Jump to content

Canal fishing tactics


tiddlertamer

Recommended Posts

I love my fishing though I'll admit to being very one dimensional when it comes to tactics.

I pretty much just fish rivers and invariably trot a float down with the current. I have stretpegged but long trotting is the main game in town.

It being the close season for rivers, I thought it would be June 16 before I wet my rod again. However, I did briefly try fishing a canal a few months ago when moving from one stretch of river to another.

I did a bit of research recently and found a nice stretch of canal out in the country which was not effected by the close season. I thought fishing it might make a pleasant days outing and ease the wait for the river season to reopen.

Do people on this forum have any advice on the tactics and gear to use though?

I'll stick to my 13ft float rod but will my stick floats be OK. Do canal experts use waggler floats?

Is 4lb line fine enough to catch most canal fish while giving enough oomph in case there is something larger lurking in there?

I guess there is no discernible current unless I'm just downstream of a lock. Should I therefore chuck in some ground bait, perhaps some of my maggot hook bait, plonk myself down by the side of the canal and wait? Alternatively do people keep on the move if their spot tuns out to be unproductive?

Is maggot the most effective hook bait?

Do you look for some far bank cover like some overhanging trees?

Do you fish the far bank and avoid the centre channel which is busy with boat traffic? Do you avoid the near bank?

What fish species and what size of fish can I hope to catch?

Any advice would be warmly welcomed.

He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days without taking a fish. (Hemingway - The old man and the sea)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi tiddler i dont know where in the country you are or which canal your reffering to. I fish the grand union a fair bit anywhere from tring to braunston. I wouldnt tend to use a stick normally i use a little insert waggler about 3bb and depending on boat traffic at the bottom of the far shelf. If boat traffic is heavy i'll move up the shelf to tight to the far bank. I've always found it best where there are far bank features , trees bushed lillies etc. Normally i use 3lb line with a 2lb bottom sometime going lighter so 4lb line would be fine. then its the feed little and often approach , i got taught as a kid six maggots every cast and it prety much still runs true. i find twitching the float every cpl of minutes if its very still helps aswell.

everytime i catch a fish i'm lucky when i blank i'm a hopeless angler.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's a long time since I've fished a canal, but when I used to my default running line tackle would be a small insert waggler (possibly loaded), 2lb main line, 1lb bottom and a size 20 or 22 hook with a couple of pinkies on it. Fish at about depth, couple of #8 at half depth, another at about half again and a last one about six inches from the hook. Loose feed pinkies little and often.

 

Alternatively, slightly heavier tackle with casters as bait and loose feed. Fish overdepth, tight against the far bank, and hope for something a bit better. You can often alternate between the two tactics, fishing pinkies down the inside and feeding the far bank a dribble of casters. If I were going to use groundbait, I'd either use a little brown crumb or a continental style mix, mixed dry to give a cloud effect. I'm afraid I'm out of touch with the posh groundbait market these days! Important thing is not to overfeed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tend to use a small insert waggler too, 2lb line though unless I expect to catch some tench and use corn in which case I'll stepp up to 4lb.

PAC RO - Birmingham Region 1 www.Brum-Pikers.co.uk

 

Internet Officer - National Anguilla Club www.nationalanguillaclub.co.uk

 

Very Average Blog - www.PredatorAngling.co.uk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

spending most of my time on canals what you have just rattled off tiddler is prety much it depending on what you are after.

 

preffered float has to be a 3bb waggler weighted down a little bit more than 3bb's just so its about 5mm above the surface if its dead calm

 

i tend to cast no more than 12ft from the bank and sometimes tight into the canal wall further up from myself, size 20 hooks if your after roach and perch. 4lb line will do, its all i use on canals

 

ive never found a canal to be so unproductive ive had to move on to another swim, annoying people make me do that before the fish :D

Owner of Tacklesack.co.uk


Moderator at The-Pikers-Pit.co.uk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Though they are hardly ever used today. I am sure that stick floats were originally designed for use with casters on hard Northern canals.

 

I'm with most others on here and use a small waggler, fished to a feature. That feature can be a bush, a part of the boat channel, weedbeds, or my favourite, below locks, near the out flow from the 'dog wash'.

Maggots, caster, bread, worms all catch, and I usually add chopped worm to a brown crumb groundbait.

 

 

John.

Angling is more than just catching fish, if it wasn't it would just be called 'catching'......... John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a thought... why not try tying on a ready made pole rig, loop to loop, I use them a lot of the time on canals, and they are great for an underarm lob.

A fine bristle pole float makes for the ultimate bite detection.

Our perception of time as an orderly sequence of regular ticks and tocks has no relevance here in the alternative dimension that is fishing....... C.Yates

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a matter of interest...does anyone ever ledger in Canals? I have never tried it...but the thought of watching a really light quiver tip sounds like fun!!!

If so how would you approach it ?

 

I have a "matchpicker" quivertip rod which is designed for just that kind of thing; it's got a choice of butt sections, and can be fished at 9'6" or 6'. It used to be quite a popular technique. It was great in winter for scratching on canals or in the margins of stillwaters, and often saved a blank. Accidentally hooking a carp or tench on what amounts to a 4'6" rod with 18" of quivertip stuck on the end is fun!

 

i.jpg

 

2-2.jpg

 

3-1.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We and our partners use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences, repeat visits and to show you personalised advertisements. By clicking “I Agree”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit Cookie Settings to provide a controlled consent.