WHAT could be better than catching both big and small fish, ending the day with a lovely mixed bag?
For the ultimate challenge, I there’s nothing to beat a hard-earned double-figure net from a canal. Shallow water, wild fish, boat traffic... there are plenty of obstacles to overcome, but by using every part of your swim sensibly and feeding to suit the fish you’re after, you’ll be amazed at what you can catch!
Here's how I do it...
Feed groundbait
To catch different-sized fish from different parts of the swim, I’ll feed groundbait on one line only – roughly three-quarters of the way across just down the far slope.
Choppie across
If I’m likely to catch skimmers I’ll feed chopped worm and caster across near the far bank in 2ft of water, on top of the shelf and ideally near any cover, which big fish prefer.
Keep loosefeeding!
Smaller fish can be caught on the drop, but only if you loosefeed every cast. Never put the catapult down.
Always go for pinkies
On summer canals I’ll ping in fluoro pinkies rather than squatts for a chance of catching a better stamp of fish.
Through the water
On all my lines I fish light rigs with 4x10 floats. It’s important how you shot them up. A strung-out pattern of No11 shot allows the bait to fall slowly, with a chance of catching good fish on the drop.
Start on a top kit
Before I even think about fishing across the canal, I’ll begin on just a top kit for 15 minutes. You can pick up a few bonus fish here, while also giving your other swims time to settle after being fed.
