first time fishing in 15 years

[rmutt]

so i decided to get back in to fishing so i could teach my son how to fish. i havent been since i was a teenager, about 15 years, so as the weather perked up this afternoon i packed off up to the lancaster canal in salwick. got there about 4 in the afternoon, plumbed the depth and decided to set up fishing the bottom on the far bank just by some lilly pads. didn't get anything for over an hour so changed tactic. i hooked my bait at a depth of about 2 foot and cast out
(set my shot up as per a diagram i saw on here) in to what seemed to be a nice swim (there was loads of fry or tiny fish jumping the surface) fed about 6 maggots every minute or two with a catapult in to my swim. i kept on getting bites ( every 1 in 3 casts i reckon) but didnt manage to hook anything. i can tell that they were bona fide bites due to the float and the maggots getting chewed on but what do you reckon i'm doing wrong?
btw i was using a size 18 barbless, seemed to get more bites when i doubled up the maggots with a neon colour and a red. i constantly groundbaited every half hour or so with a pre prepared mix. has anyone got any ideas?

[barbelblanker]

Usually lightening fsat bites are fish hitting it on the way down (on the drop). These are notoriously hard to hit.

Here's a few thoughts.

If the float did not register a bite but the maggot got chewed, your bottom shot may need to be nearer the hook. This also happens when you have way too much line lying on the bottom.

If you are getting really fast bites, the float is moving , the bait is getting "nipped" but not crushed , this is usually because the hook is too big. An 18 is quite a big hook relatively speaking but I do understand that 20 or lower is regarded as too small these days.

If you are getting sail away bites, the maggot is crushed but you are not conencting it could be chub rushing in and feeling too much resistance and spitting the bait out before you get chance to hit them.

If you are casting "in a heap" , in other words the line is not falling in a straight line but in a heap, the line is slack till the whole of the line has straightened out. This mean bites are not getting transferred to the float.

So, I'd recommend you.

Plumb the depth accurately and start with the bait just off the bottom (but only just).

The float should be accurately shotted with about 80 percent or more of teh shot around the base of the float. Personally I'd have a couple of 8's then a couple of 10 or 12's near the hook but not on the hooklength. Nearest shot about 8 to 10 inches.

Cast the float but check it just before it lands so the line hits the water in a straight line.

Before you actually put a bait on , cast the float and watch how it settles. Aim to get it dotted down so adding one more no 8 will sink it (then take that one off). Get a mental image of how the float settles in your brain then bait it. ANYTHING that stops that float settling in the way it does without a maggot on (it might settle lower with the weight of the maggot, depends on how fine it is) is a bite. Strike and see if you have really just had a bite.

When you get started it is better to fisher better closer than further badly.

Hope that is of some help. Don't be shy of asking.

Tight lines and welcome back.

Pete.

Feed regularily , very little and often.

[rmutt]

nice one, thanks for the thoughts on it, the weathers forecast good for tomorrow and i'm off work so may go again for a bit and set some of your advice to work. i had a think about it and realised it may be that i was using too heavy a float at the beginning (5bb) changed to a balsa wood 3bb after that (i remember catching tons of roach with these from when i was a kid on the same stretch of canal) seemed to still get the same number of bites but no actual hooks. i'll hopefully have a better day tomorrow

[barbelblanker]

With canals then a 3bb might be enough. Don't fall in to the trap of thinking that you need to use a really light float though. It's better to use a 5bb shotted right and making sure the line is not getting dragged around. If you find you are thrashing the float out , use a heavier float. If the float is shotted right down then you can usually get away with it. I have a favourite Ivan Marks 3BB stepped waggler that is great for in close work when there is not too much wind. Too much and it is the wrong float . Caught me hundreds of roach on lakes over the years that float has. All the best.