Canal Roach - The Sisyphean Task ? Pt.9

The deluge of rain the weekend during some thunder and lightning showed up my hatred of DIY and the like, you see ones gutters were full to the brim and were spilling over the side nearly tainting next door neighbour David's ornamental bush. A bush that I'm sure will be in his will someway or another.

The only thing for it was to get the ladders out, unroll the hosepipe and actually get down to some the neglected maintenance whilst the weather was nice.

What I didn't expect was a whole bucket full of gunk was retrieved from the gutters that must have been under some considerable strain judging just how heavy it was. The front gutters gunk had almost knitted itself together where a foot long weed was growing out of it to raise the red flag and the cul-de-sac covenant pointers at the Newey's lack of 'keeping the house in good order'.

 

A quick test of the gutters draining post clearing showed that it was working effectively and should suffice for another 5 years or so (joke), well until there was another risk to David's bush buddy, we wouldn't want that to happen now would we.

Anyway with some roach to catch I decided to go for a couple of hours down the canal where my best roach to date is 1lb and 12 ounces. 

I'm sure I've lot a bigger one as well that came off 10 seconds or so in to the fight, and it certainly felt like a roach on the end of the line.

I've been concentrating on bread as it tends to bring the bigger fish but maggots will be used from time to time for a more conventional approach.

A lovely evening indeed where the water actually felt warm when I had a dropped run on the deadbait within 5 minutes and felt the deadbait.

Yes of course I had a sleeper rod out as well because there are Zander here to be caught, so a roach went out over at the far side tight to some reeds.

Anyway a quick water temperature check it was 17.3 degrees 🌞 so positively tropical and the swim was like fish soup. 

I've never seen such activity on the canal before a proper eyeopener it was. The first so show where rolling bream and as the evening progressed some small fish were humping out and also some roach I assume were breaching the surface, presumingly to feast on the insects that were in huge numbers skimming the water.

The amount of activity really was quite ridiculous but wow what a session of ultimate frustration, I just couldn't connect to any of the bites on the float set-up I used effectively the weekend. They shot under really fast, or that classic lift bite would play out in 3x the usual motion where I'd connect in to nothing.

At least the Zander were playing ball, I caught a tiny schoolie but also missed a couple of bites and also had one that looked about 4lb that dropped off in the fight.

I fished for a couple of hours until I couldn't see the float and left with my tail between one's legs because I left fishless on the main float attack. I dread to think how many bites I failed to connect to, I can only assume they were small fish that and I'm a rubbish angler.

We all have though sessions from time to time though I suppose but I was kicking myself I didn't bring any maggots because I'm sure that would have been the answer to connecting to some of these fish. Oh well at least I know for next time. There wasn't one boat either because of a lock gate having to be replaced above here limiting movement, hopefully that will stay till the closed season ends, because it was rather nice I must admit. 

Canal Roach - The Sisyphean Task ? Pt.8

So I was back on the roach hunt this time on a stretch of canal I've fished plenty of time but never for the smaller species. I've only fished it for Zander but it has the 'Hallowed' green tinge to the water and I fancied trying to see if I was missing anything.

Naturally I'd have a deadbait rod out as well it would be rude not to wouldn't it !!

Again another early start to hopefully avoid the boats because I switched the float again to a 3BB Drennan Antenna float where I'd over shotted it by 1BB where I'd bulk all those shot a inch and a bit before the fine wire size 12 hook.

On route to the spot to fish there was fish spawning all over the gaff. I've never seen such activity like this before, they were properly on it. 

These were quite clearly bream though and after mashing some bread in the mild water I actually decided to measure the temperature and it had shot up to 15 degrees, which does explain them being on it so to speak.

I decided to leave them to it and fish around 30 yards away that looked perfect for a bite.I wasn't wrong either because after chucking out the sleeper rod with a partly frozen roach on, within around 10 seconds the float is getting some interest where after a few seconds of not doing much it confidently goes off an run. 

This was no Zander as expected though it was a small pike that had snaffled the bait almost on the drop. So with the predators on it I decided to fish for those instead leapfrogging sections and sections of cover, with to be honest no more bites.

