Canal Roach - The Sisyphean Task ? Pt.1

George Burtons Winter Canal Roach campaign came up the other day on our WBAS WhatsApp group and it got me thinking maybe that's something I could get in to, especially as the rivers at this time of year seem to be in a right state.

Also the canals in the winter are much quieter boat traffic wise than in the closed season aren't they. Not only that but the doggo landmines are less prevalent too, and that's always a bonus let me tell you. Footfall, well less of that as well which is nice. 

I know George was inspired to give the canals a go for big roach because of the antics of Jeff Hatt, and to be honest, it was Jeff's rambling that got me in to fishing for canal Zander and when after 6 years I eventually caught a double figure canal Zander I started to fish for other species on the canal with some reasonable success. 

Would a 2lber on a natural venue be a possibility ? !!

Now if you've not seen George and Eric's Youtube video it's well worth a watch as not only does it stand out from the humdrum, but it it shows the technique I've employed myself to target larger fish on the canals where Zander are established. It suits my kind of fishing too which is crude compared to how a canal is usually tackled by the angler. 

In my limited experience I've managed some nice fish too, with some decent sized bream as well as some big old hybrids (4lb) and my best roach to date going 1lb 12 ounces.

That fish was caught in March when the boat traffic is little more than it would be in December, so for this morning's session for some reason I decided to give the rivers a miss and head down to the canal instead. 

Obviously I'd have a zander rod out as well for some double dipping but Buffalo Si with his eyes and ears on the ground on the local canals has been struggling for Zander so they might not have quite woken up yet. 

However they are still well worth a go though especially when there is some nice fish to be caught on this stretch. 

This is the South Stratford canal btw which is my nearest canal and where most of this campaign will be from. With my limited fishing time maximising the amount of time the bait is in the water is key especially when those >1lb refins I've already caught have been from this canal. Like the Grand Union and Oxford canals George where Jeff applied their trade, this was my local patch.

Now During lockdown when the boats were shackled like we were when we were finally let out the usual coloured canal actually went clear believe it or not because of the lack of boat traffic, and I couldn't believe my eyes because there were decent roach milling around which you'd never spot before in its usual turbidity. 

Anyway as expected no boats for the near 3 hour session so the surface was nice and still and calm which was nice. The float was doing a sterling job as well and sitting nicely in the water. 

A good hour in the first swim with a really fast bite the only interest I got and I'm convinced it wasn't a proper bite anyway, almost like a fish brushed past the line or something. A roach passing wind would disturb the float it is that sensitive so not unexpected really.

The predator rod as well was motionless so in the end I decided to go and fish a couple of more swims as there was no point hanging around if there wasn't any fish in the swim.

The water was rather cold when I took the temperature and probably not surprising the fish were not having it large especially when you fish this method, when a big fish is the aim. Would I have fared better fishing a smaller fish and maggot ? 

Quite possibly but it was a decent roach I was after not an imposter, anyway another two swims fished with nothing doing whatsoever. The mornings sun was pleasant mind you it's just a shame that the fish were not showing at all, no fished topped either which isn't a good sign in my experience.

So a blank to add to ones growing tally for January !!!

To be honest if I look back at my blog apart from chub I often struggle this time of year when even the Stoltman Brothers would pass on swimming in the cold water. The temperature is going to drop again so maybe chub and possibly a pike should be the next target. So on to the next, this a most forgettable session. 

The Tiny River Alne - AWOL and Autothaumaturgists

Back in the COVID days an Italian man stepped outside to cool off after arguing with his wife and ended up walking 280 miles. 💪😀

Italians had nicknamed him "Forrest Gump" on social media, after the autistic hero of the 1994 movie, played by Tom Hanks, who runs thousands of miles across the United States.

Police stopped the Italian's epic walk at 2am in Fano on the Adriatic coast, a week after he left Como in the north. 

The man, 48, got a police fine for breaching the curfew. Some comments on social media presented the man as heroic and criticised the fine. One said he should have been rewarded not fined and given a new pair of shoes. Another praised him for walking off to cool his anger, rather than resorting to confrontation. 

The man told police "I came here on foot, I didn't use any transport". He said "along the way I met people who offered me food and drink". "I'm OK, just a bit tired," he said, having averaged 40 miles daily.

 

Apparently police found him wandering aimlessly and cold at night on a coastal highway. After checking his ID in their database they found that his wife had reported him missing, so they contacted her and she travelled to Fano to collect him. 

