canal fishing (hardly catch during day)

[Red_Stafford]

Hi all I have been fishing the canal for the past week catching mainly Roach, Perch and the odd nice Breem but we have been in the morning about 05:00 and you can see the activety in the water but only catch small but then about 12:00 the fish really slow down and we hardly catch but then it picks up again about 8:00..... Is this normal for canals and also how do we catch the larger fish ?

[dave fish]

yeh its normal these are the best times to fish as the fish will bo on the feed and can feed confidantly in the low light

[GazBett]

Hi red,i've been fishing my local canal since the start of the season(i now know there isnt a close season on most canals now) with 1 rod out on scaled down carp tackle and waggler fishing on another rod.The waggler gets most action,loads of perch,roach and rudd,and quite a lot of tench and bream.i set the waggler 6-10 inches over depth so i know im on the bottom,use a little groundbait and usually fish worm or double red maggot on the hook

The other rod on scaled down carp tackle consists of a lead clip system and a 6 inch 10lb braided hooklength with size 12 hook and a 10mm boilie on a hair.

I always tend to fish 1 peg so my bait is always in the same place,as well as throwing maybe a few too many free offerings when ive packed up ;)

Hope this helps a little,it seems to have paid off for me as the scaled down carp rod has snaffled me 2 nice carp from the canal in the last 2 weeks

Tight lines,Gaz

[Red_Stafford]

When you say waggler I assume you mean float fishing

[barbelblanker]

Red, it is totally normal for coarxe fish to have feeding times and lulls. MOST coarse fish will not feed well in the midday sun. Usually first and last light are feeding triggers to most fish, expecially predators. The exception being rudd and , rather bizarrely, gravel pit tench. What baits are you using ? If it's maggot then, in summer, you'll catch a lot of small stuff. A switch to small pellets , macaroni cheese or hemp and tares may improve things. Luncheon meat might also be worth a try, probably legered. Casters might also be worth a try. Bread will usually select roach too.

[Red_Stafford]

Tried using sweet corn, red maggot and pinkies on the hook, tried using lunchen meat and macaroni cheese on the hook but couldn't get them to stay on hook whilst casting out ??

What do you guys use to light up your fishing area if you go before or after light and how do you see your floats ??

I also tried some ground bait that my tackle shop suggested to me I mixed this with bread crumbs and canal water and threw a few big balls in to start then little balls regulary

[connorfisherman]

yes, this is normal, fish tend to feed in the lower light and the bites dry up at midday

[dave fish]

you can buy glow sticks for your float and invest in a head torch