Canal fishing

bennygesserit · Dec 21, 2015

how do you do it ?
I have found a nice spot by me and I have 12 days off !

the spot I have found is about 12 metres wide with a tree and , in the summer , a load of reeds.

Locating the fish might be a problem in the winter there is always the feeling they are all shoaled up and I am fishing where there are no fish.

My thoughts are to use maggots and hemp and maybe if I get there early enough have a dab around with some worms

peter crabtree · Dec 21, 2015

Generally there are 4 spots worth a try. Bottom of the near shelf, down the track( the deepest spot ) halfway up the far shelf and hard across on the far bank. If it's gin clear forget it.
Fish as fine as you can and feed sparsely in those areas.
Failsafe bait IMO is 1cm worm sections on the deck.
You'll be fishing for bites Benny. Please keep us informed on your progress....

binka · Dec 21, 2015

I like canal fishing Benny but just don't do enough of it what with the other options I have available to me locally, I suspect Messrs Crabtree is your man.

I do recall reading an Alan Scotthorne article many years ago when I did rather more canal fishing than I do now and instead of feeding the usual three lines which were below the feet, down the tack and across he went for a diamond pattern with two central lines which effectively gave him an extra swim and was very useful in the clear winter conditions when fish would spook after each capture, he would fish each line in rotation alternating between as bites dried up.

And Mr Crabtree has beaten me to it

wanderer · Dec 22, 2015

Marinas mate, find the boats and you will find the fish.

maggot_dangler · Dec 22, 2015

bennygesserit said:
how do you do it ?
I have found a nice spot by me and I have 12 days off !

the spot I have found is about 12 metres wide with a tree and , in the summer , a load of reeds.

Locating the fish might be a problem in the winter there is always the feeling they are all shoaled up and I am fishing where there are no fish.

My thoughts are to use maggots and hemp and maybe if I get there early enough have a dab around with some worms

Hi Benny if it is anything like the canals around here then middle on the bottom or top and bottom edge of the far side shelf using the yellow and white maggot the never has a sniff on worm the.

PG...

Sent from my 8055 using Tapatalk

peterjg · Dec 22, 2015

Canal fishing - it's great, I love it. I have been fishing the K&A canal for the last two years or so. This canal has the river Kennet running in and out of it so there are many species of fish in certain sections. For instance I have caught: roach over the lb, Rudd, bream over 6lbs, carp over 20lbs, grayling, brown trout, rainbow trout, bleak, dace, chub, Ruffe, perch over 3lbs, gudgeon and even a sea trout! I have heard of the odd barbel being caught but have not caught one from the K&A and I have not yet caught a tench from the K&A?

On some sections it is very rare to see another angler?

Best baits: bread flake, lobworm sections (as previously mentioned by Peter Crabtree), maggots attract too many small fish.

Fish early or late.

Why canal fishing is now so unpopular is a mystery?

maggot_dangler · Dec 22, 2015

wanderer said:
Marinas mate, find the boats and you will find the fish.

Problem there is most of them don't allow fishing in them now, but I am a member of on piece with a marina at the end we have the right to fish and it but you need an army to get in the chair person is a magistrate and gets the boys in blue out to be you if you try fishing it P. I. T.A...

PG...

Sent from my 8055 using Tapatalk

Tee-Cee · Dec 22, 2015

In the dim and distant I have done okay on the Grand Union ( winter ) fishing single caster/maggot and holding back in the deeper water particularly with an upstream breeze- more so if a bit of ' flow ' exists..... Sometimes the fish would start to feed if a lock was opened but I guess this is not going to happen over Christmas too much ! Fav float was a porcupine fished top and bottom ( I told you it was a long time ago ! )
Also agree with ' wanderer ' about boats as I've also used them as a holding spot when fishing totally still lock cuttings on the Thames in clear water..

Never going to be easy but very fine gear - maybe a 22 to very fine line with minimal feed might give you a fish or two if the weather stays mild with some rain and as someone else said, you'll be searching for bites so that's the word - search everywhere !!

Simon....are you able to say what bottom end tackle would you use ? It may help the OP but it might also help me fishing still waters at this time of year when ' matchman ' tactics has to be the way to go - something I'm not up to speed with !!

OP....Would be interesting to hear how you fare ....

ps As you will see from the ' how did you get on ' thread, I have done okay with hemp on the drop in waters not that different to a clear canal. Might be worth a go but it does take a lot of patience....but then you do have 12 days !!!

Good luck !

binka · Dec 22, 2015

Purely out of interest how many people still float fish canals with a running line?

My last few trips have involved that as I gave up pole fishing a fair few years ago, I have to admit the pole would have given me a far greater advantage with presentation especially when going across but I've always done just fine on the running line ever since.

bennygesserit · Dec 22, 2015

Thanks for all the comments - I really appreciate it !
Just getting my stuff out now to check all is still sound might wait for the wind to die a bit as where I plan to fish has little shelter.

I have had some phenomenal days fishing on the canal a truly massive perch being the absolute highlight , had a few tench too and found a spot where I was pulling roach out every few minutes.

But whenever I have done well it always seems to be more by luck than design and good days will always be balanced with hours sitting there with hardly a bite.

However I am going to seriously fine down the end tackle , for safety and less hassle I started fishing commercials much more than the canal or public pools and you dont have to be quite so fine on those.

