best tactic for the canal

[flyhook]

hi guys some great articles on here and ive used the search engine regards canal fishing,that said
i had my first go on my local stretch of the canal and was wondering if i could have maximised my chances.
the setup up was a float fixed at 3 feet deep with a deadbait suspended underneath
i tried this setup for a few hours then walked a few hundred yards and set it out again.
when i grew tired off watching it i attempted to wobble it on the retrieve
any thoughts or ideas would be a massive help
cheers

[owen k]

Bring a lure/jig rod with you.Keeps you interested and you might catch a livey.
Move more often.Cover more water,you'll drop on top of something eventually.
Keep low and quiet to avoid spooking fish on the near bank.

[Andrew]

Features features features.

Its really hard this time of year to pin them down with the canal being pretty much the same all over so finding features is a must. That can be either a water outlet, pontoons, bridges and bends in the canal.

Take any opportunity you can to have a walk along it and look for activity. I walked nearly a mile few days ago and nothing that entire length until i got to a bend with moored boats with some surface activity from roach or rudd. It was also an area which is calmer due to surrounding area blocking wind from most directions.

[flyhook]

Thanks very much much appreciated

[suffolk si]

echo what is said above, try covering lots of water with a lure rod or livebait if you can get some,then when you find them set your stall out. location is pretty much everything, more so at this time of year when fish start to move to winter haunts, I would give each spot half a dozen casts/fifteen minutes then move and repeat until you find them.
good luck

[Andrew]

ive often wondered if fish do in fact find winter holding areas on canals since its depth is pretty much uniform all over and if thermoclines can develop

if thats the case then what are they actually looking for in a canal. dont mind me just thinking out loud.

[suffolk si]

in theory as you say there probably are not huge differences in depths, temps etc, you can often stumble on an area and its full of fish for no apparent reason, likewise some features that you would expect to hold fish don't, I guess in a nutshell I would pay attention to features but not ignore plain featureless stretches, similar situation with some drains too I guess. covering water and finding fish is the name of the game until you crack it I guess

[davelumb]

When I did a lot of canal fishing keeping mobile was the best method. Either wandering along with one rod wobbling a deadbait, or fishing two static baits (usually paternostered) moving them every fifteen to thirty minutes. Sometimes you'll find a spot that produces regularly which might be worth a longer wait.

[MarkBerrisford]

locally the pike seem to move around in almost a fixed pattern depending on the weather that probably relates to most waters in that after the summer the food fish are well scattered as it cools down they start to shoal up more tightly and if the weather drops colder they then move into more sheltered warmer water and obviosly the pike won't be far behind,problem is the last couple of winters is the weather hasn't dropped cold enough to move the fish to there proper winter quarters so the fish have remained reasonably scattered makeing the fishing very patchy at best.Regarding tactics lures and lives will catch the most but generally smaller fish with deads produceing less but bigger fish

[Ash m]

locally the pike seem to move around in almost a fixed pattern depending on the weather that probably relates to most waters in that after the summer the food fish are well scattered as it cools down they start to shoal up more tightly and if the weather drops colder they then move into more sheltered warmer water and obviosly the pike won't be far behind,problem is the last couple of winters is the weather hasn't dropped cold enough to move the fish to there proper winter quarters so the fish have remained reasonably scattered makeing the fishing very patchy at best.Regarding tactics lures and lives will catch the most but generally smaller fish with deads produceing less but bigger fish

Nail on the head their mark, especially regarding the last few winters not packing the pike up same,

Look for the baitfish

[flyhook]

Once again many thanks guys
Got my work cut out fishing the cut,but by god I'm going to enjoy it.

[The predator]

Marinas are good holding spots for prey fish in winter.
Preyfish = pike.....need I say more?

[pete webster]

If its match fished check the results in Angling press fish the winning pegs/area, and don't pack up too early, if the matches finish at 3pm make sure you are fishing at 3pm,dont fish too far out at this time, think where do the Roach etc go when the keep nets are emptied
If it's a dead bait fish it closer to the, or on the bottom and twitch it regularly.
Pete

[Rob_Iasgair]

I used to do a heap of piking on canals (Lee Navigation) as a youngster.

One area that was consistent was a place I wont name as it's still a good bit these days. However, it was on a long sweeping bend with lots of overhanging trees one side and it was used regular through the winter for matches.

The pike were always hanging around and often took fish off the match guys hooks as they were brought in. That was a fairly obvious hotspot.

We also found pike laying around the "downstream" area of lock gates. Presumably because you often found areas of the canal bottom scored out due to the current when the gates were opened.

We never had any marinas to explore, but certainly it is worth looking for them and fishing the entrances. These are often a bit deeper as they are dredged to keep them clear.

Lastly, as already said, keeping mobile is the key to finding the fish. We almost exclusively took two rods, one with a light float set up that was cast to the far bank and left to drift round in an arc, the other fished with a wobbled roach or sprat. Often this was cast out and left to sink to the bottom on the far shelf and left for a few minutes. Often a fish would pick it up. Letting it drop into the middle trench also brought bonus fish.

I never did that well with lures, with natural wobbled baits outfishing them...but back then I was not really into lures.

[MarkL]

We have a Narrowboat moored up in a marina. As you said Rob the entrances are kept quite clear due to dredging and also the mere fact that the boats are turning at the entrance and shifting a lot of silt.
The marinas themselves tend to hold some nice pike, the "bait" fish grubbing around for food dropped into the water from the boats sink outlets......a lot of nice carp as well
Mark