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nick bennett
Guest
I've been astonished while I've been a member of this site by how few people mention Canal fishing. Is there anybody who fishes canals for sport or are they rapidly becoming redundant in the fishing world?
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Alan Roe
Guest
Canals remain important fisheries and British Waterways have started to recognise this and have some fairly ambitious plans to expand canal fisheries.
This is probably in response to the fact that a great many anglers now fish commercial fisheries where good catches can be easily made.
Further B.W. had a great deal of success with their own commercial carp fisheries.
My local canal the Lancaster Canal is still used for matches, as it is a hard but generally fair venue which sorts out the men from the boys!
That having been said it is less used than it used to be though it can still give some super pleasure fishing session bags of fish and some big fish amongst them.
In my locality the decline in the use of canals has gone hand in hand with the decline of team match fishing. This was once a very popular pastime which for various reasons has fallen by the wayside.
One of the biggest of these was cost as to keep up with the big boys became increasingly dear most of the pools fodder became disillusioned and packed it in.
This is probably in response to the fact that a great many anglers now fish commercial fisheries where good catches can be easily made.
Further B.W. had a great deal of success with their own commercial carp fisheries.
My local canal the Lancaster Canal is still used for matches, as it is a hard but generally fair venue which sorts out the men from the boys!
That having been said it is less used than it used to be though it can still give some super pleasure fishing session bags of fish and some big fish amongst them.
In my locality the decline in the use of canals has gone hand in hand with the decline of team match fishing. This was once a very popular pastime which for various reasons has fallen by the wayside.
One of the biggest of these was cost as to keep up with the big boys became increasingly dear most of the pools fodder became disillusioned and packed it in.
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Carp Angler
Guest
Totally agree with Alan on this one.
I used to fish the occasional canal match, but after buying squatt, pinkie, caster and joker, worms, groundbait etc etc etc and then finding out the goer is punched bread and you've wasted ?25 on bait, plus the ?10 fee and ?10 pools it turns into a bloody expensive day out.
I used to fish the occasional canal match, but after buying squatt, pinkie, caster and joker, worms, groundbait etc etc etc and then finding out the goer is punched bread and you've wasted ?25 on bait, plus the ?10 fee and ?10 pools it turns into a bloody expensive day out.
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Andrew Calvert
Guest
I regularly fish a local canal for pike. It throws up the occassional very big fish, but fish can be very hard to locate at times, it's usually a feast or a famine (as rivers can be too) which I think puts a lot of people off.
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Carp Angler
Guest
I've put Andy Davis onto some canal carp, he'll probably report back on them when it gets a bit warmer........
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Stewart Bloor
Guest
From March till June (2000) I targeted the Staffs / Worcs canal for carp and intend to do the same again in 2001 during the same period, but also to fish the Grand Union Canal as well. Canals are generally underfished and certainly for specimen fish. On the Staffs/Worcs I had seen loads of poles but never another specimen hunter, so when I had carp to low doubles I was well pleased.
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Dave Johnson
Guest
There is a good feature in last weeks A Mail on the Trent and Mersey in Stafford at Hazelstrine. This was one of my 'childhood' learning waters and many an hour was spent after school and in the holidays on the canal featured. It was also good to see that the big perch are still there, as the article said, 2lb ers are regular-they were twenty years ago and still are in this stretch. A couple of carp boys have also been making the news here with several over 20lbs from the same 300 yard stretch!
The boats put me off and then I found the river Sow and Trent and that was that aas far as the cuts go-but I do think that they play a part in educating newcomers to the sport rather than the more 'easy' commercial crap fisheries....due to there location to major towns etc.....
The boats put me off and then I found the river Sow and Trent and that was that aas far as the cuts go-but I do think that they play a part in educating newcomers to the sport rather than the more 'easy' commercial crap fisheries....due to there location to major towns etc.....
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Neil Wayte
Guest
I can only really speak about the carp fishing in canals and like carpangler I have pointed Andy towards some carp in his area.Lots of small carp were stocked in to the canals to boast the match weights and as said previously stated the match scene has gone down hill in some areas so the carp have been left alone.Subsequently they have thrieved and spread and there are now a lot of reasonably big carp to be caught in very underfished venues.
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steve reeves
Guest
I fish the Sankey st Helens canal near Warrington, in the early summer it offers some the best "tench" fishing in the north of england.
Have you heard anything about 2lbs roach from the Macclesfield canal?
Have you heard anything about 2lbs roach from the Macclesfield canal?
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Andy Davis
Guest
I will be on the Basingstoke on Sunday, might be a bit cold, but it's better that sitting at home just thinking about it !
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Philip Inzani
Guest
The canal I have most experience with is the Kennet and Avon and while the nearby river on some days could be packed the canal remained empty?some stretches where hard match fished but I am not sure if thats still the case. It held some great fish? some very good Barbel that where for the most part totally neglected but I found best of all was the Chub fishing. There where some really really good fish. It was the perfect place for fishing a floating bait. On really hot days when the Chub used to sit just below the surface you could grease the line and drift the bait down to them without spooking them?really good fun. There also seems to be an increasing number of people Carping on the Grand union which has been throwing up some very big fish.
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STUART JOHNSON
Guest
Steve, I believe the 2lb plus Roach are coming from the Congleton stretch, controlled by Warrington AA.
GrahamM
Managing Editor
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I'm a Congleton bloke, born and bred there, and it was the Macclesfield canal in Congleton where I first started fishing. Back then, over 50 years ago, big roach were what we fished for, and what gave me the bug that was to last for the rest of my life.
Any more info on those 2lb roach I'd certainly like to hear about.
Any more info on those 2lb roach I'd certainly like to hear about.
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STUART JOHNSON
Guest
Graham. Funny that its was the Macc canal where I started fishing, but the Poynton and Bollington bit. If I get any more info will let Know
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STUART JOHNSON
Guest
Graham, can not find the bloke I was talking to. But does Congleton Station sound familiar I'm sure this was reported in AT some weeks ago.
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STUART JOHNSON
Guest
So thats why you don't get the drinks in (so i have heard)
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Stewart Bloor
Guest
I've been busy the last week so haven't been on the forum. Looks like I made it in time. Stuart, whatever you do, don't give him any money, he's got enough already.....