Hiya folks, I'm wanting to have a go fly-fishing for chub and other species and would like to know if this is still alright to do during the close season. Also are canals affected by the same rules as the rivers?

Fishing for coarse species during the close season on rivers if a no-no, regardless of method. You could, of course, fly fish and claim you were after trout, just as coarse fishers claim they are after eels, but in my personal opinion this is just not cricket.

Canals are a diferrent matter entirely, odd sections normally SSSI areas observe the close season, the majority of stretches though are open all year round and should offer decent sport especially for pike etc.

__________________
Around the steel no tortur'd worm shall twine,
No blood of living insect stain my line;
Let me, less cruel, cast feather'd hook,
With pliant rod athwart the pebbled brook,
Silent along the mazy margin stray,
And with fur-wrought fly delude the prey

All enlcosed waters are open year round at the discretion of the owners, this includes canals.

Just wait a few weeks for the river. Not long now.