Now the mental health toll at the time was massive, much like in the UK as the Italians struggled to cope with Europe's strictest and longest-running enforced lockdown and freedom of moment, so fair play to him I say, heck I feel like doing similar at the moment with my fishing time seemingly curtailed. 😞

I've got all the gear as well so I could easily manage something like that, "see you later !!" shut door then vanish for a week or three and then return with a smile on my face and hopefully a wet net, some tight lines and stinky pits. 

The Wife would be soon on to the Police I'm sure when the fridge starts to empty of wine but I'd get some decent fishing time in before the authorities were notified, and it would be interesting to see how long I could manage without having my collar felt. I'm sure there was a TV series about evading capture, Hunted I think it was called, we could revive it !!

Anway to the fishing I had a small window of opportunity to go fishing down the Alne which is the closest river to me. The diary-makers and penny payers had reduced my bank time to less than two hours sadly however I was hoping that float fished maggots would at least bring a bite or two. I missed loads of bites recently fishing a worm and maggot cocktail here and the float would have been the better option I'm sure. 

I went for a nose at the lower swims but they were almost static as expected because the river had dropped considerably, so I walked up the stretch where the river narrows and there are some trottable swims.

After bumping a fish off which felt like a trout after only a handful of trots down what I didn't expect was that 15/ 20 minutes later I'm playing a nice chub that is giving the light tackle some gyp. The size 16 hook was gripping well though and after a spirited battle it was in the net.

A lovely fish for the Alne going 2lb and 14 ounces and well worth coming out despite the time constraints. I carried on trotting and feeding maggots and another chub succumbed with only 10 minutes of the session left. I was quite surprised too because I couldn't really retain the first chub because I only had my small net and the swim was quite elevated.

Probably a scraper 2'lber this one but another nice fish on the float. I was just getting in to a rhythm but that curfew came round far too fast and I had to head off back home sadly to look after the kids and make the dinner.

Some daal and homemade onion bhaji's, very nice indeed !!!

Now 12 days off the booze I'm certainly sleeping better but with a friends 50th tomorrow I'm off the wagon for an evening, we've a rare babysitter too so the Wife will be in tow and she cannot be having all the fun now can she.

Anyway hopefully I'll get out in the morning, I'm weirdly tempted to try for a canal roach after our fishing syndicate WhatsApp group rekindled some fond memories. 

Warwickshire Avon - Snow Foam and Snipocracy

Despite the cold weather I decided to give the 4 Years and 4 Month old Jimny a well deserved wash this week. I've been testing its ability offroad off late and mud had got to places where I'd no choice but to get on my hands and knees with the jet-wash.  The car really is unstoppable when it's muddy, even when tyre deep in the thick stuff it just does its thing and gets through it without any issues whatsoever. A/T skinny tyres, 4X4, plenty of ground clearance and the fact it weighs 1/3 of a modern Land Rover Defender, there is a reason why they have a good reputation.  

The side windows especially on my drivers side were that spattered in mud it was restricting my vision which to be honest isn't a good idea in often rubbish winter driving conditions. That mud ended up on the roof too, pretty good going I thought 😀💪

 

Now I don't particularly like cleaning cars these days but get the right tools for the job, like anything I suppose, it seems less of a choir. So I put the cheap Temu snow foam dispenser and snow foam through its paces and within no time I had a car looking more than respectable again. Being covered in mud does suit car I suppose and unlike many 4x4 owners there is no denying that since I've owned it I've taken it off the beaten track hundreds of times. 

It has not missed a beat either since new (touch wood) and it's always an adventure driving it as its unlike most of the modern cars of its ilk, its got character, and plenty of it, or as the Wife says whenever she drives it, "it's a bonus to come back alive, but then her daily driver is a 450hp Volvo XC90, they couldn't be more different, and for me that's a good thing. 

Anyway I was time constrained (AGAIN) for this short session big time so I had to make the session count basically. So with the tackle already in the car, rod made up where chub were the target, finish work head over to the Avon, fish two swims max and then not far off an hour later I'd have to head back so the Wife can go to physio. To be honest I was in two minds whether to go such the rush but needs must and I was eager to catch a decent chub as I'd not caught one in ages. 

The shoot was just about to start so after a natter with the shotgun swingers I headed to the river and took their advice on-board to return a different route to my car, well unless I wanted the risk of lead shot up ones jacksie. 

The river is a lovely colour as can be seen here and I was counting down to the first bite due to my past experience when it's this shade of green from the pantone catalogue. 

How wrong was I though !!!

Two primed swims, three fished in total, naff all, not even nibble before Siri ended the session at curfew time. There was still quite a lot of debris coming down but I was certain I'd have at least a bite, but no another blank sadly. I might need to dust the golf clubs off at this rate.