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canal fishing tips


metalhead1360

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Canal fishing, particularly on Northern canals, is about delicate presentation, small baits, and the art of feeding a swim. Basically, I think your whole approach is too crude, you really need to fine everything right down.

 

Is there anyone local who can show him the ropes?

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MetalHead,

As a general guide:

The following shows the sort of tackle I would use when fishing my local canal.

It is only meant as a guide as each canal stretch has different characteristics and fish populations but it should be a good guide of where to start.

 

Target Fish: Roach/Rudd/Dace/Gudgeon/Perch/Bream/Chub (from an ounce or less up to around 3lbs)

 

Rod: 12 or 13ft Light Float rod.

Reel: Small to medium fixed spool reel or a closed face reel.

Reel Line: 2lb to 3.5lb

Hook length: 1.5lb to 3lb

Hooks: size 22 or 20 or 18 depending on the bait size i.e. 22 for Squatt, 20 for Pinkies or 18 for double Pinkies or a single or double Maggot .

Note. 'Pinkies' are roughly half the size of Maggots and 'Squatts' are around a quarter the size of maggots or less.

 

Float: Smallish Bottom only waggler eg. 'Canal Grey' or 'Onion' or 'Stillwater Blue' or 'straight waggler' - 2BB to 4BB

Remember that the shotting marked on the float is the total weight needed to cock it and not the size of shot you use. i.e. A 3BB float would typically be shotted with a BB shot either side of the float eye with a couple of no.6 shots or No.4s (see note below) at just over half depth from the float and a no.8 shot a few inches from the hook (the 'tell tale' shot) also remember that an 'Onion' float has already got weight built into its base so would need even less shot around the base of the float.

 

Note: The secondry bulk shot tend to keep the hook length away from the main line on the cast and help to cock the float upright as the tell tale shot and the bait sinks behind it; making bites register more clearly on the drop. Moving the secondary bulk shot a little closer to the hook or even spreading it out will make the hook sink a little faster. Also if you start getting squashed maggots without seeing the bite then try moving the tell-tale shot a little nearer to the hook.

 

This shotting pattern has two main advantages in use on a shallowish water like a canal:

 

1. After the float has landed, the secondry bulk shot (2 or more no.6s or no.4s) set to half depth will sink fairly quickly but the remaining line will sink behind it more slowly giving a more natural sinking effect from surface to bottom; and the float finally settling once the tell-tale shot has settled.

 

2. It would allow the float to fly ahead of the hook and allow the float to be cast tight up against the far bank or a bed of water lilies. However to do this you would need to refrain from feathering your line with your fingers as your float lands which would slow the float down in flight and result in the hook flying ahead of the float and getting snagged on the far bank or lillies.

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I hope this has been of some use for you.

Good luck and Tight Lines

BB

Edited by BoldBear

Happiness is Fish shaped (it used to be woman shaped but the wife is getting on a bit now)

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thanks everyone the tips are perfect i caught a fish, its a start, i didnt even realise it was on until i lifted the hook out of the water to check if my bait was still on

 

 

...which is a sure sign that you're fishing with too heavy a set up.

This is a signature, there are many signatures like it but this one is mine

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well i have a match on the grand union cut tomorrow and i will be fishing 1lb main line, 12oz hook length, a size 24 hook a tiny dibber float with about 3 sections of pole ( got my leg in plaster can't manage pole at full length) size 4 elastic and fishing about 18 inches deep on the near shelf. bait half a pint of pinkies a slice of bread and about half a pint of liquidised bread. that should be more than enough bait.

Edited by bluezulu
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well i have a match on the grand union cut tomorrow and i will be fishing 1lb main line, 12oz hook length, a size 24 hook a tiny dibber float with about 3 sections of pole ( got my leg in plaster can't manage pole at full length) size 4 elastic and fishing about 18 inches deep on the near shelf. bait half a pint of pinkies a slice of bread and about half a pint of liquidised bread. that should be more than enough bait.

Best of luck on your match BZ, I came 1st in a mid winter inter club teams match on a narrow GU cut up near Milton Keynes a few seasons ago using similar tactics ie. 5 mtr whip, 12oz hooklength, breadpunch, pinkies and squatts. :)

Edited by BoldBear

Happiness is Fish shaped (it used to be woman shaped but the wife is getting on a bit now)

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  • 1 year later...
hi again

im going fishing to the canal tomorrow, could any give me some tips please, iv been fishing there about 7 or 8 times now and only caught 1 fish. i dont really see what im doing wrong iv have my float about 50cm to 1m away from the hook, iv tried sweetcorn, bread, luncheon meat and maggots and yes i do bait up around the float, im also using a size 11 barbless hook and a match fishing rod with 6lb line on it. the one thing that that annoys me is i see them swim right past my float.

 

try worms i was fishing on maggots and i had your problem but i tryed diffrent baits and worms seemed to work like magic of course if they dont work then sorry no more ideas but good luck anyway

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try worms i was fishing on maggots and i had your problem but i tryed diffrent baits and worms seemed to work like magic of course if they dont work then sorry no more ideas but good luck anyway

A few or more years ago now (not too long) met a guy (Fishing pole ) down our local grand union canal at greenford (look it up), at first I thought he'd lost his lost his match peg literally. as a sociable type I said hello how you doing, He was working at building Wembley Stadium at the time, he took his time off fishing on the canal caning the Roach on caster & sweetcorn using hemp little & often as feed. It was just something else to watch and I knew i could not match this with the gear i had . However you learn from this kind of encounter

 

KLAUS

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