The popularity of carp fishing is exploding, and lakes around the country are becoming increasingly harder to get on. For those of us who can only fit in quick evening sessions or a spare few hours here and there, this makes getting on the fish that much more difficult.
The answer is to take a walk on the wild side and head to the country’s canals and rivers.
Canals have some good stocks of relatively under-pressured big carp, and catching them is a simple matter of observation, location, preparation and timing. Once you catch that first carp from a long stretch of canal, you’ll wonder why you previously settled for the last spot on a busy lake.
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THE CANAL TIMETABLE
One of the biggest factors that determines canal success is timing. While not typically flooded with anglers, canals can be pretty busy with other water users. Barges run up and down throughout the day, opening and closing lock gates, disturbing the bottom and causing a fair bit of commotion.
Then you have the towpath, where cyclists, runners and dog walkers are passing every few minutes.
The fish have acclimatised to life in this hectic environment, but they’ll usually tuck themselves away from the craziness during the day and come out when the hustle and bustle dies down. So dawn and dusk are the classic times to be on the canal. This isn’t to say chances can’t be had in the middle of the day, but you need to be looking for those really quiet areas and you may find the fish far more difficult to locate.
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GET BAITING
Most canals are pretty uniform and featureless. A standard canal will have a shelf either side and the deeper boat channel in the centre. There may be far-bank vegetation, snags or cover in the form of boats, but in terms of depth changes, there won’t be many. If you do find somewhere with a significant depth change of a few feet or more, it is worth investigating, as it could be a real hotspot.
The best way to make these often-nomadic carp easier to locate is to prebait. Giving the fish free food for as long as you can in the same spot, before fishing it, is a huge edge.
Particles, pellets and boilies are all great, but nuisance fish in the canal may beat the carp to smaller feed items.
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STALK THEM OUT
In summer, carp can be stalked on canals with floaters, and there really is no better way to catch them. Travel light with just an unhooking mat, rod, net and a few pieces of end tackle, and you can cover mile after mile of the towpath looking for fish. Most canals aren’t that wide, so you sometimes don’t even need a controller float.
A freelined piece of bread or a dog biscuit across to a fish patrolling the far-bank foliage won’t take long to be slurped down. Spreading mixers across a long stretch and walking back and forth, watching for signs of taking fish, is another effective way to locate groups of carp.
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THREE TOP TIPS FOR CANALS
Backleads
Backleads are essential pieces of kit when fishing on the bottom on canals. They pin your line down out of the way of passing barges or boats. The last thing you want is a boat cutting your rig off.
Use a baiting pole
Flicking rigs across to far-bank brambles or trees can be tricky. The task is made far simpler with a baiting pole. The standard-length poles will be enough to reach the far bank on most canals and enable you to discreetly drop your rig and free feed on the money.
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Find cover
Overhanging bushes are great, but it’s also worth fishing close to boats if there are some. Canals are fairly uniform, but they do hold a deeper boat channel, that is worth investigating after dark.
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