Question:

What are the requirements for fishing on canals?

Answer:

You will need a licence which can be obtained from any main post office, ask
for a 'rod licence' for coarse fishing.  You can buy ones that last for 24
hours, one week or one year.  The penalties for being caught fishing without
a licence are severe - up to GBP2,000.

You will probably also need a day ticket to fish in the canal.  These are
usually available from a bailiff who wanders along the towpath around
mid-morning.  Most fishing rights are held by local fishing clubs - nearby
signs may give further information or you can ask other fishermen. It is a
myth that you don't need a licence if you are fishing from a boat - you do!

If you just want to give fishing a try and need to buy equipment then go
into your local tackle shop and tell the bloke what you want to do - basic
fishing in a canal and that you don't want to spend too much.  He should
come up with a kit for anything between GBP10 and 50.

Those kits on sale in Argos are pretty good (says our regular angling
contributor).  However, if you actually want to catch something then go to a
tackle shop and buy some lighter strength line - 1 - 2 lbs breaking strain
will do and some smaller floats (30 - 50 pence each) and definitely smaller
hooks.  The bloke in the shop will show you how to load the line onto the
reel (he may even do it for you).  The fish in a canal are mainly (but not
always) small ones, so the lighter your tackle the better.

The best bait to use is maggots - these are kept in the fridge in tackle
shops. As they warm up they become more lively but also start to stink after
a while. And don't take them home or onto the boat and forget about them. If
you do you will end up with a plague of blowflys!  You can use tiny bits of
bread or small worms if you're not prepared to put the maggots in your
onboard fridge!

The best time to fish is early in the morning and for an hour before dark.
Don't bother fishing while the boat is moving - the only way to catch a fish
is to fool it into thinking the bait is there by natural means, not
man-made. Hence the small tackle.

Another tip is to borrow "how to" books from the library - they're excellent
and should help a lot.  By far the best way to learn is to ask the other
anglers on the towpath. Most anglers are only too pleased to show off what
they know.