Transient Towpath Trudging - Pt.61 (Angling Times Content)

The canals local to me certainly hold some lovely fish and I bet there are some gems to be had in these untapped waters. What amazes me though is those specimens I've picked up recently a lovely 1lb 12 roach and 4lb hybrid are there one day and gone the next.

That's the challenge fishing these natural waters there is such a huge volume of water that you've got in-front of you where the heck do you start. Those areas you catch fish are duly noted and fished again and again. The fish may well not be up for feeding when you are bankside but at least you are getting some bait in for the fish to feed on which can keep them in that location.

I've been fishing bread in the main of late when a 10 pence sized piece is squeezed on to the large hook fished crudely overdepth under a buoyant float. 

No doubt it would canal anglers of old turning in their graves but these waters are so underfished the fish are not pressured at all. 

For this session I decided to fish a much lighter float a size 18 hook and maggots over some groundbait. The chosen swim was where I picked up the big roach which actually features in this weeks Angling Times. 

I emailed them about the 4lb hybrid I caught including the roach as well but it was the roach they featured. To be honest I didn't even know they had included it until George Burton messaged me to say I was in it again. The last time the 11lb 8oz canal Zander featured bringing the 6 year quest to its conclusion. Michael !! Michael !! at least my mum will be happy

The weather wasn't brilliant for fishing and as per usual I only had a couple of hours. The wind was gusty where the surface of the canal went from calm to choppy and back to calm again in the space of a few seconds. There was some tow on it too which is not ideal using a sensitive float however sinking the line can help with that as if it floats on the surface the wind can pull a float like this under.

That's one of the reasons why I like using a more Heath Robinson set-up, the much heavier float can withstand that potential issue and those large cocking shot are better an anchoring it to the bed. The larger bait as well does sort out the men from the boys so to speak (insert other pronouns here it is 2023 after all) as when that float goes under your not likely to be connected to a 3 ounce roach.

Now I'd have a sleeper rod out for the carp as well because having been bust up by one on my bream / roach set-up I knew that they are here and also someone I know had spotted them here as well. So for this session in to dusk I'd fish a scopex tainted white pop-up over a bed of freebies to try and intercept a carp.

Two tennis ball sized balls of supercrush green went in at the start of the session with a sprinkling of maggots and I got fishing. The Mandarin duck, native to East Asia was waterside again and he certainly keeps the other ducks in check when they appear on HIS patch. I need to get a better pic, this crudely taken on my iPhone with inadequate zoom. Don't worry my friend no need to fly off when I get near I'm not ready to dig out the Peking duck recipe just yet, I've fish to catch after all.

It didn't take long to get the first bite which was a small hybrid and them the small roach turned up and they were up for snaffling the maggots. Not prolific mind you but remember these area Zander infested waters they are extinct according to the Canal and Rivers Trust and the Environmental Agency. 

They only had to visit the canals in lockdown where the usual turbid canal went clear because of the boats having to stay put like the rest of us, and when we were eventually allowed out of our own houses for local exercise (Thanks Matt Handcock) the huge shoals of roach sunning themselves in the strong sun was a joy to be behold. 

The bite alarm remained silent throughout the session where a few more hybrids were caught and a better one lost after the 3rd or 4th bend of the rod. The small hook pulled for some reason maybe I should rig the Acolyte rod up instead, now it has been repaired.   

The bream didn't show whatsoever which was a surprise because there were a few micro pellets in with the groundbait and I've caught some nice ones here before. The water temperature is now over 12 degrees so warming up nicely. Another month I'm going to give the canal Tench a go, a stretch has done one to 7lb for a likeminded angler and I fancy a natural venue Tench to ones tally. 

The conclusion for that session, well I'll stick to the Jeff Hatt school of angling me thinks, it suits my angling style.