The rivers are flooded, the lakes are overflowing and the wind is howling. Where are you going to fish when all seems hopeless? The canal waterways my friend, they are a Winter wonderland for Roach, Bream, Perch & Pike; guaranteeing a few fish and shelter from the worst of the weather.
The canal waterways from December through to March provide reliable sport that maybe unspectacular to some anglers but very welcome in my angling calendar.
I'm going to share with you the tactics and theory behind kayak angling on canal waterways. Yes, I use a kayak angling platform as a tactic / fishing method to enhance rig presentation and ultimately my angling experience. What are the two massive downsides to fishing on a canal towpath? Dog litter and bank side traffic (runners, walkers and cyclist). I avoid all of these negatives fishing stealthily at water level in an angling kayak.
An archive photo from January 2013 but please observe how low my profile is on the water against the back drop of a narrow boat. The fish don't even know you are there and an angler observes a hell of a lot more, feeling apart of the fishes environment.
For this particular blog I'm going cover a recent February Drop Shot session I had in search of Perch utilising both small lures and live bait in the form of Lobworms. I have itemised the components within the Drop Shot fishing tackle set up I used during this Greater Manchester, canal waterway angling trip.
Drop Shot fishing rig.
Drop Shot fishing rig.
Fishing Rod:
Quantum Specialist's Crypton Shotgun Vol 2, 2.10 metre spinning rod (Rated 15 g casting weight).
Quantum Specialist's Crypton Shotgun Vol 2, 2.10 metre spinning rod (Rated 15 g casting weight).
Fishing Reel:
Quantum Specialist's Axil 20 spinning reel.
Quantum Specialist's Axil 20 spinning reel.
Mainline:
Quantum Specialist's
Quattron PTI-Braid, 0.08mm diameter & 12lb breaking strain.
Quantum Specialist's
Quattron PTI-Braid, 0.08mm diameter & 12lb breaking strain.
Tippet / Leader:
Quantum Specialist's
Quattron Fluoro Carbon, 0.20mm diameter & 5lb breaking strain.
Quantum Specialist's
Quattron Fluoro Carbon, 0.20mm diameter & 5lb breaking strain.
Hook:
Charles Jardine Grayling Bug hook, size 10, red
Charles Jardine Grayling Bug hook, size 10, red
Weight:
Quantum Specialist's
Universal Drop Shot lead, 7 g.
Quantum Specialist's
Universal Drop Shot lead, 7 g.
During this session I covered around 1 mile of canal stopping off at approximately twelve swims in search of productive Perch fishing grounds. Some swims old favourites while others were new ventures, they were all fished thoroughly. All of my canal kayak angling is conducted from a static kayak using mud weights on the bow and stern to ensure the craft does not swing around in the wind or when a narrow boat passes by. The safest and most productive location to position this type of fishing platform is upon the canal's far shelf in the shallow water away from the boating channel. From this position an angler can present a rig in several ways.
Method 1:
Cast into the deeper water of the boat channel gradually working the rig back up the far shelf towards the shallower water and the kayak fishing position. Perch will often follow a lure / bait right up to and underneath the kayak you are fishing upon. Each cast may last a couple of minutes as I literally move the rig at a snail's pace with long pauses.
Method 2:
The rig can be fished along the far shelf, a technique that only works occasionally for me but one that does produce bonus Perch from time to time.
and finally
Method 3:
Casting a rig up along the far bank structure (narrow boats, jetties, pilings, tree branches or reed stems). Ignore the shallow water of the far shelf at your peril, it never ceases to amaze me the quality and quantity of the Perch that choose to inhabit these shallow two to three foot depths.
Method 1:
Cast into the deeper water of the boat channel gradually working the rig back up the far shelf towards the shallower water and the kayak fishing position. Perch will often follow a lure / bait right up to and underneath the kayak you are fishing upon. Each cast may last a couple of minutes as I literally move the rig at a snail's pace with long pauses.
Method 2:
The rig can be fished along the far shelf, a technique that only works occasionally for me but one that does produce bonus Perch from time to time.
and finally
Method 3:
Casting a rig up along the far bank structure (narrow boats, jetties, pilings, tree branches or reed stems). Ignore the shallow water of the far shelf at your peril, it never ceases to amaze me the quality and quantity of the Perch that choose to inhabit these shallow two to three foot depths.
