From Zilla Brown
Monday, 4 May 2009

Does any one know who owns the fishing rights (if there are any) in Hebden? Whilst having lunch in Innovation today we saw a guy, who'd clearly come prepared in all the gear, stride across the island in the river with the metal sculpture on it.He dropped his rucsack there, set up a fly fishing rod and then went in under the bridge by the Town Hall (where it says "No fishing" on the wall).He later came back out with a large brown trout which he calmly photographed before zipping it up in his bag to take away.He then went back under the bridge to carry on fishing.

I thought the police community officers might have been able to help but no one was contactable.

Might not seem a big deal but I'd much rather see the heron fishing on the island than this blatant specimen.

From Andy M

Zilla, I believe that from Hardcastle Crags to the Calder they're mostly owned by the Ryburn and Halifax Angling Club

From Ernest Jones
Wednesday, 6 May 2009

I saw a man fishing near to Innovation a couple of days earlier. The angling club rules state that "Rivers close on the 15th of March and reopen on the 16th of June". So he shouldn't be there.

From Gary Rathbone
Thursday, 7 May 2009

Zilla et al,

Within these times of a global credit crunch, jobs being lost, homes being repossessed, lives being broken etc, may I say that I'm so envious of your position.

If all you have to worry about is a random fisherman in our local river then may I humbly suggest you count yourselves extremely fortunate!

From Rev Tony Buglass
Friday, 8 May 2009

No, no, Gary - you miss the point. This is our river, and our fish. We need to hang on to them against the day when we all lose our homes and livelihoods, and need to catch them to feed ourselves. Come on - we can't have offcumdens coming here and taking all our fish, can we? I mean, Hebden is a welcoming and inclusive town, but there are limits...

From Graham Barker
Friday, 8 May 2009

I think it's unfair to have a go at Zilla for raising this issue, which seems perfectly valid in a community whose strength is that it cares about many things, great and small. It's perhaps especially unfair when she herself qualifies her point by saying 'Might not seem a big deal'.

Perhaps Gary could give us some guidance on what is or is not allowable as a legitimate subject for discussion.

From Andy M
Saturday, 9 May 2009

Yes - maybe we should cast around for something else to talk about.....

From Felicity Potter
Saturday, 9 May 2009

What a peculiar response from Gary Rathbone! At that rate, 99 per cent of the things discussed here are out of order. I agree with Zilla that we are extraordinarily lucky to have the heron in the centre of town and I don't think it's a minor issue if it's scared off by illegal hobby anglers.

From Lizzie W
Sunday, 10 May 2009

Yes it's wonderful to see the heron but I've noticed that recently it has become much bolder than usual & is 'posing' right in the centre of town. Unfortunatley this is because it's spotted a seasonal food delicacy; newly hatched ducklings & it's scoffing them fast! So perhaps if it's scared off by the occasional fisherman a few more fluffy yellow cuties might make it to maturity, or am I just being a sentimental softie?

From Felicity Potter
Monday, 11 May 2009

Herons hoovering up ducklings sounds very Ted Hughes and therefore locally appropriate? But we all like fluffy yellow ducklings, so since the weir angler is presumably a bit of an exhibitionist, maybe he'd like to do his thing by the wavy steps instead (I assume that's where the ducklings usually are).

From James H
Saturday, 18 July 2009

Fishing on the River Hebden is controlled by Ryburn and Halifax Angling Club.

As far as I know (I haven't fished there yet, but I plan to at some point this year), the Hebden only contains brown trout. Local Environment Agency byelaws state that fishing for non-migratory trout is permitted between the 25th of March and the 30th of September.

The Hebden might also contain grayling. If that is the case, then fishing for them is permitted between the 16th of June and the 14th of March, since although they are salmonids, they share the same close season as coarse fish.

According to the Ryburn and Halifax Angling Club rule book, no fish are to be removed from any water without the committee's instruction or permission.

On the subject of herons, there are many of them and the best places to see them are the weirs.