Salford Friendly Anglers Society
The Worlds Oldest Angling Club - founded 1817
There’s no plaice for racism in our sport.
No Polish Or Eastern Europeans Allowed
You can read more about this case here via this link
Remember this blast from the past ? There’s no difference.
We apologise for the terrible Plaice pun – we couldn’t resist
Back in 1903 it was commonplace for angling clubs to issue challenges to other local clubs..
We found this invitation to hold a fishing competition from Broughton Angling Society dated 1903 – challenging The Salford Friendly Anglers Society to a match.
I attended a Broughton Anglers Society meeting last night (the 5th Dec 2017) and showed their committee members this document – and informed them that we accept their challenge. Match to be held summer 2018 at Broughton Park Lake, Salford. I am looking forwards to them buying my tea!
Bring it on.
Here is a copy of the original challenge letter, with a deciphered version below.
Challenge Letter From Broughton Anglers 1903
Translated Copy of letter from Broughton Anglers 1903
Great news today from the EA – that a winter restocking is on the way for the River Irwell
10,000 roach, chub and dace are on order from the EAs fish farm at Calverton and will be stocked in the Irwell at a variety of locations downstream of Burrs Country Park
This is great news for the river which has suffered terribly in recent years from a variety of pollution incidents and from massive amounts of avian predation
All of this has been paid for out of our rod licence money……. there really is no excuse not to buy one.
Theres also 500 of these beardey gudgeonish looking things. There is only a small population in the Irwell – and a few more to grown on and reach breeding maturity can do no harm – can’t wait.
Once the date for restocking has been set – I will let people know so that they can come and witness the event and take a few photos.
6 inch barbel being stocked into the River Irwell at Salford Racecourse December 2011
Like many old angling clubs the long lived but now defunct Wallness Social Angling Society was based at the Wallness Tavern, Wallness Lane, Salford (less than 200 yards away from the current Salford Friendly Anglers HQ).
The Wallness Social Angling Society featured regularly in local angling club matches and are mentioned in many of our clubs historical documents. Sadly the pub was demolished in 2012.
As we have been digitising our Societies records we came accros this amazing poster of a fishing match which the Wallness Social Angling Society organised in 1962 on the Macclesfield Canal at Higher Poynton – a charity match in aid of the Manchester and District Spastics Society.
Macclesfield Canal Angling Championship 1962 Poster
The Spastics Society still exists under its current guise of the charity Scope.
The County Palatine Angling Association amalgamated/morphed into the Northern Anglers Association during the early 1970s – and N.A.A. still own the fishing rights on the Macclesfield Canal between Marple and Macclesfield.
However the canal at Higher Poynton is no longer suitable for match fishing as it is extensively used for the mooring of narrowboats.
As we searched through our records – we also came across the financial breakdown of the match, the list of angling clubs and individuals who took part in the match, and the companies who sponsored the prizes. A great find.
Financial record of the Macclesfield Canal Angling Championship 1962
The match raised a total of £173 for the Manchester and District Spastics Society – a fantastic effort seeing as though that translates to £3,580 in todays money taking into account inflation. The £5 winning prize money is now worth £100 in todays money.
This is an amazing record of North West Angling Clubs in 1962 – sadly many of them no longer exist, nor do any of the tackle shops listed who contributed to the prize fund.
Canal Championship Matches used to be quite commonplace in the North West until the mid 1980s….. I can remember taking part in a number of Rochdale Canal Angling Championships (sponsored by the Manchester Evening News and their Angling correspondent Don Bridgewater) – it could be a bit of fun reviving it.