The following information is a guide to the various sections on the canal. The Navigation Inn length Calder Grove (permanent pegs 1-40). The first 14 pegs on this section don't have any bank side cover at all, but the section still fishes well. It's about 15 metres wide and around 2 metres deep down the track. During the summer months lots of Roach, Perch, Skimmers and the odd Gudgeon can be caught at 9 metres. Fine light groundbait in conjunction with Squatt and Pinkie will catch well. Hook lengths .08, 22/24 size hooks on a 4 x 10 or a 4 x 12 float. The bottom of the nearside shelf, about 4 metres will also produce. The expected winning weight on these pegs should be around 5lb. The remainder of this length (permanent pegs 15 to 40) have lots of far bank cover with trees on both sides of the canal. The width has increased to around 16 metres with the track depth at 2 metres. Fishing down the track and the bottom of the nearside shelf again will produce Roach and Perch on fine tackle. These pegs also hold better fish on the far shelf (14 metres plus) with caster and worm a good bait for the Chub, Bream and Perch. If the bigger fish show 7lb. would be a possible weight.
The next section of canal (pegs 41 to 70) is about 500 metres along the canal (over head cables between 40 to 41). The access is down Balk Lane off Blacker Lane Netherton (signposted Netherton Cricket Club).
The canal is about 16 metres wide with a track depth of 2 metres. There are features on the far bank pegs 55 to 64 which hold good Bream. Worm, caster and red maggot usually succeed. The early pegs 44 to 54 don't have features but plenty of Roach and Perch show. The pegs 65 to 70 are in the open but Roach, Perch and Skimmers show well. Fine tackle with Squatt and Pinkie will take plenty of small fish. Some of the Bream in this length go to 3lb. and a weight of 7lb. to 10lb. could be possible.
Further along the canal, pegs 71 to 90 have access down the lane through the Bingley Arms car park (a key is required). The pub is on the A642 at Horbury Bridge about three miles out of Wakefield towards Huddersfield. The lane leads to a car park for about 25 cars with access onto the towpath at peg 90. At this section, the canal width is around 14 metres with a depth of 2 metres down the track. The lower half of the section has a wide bed of rushes on the far bank with only 0.5 metre depth at on the far shelf. Again Roach, Perch and Skimmers are the target although a few good Skimmers show occasionally about the 1.5lb. size. Pegs 80 to 90 have a good range of far bank cover with good Chub, Bream, Perch and Roach responding to caster and worm.
Pegs 91 to 110 run from the Bingley Arms (peg 110) to the Angling Club car park (peg 91) and are accessed down the lane through the pub car park (key required).
This section narrows to around 14 metres wide and just under 2 metres deep down the track and has a rock face on the far side. There are plenty of Roach, Perch and a few Chub on this length. The higher pegs generally produce the most fish.
The canal above the Bingley Arms Bridge is accessed from the lane opposite the pub and starts at peg 111 up to peg 127. It is around 20 metres wide, again the track depth is around 2 metres (at 8 to 9 metres ) and shallows to 1 metre depth past 14 metres. The bottom of the nearside shelf is around 4 metres. There is a gap between 119 and 120 which is the entrance to a small boat mooring area (about 8 boats). This section generally produces some good weights due to the abundance of Bream and Chub that are resident along this length, These fish generally stay on the far side of the canal and are caught on long pole (14 metres plus). Waggler, bomb or feeder. The Bream go to 3lb. and the Chub to 4lb. and are taken on worm, caster, corn and maggot. In October, 2006, peg 126 produced 36lb. of Bream and Chub on the pole (14 metres) to worm hookbait over a bed of casters and chopped worm. There are lots of smaller fish down the track or the nearside along the length. Should the Bream decide to feed on the day, a good double figure weight could be on, but if they don't, 6lb. is possible with smaller fish.
This is a three mile stretch from the Broad Cut Lock at Calder Grove to the Figure of Three Lock at Thornhill. The stretch has 185 pegs and is used regularly by various angling leagues. In November, 2004, peg 138 produced 40lb. of Chub and in November, 2006, peg 126 weighed in 36lb. 10oz. of Bream. The canal holds Chub to 4lb., Bream to 3lb., lots of Skimmer Bream, Roach and Perch. Mixed bag catches in the double figures are not uncommon.
Any club wanting to book a match on the canal please contact Mike Chapman 07761 419446 or email grumpydog007@sky.com