Carp - Royal Military Canal at Hythe

[chubsta]

I have fished and walked along the RM Canal at hythe, kent for 20 years and have never seen a carp, let alone caught one - doesnt bother me as i am happy catching millions of small roach and perch everyday!

 

Went for a wlk into town yesterday and as we walked over a bridge in the centre my girlfriend said she had seen a huge fish - i looked over and saw a carp of about 7 pounds swimming about! i was over the moon, particularly when a few minutes later another 1 turned up to swim with it!

 

Went for a walk along the ladywalk section in the town later in the evning and saw another couple sitting under a bridge near the rowing boats, but as we walked along towards the green and the water got shallower and clearer there were loads of them! There must have been at least 25-30 individual fish, all in the region off 5-15 pounds just milling about andd taking stuff off the surface. A few blokes were fishing crust and in the 5 minutes we were ther i saw one brought out that was in the range 12-15lbs.

 

Went for a run this morning from hythe to Aldergate and saw a group of 4 spawning in the weed, and oer the other side of the canal saw a huge, unfortunately dead, common floating at the surface - had to be easily 20lbs!

 

After all these years of thinking the canal carp must be very rare, and therefor not worth trying to catch, i feel confident in actually getting one - will definately put a bait out whilst i am tiddler-bashing next time!

[chesters1]

they have always have been there ,i used to fish for them at the back of the old abattoir (up "stream" of the railway terminus) not very big then a 10lber was tops but elswhere they were thin on the ground and thinner as you went towards the dam (the cinque ports AC / ashford AC? boundary) but in the 30 years since i last fished it or so everything has changed and i suspect they have become FAR more common (as they have everywhere).

i used to fish for the wildies at beachborough most great sport on a match rod and all the runs were screamers ,i "hear" beachborough is back in cinqeports "hands" again

 

my favourite stretch for general fishing was that lovely grassy bank between the bridge and curve but more to the point in drinking distance of the pub (red lion? ,george?) above many many good hauls from there and hardly visted by anglers who preffered the sluice stretch

Edited May 23, 2007 by chesters1

[chubsta]

my favourite stretch for general fishing was that lovely grassy bank between the bridge and curve but more to the point in drinking distance of the pub (red lion? ,george?) above many many good hauls from there and hardly visted by anglers who preffered the sluice stretch

 

If that is to the right of the Red Lion then exactly where most of them were - very weedy and shallow so very difficult to fish, but might have to give it a go myself next week

[chesters1]

must be a different bridge or pub ,the curve was at the folkestone end of the town ,then dark and about 4ft deep ,no weed whatsoever ,if its now shallow things certainly have changed!

there was the first bridge by the pub then a straight bit with a curved iron? bridge then the bridge by the cafe near the railway

 

just looked at google earth and there seems to be scrub or trees where we used to fish (literally below the pub) so even the banks changed

Edited May 23, 2007 by chesters1

[Dick Dastardly]

The town stretch has always been very good for carp.High 20's are often caught and I know of three 30's (2 fish).

[chubsta]

The town stretch has always been very good for carp.High 20's are often caught and I know of three 30's (2 fish).

 

There was a 40 reported in the local press a few years back - a young lad had just bought himself a new rod, using sweetcorn, had it in the stretch i saw the fish in yesterday. Not a novice angler, just new gear.

[remyboii]

going to the hythe RM canal on sunday will i get any thing ? ? cant be bothered to go unless im going to catch something big haha ? had enough of little silver fish this year too many skimmers.!!!!!!

[markyedgar]

i was fishing west hythe canal few weeks back and saw a massive carp surfacing not sure about weight but id say about 20lb and it didnt like 2 good was all patchy. coulda been the fish u saw dead?

 

where abouts have you seen the carp? wheneva i go fishing in hythe it on the wooden part near the reailway but only catch tiddlers so stay away from their now, but i may go near red lion have look out for these carp.