With a few boats now moving I decided to fish the session as planned because to be honest the tow wasn't that bad and because it's quite a wide bit of canal here the boats don't tend to be that much of an issue.

So bread for the hook and bread slop as feeder a wallace cast distance out. The float I must admit worked perfectly where after 10 minutes or so there were some bubbles around the float which can only mean one thing, that there were fish feeding in the swim.

Sure enough the float acted out the classic lift bite where it almost seem to rise in slow-motion leaving me plenty of time to strike. I knew it was a bream straight away rather than a roach I fancied but at least I knew the method worked as intended.

It almost seems a little cumbersome with the 4 bb shot pinched on the line near the hook but like I said it worked perfectly. The next fish was a hard fighting roach bream hybrid where if it was just the former it would have ended the quest right there and then.

A side by side comparison shows just how slender the bream are and how built like brick outhouses the hybrids are. Anyway with a busy day ahead in the end I called the session slightly early because the boat traffic was becoming annoying and the Zander didn't seem up for a feed anyway to be honest. An enjoyable few hours though and the new float set-up worked perfectly. 👌 I just need to stumble on to some big roach now, fingers crossed for the next session in a couple of days time. 

Transient Towpath Trudging - Pt.105 (Maggots)

With such a disappointing session yesterday I was back for some more of the same !! this time however I was back to an area of canal that did plenty of bites recently on maggots over groundbait.

A lovely morning it was too, albeit a little chilly when I got bankside for 6.00am. I don't tend to set an alarm because I naturally wake around that time anyway. The day only got better and better and actually led to the first BBQ of the year. 

Let's hope things improve because the weather has been pretty terrible hasn't it. Anyway it took a while to get the first bite but then after that the sport was steady but not exactly as good as it was last time here.

The insert waggler float I was using wasn't really registering the bites as well as I hoped so much so for the next session back after the roach again, I'd switch back to the drennan antenna float that has served me so well. 

During this session I actually lost two of the biggest fish where the first one felt really heavy and I didn't get to see it.

It was hugging bottom in the fight and after a 10 seconds or so the hook pulled and the float nearly wacked me in the face as it catapulted towards me.

Shame really as it felt a decent fish I must admit. It could well have been a roach bream hybrid because the next fish I lost I knew was a decent slab.

I rarely lose fish in this manner but maybe the tentative bites I mentioned before could well have been an influencing factor.

I don't mind catching bream to be honest despite their slime and I had a fair few in this short session.

I'm still let to see another angler on this stretch and that didn't change today, where the heck is everybody ?

I know the closed season it not everyones cup of tea, but to get that fishing fix there are plenty of fish to catch in canals like this.

Zander obviously get finger of blame as one of the reasons why the canals are not fished much in these quarters but I'm sure it is the commercial fishery that have had the biggest influence. 

 Now the Zander rod has been out for a good hour before I had the first bite which I missed and also the bite afterwards where I pulled the bait out of the fishes mouth. 

If there are Zander in the swim though often you will get another chance and sure enough after a couple of bobs of the float, it confidently heads towards some thick cover.

I knew it wasn't a big fish from the first bend of the rod but it gave a spirited fight and was safely in the landing, where the circle hooks was proudly displayed in the scissors.

That was the only Zander I had and after a few boats went thought scuppering anymore maggot fishing I decided to go back the canal, dump some gear and fish an area I'd been doing ok recently for them. After one missed bite after 5 minutes another hour or so was fruitless. Still a fine morning and a few bites I wasn't complaining.

Canal Roach - The Sisyphean Task ? Pt.7

Rigid rules have little application to any kind of angling, but experience does indicate that the angler who adopts certain procedures will catch more big roach than the angler who fishes haphazardly for anything that might come along. The guides to catching big canal roach from my limited experience 👀 can be summarised thus:

• Find a secluded spot in which you can fish quietly and alone.
• Stay alert for any visible evidence of big roach.
• Refrain from using fine groundbait, which only serves to attract too many small fish.
• Prebait your chosen swim with the bait you intend to use.
• Persist in the chosen swim if success does not come quickly (and be sure it will not, on most occasions).
• Keep well away from favourite hard-fished, reed-free swims unless you can fish them alone at an early or late hour.
• Find out what times are most favourable to the catching of big roach in your own water.

