Canal lure fishing-Need some advice.

[clutch]

Hello,

I have recently moved, and I am within walking distance of the Shropshire Union Canal at Pendeford.

Having never lure fished, its something that I want to try.

I could use some basic advice about the kit I need. I want to target perch, and maybe the odd jack pike when it comes along. What sort of rod should I be looking at? A light/ultra light setup? There are so many different rods, what gram weight should I go for? Can those light righs deal with pike, if they come along?

Reels. Has anyone got any suggestions, I was thinking small, 1000-2000ish. I don't want to break the bank, if that can be helped.

Lures and end tackle. Anyone got any advice on what sort of lures I should get? I have watched lots of youtube vids, the range is extensive. Also, I see people use fluorocarbon leaders. How do they stand up, when the inevitable happens and a pike takes it? I take it braid is the way to go too?

Basically, If anyone has any advice or pointers about tackle, technique or anything else I would fine useful, then that would be great.

Cheers

 

[rich66]

No need to spend a huge amount, I originally bought a combo package from eBay daiwa sweepfire rod and reel £35 I think.
I still use the sweepfire reel it’s a 1000/1500 lovely little thing not the best quality but ok for perch and pike I’ve had both upto about 8lb pike.
I now use a korum snapper 7 jig foot rod which is rated at 5-15g and it was about the £30 mark.
I’ve given up with braid and I now use Berkeley Nanofil which I don’t get wind knots or any other faf that you do from braid.
Lure wise 6.5cm downwards I what I use, fire tiger seems to work well for perch and the orange/red ones do ok for pike.
That’s about the sum of my experience, except you need a lot of patience and be prepared to blank a lot

As an after thought I’ve never lost a pike on an 8lb Flouro leader and never caught anytting when I’ve used a trace. All my hooks I squash the barbs so they are easy to unhook.

 

[Molehill]

I picked up an Abu black max spinning combo, 7ft and 5-15gm for £45 a couple of weeks ago. Spur of the moment purchase and wasn't looking for another reel, but it was included so had it. Not had a chance to use it yet but sure it will be fine for me and probably do for you. Cheap, cheerful and functional.

 

[stillwater blue]

I use fluoro, which isn't tooth proof, with single barbless hooks on lures of less than 2" presuming jacks aren't a problem. With trebles, bigger lures or waters with lots of Jacks then I use wire, I prefer Ti wire as it lasts a lot longer than regular stainless wire. I use this Cahira Nitinol which I knot although the knots don't bed down like mono they're strong. On an UL rod I use 6lb wire, being honest I have found it puts off zander to an extent but not perch or Jacks.

I prefer UL rods, so up to 10g casting weight. They're plenty strong enough for jacks, have the sensitivity to work small lures and allow enjoyment from smaller species like chub and perch. Fast actioned rods suit jigging better than more through actioned rods and through actioned rods are better for crankbaits, not that you need to invested in loads of rods. I'd use a 1000 sized reel as why put a heavier reel on such a light weight rod?

Braid all the way! I favour chartreuse Daiwa 8 strand j-braid as it's cheap, reliable and the colour lets me see gentle takes and helps me know where the lure is.

AGM is great for lures, Lures and Lure Fishing Tackle - Soft Plastic Lures, Crankbait & Jigheads. Natural colours for clear water, bright or dark colours for coloured water or low light levels although they're are no hard and fast rules. Relax Kopyto shads in 1" size will catch any size of perch, they do benefit from 30s in boiling water as it softens the plastic, the bigger sizes are more selective.

 

[sylvanillo]

Hi Clutch,
I second the others, no absolute need for expensive and deeply specialised gear. We all love fine equipment, but lure fishing has made a majority of brands to create excellent equipment at low price; secondly, unless the canal you mention is way different from the average UK one, you really do not encounter difficult waters.
I've been fishing the Oxford canal for over 10 years and can say that it holds huge pike and perch in good quantity, and some zander.
One rig/technique which is compatible with many soft lures is the cochard weight. This needs a reasonably sensitive rod.
Another technique which is much better (my own opinion) is wobbling dead bait. This differs in terms of rods as you should employ a stiff wobbling DB one.
Now, crazy thing.... you know one important piece of gear is... good ealking waterproof shoes! Canals are endless narrow lines of water; a few miles of will be all empty, others will produce a lot: you just need to walk to find out
Good fun!