Searching for bites is a good point too !

thecrow · Dec 22, 2015

Benny have a google for a blog called "idlers quest" nearly all of it is done on canals, it informative as well as entertaining.

dorsetandchub · Dec 22, 2015

I used to love my canal fishing but haven't done it in too long. If you own a pole, Benny, my approach would be to find some far bank cover, ideally reeds ("Stickyups" as they were called oop North) and start with bread punch and liquidised bread for groundbait use, feeding after passing boats.

The punch should pick out any waiting roach, often very decent fish, and, oft times too, skimmers and gudgeon.

If the punch is slow or doesn't produce, then I'd fall back to pinkies, feeding squatt or maggots, casters.

Given that fish thrive on neglect, I'd also try a single grain of corn (probably on a 16), I had some very decent roach from a rarely fished length of the Shroppie this way.

I, too, would be very interested to know how you get on. Best of luck.

greenie62 · Dec 22, 2015

dorsetandchub said:
... I had some very decent roach from a rarely fished length of the Shroppie this way...

So - that'd be anywhere on the SU more than 100m from a road-bridge, then! - even Backford!

Good advice there, la'. I used to fish the SU years ago, getting a Crosville bus along the Chester Road - in the school hols. It was so erratic there - somedays a never-ending stream of silvers - the next nowt! - couldn't buy a bite. Could never work out what was different from one day to the next!

Only solution was to move up the canal and try a new peg - always looking for a 'sign' - a little patch of reeds seemed to be a good one!

Canals can be so frustrating at times - very difficult to 'read' - compared to rivers - but at other times were like a never-ending linear aquarium.

:thumbs:

dorsetandchub · Dec 22, 2015

Hiya Mate, Alright La??

Not a million miles from Backford. In the early 1990s, I lived in Whitchurch and used to fish the canal there. As you approach the town on the A41, the canal runs under it just before the A49 roundabout.

I used to fish that stretch and, like I say, had some decent roach (pound plus fish up to circa 1lb 6oz) on a single grain.

Like Backford though, there were plundering days and days when a 10 yard move meant catching not blanking.

Looking back, I think there were probably some decent perch there too and I likely should have had a proper go but was happy knocking the roach.

Happy days. Used to like the look of the Shroppie at Chrystleton (sp?) too but never fished it but I did do ok around Telford's Warehouse on the basin in Chester. The great thing about there was the tackle shop in Whipcord Lane was so close. I think you've started something there, La - might have to do it again someday.....

greenie62 · Dec 22, 2015

dorsetandchub said:
..., there were plundering days and days when a 10 yard move meant catching not blanking....

That's exactly it - and one of the reasons I don't bother match-fishing - they're always in the next peg!

mg:

The SU is a wonderful canal - it has so much variety in it - some bits are so wide it rivals the GU - others so narrow one feels it could be jumped across from a standing position - as I've seen a surprised hare do in mid-Wales! Fond memories!

:thumbs:

dorsetandchub · Dec 22, 2015

Old Hartley probably heard you talkin Woolyback and thought he was goin in a pie

Try and catch up with you on t'cut next Summer if you're up for it?

Seriously, for Benny, on YouTube, there's a Stafford guy called Stuart Bloor who has a really enjoyable video blog, a lot of which is canal based.

Hope it helps.

peter crabtree · Dec 22, 2015

If you struggle to tie tiny hooks to low dia line check out Sensas 3530 hooks to nylon. Size 18 to 0.8 and size 24 to 0.6.
3411's or 3405 are also good. eBay £2:99 for pack of 8.

dorsetandchub · Dec 22, 2015

Thanks very much, Simon - the old body's like a Christmas dinner these days. Fingers like sausages and mince pies that are nowt but next to useless. Used to tie 24s, 26s even down to 30s for jokers and blood but no chance now.

I'll have a good look at those mentioned, thanks very much - good of you.

Keith M · Dec 22, 2015

This article from my web page might be of some use to you:
The article was aimed at anglers who are fairly new to canals.

A Beginners Guide to Float Fishing on a Canal - by Keith Manger (BoldBear)

Tight lines

Keith

bennygesserit · Dec 22, 2015

thecrow said:
Benny have a google for a blog called "idlers quest" nearly all of it is done on canals, it informative as well as entertaining.

Will do ! Thanks

---------- Post added at 18:05 ---------- Previous post was at 17:58 ----------

peter crabtree said:
If you struggle to tie tiny hooks to low dia line check out Sensas 3530 hooks to nylon. Size 18 to 0.8 and size 24 to 0.6.
3411's or 3405 are also good. eBay £2:99 for pack of 8.

Most of my hooks were related to catching carp on commercials so I nipped down to Alan's tackle shop and bought a few hooks to nylon and some "small" maggots I don't know whether they are pinkies or squats.

To be honest even with hooks to nylon I had to put my big glasses on I tied a few rigs up but my mainline which is 0.15 I think looked HUGE.

As I have 12 days off I will pop back to Alan's and buy something finer , though I am going tomorrow morning early and the canal might not be too clear.

Bought a few worms as well.

---------- Post added at 18:06 ---------- Previous post was at 18:05 ----------

Keith M said:
This article from my web page might be of some use to you:
It was aimed at anglers who are fairly new to canals.

A Beginners Guide to Float Fishing on a Canal - by Keith Manger (BoldBear)

Tight lines

Keith

Thanks Keith I will take a look

---------- Post added at 19:08 ---------- Previous post was at 18:06 ----------

found this which I am just watching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5jxLxaWO1k

Canal fishing

Well-known member

AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)

binka

Guest

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Senior Member

binka

Guest

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member