The last point is of some importance. Roach do not feed for twenty-four hours a day; and although it might be difficult to pinpoint the exact time when feeding is likely to commence, experience indicates that early morning is a great time, especially when the swim has been prebaited and the day promises to be hot and bright.

During the winter months, when the reeds have died away and the water may be very clear, dusk is the best time. One hour of fishing then might be worth all the other hours together, in terms of bites.

Obviously, then, a lot of time can be wasted by playing the waiting game. The angler who times his visit to coincide with what experience has taught him to be the best time to catch big roach can reduce the time spent at the water side to a mere hour or so.

This also means that he will be fishing more alertly, more expectantly. Too much time spent sitting and watching an unmoving float can result in tiredness, both mental and physical, and this is bad. When the chance does come, it may be missed.

A suitable analogy might be found in the case of the game hunter. 

He could spend many exhausting hours seeking his quarry over a wide area of countryside, but if he knew along which routes his game travelled, and at what times they came down to the water to drink, he could achieve his aim in the minimum of time simply by positioning himself at the water-hole when the game were due.

Unfortunately, anglers cannot always see their quarry or keep track of their movements, so it may sometimes be necessary to lure the roach to an appointed spot by careful and thoughtful prebaiting of the swim. Then the bait can be laid out with some degree of expectation that a good roach may soon find it and accept it. 

The fast-water swims below lock gates and the stretches of water immediately downstream are often worth trying during the summer. So are heavily reeded swims. Big roach are seldom far away from reeds during hot weather. A cunningly flicked bait might catch one of them unawares, but it is better to prebait the swim if possible. I often do this if I can be bothered 😅

Now talking about rigid rules, well I decided to something a little different for this session and try a new set-up on the sleeper rod. I'd fish a small inline feeder that would be filled with roach goundbait and then I'd use a short hooklink with a hairstop where I'd bait up with a few small compressed bread disks. 

A bit heathen like you might say, but I was an avid reader of Jeff Hatt and his antics on Idlers Quest where he was using lobworms for roach, it's always good to experiment I say especially when I lost a carp here recently fishing in the track with some bread. So yeah, almost commercial F1 tactics (I'll wash my mouth out later) with slightly beefed up tackle than I'd usually use, just in-case the carp was around and fancy getting in on the act. 

On the main rod It would be my usual centre-pin and insert waggler with either bread or maggots for bait. This time though I'd feed roach groundbait with some hemp rather than the bread just because really. I don't think there are a huge amount of smaller roach to be caught and I was hoping that a single hookbait would be something for a big roach to home in on. 

Anyway enough of the waffle, I better get fishing....

To cut a long story short 🙈 best laid plans and all that, because after arriving at 6.00am where I fished for 3 hours not one single bite FFS !!! I fished two areas and nothing was doing on either rod at all. Not even a sucked maggot or a bobble of the float. The only welcome distraction was the tree above me was determined to shed its leaves right on top of my noggin. 

It was only when to counteract the boredom I went for a rove when the next set of reeds around 100 yards to my right there was fishing spawning, and a decent group of fish too. Hmmm that wouldn't have helped now would it.

The didn't seem like Zander though so maybe bream ? they looked a decent size whatever they were as they were certainly moving the reeds a lot, and almost the whole length of them too. So after seeing that I decided to go and have a nose at an area I've not fished for a while where blog reader Richard Clapp said it was worth a nose.

I have fished up here a few times in years gone by, but I've filmed and also seen otters on this stretch so I've never been that desperate to fish it. I thought I'd go and have a nose though because it might be giving it a go to see if I'm missing anything.

A good distance covered and with the sun out I wanted to see if I could spot some carp and also to scope out some potential wild trout spots and also to see if Severn Trent were dumping effluent in the canal after the rain yesterday.  . 

To be honest I didn't spot much, in-fact I didn't even see many fish top. There was one particular turning bay that looked great for a bite, some nice reed cover but also some bream bubbles right slap bang in the middle of it.

