. Jim Bromley has pulled a pound roach at Aldam Bridge and Harry Cousins lifted five pounds of roach at the same spot as recently as last Saturday, and one or two weighing twelve ounces.
Canal Fishing
Those who are inclined to despise canal fishing may be interested in the testimonials of a well-known local angler, “Ted” Noble, who avers that “there is not a stretch of water in Yorkshire yielding better roach than the canal at Wombwell.” And the fishing ought to be good because the water has been re-stocked four or five times within the last six or seven years. Two years ago, the Sheffield Anglers’ Association put in at Wombwell over a thousand roach and perch, and 42 fine tench. Curiously enough, not one of the tench has been recaptured, and there is something of a mystery surrounding them. They are still in the water – James Bromley saw one recently at Aldam.
A Bugbear
But it would be a mistake to give the impression that canal fishing at Wombwell is good. It could not be so or local anglers would not travel to Keadby and other distant places. The fish are there in their thousands but they will not take the bait while there is natural food around them. The bugbear is the weed. If the weeds in which the fish hide and from which they obtain their food could be cleared out, the canal at Wombwell would be an angler’s paradise, as witness the excellent fishing at the Aldam end, where the water is deep and the weeds not quite so thick.
“What we want,” said one of the men “is some boat traffic to disturb the weed growth and to keep the water moving. Perhaps we shall get some boats up if trade improves at the pits.” To clear out the weeds by any other process would be a costly business, and it is not likely, on the revenue they obtain from the district, that the Sheffield Anglers’ Association could be persuaded to do the job. Mr. Noble recalled that thirty years ago “you could not get wrong in this canal.” Fish up to two pounds were pulled out, and there were plenty of ‘em. As recently as 1920 the All-England Championship was fished at Stairfoot.
Skilful Anglers
If by this frequent re-stocking canal fishing at Wombwell is brought up to the old standard again there will be plenty of good anglers to tackle it. As a matter of fact, Wombwell’s reputation for reaching skilful anglers is known far and wide. Where is there a waterside place between Wombwell and the coast where they have not cause to respect the genius of Frank Anderson, Harry Hatcliffe, Jim Billington, Fred Harding, George Shepherd and Arthur Davies, all members of the Station Road W.M.C. Fishing Club, who fished in two matches of Sheffield and district affiliated clubs last season and won both. They also won the “Sunbright” Cup outright and the “Godbehere” Cup for twelve months; and were runners up to Swinton in the South Yorkshire Club Union Cup. This is hundred per cent “fishing” club, and all members must fish in the annual match to take a prize.
For the improvement of local fishing conditions, anglers in this district are indebted to Mr. James Billington, who is district agent for the Sheffield and District Anglers’ Association. The stock introduced from Hillsboro’ last Saturday was brought over at his instigation. And what does it cost to fish? Not much, a shilling for the water ticket and a shilling for a Yorkshire licence. Thus armed, you are entitled to wield your rod over two hundred miles of canal. Mr Billington will be pleased to supply would-be anglers with further details.