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Near or far


Ken L

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Are you a master blaster or a dangler?

Fishing in Thailand taught me that remarkably big fish are often very, very close in - as in within 30cm of the bank.

Last season. I decided to implement those tactics here and did very well on a couple of venues with carp and with a double figure barbel from the Avon at Fladbury.

Obviously, there are times when long casts are required but my suspicion is that most anglers are casting over the fish and would do better simply dropping a bait at their feet.

If we get to fish this year, I have a venue in mind for catfish and will be fishing in the edge.

Species caught in 2020: Barbel. European Eel. Bleak. Perch. Pike.

Species caught in 2019: Pike. Bream. Tench. Chub. Common Carp. European Eel. Barbel. Bleak. Dace.

Species caught in 2018: Perch. Bream. Rainbow Trout. Brown Trout. Chub. Roach. Carp. European Eel.

Species caught in 2017: Siamese carp. Striped catfish. Rohu. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Black Minnow Shark. Perch. Chub. Brown Trout. Pike. Bream. Roach. Rudd. Bleak. Common Carp.

Species caught in 2016: Siamese carp. Jullien's golden carp. Striped catfish. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Alligator gar. Rohu. Black Minnow Shark. Roach, Bream, Perch, Ballan Wrasse. Rudd. Common Carp. Pike. Zander. Chub. Bleak.

Species caught in 2015: Brown Trout. Roach. Bream. Terrapin. Eel. Barbel. Pike. Chub.

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Carp especially are not stupid they follow the ducks when the ducks see an angler packing up they want the bait chucked in, the carp follow as seen in this documentary

I have always if possible fished infront of the swim next door ,the carp will venture in when it gets quiet

Believe NOTHING anyones says or writes unless you witness it yourself and even then your eyes can deceive you

None of this "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" crap it just means i have at least two enemies!

 

There is only one opinion i listen to ,its mine and its ALWAYS right even when its wrong

 

Its far easier to curse the darkness than light one candle

 

Mathew 4:19

Grangers law : anything i say will  turn out the opposite or not happen at all!

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"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical." Thomas Jefferson

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I now very often cast the Method feeder onto the actual bank down the edge, then tweak it into the water just inches from the bank.

It's a method I adopted by accident from a few mis casts. :fishing:

I hardly ever fish the middle, but I also fish as hard up to the far bank as I dare which of course is another margin.

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Fishin' - "Best Fun Ya' can 'ave wi' Ya' Clothes On"!!

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I've found the same when fishing from harbour walls and breakwaters. Some guys come along and pull out the latest top end beachcasters, fix on a 5oz weight and cast to the horizon and don't get a bite, whilst i'm fishing down the edge with a light carp rod catching the odd whiting, wrasse, pollock and some rather nice mullet. :D

 

 

Eat right, stay fit, die anyway.

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16 hours ago, Martin56 said:

I now very often cast the Method feeder onto the actual bank down the edge, then tweak it into the water just inches from the bank.

It's a method I adopted by accident from a few mis casts. :fishing:

I hardly ever fish the middle, but I also fish as hard up to the far bank as I dare which of course is another margin.

Over the many years fishing for ellusive carp on the canal system, the best place without doubt to place your hookbait was about 6-12in from the far bank. Preferably up against some reeds or under an overgrowing tree or shrub of course. It was very rare to catch one down the middle even when I fished wide open turning bays and junctions. 

 

 

Eat right, stay fit, die anyway.

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13 hours ago, *Ant* said:

Over the many years fishing for ellusive carp on the canal system, the best place without doubt to place your hookbait was about 6-12in from the far bank. Preferably up against some reeds or under an overgrowing tree or shrub of course. It was very rare to catch one down the middle even when I fished wide open turning bays and junctions. 

The same for the large Chub on the Grand Union canal near Watford. If you cast your float any more than a foot away from the far bank you rarely if ever caught any Chub, but if you bounced off the far bank and fished less than 6 or 8 inches away from the far bank and chances were that you’d catch some decent Chub. The Chub just hugged tight to the far bank.

Keith

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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But it doesn't have to be the far bank..

Species caught in 2020: Barbel. European Eel. Bleak. Perch. Pike.

Species caught in 2019: Pike. Bream. Tench. Chub. Common Carp. European Eel. Barbel. Bleak. Dace.

Species caught in 2018: Perch. Bream. Rainbow Trout. Brown Trout. Chub. Roach. Carp. European Eel.