I did feed some nuggets of bread in and amongst the reeds but no carp showed when I watched for a while and they were still there when I returned after heading much further up the stretch. Still what a lovely morning where I covered just shy of 14k steps.

Everything seems to waking up at the minute which is nice to see but with the fish spawning on this stretch I might return in a few days and give it another go. I'm sure no matter what I did today would have brought a bite, but that's canals for you, they after often more miss than hit.

I can luckily get out again tomorrow and also Bank Holiday morning, so I'll take stock and decide what to do later. As I walked back there were a couple just about to sit down with a pint of beer at 11.15am on the canal side pub, that I'm sure would have been the better option I'm sure. !!!

It was that black cat I saw first thing, that certainly wouldn't have helped !!!.

Transient Towpath Trudging - Pt.104 (Canal Zander)

I was working from home looking out the window expecting the rain to start anytime because that's what the weather report had predicted, but nada, nothing zilch.

To be fair the rain would be due to the thunderstorms that had been threatened were because of the muggy weather and not because a band of rain was coming through.

Now I'm lucky that 5 mins away I can be on this canal towpath that contains Zander. I've fished it for quite a few years now with my biggest going 9lb on the nose, and the next best fish 8lb 10. When those fish were caught though you could easily have 6-10 fish in a few hours, however now you are often scratching around for bites.

The numbers are definitely down however this closed season I've done ok, with a 6'lber being caught and also some back up 4lber's and schoolies.

It sees so much boat traffic this canal and as you can see from the picture below when a boat goes past this is what you are left with. Fishing a maggot over a bed of groundbait is a waste of time but the Zander seemed to thrive in this turd'ib waters.

I fished the usual banker straight for nearly two hours though without even an enquiry so I decided to get on the move and walk up the stretch and end up in Nora Batty's Marina after fishing some of the cover on-route.

It's a mile and a half to the marina from where I started so some most welcome steps covered to try and track down a few Zander but cover after cover those float just weren't moving. 

If I look back at my blog when the water warms up those Zander that are usually laying up conserving energy are now often on the move rather than parking their backsides up waiting for food to come to them. 

I fished the Struggs (@buffaloSi) as well and some tasty looking snaggy swims never produced as expected so the next port of call was the entrance to the marina. It's a shame we cannot fish here because like most  marinas I bet there are some gems to be had.

When I arrived a swan had made a beeline to me probably hoping I had some bread, but after getting bored knowing that he was unlikely to get any, it swam to my right by my feet where it's dangling feet disturbed a fish that bolted and produced a wake on the canal like I'd never seen before.  

It really was huge, a carp or a big Zander I assume, he knows but it certainly was a decent sized fish I know that for certain. 

Anyway a good half an hour in the marina entrance without a bob, pull or a jerk of the float it was time to head to the marina where the last time I fished it I blanked I believe. 

It was the perfect day for fishing with it being mild and overcast but the fish were not playing ball because another hour in there tight to boats and also in the track, those fish were nowhere to be seen.

The high air pressure wouldn't have helped I know that because they are sensitive to that sort of thing and it doesn't take much to put them off feeding. I did think about nipping in to the pub for a pint but I know I'd only regret it handing over my hard earned cash. 

The key to a bite was to retrace my steps and fish the banker straight on the way back to my car where after fishing one of the swims I fished at the start of the session, a jerk of the bait the float started to move and then it stopped.

Another jerk of the bait the float then tears off down the canal and I tightened up in to a fish. It was nodding it's head trying to free the hook but was soon landed. A small schoolie with some damage by the looks of it, but at least I hadn't blanked. So 11k steps covered in 3.5 hour for 1 fish, not as easy as you think this Zander lark. 

Transient Towpath Trudging - Pt.103 (Canal Zander)

May is the month when you really feel that Spring is here and Summer's not far behind. The leaves are fresh on the trees and everywhere is smothered with blossom. Good-to-be-alive month, this though and there are glimmers of hope from time to time with the weather being nice, which makes a change from it being rubbish. These pictures from my regular WFH walk where I'm lucky to be able to get out in the open countryside 5 mins walk from my front door. 

