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Canal & River Trust through it Let’s Fish programme will organise an annual series of Let’s Fish celebration events which may be held from April through to early September of each year. They will appoint a small group of persons who will be responsible for management of the event series.
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The regional celebration events will be “pegged down” event, pegs to be preferably 22 yards (20 metres) apart, or more where practicable. The draw for fishing positions will take place on the bank on the morning of the event at least 1 hour before fishing commences.
Participants should aim to arrive at your fishing location a minimum of 1 hour before the fishing start time. Participants must fish from where the peg number is placed.
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Participants cannot change their peg position except as agreed by the lead section steward. Any participant fishing at the wrong peg will unfortunately be disqualified.
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All the sections of fishery to be used in the celebration will to be closed for fishing to all participants in all age groups from midnight five days prior to the celebration.
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There will be three age categories as follows:
Cadet 6 to 10 years of age as at 01/01/2025
Juniors - 11-15 years of age as at 01/01/2025
Full junior - 13-15 years of age as at 01/01/2025
Youth 16 to 20 years of age as at 01/01/2025
A participant can, should they so wish, choose to enter an older age category but cannot step down and enter a younger age category.
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The length of the fishing time at each celebration will be a maximum of three hours for cadets and ideally 3.5 hours (maximum 4 hours) for the junior and youth sections. The signals to commence and cease fishing will be given by the lead stewards.
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All participants under the age of 16 should be accompanied by a responsible adult who may also help carry their tackle to their peg. The responsible adult must typically sit to the rear of the towpath and take all reasonable steps to avoid sky lining participants. The responsible adult must not sit at the front of the towpath and overcoach the participant. Overcoaching is defined as the consistent ongoing provision of advice and provision of minutia around tactics and the next actions to take. Participants must be free to make their own tactical fishing decisions without constant interference from parents or club coaches.
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No participant may leave their fishing position during the celebrations other than to answer the call of nature or in an emergency situation.
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Let's Fish! coaches will do what they reasonably can to prevent spectators unreasonably approaching or interfering with the participants fishing.
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Except where agreed by the organising committee and announced by the latest at the commencement at the draw for pegs, for the first 90 minutes of the cadet, young junior and full junior events, the maximum distance that participants can fish out from the bank is three metres and the maximum length of usable pole will be three metres. No more than three metres of the pole should overhang the water, and the participants float must not be positioned more than 3 meters out from the water’s edge. Further details and explanation of this rule can be found in the National Celebration of Young People and Fishing rules and guidance can be found in this video.
If a large fish is hooked during the first 90 minutes, additional pole sections may be added to facilitate the landing of the fish.
- Maximum length of poles permitted in this event after 90 minutes has elapsed is:
- 11 metres for cadets,
- 13 metres maximum for juniors,
- 13 metres for youth.
Floating poles are not permitted. It is ultimately the responsibility of parents/guardians to ensure the participants use a length of pole which they can handle comfortably, and which does not cause injury or Musculo- skeletal trauma to the participant.
- Participants are expected to be always in sole control of their rod or pole, cast or ship in and out their rod or pole at all times, must strike, play and land their own fish from the confines of the peg, bait their own hooks and feed their own pegs with groundbait and/or loosefeed. Reasonable but not excessive help can be given to a participant by an accompanying responsible adult and appointed branded Let's Fish coaches, especially where the participant is young and inexperienced.
Examples of reasonable help would include using a disgorger to unhook fish after the participant first attempting to unhook that fish, pulling for a break when snagged, tying a new hook to line, retrieving a lost section of pole from the waterway, using a landing net to assist the landing of a bonus fish or illustrating something that the participants is then asked to demonstrate back as part of their learning process. In the unlikely event of a dispute, the decision as to what's reasonable shall be down to the lead event organiser and deemed final.
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Loose-feeding, ground baiting or the use of a baited hook are not permitted before the commencement of a celebration event. Participants are allowed to plumb the depth, test the shotting of floats etc before the all-in. A swim feeder cannot be used for any purpose prior to the starting signal or in the first 90 minutes of the celebration unless announced to the contrary to all participants at the draw.
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A participant can only use one rod or pole, one line and single hook at any one time. They may have other un-baited poles or rods, and tackle assembled in a position behind or alongside them.
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A participant must not cause annoyance to or seek to interfere with another participant during the course of the celebrations. Participants and accompanying adults must act in a sporting manner at all times.
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Any bait subject to local rules can be used, the lead event organiser can provide venue specific information. Baits that are allowed in all celebrations are various species of maggots, casters, worms, bread, bread-based pellets such as Fjuka and hemp. Typically, unless local fishery rules allow it, the following baits and groundbait are not permitted in any 2025 regional, bloodworm and joker, any pellets containing fishmeal, sweetcorn, luncheon meat, boilies, lures, spinners, fish or dead fish and any groundbait containing fishmeal.
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Participants must retain all fish in a keepnet, pegged at both ends to avoid contact with passing boat traffic. All fish caught are eligible for weighing except game fish, pike, zander, wels catfish and crustaceans.
In the event of capture of a zander or wels catfish, the fish should be retained in the keepnet and managed in line with legislation by the lead coach.
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Participants must cease fishing at the all-out signal. Should a participant still be playing a fish hooked as the finishing signal is given, they will be allowed up to 15 minutes to land the fish.
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Participants are responsible for ensuring their pegs are clear of litter, including peg cards, and no participant shall have their catch weighed in who has litter on the banks or in their swim.
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Participants aged 13 and over must possess an Environment Agency/Natural Resources Wales rod licence. They are available free of charge to those aged 13 to 16 inclusive.
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All the additional rules that apply to the National Celebration of Young People and fishing event will also apply to these regional celebration events and you can find a copy of these here.
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Any participant proved to be in contravention of these celebration event rules is liable to disqualification.
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The team result in each round will be based on overall combined points, with points available as set out below.