Now back to the fishing session. Everything felt a little awkward and stiff using new fishing tackle whilst using a method I had not fished with since late November last year. I didn't feel connected with the venue and lacked any cohesion with what might be going on underneath the water in the fishes world. The few inquiries I did receive on my rig registered superbly on the responsive Crypton Shotgun rod. Unfortunately they were small fish and unwilling to devour my half Lobworm live bait presented upon the drop shot rig. These fish were tempted to bite whilst implementing 'Method 1'. Bite indication like this builds confidence that ultimately helps one to understand how and where the fish are feeding. The sparse clues were enough to spark a change of tactics that compelled me to concentrate upon 'Method 3'. The decisive evidence was the quantity of small fish that were able to nibble at my bait in the deeper water. If there were any substantial presence of larger fish in this area of the canal then this scenario would not occur; the smaller fish would not have the time or confidence to attack my bait.
My hunch was quickly rewarded as I worked a drop shot rig underneath the structure of a boat jetty within the shallow, far shelf water. An almost insignificance tremor resonated on a flawless Quattron PTI braid mainline that had performed outstandingly in the gusty windy conditions. The ridiculously fine diameter braid (0.08mm) hadn't rapped round the Shotgun rod tip once; however it did exposed the short comings of Quantum's Axil 20 entry level spinning reel. This is a prime example of an angler getting what he pays for with regards to line lay upon a fishing reel. The braid was not peeling off smoothly due to the poorer line lay. This is common within entry level reels from ALL manufacturers but this doesn't render these cheaper fishing reels useless. NO, to the contrary; I fished for six hours using the very same reel loaded with Quattron Low Stretch mono. During this session I cast a 6 g float all day without a single problem of the mono not peeling off the reel smoothly. It's simply a case of horses for courses!
Anyway back to the fishing session and the insignificant tremor that shot through the rod on route to the nerve endings on my finger tips like a bolt of lightning. Strike or pause, that is the split second decision that my angling brain had to make. I chose to pause, then gently twitch the rod tip. This provoked a much more defined vibration along the IM8 carbon blank that felt like a rattle in my hand. A swift strike resulted in a satisfying bend in the Shotgun rod, this was no tiddler and a brief but frantic close quarters fight pursued. An hour and half into the session and my tactical change had rewarded me with this cracking 38cm Perch.
A happy chappy and why not? Perch fishing - I love it!
All was well within the 'Canal Winter Wonderland' or so it seemed! Several biteless swims later and an angler's nemesis, self doubt was creeping back into my fishing. I occasionally tried 'Methods 1 & 2' but continued to spend more fishing time using 'Method 3'. Upon arrival at productive Perch fishing grounds I deliberated over a tactical quandary. My previous visit to this swim had produced fish from the deeper water that span across this wider section of canal that boat's utilize whilst turning around. This mouth watering Perch swim also boasts a long shallow far shelf hosting numerous moored boat and jetty structures . Bearing in mind the fishy clues presented to me today; where would the Perch be lying in this prime swim? Would it be artificial lure or bait that will prevail?
Half an hour passed without as much as a bite; how many lure anglers would have moved off to fish pastures new? Not me! I instead methodically worked a drop shot rig slowly through every inch of water within this swim. This may sound unlikely, however my first bite came from directly underneath the kayak I was fishing upon. A positive take that took me by surprise but fortunately I reacted quickly and set the hook with a strike. A similar brief close quarters scrap pursued just like the first Perch that was hooked within a rod length of my kayak angling platform. A half chunk of Lobworm successfully lured the 28cm fish on my drop shot rig.
Half an hour passed without as much as a bite; how many lure anglers would have moved off to fish pastures new? Not me! I instead methodically worked a drop shot rig slowly through every inch of water within this swim. This may sound unlikely, however my first bite came from directly underneath the kayak I was fishing upon. A positive take that took me by surprise but fortunately I reacted quickly and set the hook with a strike. A similar brief close quarters scrap pursued just like the first Perch that was hooked within a rod length of my kayak angling platform. A half chunk of Lobworm successfully lured the 28cm fish on my drop shot rig.
The Crypton Shotgun spinning rod I was using had been superbly responsive on the bite but how would this stiff tipped fast action rod handle an up close and personal battle with a fish underneath my kayak. A difficult one for me to review as I am use to the soft tipped through action rods that hoop round spectacularly in such situations. Lets clinically review the facts.
