Transient Towpath Trudging - Pt.107 (Bread and Zander)

I’ve always wondered why the canals I fish are devoid of anglers because there are some nice fish to catch and there is that mystery in fishing which is lacking in fishing a commercial for example. You have so much of it to explore that there isn’t the issue that if there is a rare example that there is another angler present, solitude is a mere 5-minute walk away.

The local stretches to me are alive at the moment with everything waking up from its slumber. The fish are spawning or have spawned and those bream especially are on the munch and are there to be caught.

The flora and fauna is also growing so fast you can almost see it grow if you stare at in long enough, so that means they are a pleasant place to spend time next to, especially when you are getting bites.

For this early morning roving session, I fancied exploring an area that won’t have ay narrowboats navigating its waters for a good while because of a lock gate is having to replaced. It’s a month away from the new river season and I would be surprised if it’s fixed by then, so time to fill one’s boots.

So a predator rod with a roach deadbait and my small guru pellet waggler set-up where I’d fish some bread tight to some reeds. The float is made from foam so with a large shot anchored a couple of inches from the hook it’s easily castable and the set-up is super sensitive. Some sloppy bread is fed once the bread is in position and that clouds up the water.

Anyway what I didn’t expect was that on-route to the area to fish was another angler who was already fishing !! I was there a 6.30am and he’d been there at dawn. He’d managed some perch and also some bream fishing close in from the bank using maggots. Because of the lack of boats the water is now starting to clear with a good foot or so of visibility.

Whilst I was having a natter the amount of fish activity was quite incredible really with bubbles galore in much of the swim. So I needed to go and catch some fish of my own didn’t I. I headed up to the very top of the area I wanted to fish which was a good 40 minutes walk, and then I’d work my way down.

Anyway, as I was nearing the area, what the hell, yes another angler who had just set-up his gear. Unheard of in these quarters but then the weather was glorious I’m sure that helped. 

He was floating fishing with maggots as well and he also had a sleeper rod out with a pellet for something more likely to put a bend in the rod.

I started off in a winding hole where I’d positioned a deadbait near to some cover and I fished the pellet waggler (fished overdepth) over at the far side of the canal right next to some reeds. It just looked good for a bite and I was correct in that assumption because within 20 minutes or so I managed to catch 3 small bream all of similar stamp.

The last fish gave a good account for itself and disturbed the shallow swim so much the bites dried up which gave me the nudge to get on the move. I fished quite a few areas with not much success with the deadbait having no interest whatsoever. Hmmm….

So in the end I decided to retrace my steps to the start and then go beyond to more familiar waters where I’d had zander from before and also some nice hybrids. Within 5 minutes of the deadbait being positioned in the oxygenated water the float was off on its travels and I’d hooked in to a nice fish.

It gave a good fight and in this area the zander are unusually dark and this one showing that to good effect. As I was getting the fish unhooked, I realised that the pellet waggler rod had now disappeared and upon lifting the rod realised that there was a fish on the end. It was nice hybrid of a couple of pounds and I’m still amazed just how well these fish flight.

With two fish caught in quick succession again the bites dried up, so I headed to bream bay where in the past has produced some nice fish up to 4lb or so. This is a wider bit of the canal and it’s also full of reeds so the fish tend to hang out here.

The amount of fish activity was plainly ridiculous but sadly I only had half an hour before curfew so I had to make the limited time I had caught. I need not have worried though because after a nice bream showing its spawning battle scars I also managed another hybrid soon afterwards both from the same swim.

By this time the sun was high in the sky and blanketing the surface with its rays, so I was surprised the fish were in a feeding mood. Sadly, time called play but it was an enjoyable session I must admit and the weather being good makes a massive difference to that, long may it continue.