Shallow, narrow canals can be tough nuts to crack in the middle of summer, when boat traffic is intense and heavy footfall on the towpath rarely gives the fish an opportunity to settle.
Yet double-figure nets of silvers are still well and truly on the cards if you get your tactics right.
Cadence Superteam’s Darren Massey is among the nation’s elite canal anglers and he has a proven formula for getting a bite almost every chuck.
"I fish two lines, and it’s all about priming them and going on them at the right time in the session in order to keep quiet spells to a minimum,” explained Darren.
USING ONE OF THE BEST FISHING POLES WILL HELP IMPROVE YOUR PRESENTATION AND ACCURACY.
Split your lines
I fish two lines that are kept well apart to make sure that one is always home to a few fish feeding confidently, fishing a line around 5m out, where I expect to catch small roach, perch and maybe the odd bonus fish.
The second line is pencilled in tight to the far bank where a better stamp of roach are likely to be. Pegs with a decent depth and obvious features often fare best.”
Boat traffic and bankside footfall are the key factors that will ultimately lead to lulls on the short line, while the far bank tends to quieten down once several fish have been hooked and landed.
SITTING COMFORTABLY? YOU WILL BE IF YOU USE ONE OF THE BEST FISHING SEATBOXES.
Feeding approach
Both lines need to be given attention throughout the day or the fish won’t stay put. The short pole line is kicked off with two balls of groundbait. This creates a carpet for the fish to feed over and, unless bites completely cease, that will be the first and last groundbait introduction I make.
From then on it’s a case of trickling a dozen maggots over the top every five minutes, whether you are fishing it or not. Hemp is king on the far bank, and it definitely helps you to pick out a better stamp of roach. A third of a big pot is introduced at the start before 30 grains are fired over via a catapult every 10 minutes to keep the area topped up and draw more fish in.
THE BEST FISHING CATAPULTS MAKE FEEDING ACCURATELY FAR EASIER.
Shotting solutions
Almost every fish will be under 1lb, so finesse can come into play without the risk of getting snapped up. Darren combines a grade 3-4 elastic on the short line with 0.10mm mainline to a 0.06mm hooklength and a size 20 hook.
It’s stepped up a fraction on the far bank, with grade 4-6 elastic alongside the same strength mainline and a 0.08mm hooklength to a size 18 hook. Arguably the most important aspect of my rigs are the shotting pattern.
The short pole line is always shotted with a bulk a foot from the hook, plus a couple of smaller droppers below. It gets the bait quickly to the bottom, where the fish are, while the droppers slow it down a fraction to make the hookbait fall slowly as it approaches the deck.
There are two options on the hemp rig. If lots of tiny roach are sitting shallow, or I am fishing in more than 3ft of water, I use the same pattern as I have on the short line.
But, In shallower swims, or when most fish are of a stamp you’d like to catch, string out the shot to dramatically slow the fall of the hookbait.
KEEP YOUR CATCH SAFE DURING YOUR SESSION WITH ONE OF THE BEST KEEPNETS.
