The pleasure Angle

Baz · May 28, 2005

Do you find the increase in boat traffic has put a lot of anglers off fishing the canals Mark? Like you have said, the canals hold fish of all kinds that are virtually untoutched. I think that sooner or later anglers will realise what they are missing out on. All it will take is for somebody to catch that something special. Get an early morning start and beat the boats.
I spend time fish spotting during the winter months on the canal. (powerfull lamp through the ice) It allways amazes me how the same species of fish vary in size, in different areas. And bream can be very active in the coldest of conditions.

madpiker · May 28, 2005

i agree with you baz,most canals are underrated and overlooked.i also use a spotlamp during the winter,it`s a good way of finding good piking ares!

Baz · May 28, 2005

And the light does not frighten them mate, although a sudden movement will. How a pike can flatten its self against the towpath side and become almost invisible is quite amazing. But once you realize this is what they do, it can make searching for them that much easier.
No zander in my area yet though.

madpiker · May 29, 2005

i`ve noticed that if they do move off after being spotted,they are back in their original position a few minutes later.it`s also interesting to see the nocturnal habits of various fish species as well as finding them.

madpiker · May 29, 2005

i use a 3.5 million candlepower lamp(rechargable)available from homebase for around ?20.

Baz · May 29, 2005

For a couple of years there were complaints of there being no breem in the sections of canal where I live.
Like you say mate, a good lamp through the ice can prove them all wrong. For some reason the breem were not feeding as they used to do. But they were there okay, and very active aswel. Now and again, if I was a bit careless, all I would see was a cloud of silt where something bigger had just bolted off from.

Mark Hodson · May 29, 2005

Sorry about the delay in replying Baz, been helping the inlaws move house ! I really don't know what keeps the majority of anglers off canals, I think most are bewildered by the miles of water to fish and locating fish (of a decent size). Most canal fishing is pioneering stuff and at times requires a lot of hard work and effort to get results. Most anglers require instant results to keep them interested, this is probably the main reason why most shy away.
As for the boats like you said just fish early morning or at dusk and you can get a couple of hours trouble free fishing. Personally I think anglers dislike boattraffic more than the fish who often move into swims that have been stirred uo by passing boats or feed more confidently in the coloured water.

madpiker · May 29, 2005

the fish on my local canal don`t seem bothered by boats.the best example is that during a session piking on the canal,i had to wind in to let a longboat through,i recast to the same spot that i was fishing,before the boat was out of site i hooked a pike which turned out to be a 19lb 7oz,at the time(1993)a personal heaviest.

Steve Spiller · May 30, 2005

We avoid the Lower Bristol Avon like the plague in summer, the boats are like taxis in the city center. I'm sure, I know, the river has a lot too offer, but when your trying to wag' the far bank or trot mid river it drives you mad winding in every five minutes

Baz · May 31, 2005

There are areas of my canal that hold true wildies.(Carp)
They are not the biggest of the carp in there as they average around the three to four pound mark. But if you know where to go and get one of these on the end of your line, you could be forgiven for thinking you had hooked into a twenty.
Shaped like little torpedoes, they really do take off, and the strength they have is unbelieviable for a fish of its size. I have to say they are the best looking of the carp family, let's hope they will be with us for many more years.
I am not haveing a go at the methods, but I have seen pole anglers hook into them at times, and the only thing they can do is to get up and go for a walk with them, until they have slowed down enough to be braught in and netted.

Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA) · Jun 5, 2005

I'd vouch for whats been posted.Just had three short sessions on my local canal(Grand Union) float fishing either corn or pellet just over the near shelf after every one else has packed in.

2 carp to 8lb on the first night + a chub of about 2lb.

2nd night was snapped by a bigger carp.

Tonight a 7lb 2oz mirror.

Not big fish but great sport on a very simple method.The rod is made up & I can be fishing within 10 minutes of leaving the house.No need for poles or bite alarms just a little care in keeping low & not making a noise.

I've not had much luck with the predators though. Do you find the Pike quite localized Mark?

Mark Hodson · Jun 6, 2005

They can be Nigel,but they tend to follow the baitfish around rather than stay to localised to one spot. If matches are fished on your local canal just find out which pegs are producing the best weights of silverfish and your predators won't be far behind.

Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA) · Jun 6, 2005

Thanks Mark.

I think my lure selection needs a bit of looking at too.

Terry Harvey · Jan 13, 2007

I fished a lake quit often last year. The other users where water skaters, they started at about 5 pm at night to just before dark. Before they arrived the fish would have been very small and spasmatick, after the boat had belted up and down a few times the fish went into a feeding frenzy and where a bit bigger. so as you said Mark the boat action annoyes us more than the fish.

Wendy Perry 2 · Jan 13, 2007

As some of you know last week FM had a fish in on the bath canal read the story next week and see the fish that were brought out. It really opened my eyes as to what is in a canal!. We had quite a few barges up and down and yes it's a pain, but if you percivere you can get some good results. I did

)))))))))))))

Frank "Chubber" Curtis · Jan 13, 2007

The only thing I miss about London is not being able to fish the canals. I've had some cracking days and some of my biggest roach on the Lea, Regents Canal and the GU.

Rick Porter · Oct 27, 2007

I am going fishing in the morning at my local canal will there be pike in it??? also I have various plugs and spinners will I catch?? as I am new to canal fishing I am from stockport and I will be fishing in Poynton can anyone please help me

damo damo · Jan 21, 2008

Hi Rick

Just saw your post on canal fishing in stockport. I too have been fishing the Macc canal around that area and would be more than happy to share info. Its a fair stetch of water and plenty to go around.

Let me know if you are interested.

Damo

The pleasure Angle

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