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Fishery bans anglers using hand towels

Wold Farm Fisheries has tightened its hand towel rule after anglers failed to follow their clean, dry hand towel rule, raising a wider question over whether biosecurity needs to go beyond nets, mats and slings.

by Jonathan Longden |

Published on2nd June 2026 at 9.09am

A Northamptonshire fishery has introduced a new rule banning anglers from using their own hand towels on site, after its owner said previous requests for clean, dry towels were being ignored.

Wold Farm Fisheries now supplies towels for anglers to use during their sessions, adding them to a long-standing list of fishery-managed equipment that already includes keepnets, unhooking mats, weigh slings and cradles.

At first glance, a hand towel might seem like a small thing to build a rule around. For Wold Farm owner Dax Miller, it sits within a much wider approach to protecting valuable fish stocks.

"I put in place over a year ago that anglers must have clean dry hand towels, but this was not being done by them," he told us.

"That's why I introduced this at Wold Farm, to help stop the spread of disease."

The concern is straightforward. Anglers often fish several venues in a week, use the same towel to wipe their hands after handling fish, then put it back into a bag or seatbox while still damp. Used again at another fishery, it becomes another piece of wet kit moving between waters.

Most anglers are now used to biosecurity rules around nets, mats and slings because those items clearly come into contact with fish and water. Towels are easier to overlook as they feel more like a personal item than part of a fishery's risk management.

The towel rule is not a standalone measure. It is another layer in a system Wold Farm has followed for many years.

"It's another precaution," Dax said. "I have for the last 25 years always provided our own keepnets, unhooking mats, weigh slings, cradles, and now cloths to wipe their hands on."

The rule has split opinion online, largely because a towel is an indirect risk rather than the obvious threat posed by moving live fish, wet nets or contaminated water. From a fishery owner's perspective, the calculation is different. Stock is expensive, disease issues can be devastating, and prevention is often the only option.

"We manage the lakes to a high level," Dax said. "This is my family home, my business and my passion."

That is the part some anglers miss. Rules like this are rarely about making fishing harder. They are about owners removing avoidable risks before they become serious problems.

Whether other fisheries follow Wold Farm's lead remains to be seen. But the decision has opened up a useful conversation. If anglers are moving between venues with damp kit, biosecurity may need to look beyond the obvious items.

Clean, dry hand towels are being encouraged at Wold Farm Fishery as part of a wider push to reduce the risk of disease transfer between venues. Image: Preston Innovations

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