How do I read a canal?

[Comus]

Hi All,

 

I live close to the Royal Military Canal in Kent and have been told that there are some 30lb carp in there. I've been directed to a spot which has a depth of about 8' and is quiet and secluded. It's controlled by my local club and overnighters are allowed.

 

A recce a couple of days ago led me to meet some local guys who agreed that there were some great canal carp in there but that catching them was more about luck as they move about the 34 miles of canal. They spoke of a 26lber being caught 1.5 miles down the canal from a swim it was caught from the previous day.

 

Having read many of the posts on this forum I suspect that although luck may play a part, careful planning and preparation will result in bagging a few fish.

 

So, my question is; How does someone read a canal for likely holding spots for carp? What sort of depths or features should I look for? The guy I spoke to the other evening gave as an example the limited viewing opportunities of fish rising etc. due to the shape of the canal.

 

A very vague question I know but any help would be appreciated.

 

Comus.

[RobStubbs]

I have no experience of fishing for carp in canals but... I would suggest the answers will come to your watercraft. You need to gather as much info as you can and then walk the water as often as you can. Also dawn and dusk are good times. I would perhaps consider feeding a few likely spots with something you can see and return daily to see if bait is going. Birdlife will probably be a pain but you'll have to persevere. You might even find stalking worthwhile if you can find the fish and fish when it's quiet.

 

Good luck !

 

Rob.

[bivyman]

I would sa find the visible features like over hangin trees,moored house boats,turning bays ect and bait up a few likly spots and go down after dark with a 1 mil candle power torch and go lamping for them.

[carpstar]

Wide Bay's,Locks,lilly pads,bridges,reeds,overhanging trees and around canal boats!

These are all places you will find them on my local canal but you can try quiet stretches and get the marker rod out and look for the usual contours that will hold fish like holes,gully's,mussel beds,gravel patches ect.

Hope this helps

[Severn Wolf]

Good starting points are anywhere the carp can escape the general mayhem of the average canal. Turning circles and marinas are worth a look as they offer the fish a chance to escape the daily disturbance of boats going over their heads. Static boats are another escape area for the fish so spending some time regularly walking the cut will soon show which boats stay put most of the time.

 

Overhanging trees will always be offered as a place to look but theres probably loads so its still going to be needle in haystack territory if you use that as a location guide.

 

See if you can get some info from anglers on the stretch as to where carp have been sighted or hooked. Match guys are normally the ones to ask as any carpers will want to keep that info to themselves. If you think you`ve found a few likely spots then give them a regular baiting and get stuck in! I`ve been doing some canal carping and it is tough to think the fish are a couple of miles away but thats just the nature of the venue.

[Julian]

Interesting this, as I’ve been doing a bit on the canals myself recently.

 

I started off by targeting two different stretches, one of about six miles and one of about 9 miles. The first thing I did was to walk the stretches and ask around – sounds daft but you need to be sure they are in there – you get loads of he-said-she-said stuff and ‘my mate said, etc, etc’ – but try and find actual evidence before you start spending time on a section that might have few, if any, carp.

 

Then I started walking the stretches regularly (reconnaissance, not fishing), mainly the areas where I had heard of carp being seen or caught. It can be very difficult spotting carp in canals so I find the best way is to concentrate on a length at a time. My method was to walk a two or three mile stretch chucking in dog biscuits at any kind of feature that looked carpy – don’t be shy – chuck plenty in as the local wildlife will also have their fill. Then, when you have done a few miles, walk back to where you started looking for signs of carp taking the mixers. I started doing this every other day back in June on my targeted stretch and it took nearly four weeks before I spotted my first carp! So depending on density it can be hard going but persistence will pay off.

 

From reliable accounts of carp sightings/captures in the stretches I had targeted, I then plotted them all on an OS Map, and having studied the results, found that they might not be moving about as much as people had suggested. I reckon the amount they travel will depend on traffic in the vicinity, locks they would have to navigate and how easy it is to find food in the immediate area. I found one spot that ticked the boxes on all three and you’d be amazed at how many sightings and captures came from just one stretch, no more than three miles in length, and most captures that I’d tracked down form different people (mainly coarse anglers) came from a one mile stretch within the three mile stretch, if you know what I mean - and hence that’s the bit I’m targeting.

 

I found a lovely little location near the area where I spotted my first fish (which was almost halfway along the mile in question – coincidence?) that had three wide bends where the boat traffic hugged the near bank to go past, leaving the far bank completely untouched. One one of these bends the water on the far side has shallowed to leave a lovely shelf now completely lined with marginal bushes, weed, and a few odd pads. There are loads of other fishy spots right along the stretch, but thinking in terms of; security, shelter and food – this one just seemed to be the best and I was sure they would at least be visiting it on a regular basis.

 

My guess was that when dealing with carp that may be nomadic, pre-baiting was going to be the better method to get them coming back to my intended spots on a regular basis. Typically, I’ve only had the chance to fish my spot about four times since the season started, but I’ve been pre-baiting it at least twice, if not three times a week, whenever I’m passing. The last few times I’ve been doing it on my way back from another venue and I’ve seen carp three times over the last four weeks – each time right over my baited spot – too regular to be coincidence I think?

 

The time of day that you fish it may also have an effect. It may just be coincidence but each time I’ve seen carp around my baited areas it’s been between 6am – 9am – however this might differ from water to water, but again my plan has been to try and fish when there is no boat traffic. Nights are not allowed on my stretch so I’ve been doing 4am-9am.

 

I’ve been pre-baiting now for nearly eight weeks, little and often, and I’m quite confident that when I get back on properly (hopefully in the next few weeks) that the fish won’t be too far away. They are not massive in my stretch, but it’s the challenge that I’m after and I’m hoping all the hard work will pay off!

[Comus]

Guys,

 

Thanks for you advice.

Best of luck,

 

Comus

[Dick Dastardly]

Commus you have a PM.

[Rob Ward]

Someone touched on this above - Lamping is a relatively painless way of locating Canal Carp. A big powerful auto inspection lamp is ideal - just have a walk along a stretch at night with one of those and you'll see them if they're there.