IF YOU can get off the hustle and bustle of the towpath, the country’s canals offer miles and miles of often untapped carping potential.
As a starting point, snags or cover can be good hotspots. One thing to remember is that canal carp can be very nomadic so a spot may be prime one day and fishless the next.
There are several things to take into consideration when fishing canals, the first being bait. In a lot of our canals the carp are relatively opportunistic, making the most of food thrown off the side of boats or in bird feeding areas.
If you aren’t the sort of person who is going to spend a lot of time prebaiting, these areas of free feed are certainly worth investigating.
If you want to be more selective with your bait, you need to fish with boilies, big ones at that. Part of the challenge of canal fishing is the host of other species you will have to contend with and even an 18mm boilie won’t deter a greedy bream.
THREE TOP TIPS FOR CANAL CARPING
- To avoid complications with boats when fishing from the bank, pin your lines to the bottom with a backlead. Do not plot up next to a mooring area or too close to a lock which may get a lot of use.
Backloads are essential kit for fishing canals
- Canal carp can be very nomadic. Try concentrating your feed by pre-baiting likely looking spots. If you aren’t able to do this, make the most of natural feed areas such as bird feeding spots.
Try pre-baiting some likely looking spots
3.Try fishing a snowman hookbait with a bottom bait of at least 18mm topped with a 12mm or even a 15mm pop-up. This should help deter unwanted bream.
A snowman hook bait is good for avoiding bream