Lancaster canal navigable section

[michael bracken]

I live right next to the canal, and i have fished it for about 9 years for the pike, tench, bream, roach and perch, but i never seem to have come across any carp.

I was just wondering if anyone had fished it and caught any from the canal, surely there must be SOME in there, if only a small amount. Im willing to put in the time to prebait and fish it but i want to make sure there are some before doing so.

Has anyone any info? Cheers.

PS. note i said navigable stretch, i know there are carp in the non-navigable stretch

 

[SteSlater]

Where abouts do you fish on it Michael? Ive heard Salwick basin holds the odd fish but I think they are few and far between. I never see anyone fishing the rural parts, only Ashton basin. I was thinking about trying for a canal carp myself after seeing Carp Crew on Sky, and the carp in the Grand Union canal they were catching!

My late uncle told me Hollowforth Lane was good for tench to 5lb, but Ive never tried it. Do you know any good spots for tench?

 

[michael bracken]

I fish it at Lancaster, on the outskirts of the city...

As fo the tench, if you can do any prebaiting, for a few days before going fishing then i think youll get them in most places.

 

[john conway]

Michael like you said, there are carp in the Lancaster canal, both grass mirror and common. I've had grass to 8lb and mirror to 13lb plus. I do believe there are bigger ones, but it's four years since I targeted them. All mine came from the bottom end of the non-navigable stretch, late evening and early morning. I?ve seen lads fishing navigable part on the big basin at the north end of the aqueduct, but that was before they drained that part of the canal for repairs to the aqueduct.

 

[William Foxall]

theres quite a few coming from holme and burton end and even a 11lber from carnforth basin last year.

 

[matt]

Carnforth basin did have a 16lb common in it a few years ago.
I've seen carp mortalities from a polution north of carnforth.
And heard a report of a large carp found dead at the marina near garstang.

 

[Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA)]

I suspect most canals now have a population of carp in them.

I have been getting out on my local canal for a month or two now after the carp fishing one or two short sessions of 2 hours or so in the evening.

I have found that they come on the feed from 9pm onwards.I usually get there about 8pm to get a bed of bait down(pellets,hemp and corn) on the near side shelf or just at the bottom of it as this seems to be where the carp patrol.I had one bumping my rod rest last night!

I have two fish so far on boilie but am only using boilies to put off he small bream,chub and crays which abound.I am sure corn and meat would be just as good fish catchers.

I am using a lift method float set up fished well over depth so the line does not go straight down from float to bait.I only strike when the float either rises fully or if it sinks, when the reel spins.Carp feeding in such shallow water invariably make the flost dip and move and to strike at every indication would spook the fish I am sure.

Its great fishing.The canal is a different place once the sun drops and the cyclists, walkers and boats have gone home.The amount of fish movement is incredible.

 

[michael bracken]

Thanks for the replies guys, is the carnforth basin the Marina?

Nigel, i agree that most canals will have carp in them, but it seems strange that i have fished it all this time without even seeing one, or hearing about one, yet theres plenty of bream and tench in there.

It seems like im gonna need to prebait a swim behind my house, but its just a case of if the fish are going to be passing through, when carnforth e.t.c is 7+ miles away, lol.

Btww, anyone in lancaster know any animal feed suppliers that do bulk hemp, maize, pellets e.t.c.

Thanks

 

[Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA)]

Michael,

Be careful on the prebaiting with particles.I'm no expert but having read one or two magazine pieces on canal carping they warn about too much prebaiting simply attracting other species,especially Bream, to the swim making presenting a bait to the carp difficult.

What time are you on the canal? Early and late seems to be the order of the day on the Grand Union for carp activity.If you were relying on seeing sigms during the day ypu'd think the whole place was devoid of fish.

 

[michael bracken]

I can fish it whenever i want, as i said, its behind my house

tbh, i dont really mind the bream, or the tench, but id like a carp out of the canal, basically because ive never seen one or caught one from there

 

[matt]

Yes the carnforth basin is the marina.

Why not have a walk along the stretch of canal behind the Lansil club Caton road. that area gets fished and if you can bump into any of the regular anglers they may be able to tell you if carp are present in that area.

Good Hunting

 

[michael bracken]

Matt, thats right near me, the lansil stretch. to be really honest, not that many fish it, and unfortunatley its been cut off from there to the other side of the aqueduct, like john said, repairwork.