Species caught in 2017: Siamese carp. Striped catfish. Rohu. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Black Minnow Shark. Perch. Chub. Brown Trout. Pike. Bream. Roach. Rudd. Bleak. Common Carp.

Species caught in 2016: Siamese carp. Jullien's golden carp. Striped catfish. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Alligator gar. Rohu. Black Minnow Shark. Roach, Bream, Perch, Ballan Wrasse. Rudd. Common Carp. Pike. Zander. Chub. Bleak.

Species caught in 2015: Brown Trout. Roach. Bream. Terrapin. Eel. Barbel. Pike. Chub.

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7 minutes ago, Ken L said:

But it doesn't have to be the far bank..

It does if there are people walking and riding their bikes along the towpath plus there was very little near bank cover on the Grand Union canal near Watford so the near bank wasn’t so good, apart from near the very occasional parked barge.

It’s a bit different now in some areas, as the moored barges have increased along there.

On my local estate lake you can often find the Carp doing a figure of eight around the two islands but fishing along the near bank under your feet often takes some nice Carp and Tench too.

Keith

 

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

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32 minutes ago, BoldBear said:

It does if there are people walking and riding their bikes along the towpath plus there was very little near bank cover on the Grand Union canal near Watford so the near bank wasn’t so good, apart from near the very occasional parked barge.

It’s a bit different now in some areas, as the moored barges have increased along there.

On my local estate lake you can often find the Carp doing a figure of eight around the two islands but fishing along the near bank under your feet often takes some nice Carp and Tench too.

Keith

 

 I don't know that they're overly fussed about walkers and the like, especially if the sun is behind you and the and the wall of the canal gives a bit of shade.

My local park pool has carp and tench that can be caught 6 inches off the bank with folks walking past constantly.

Species caught in 2020: Barbel. European Eel. Bleak. Perch. Pike.

Species caught in 2019: Pike. Bream. Tench. Chub. Common Carp. European Eel. Barbel. Bleak. Dace.

Species caught in 2018: Perch. Bream. Rainbow Trout. Brown Trout. Chub. Roach. Carp. European Eel.

Species caught in 2017: Siamese carp. Striped catfish. Rohu. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Black Minnow Shark. Perch. Chub. Brown Trout. Pike. Bream. Roach. Rudd. Bleak. Common Carp.

Species caught in 2016: Siamese carp. Jullien's golden carp. Striped catfish. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Alligator gar. Rohu. Black Minnow Shark. Roach, Bream, Perch, Ballan Wrasse. Rudd. Common Carp. Pike. Zander. Chub. Bleak.

Species caught in 2015: Brown Trout. Roach. Bream. Terrapin. Eel. Barbel. Pike. Chub.

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2 hours ago, Ken L said:

 I don't know that they're overly fussed about walkers and the like, especially if the sun is behind you and the and the wall of the canal gives a bit of shade.

My local park pool has carp and tench that can be caught 6 inches off the bank with folks walking past constantly.

Have you fished the Grand Union canal around Watford Ken? If you had then you will know how easy it is to spook any fish worth it’s weight in the near side shallows.

The shallows in front of the Angler on the GU canal around Watford is shallow, gin clear and and totally featureless and unless you are fishing near to a bridge or lock (where it narrows and the nearside shelf is no more) the nearside shelfs are virtually devoid of anything but gudgeon and a few small Roach. However the far bank is another story completely, as are the areas around the locks and bridges on both the near side and the far side.

The far banks there have overhanging bushes and trees and the fish are not spooked by bankside traffic or anglers unlike the barren near side bank.

I used to be our clubs team captain and we used to fish loads of team matches against other clubs along the G.U canal north and south of Watford, and do well, and I can promise you that it’s not like the average lake or pond in most places. You get someone walking past on the noisy gravel towpath, or someone zooming past on their bikes and the only thing you’ll stand to catch from the near side shelf is gudgeon and minnows.

Which is why we used to catch our Chub tight against the far bank where there was little bankside noise or movements and the Chub (and Carp) could wander up and down feeding tight up to the bank without being disturbed.

Canal-Profile.pngTypical Canal Profile

It’s a different environment completely around our club lakes and rivers, not only because of the increased water colours and the different depths but also because of the bankside vegetation on the nearside banks allowing you to keep fairly concealed and able to sit well back if needed.

Keith

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

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