NEWBIE: need help/tips on canal fishing

[Red_Stafford]

Hi all go easy on me I am new here, the past three days me and a friend have been going down the local canal and doing a spot of fishing.... Neither of us really know what we are doing, it's the first time I have been fishing for over 15 years.... Anyway I don't have any gear but my friend has two rods and reals, one is a carp rod and I think the other is a float rod (it's shorter and thinner than the carp rod)..... As much fun as it as been the past few days we are only catching mini perch with the odd bream (about 1lb but they looked huge, lol).

We are both float fishing using either red maggot or sweetcorn on the hook and throwing both sweetcorn and red maggot around the float area.... Can someone please help me by advising what gear we should be using (should I invest in a pole).... What method we should be using and also what bait we should be using, sorry to go on a bit but thanks for taking the time to read my post.

[dave fish]

i tend to use a 12 foot match rod with match reel lined with 4lb line ,float i like to use 2bb as i find they arnt as heavy as most and can register the smallest of bites and i always use maggot as bait never cuaght on corn so i dont bother on the canal

[Red_Stafford]

Originally Posted by dave fish

i tend to use a 12 foot match rod with match reel lined with 4lb line ,float i like to use 2bb as i find they arnt as heavy as most and can register the smallest of bites and i always use maggot as bait never cuaght on corn so i dont bother on the canal

Cheers Dave, is method or swim feeder using a Polaris float any good on the canal ?

Also does anyone have a groundbait recipe that would be good on the canal ?

So would you say a match rod is better than a pole on the canal ?

[dave fish]

well its what you feel comfortable with really i prefer rod and reel most prefer pole because you can put your bait exactley where you want it but i feelits to easy that way even the rigs are pre tied and bought in the shops .with rod and reel if you get a spot on cast its an accomplishment in my eyes ,never used a method feeder on the canal just float fishing the silt on my local hides the feeder and bait so its pointless,with ground bait try to find out the couler of the silt on the bottom because if you buy a groundbait thats almost the same colour it wont stand out to the fish my recipes stays the same no matter where i fish its a proven bait so i keep using it
1 kilo bream mix grounbait(voodoo mix)
1 tin hemp inc brine from tin
1 tin corn
1 kilo micro pellet
half pint castor
crushed white seafood boilie 10mm about 20
try it i might work for you let us know how you get on tight lines

[BoldBear]

Hi Red_Stafford,

I wrote this article to help anglers like yourself to get a good insight into fishing an average canal and the tackle that is usually used on them.

< A beginners Guide to Float fishing on a Canal >

I hope this is of use to you.

As for Baits heres a few suggestions for catching various species in the Canal:

Chub:
Productive spots:
Tight up against the far bank (within a foot or so) or below overgrowing vegetation is usually the best places to cast for the better specimens.
Hook Baits:
Casters, Maggot or small lively redworm are the baits that I have had my better catches on although I have had quite a few on bread/cheespaste or breadflake.
Groundbait/Loosfeed:
loosefed caster or Maggot or crumbled bread if using breadflake on the hook.
Hooks:
Size 18s or 16s or size 14 widegape if using breadflake

Roach:
Productive spots:
Along the far shelf, usually along the bottom and up the slope but occasionally on top of the shelf; or under overhanging trees feeding on insects falling from the branches.
Hook Baits:
Casters, Maggot or small lively redworm are the baits that I have had my better catches on although I have had quite a few on breadflake.
Casters seem to sort out the bigger ones from the shoal.
Groundbait/Loosfeed:
loosefed Casters and/or Hemp or crumbled bread if using breadflake on the hook; feed 6 to ten sinking casters or a few grains of hemp every two or three minutes (little & Often).
A fine cloud groundbait can be a great attracter but beware don’t put big balls of it in because the first barge coming through will spread it all down your swim which is not really what you want.
Hooks:
Fine-wire Size 20’s, or 18s or size 16 widegape if using breadflake.

Bream:
Productive spots:
Along the bottom of the far shelf or in the centre channel.
The shoals are also found in the wide barge turning areas where they are not disturbed by passing barges quite as often.
Hook Baits:
Pinkies, Maggot or small lively redworm are the baits that I have had most of my better catches on although Caster are also worth trying.
Groundbait/Loosfeed:
A good Bream groundbait containing things like Mollases, Bloodmeal, Corn fragments and Cerial mixed together with some hookbaits can be a great attracter but beware if you are fishing the centre channel then don’t put too much in at once because the first barge coming through will spread it all down your swim which is not really what you want.
Hooks:
Fine-wire Size 20’s, or 18s or size 16 widegape if using breadflake.

Perch:
Productive spots:
Along the far bank especially near to wooden pilings or underneath overhanglng branches where they can hunt for falling insects and small fry in the dappled shade.
Often large shoals can be found working their way along the bottom of the near and far shelves picking off small Gudgeon and minnows but the larger ones can be very aware of bankside disturbance although the smaller ones can be caught quite easily.
Hook Baits:
Maggot or small lively redworm or pieces of lobworm are the baits that I have had most of my better catches on although very small spinners or small livebaits are also worth trying.
Groundbait/Loosfeed:
A few Maggots or Pinkies will help to keep shoals of minnows and small gudgeon occupied so that the larger Perch can home in on them unawares or a good helping of lively Maggot mixed with a few worm pieces will often get Perch feeding avidly on Maggots.
I have on a couple of occasions had to empty nearly a pint of Maggots in my swim to try and stop a large shoal which had been seen working their way along the Canal in an attempt to catch a few large specimens before they continued along the canal but this is not very common and normally a regular sprinkling of Maggot is all that is requred.
Hooks:
Depends on the size of bait you are using (18 to 10)

Gudgeon:
Productive spots:
These fish can be caught anywhere along the canal and are usually found in great numbers along and up the near shelf. Where someone using a small whip can sometimes amass two or three pounds of them during a match which can be useful when the other fish species are not feeding well.
Hook Baits:
Maggot, Pinkies, small lively redworms or pieces of lobworm, paste or sweetcorn are all baits that are readily taken by gudgeon.
Groundbait/Loosfeed:
Any non-cloud groundbait.and/or a few small hookbaits.
Hooks:
Depends on the size of bait you are using (18 to 14)

I hope this has helped.

Best of luck and tight lines

Keith (BoldBear)

[Red_Stafford]

Cheers guys some good advice there nice read boldbear, so from what I have read pole fishing would be best to fish on the opposite bank but would not be much good in the wing, and the matchrod is better for small areas and windy weather

[BoldBear]

Originally Posted by Red_Stafford

Cheers guys some good advice there nice read boldbear, so from what I have read pole fishing would be best to fish on the opposite bank but would not be much good in the wind, and the matchrod is better for small areas and windy weather

The Pole can be used at any length from around 5 or 6 mtres up to the Poles full length (usually on top of the far shelf) or if you can afford one which is not too heavy and unwieldly then even one of the extra long Poles that can reach the far bank on canals that are not too wide, but these extra long Poles come at a higher price tag especially if they are well balanced and light.

For fishing much closer for Smaller species then a Whip would be fine, I have a decent 6mtr whip that I sometimes use for speed fishing at 8 to 10mtrs when after small Silvers.
I also have two smaller Whips for fishing even closer in but I haven't used these for many years now.

I also have two Match rods of different test curves which can be used to float fish at any distance from just in front of me up to tight against the far bank, or in large wide turning bays and are especially good when the wind is a little too gusty for using the Pole or there is not enough bankside space to wield a Pole or the Pole can't reach the area you want to fish.