Canal Fishing

A section of canal in Birmingham city centre is currently being drained due to a leak that is proving difficult to determine. From the news clips there appear to be extremely healthy fish stocks, so, instead of fishing stretches of canal in rural areas, should we be targeting those stretches within towns and cities where the risk of predation would obviously be much reduced?

I reckon that's a great point Ian and if you don't mind the humdrum I say go for it.

I don't know how it affects the water temperatures but it's a fact that city centre air temperatures remain generally higher than rural areas which in turn might make the fish feel more obliging, hard to tell if they would purposefully congregate there as they don't of course have free passage because of the locks but those that do make it there might not be in too much of a hurry to move on.

As an occasional boater I'm also convinced that there's a temperature benefit wherever there are occupied boats.

I love urban fishing but I'm at a total loss to explain why.

Which section of canal is it Ian, I know the Soho Loop was renowned for its roach fishing at one time close to the prison, the only thing that puts me off in the immediate vicinity of the city centre is the parking and charges?

It's Gas Street Basin, you can't get much more central than that

itsfishingnotcatching said:

It's Gas Street Basin, you can't get much more central than that

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I did wonder if it might be

I reckon that would be fascinating to see, I hope it's still drained next week as I'm down there on Tuesday and wouldn't mind taking a few pics.

The other question is if it can be fished?

I think CaRT have a PDF somewhere detailing all the waters that their license covers where the canal is not under the control of a club... I'm sure there must be many town and city centre stretches that can be fished.

binka said:

I

I don't know how it affects the water temperatures but it's a fact that city centre air temperatures remain generally higher than rural areas which in turn might make the fish feel more obliging, hard to tell if they would purposefully congregate there as they don't of course have free passage because of the locks but those that do make it there might not be in too much of a hurry to move on.

As an occasional boater I'm also convinced that there's a temperature benefit wherever there are occupied boats.

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This I know to be true, my local canal is exactly as you say Binka. It appears that most of the bigger fish go to the occupied boat area's through the winter months. This is probably down to temperture trend and probably plenty of food scraps from the occupants. A record of 48lb in bream came out in the new year from an area that is teaming with house boats.

binka said:

I think CaRT have a PDF somewhere detailing all the waters that their license covers where the canal is not under the control of a club... I'm sure there must be many town and city centre stretches that can be fished.

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Had a quick look Steve, the CaRT site appears to be a work in progress, the maps don't exist and there appears to be little info on the club waters. I'm thinking of taking the Missis to Merry Hill on the 22nd March.

denzinho said:

This I know to be true, my local canal is exactly as you say Binka. It appears that most of the bigger fish go to the occupied boat area's through the winter months. This is probably down to temperture trend and probably plenty of food scraps from the occupants. A record of 48lb in bream came out in the new year from an area that is teaming with house boats.

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Those solid fuel stoves must transmit heat through the metal hull to the surrounding water along with the engine bay when the boats are being run whilst at a standstill to top up the batteries.

We spent new year on a friends boat a few years ago and it was minus four degrees outside, we were on a convertible dinette/bed in the saloon near the bow where the stove was situated and we had to sleep with the cabin doors wide open because it was so hot inside the boat

I've lost count of the amount of good pike I've caught right under the bow.

Apart from the higher temperatures in urban canals I'm sure the other reason the fish congregate there in winter is there's less chance of airborne predation, as suggested by Ian....
Hopefully the fish will be transferred to other pounds on the canal whilst the works are carried out, as they were locally to me, when lock maintenance etc was carried out. It's surprising how the fish relocate to their original habitat after such works are completed too...

binka said:

Those solid fuel stoves must transmit heat through the metal hull to the surrounding water along with the engine bay when the boats are being run whilst at a standstill to top up the batteries.

We spent new year on a friends boat a few years ago and it was minus four degrees outside, we were on a convertible dinette/bed in the saloon near the bow where the stove was situated and we had to sleep with the cabin doors wide open because it was so hot inside the boat

I've lost count of the amount of good pike I've caught right under the bow.

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It is the only place that you will probably find fish in abundance right?. I have blanked 4 times after pike and I have a sneeky suspision that I know where they are. Thing is It's next to a marina and I cant fish it, but in my mind I know where they are

denzinho said:

It is the only place that you will probably find fish in abundance right?. I have blanked 4 times after pike and I have a sneeky suspision that I know where they are. Thing is It's next to a marina and I cant fish it, but in my mind I know where they are

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This is the time of the year not to worry too much about them staying in there as there's a good chance they are out and about starting to look for lurve so may be in the main cut spreading out.

Urban areas do hold a lot of fish for the reasons already stated and i love fishing them too but the main drawback for me fishing alone is not so much security but finding somehwhere out of sight to spend a penny especially in winter!!

I also believe that concrete structures absorb heat and retain it, a bit like those old storage heaters. This heat is absorbed by the sun in the day and leaks into the water at night. A very good canal fanatic told me this once and he new a lot about canal fishing.
This could be one reason why bridges are good hot spots especially in the winter. One bridge swim I fish in the winter holds some good chub amongst other fish. Its pretty good all year round but the chub disappear in the summer.
The same could apply to canals in urban areas where the banks are concrete lined and especially any concrete bridge areas. Added to the boat heat, I imagine fish will seek this out.
I look after a big fish pond for a mate, and although inactive now, I observe how the fish always seek out the warmest spot, this time of year, even if its only a degree..
By the same token fish in the canal may hang close in alongside any concrete structures.

Just an added thought, i notice slow worms in my garden always seek refuge under concrete slabs, piles of bricks etc. they are cold blooded like fish.

Over here in Dublin the 2 main canals in the country pass through some heavily built up areas and the fishing can be quite good, as others have said there tends to be more features like bridges, marinas and boats to hold the fish, I've found that more rural stretches are a little harder to figure out unless you can find a feature that might hold the fish in a certain area, it would definitely be worth taking a look to see depths and the way the shelves of the canal drop off while it's drained and any other features that might be interesting.