It's the month when the dyed-in-the-wool coarse angler should get himself sorted out, ready for next season. Mend or replace any worn or damaged tackle; check the catalogues for the latest additions; check that his fishing outfit is in good repair, that his wellies haven't or that mice aren't nesting in them. perished.

Oh and and renew his club membership, it's no use waiting until the second week in June, when club secretaries are working around the clock to send out membership certificates and by which time the lists may have closed anyway. For the game fisherman, May is a really magic month, with hatches getting more frequent and prolific.

Novice or cack-handed trout men can look forward to the period in late May or early June when the mayfly hatch is on the water and the fish are feeding as if there's no tomorrow. Duffers' Fortnight, it's known as. For a couple of weeks, so it's said, the veriest duffer cannot fail to catch fish.

In the main it's true, and the most gormless and ham-fisted can stock up with enough stories, suitably embroidered, to last him the rest of the season. 

On some waters, however, Duffers' Fortnight can be affected by the application of Sod's Law, which decrees that the trout are scoffing some other insect which is hatching in quantity at the time and ignoring the mayfly. This has been known to lead to mass outbreaks of hysteria, alcohol poisoning, wife-beating and cat-kicking.  

Anyway to the fishing, with my mum to go and visit after working from the office, it would be rude not to have a dabble for canal zander wouldn't it especially when the spot I caught a 8lb 9oz fish from the other day, was only a slight detour on the way home.

As someone who spends a lot of time sat behind a CAD machine sat on my backside these trips are a must to keep me sane to be honest. I'd definitely struggle with life if I didn't get my much needed fishing fix. My blog is a testament to that I suppose, little and often, because long and drawn out also isn't for me, each to their own though, to be honest I'm a bit jealous of the time. 

Talking of which I've managed to watch two decent movies this week, 'Late Night With the Devil' and 'Monkey Man'. The first a horror that is something a little different from the humdrum where In 1977 a live television broadcast goes horribly wrong, unleashing evil into the nation's living rooms. 

Then the 2nd A young man ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he's beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, he discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city's sinister elite. 

As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.

So back to the fishing well after hot footing it to the area to fish the amount of surface crud I knew was going to be a pain in the backside.

The bit of canal no matter what time of day you fish has surface tow and when it goes back and forth that debris can start to gather on the loop of line.

The way to get round this is barbel style when fishing river in flood to lift as much line as you can out of the water.

My newly purchased Wychwood Extremis Tactical EVA Compact Carryall was perfect for this where as the Drennan Super Specialist shoulder bag that was starting to fall apart wouldn't be suitable.

It was one of the reasons why I bought it to be honest, well being EVA and also bigger than the previous bag as I was running out of space. 

A few kamikaze cyclists when past this area of the Grand Union canal and a few dog walkers interesting in what I was fishing for. 

"Zander ideally"   

  

"What's a Zander ? never heard of those"

What I didn't expect was that the first fish was actually a rare pike. I can count on two hands those rare pike I catch in Bards country and this was one of those. The water is green and much clearer mind you where the pike probably deal with it better despite being in Zander infested waters.

A rather lean and skinny jack that I felt a bit sorry for. As a predators it's certainly not top dog here. With the warmer weather the water temperature had rocketed to 15 degrees which I was surprised at so I will be looking to target other species going forward, because I certainly do better for bream for example when the canals are over 13-14 degrees.

I fished every bit of cover for 15 minutes or so and nudging the bait off the bottom from time to time, however sport wasn't exactly prolific.

Despite fishing for canal zander for many a year now I never tire of seeing a float bob and move and then eventually meander down the canal, however from time to time you get a bite that after the first bob, the float literally submerges within seconds and disappears from view. 

So the first Zander of the session and a waspers delight, a fish heading towards 4lb I'd imagine. A fish that I thought was much bigger from the fight, however I'm sure the warmer water helps.

I managed another schoolie soon afterwards but another hour without a bite and being bitten by gnats and with rain on the way I decided to end the session early.

So nearly two hours and 3 fish so not a bad return to be honest and it's good to see Zander back in this area because it was off my radar really, because bites we really hard to come by. With a bank holiday weekend on the way hopefully I'll get a few sessions in where Roach and Zander will be the target.