I had hooked two very angry Perch over a 1lb in weight that were attached to my line via a modest size 10 hook. Plenty of scope for an over stiff rod tip to pull out of a delicate hooked fish on such a short line between fish and rod tip! The outcome; both fish landed safely without any fear by myself as an angler of losing the fish. Although every nod of the hooked fish was felt on my finger tips through the Crypton Shotgun IM8 carbon, the eye satisfying bent rod tip just wasn't there. So in short the jury is out; I'm sure the feisty wild Lake District Brown trout fishing during Spring will enable me to form a definitive opinion.
Another long period without a bite after exploring the majority of the water within the canal basin. I now only had one small 12 foot x 30 foot area of unexplored water before the swim had been totally covered. This patch of water lay between three moored boats in much shallower water than the rest of the canal's basin. I had cast a bait there on many occasions, only catching odd small Perch under 20cm's. Therefore it was with little expectation that a Lobworm baited drop shot rig was cast a distance of ten metres towards the furthest narrow boat.
First cast nothing, second cast landing a few feet away from the first; the rig must have only moved a couple of feet - bang! The bite registration vibrated like an earth tremor in my hand and a decisive strike resulted in fish on! Again no heart warming hoop in the rod but boy did I feel every movement of the fish as I played it towards me.
I had hooked two very angry Perch over a 1lb in weight that were attached to my line via a modest size 10 hook. Plenty of scope for an over stiff rod tip to pull out of a delicate hooked fish on such a short line between fish and rod tip! The outcome; both fish landed safely without any fear by myself as an angler of losing the fish. Although every nod of the hooked fish was felt on my finger tips through the Crypton Shotgun IM8 carbon, the eye satisfying bent rod tip just wasn't there. So in short the jury is out; I'm sure the feisty wild Lake District Brown trout fishing during Spring will enable me to form a definitive opinion.
Another long period without a bite after exploring the majority of the water within the canal basin. I now only had one small 12 foot x 30 foot area of unexplored water before the swim had been totally covered. This patch of water lay between three moored boats in much shallower water than the rest of the canal's basin. I had cast a bait there on many occasions, only catching odd small Perch under 20cm's. Therefore it was with little expectation that a Lobworm baited drop shot rig was cast a distance of ten metres towards the furthest narrow boat.
First cast nothing, second cast landing a few feet away from the first; the rig must have only moved a couple of feet - bang! The bite registration vibrated like an earth tremor in my hand and a decisive strike resulted in fish on! Again no heart warming hoop in the rod but boy did I feel every movement of the fish as I played it towards me.
Search and locate Perch angling; whereby a bait or lure is cast towards likely looking spots generally produces two outcomes when fish are located. A single fish followed by no further bites or a hectic fishing spell where plenty of fish are caught. To determine which of these scenarios will unfold I always cast in exactly the same spot fishing the same lure / bait that lured the previous Perch caught. My luck was in as bite number two followed and I successfully bagged Perch number four!
I now know there is a tight shoal of Perch feeding in this small area of canal. The trick to maximising the sport from these fish is to be patient and to hold back from raping and pillaging the swim. At present during this session I had been cheating in many lure purist anglers eyes. I don't do pigeon holes and I can assure you fish don't read angling media publications. In my humble opinion, Lobworms are the BEST SCENTED LURES available in the UK for catching Perch. Therefore I use them whilst searching for fish - enough said I think! Why make things more difficult for yourself unless of course you want to be a purist. It's a fact that a shoal of Perch can quickly lose interest or worst still spook if an angler continuously presents a hot lure that is catching fish from the shoal. Even the best scented lures can blow quickly if an angler over fishes them within the same shoal of Perch.
The fishy clues discovered today lead me to believe that the Perch population in this particular canal waterway were preparing to breed, therefore fish will be in very tight pockets and difficult to locate. This compounded the fact that I had to make the most of the sport I might have from the fish I had just located; with this in mind I change from bait to lure. I had just the lure in mind, a recent toy I had taken delivery of before Christmas in the form of a Quantum Specialist 7.5cm extremely soft rubber compound lure called SLENDRY. The lure is indeed made out of quality soft rubber and boasts cast-in holographic eyes. Apparently they are a very popular drop shot lure in the States but for all their holo-foil natural fish scale effect they are not worth Jack if they don't catch fish in the UK! The stage was set; a swim located with feeding Perch, do or be forever a lure lurking in the dusty shadows of my tackle box.
