Winter canal fishing

[Ry1867]

Hi all,

 

I'm new to the site and I'd still regard myself as a relative novice on the fishing front. Just after a few tips when it comes to canal fishing in the winter (around this time). Suitable baits, depths, times of day etc. Any advice would be great, just starting to get cabin fever and I need to get back out there!

 

thanks in advance

 

Ryan

[BoldBear]

Heres an article on my web page that may be of help to you:

 

< A beginners Guide to Fishing a Canal >

At this time of year we get a lot of rain water being washed off of the roads that run alongside the canal or snow melt draining into the canal and putting the fish off their feed or we get cold bright and frosty mornings making the fish less likely to feed so much and causing the fish to shoal a lot more tightly.
This means that we need to be prepared to search for our fish more; because some swims will be virtually devoid of fish, they are often shoaled up in sheltered spots where they won't move very far; but if we find them we can still have reasonable sport albiet a little slower.

At this time of year I would be using size 22, 20 or 18 fine wire hooks tied to 1.1lb or 2lb hooklengths and expect to land fish from less than an ounce up to around 3lb on this.

A lot of the baits that we take fish on in the warmer months become next to useless once the temperatures plummet and baits like sweetcorn, fatty meats and oily pellets become much harder to catch fish on as the fish move into winter mode and their digestive systems slow right down in the much colder water; and smaller baits or baits that are much easier to digest come into their own.

Baits I would usually rely on are Pinkies, Caster and Bread flake/Punch and I would normally loose feed sparingly with Hemp, caster, Pinkies and/or Squatt in much smaller amounts than in the warmer months.
I would also ensure that my bait is in good condition and very fresh; because older maggots/Pinkies have much tougher skins and are more likely to be spat out and rejected than fresh maggots/Pinkies.

Anyway This is what I would be using from around November onwards.

Hope this has helped, best of luck and tight lines

Keith (BoldBear)

Edited February 26, 2013 by BoldBear

[Andy_1984]

Half the battle i would say is finding them. Ive come to believe that depth is not so much of an issue for canal fish as its pretty uniform throughout its length.

 

looking for features above water would be a good start, even a slight bend could be a fishy hot spot, over hanging trees, partially submerged trees, reed beds, boat launches and pontoons(good perch hiding spot).

 

Water outlets can also hold a good number of fish, though ive found this to be more of a perch hang out than a roach, rudd or tench one, or at least thats the case on my local canal.

 

As for time, any time. I notice a fair bit of surface activity, even only a little, on my local just as the light fades which is great as i know that feature I decided to fish does in fact hold fish

[kenj]

Hi Ry, we did have a thread on winter canal fishing recently. I am a great believer in the bread punch and for little money you can equip yourself to fish this productive method. Check out my website post http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/bread-punch-on-the-basingstoke-canal/ . This is a good starter. My club mates have said I've given away a lot of my "secrets" here. If it helps you are welcome.

[tinca steve]

Just after a few tips when it comes to canal fishing in the winter (around this time). Any advice would be great, just starting to get cabin fever and I need to get back out there!

 

thanks in advance

 

Ryan

I know you are asking specifically about canals BUT>

 

There are a lot more places to fish in the winter than just a canal (Don't get me wrong I like canals if they have tench in them )

 

Commercial's for big Perch using the likes of lobworms.

Rivers for Chub and Barbel again lobs do well.

 

Also a lot of people could learn a lot more if they use their search engines first and then ask the forums for a bit of enlightenment.

 

Hurry up SPRING!

[Ry1867]

Thanks for the replies all, that gives me a good start to get going and we'll see from there!

 

Thanks

[Andy Macfarlane]

Half the battle i would say is finding them. Ive come to believe that depth is not so much of an issue for canal fish as its pretty uniform throughout its length.

 

looking for features above water would be a good start, even a slight bend could be a fishy hot spot, over hanging trees, partially submerged trees, reed beds, boat launches and pontoons(good perch hiding spot).

 

Water outlets can also hold a good number of fish, though ive found this to be more of a perch hang out than a roach, rudd or tench one, or at least thats the case on my local canal.

 

As for time, any time. I notice a fair bit of surface activity, even only a little, on my local just as the light fades which is great as i know that feature I decided to fish does in fact hold fish

 

I'd go along with that. I'd also suggest that in the Winter, fish of the same species tend to shoal tightly together and they move around less frequently, which means there are very often large sections of the canal which are practically devoid of fish. Catching roach in Winter isn't that difficult, since they are quite happy to feed throughout the coldest months. It's just locating them in the first place that is the problem. The same goes for many other canal species.

[Andy_1984]

I'd go along with that. I'd also suggest that in the Winter, fish of the same species tend to shoal tightly together and they move around less frequently, which means there are very often large sections of the canal which are practically devoid of fish. Catching roach in Winter isn't that difficult, since they are quite happy to feed throughout the coldest months. It's just locating them in the first place that is the problem. The same goes for many other canal species.

 

I would agree with that mate, ive seen this on the canal a lot since I started exploring it more in recent years, but move a few yards around a corner and you're into fish.