 

[clutch]

I use fluoro, which isn't tooth proof, with single barbless hooks on lures of less than 2" presuming jacks aren't a problem. With trebles, bigger lures or waters with lots of Jacks then I use wire, I prefer Ti wire as it lasts a lot longer than regular stainless wire. I use this Cahira Nitinol which I knot although the knots don't bed down like mono they're strong. On an UL rod I use 6lb wire, being honest I have found it puts off zander to an extent but not perch or Jacks.

I prefer UL rods, so up to 10g casting weight. They're plenty strong enough for jacks, have the sensitivity to work small lures and allow enjoyment from smaller species like chub and perch. Fast actioned rods suit jigging better than more through actioned rods and through actioned rods are better for crankbaits, not that you need to invested in loads of rods. I'd use a 1000 sized reel as why put a heavier reel on such a light weight rod?

Braid all the way! I favour chartreuse Daiwa 8 strand j-braid as it's cheap, reliable and the colour lets me see gentle takes and helps me know where the lure is.

AGM is great for lures, Lures and Lure Fishing Tackle - Soft Plastic Lures, Crankbait & Jigheads. Natural colours for clear water, bright or dark colours for coloured water or low light levels although they're are no hard and fast rules. Relax Kopyto shads in 1" size will catch any size of perch, they do benefit from 30s in boiling water as it softens the plastic, the bigger sizes are more selective.

Thanks for the advice chaps, really helpful.

I was thinking about an ultra light set-up. I am led to believe, the canal near me is full of small perch, so having tackle thats suited for them is important. Quick question, so a UL rod with a 2-10 or 1-7g rating will be able to cope with jack pike, if they should turn up?

Also, what breaking strain of braid, and fluro leader, do you use?

Have had a look for UL rod/matching reel. Seems to be a lot of choice, trying to narrow it down a bit. Don't want to spend a fortune.

Thanks.

 

[stillwater blue]

Thanks for the advice chaps, really helpful.

I was thinking about an ultra light set-up. I am led to believe, the canal near me is full of small perch, so having tackle thats suited for them is important. Quick question, so a UL rod with a 2-10 or 1-7g rating will be able to cope with jack pike, if they should turn up?

Also, what breaking strain of braid, and fluro leader, do you use?

Have had a look for UL rod/matching reel. Seems to be a lot of choice, trying to narrow it down a bit. Don't want to spend a fortune.

Thanks.

2-10g or a 1-7g will handle jacks, I might not choose those weights to target pike but I wouldn't be worried about the odd fish coming along. As an example of what these rods can cope with the below was caught on a UL rod



I use 9lb 0.06mm J-braid, it's sold as 9lb but that's linear strength it's real world breaking strain is more like 6lb. I tend to use either Drennan's or Preston's fluoro as both are cheap, reliable and easily available, again to tend to use 6lbish.

Spend more money on the reel as they take a pounding with all the casting and retrieving.

 

[clutch]

2-10g or a 1-7g will handle jacks, I might not choose those weights to target pike but I wouldn't be worried about the odd fish coming along. As an example of what these rods can cope with the below was caught on a UL rod

View attachment 7824

I use 9lb 0.06mm J-braid, it's sold as 9lb but that's linear strength it's real world breaking strain is more like 6lb. I tend to use either Drennan's or Preston's fluoro as both are cheap, reliable and easily available, again to tend to use 6lbish.

Spend more money on the reel as they take a pounding with all the casting and retrieving.

Again, thanks for the advice.

I have picked up a 2-7g rod, did spend a bit more on a haf decent reel. As you said, i will be casting/retrieving alot.

I have had looked at those AGM lures, what jig head/hook size would you recommend for the 1" Relax Kopyto shads?

I have seen a few people fishing really light for roach and rudd. I would like to carry a few options with me, to maximize what I can catch.

 

[stillwater blue]

I rig them up on a size 6 jig head, I'm using the AGM finesse jig heads.

The weight is a balancing act as it all depends upon wind, water depth, retrieve speed etc. You NEED to maintain contact with the jig at all times but if it's too heavy then the jig sinks unnaturally or you'll need to fish it too fast to keep it at the right depth if you're fishing mid-water. It's a case of buying a couple of different weight jig heads and seeing what's the best for the day and conditions.

If you're after silvers then you'll probably need to scale down again. Think 1" and less lures, the 1" kopyto is more like 1.5", with thin profiles and the split shot rig.