I now know there is a tight shoal of Perch feeding in this small area of canal. The trick to maximising the sport from these fish is to be patient and to hold back from raping and pillaging the swim. At present during this session I had been cheating in many lure purist anglers eyes. I don't do pigeon holes and I can assure you fish don't read angling media publications. In my humble opinion, Lobworms are the BEST SCENTED LURES available in the UK for catching Perch. Therefore I use them whilst searching for fish - enough said I think! Why make things more difficult for yourself unless of course you want to be a purist. It's a fact that a shoal of Perch can quickly lose interest or worst still spook if an angler continuously presents a hot lure that is catching fish from the shoal. Even the best scented lures can blow quickly if an angler over fishes them within the same shoal of Perch.
The fishy clues discovered today lead me to believe that the Perch population in this particular canal waterway were preparing to breed, therefore fish will be in very tight pockets and difficult to locate. This compounded the fact that I had to make the most of the sport I might have from the fish I had just located; with this in mind I change from bait to lure. I had just the lure in mind, a recent toy I had taken delivery of before Christmas in the form of a Quantum Specialist 7.5cm extremely soft rubber compound lure called SLENDRY. The lure is indeed made out of quality soft rubber and boasts cast-in holographic eyes. Apparently they are a very popular drop shot lure in the States but for all their holo-foil natural fish scale effect they are not worth Jack if they don't catch fish in the UK! The stage was set; a swim located with feeding Perch, do or be forever a lure lurking in the dusty shadows of my tackle box.
I was not disappointed, the lure produced two quick fish before changing to another old faithful drop shot lure. The old faithful produced another fish but struggled to raise another bite after several casts. Time for a steaming hot cup of tea and time out for both me and the fish. Unfortunately my fishing activity had caught the attention of the resident of the narrow boat i was casting towards. A nice bloke who had been watching me catching fish through his window (anything is more entertaining than watching day time telly) and wanted to take the opportunity whilst I was having a brew to ask some questions. I have all the time in the world for polite people, especially inquisitive resident narrow boat owners. We had a good chat about angling and the strange plastic thing I was fishing upon before sport presumed.
I don't understand anglers who get all hot and bothered when canal boat residents start sky lining whilst going about their daily routine on their homes. Yes, they make chuck buckets of water in and cause water disturbance as they move around their home but that's the nature of the beast. Fish generally congregate around occupied boats for the food scraps that invariably end up in the water; so smile, be polite and take the rough with the smooth you may end up with a hot drink and biscuits if lucky :). In my case the activity had definitely disturbed the fish. Several casts on both a scented lure (Lobworm) and a Slendry lure produced nothing.
Time for a change of tactics again! I told you I was an impatient angler who much prefers to try and make something happen rather than plod along with the same technique. I've come unstuck in competitions with this mentality when guys who have chipped away steadily catching fish on a successful technique have prevailed. However, this trait of mine has caught that winning bonus fish on several occasions in my past match fishing days. Nowadays, it sometimes provides the cherry on top of a good days fishing. The Perch had clearly been spooked by either the boat owner or a feeding Pike. I could either curse my luck and move on or try and lure a pike. Luring a pike from a swim no larger than 30 foot long, 12 foot wide and 3 foot deep is not an easy proposition. A fly rod with a Pike fly lure that would be able to be fished with short jerks as it glides a foot or so off the bottom would have been my preferred option. This set up was not brought with me because I had something else in mind. The swim was not the ideal depth but hey ho I was going to give it a go, nothing ventured, nothing gained!
I don't understand anglers who get all hot and bothered when canal boat residents start sky lining whilst going about their daily routine on their homes. Yes, they make chuck buckets of water in and cause water disturbance as they move around their home but that's the nature of the beast. Fish generally congregate around occupied boats for the food scraps that invariably end up in the water; so smile, be polite and take the rough with the smooth you may end up with a hot drink and biscuits if lucky :). In my case the activity had definitely disturbed the fish. Several casts on both a scented lure (Lobworm) and a Slendry lure produced nothing.
