Fishing with bread on the Chesterfield canal

[Keith Hampson]

Hello, I am thinking about fishing the Chesterfield canal this weekend, I was planning to use bread flake as bait, I am planning to use a waggler float 3 lb line straight through and maybe a size 12 hook, would you agree with this set up or use a different one. a few questions I would like to know what you think.

1. What type of loaf is best for bread flake.

2. I am thinking about a size 12 hook, when I went in to my local tackle shop to buy some hooks I was confused about the different kinds of size 12 hooks what are best there were so many size 12's to pick from?? (I normally use hooks to nylon)

3. How should I shot the line?

4. Should I groundbait or loose feed, if so what should I use.

5. What part of the Chesterfield canal if fishing well at this moment in time.

6. What type of line should I buy to fish straight through with?

Thanks for the help
Regards Keith

 

[Graham Whatmore]

Personally if I was fishing the canal at this time of year I wouldn't start on breadflake although it may be an option if things go well.

Firstly I would take half a dozen slices of fresh medium bread individually wrapped in either silver foil or clingfilm and I would also take a bag of liquidised bread for feed.

Hook size is anything from an 18 to 14 but I would start with an 18 or 16 depending on the weather to a 1lb bottom and lying on by about an inch (accurate plumbing is essential) and use an appropriate sized bread punch not flake. Feed the liquidised bread as accurately as you possible can but don't be tempted to overfeed, a one inch ball to start and don't feed another until the bites slow up. It is very easy to overfeed fish in the canal in winter and if you do you may as well move to another pitch or go home.

This may help you a bit mate.

 

[Beecy]

if your going to use a waggler with bread I wouldnt worry too much about shotting, you need to be anchoring it to the bottom so a fair sized shot ( a 6 or two 8's at least) will be needed fairly close to the hook and it dosnt realy matter whats above that

much better to pole fish it I reckon, then you can hold it still but still use a more sensitive rig

 

[Graham Whatmore]

My suggestion was born of my matchfishing days but of course that wouldn't be all that I or any match angler would have taken. Some white maggots, a few red maggots, some pinkies, some squats, some casters and the ever faithful hemp would have been standard bait on the canal.


We always used to start on bread punch in the winter and if you didn't get a bite within a half hour then change to something else. If fish are going to have the punch they will do so straight away in other words.

As Beecy says a pole is a much better proposition on the canal where the fish are generally to be found on the far shelf and if there is a low bush opposite you thats the place to be, always try and fish to a feature on the canal and moored boats in particular are good fish holders. This of course is very difficult to do, sometimes impossible with a waggler because no canal is still it has a flow and will drag your float out of position very quickly.

Invest in a 13 metre pole would be my suggestion, it is worth its weight in gold on a canal and there is no better tool for the job, in the meantime good luck with the waggler and fish as light as possible unless there are carp and you are targetting them.

 

[Keith Hampson]

Hello Graham, I do have an a 11.5 metre pole and have had great days on the canal using it... mainly fishing on the maggot + 1 lb bottom, I was just thinking of going for the big chub, that is why I was going to use waggle and flake, I do have the bread punch to but don't seem to use it all that often, I don't know why, But if you suggest that I will give it a go, and take some maggots too.

Regards Keith

 

[John Huntley]

Keith, try using the Drennan Bread flake punch with Toastie bread.They give a nice clean cut chunk of bread nicely hooked on.

 

[sis the roach]

yes bread is a deadly bait to use ive used it extensivly for the past 15 years on the beeston canal and other canals i used liquised bread as feed and then i use breadpunch on the hook you can also fish it with a light waggler float i use medium warbutons and keep it in a plastic bag and take small amounts out for punching out if you have a pole i would use pole but a waggler can work well i use 5mm punch size and never had to go smaller i start fishing just off bottom this works best for me

 

[Graham Whatmore]

At what depth you fish on a canal is dictated by the way the fish want it on the day. For instance, hemp is usually best fished a half to one inch off the bottom but I have known many days when they won't touch it, they want it well on the bottom or on the drop, whatever.

Canals are all about experimenting and being adaptable, what works one day might not work another and you need to find the way the fish want the bait and what bait they want. There is no harder place to catch fish than a canal in the middle of winter and you have to do everything you can to swing the balance in your favour.

 

[Mark Brailsford]

hi mate,
try freelining bread on the river rother, it works wonders for the chub!!!

 

[John Ledger (ACA)]

Keith
You really need to be on the pole fishing bread on the canal especially this one which i have fished a lot.
One of the best spots is Misteron near where the Packet Inn used to be between the two locks.
I used to fish pole and bread punch over liquidised bread,you dont need much feed going in otherwise you will loose them