Time for a change of tactics again! I told you I was an impatient angler who much prefers to try and make something happen rather than plod along with the same technique. I've come unstuck in competitions with this mentality when guys who have chipped away steadily catching fish on a successful technique have prevailed. However, this trait of mine has caught that winning bonus fish on several occasions in my past match fishing days. Nowadays, it sometimes provides the cherry on top of a good days fishing. The Perch had clearly been spooked by either the boat owner or a feeding Pike. I could either curse my luck and move on or try and lure a pike. Luring a pike from a swim no larger than 30 foot long, 12 foot wide and 3 foot deep is not an easy proposition. A fly rod with a Pike fly lure that would be able to be fished with short jerks as it glides a foot or so off the bottom would have been my preferred option. This set up was not brought with me because I had something else in mind. The swim was not the ideal depth but hey ho I was going to give it a go, nothing ventured, nothing gained!
Ladies and gentlemen let me introduce Quantum Specialist's JOKER lure. A curious looking lure that fishes backwards. Let me explain; an offset hook is set into this lure with the hook point near the head and the eye of the hook immerged close to a flat flipper style tail. I attached an 8.5cm, 2 g Joker S lure in order to edge my bets and hopefully still tempt a Perch. As the lure hits the water it dives forward if an angler allows some slack line on impact between rod tip and lure. The easiest way I found of achieving this is by using an underarm or pitching cast. I keep the rod tip skywards during the cast, slowing down the lure just before impact with the water, then simply lowering my rod tip as the lure sinks allows enough slack line for it to dive forwards in the shallow three foot depth. It was the first time I had fished the lure and this swim looked perfect for the Joker's first trial. I'm no expert fishing this lure so therefore please treat the following text as my interpretation of how I think it should be fished. The best way I can describe how I retrieved the Joker is by keeping the rod tip high and twitching it via a positive but gentle wrist movement allowing the Crypton Shotgun rod tip to inject life into this most peculiar lure. An angler must remember what he or she is trying do with a lure they are fishing and adapt their retrieve to get the best out of a particular lure. For example with the Joker it is designed to dive away from the angler, therefore it is imperative that the lure is given enough slack line to facilitate this action. Be wary of giving too much slack line as the bite will be missed, nobody said it was going to be easy :).
Well, was the proof in the testing of this lure in a previously dead swim. The returns were not life changing or earth moving but in fairness I did catch a fish as pictured below.
Well, was the proof in the testing of this lure in a previously dead swim. The returns were not life changing or earth moving but in fairness I did catch a fish as pictured below.
A little Perch with large ambitions, my kind of fish:).
Bolstered by this capture I continued fishing the lure for a few more cast. The Perch had given the most cutest of bites as the lure dived back down to the bottom. I struck at first contact rather than letting the bite develop, a mistake maybe in hindsight. The little Perch was successfully caught but an identical bite and strike technique resulted in a poorly hooked Jack Pike that slipped the hook a few casts later. I know I should have been grateful for the sport I had just had, but me being me, I'm never a happy angler if I lose a bonus fish.
All in all when I analyze the fishing session there are a few things I could have done better, that may have resulted in a few more fish being caught. My catch return of nine Perch for a total overall length of 225cm would have been substantially boosted by the estimated 60cm lost Jack Pike. I may no longer compete in the Kayak Wars competition but the competitor always lies within me. The Fox Rage sponsored British Lure Angling Championships may provide an outlet for such competitive urges, only time will tell! In the meantime the challenges mother nature presents in her fishy environments throughout our changeable seasons will suffice.
Enjoy and understand the journey of angling for the prize of catching a fish will be twice as sweet - have fun angling and stay safe :).
Bolstered by this capture I continued fishing the lure for a few more cast. The Perch had given the most cutest of bites as the lure dived back down to the bottom. I struck at first contact rather than letting the bite develop, a mistake maybe in hindsight. The little Perch was successfully caught but an identical bite and strike technique resulted in a poorly hooked Jack Pike that slipped the hook a few casts later. I know I should have been grateful for the sport I had just had, but me being me, I'm never a happy angler if I lose a bonus fish.
All in all when I analyze the fishing session there are a few things I could have done better, that may have resulted in a few more fish being caught. My catch return of nine Perch for a total overall length of 225cm would have been substantially boosted by the estimated 60cm lost Jack Pike. I may no longer compete in the Kayak Wars competition but the competitor always lies within me. The Fox Rage sponsored British Lure Angling Championships may provide an outlet for such competitive urges, only time will tell! In the meantime the challenges mother nature presents in her fishy environments throughout our changeable seasons will suffice.
Enjoy and understand the journey of angling for the prize of catching a fish will be twice as sweet - have fun angling and stay safe :).