Chilly.

19th November SU Canal
Very short session after work on some wides this evening. Got a flyer out of work and had my first cast at 15.10 from a proper armchair peg where the car is 5m away.

I cast across with a liquidised bread feeder, probably 25m or so to a boat, which is permanently resident but empty. I gave this 3 or 4 casts before going onto the straight lead. Also fed a swim down the track too, and alternated between worm and bread in both swims, more in hope than expectation it has to be said.

Nil, nada. Not even a hint of a bite. Gave it ‘til 1700 and bailed. It was chilly. Very chilly.

Stick or twist

17^th Nov 2019 SU Canal.

Returned to the stretch from the previous day, arrived 1300 and initially sat down in an armchair near to the bridge where I’d parked.  I decided to float fish today, try a few new swims, then finish in the same swim as the day before.

Fishing worm and bread I got nil indications and learned absolutely nothing, subsequently ending in the final swim somewhat earlier that planned. The rain was incessant, the mud had gotten worse and a few swims I fancied trying were either simply too muddy to contemplate, or due to bankside hawthorns, they were too tight to squeeze into without leaving zero space for the dog walkers.

Feeding a bit of bread and hemp mash, I started to get to grips with the swim, well, perhaps ‘get to grips’ is a bit of an exaggeration. The pull was going one way then another, the float was lifting and dipping, I knew the reason why, and sure enough within 10 minutes the first boat came through.

The water didn’t really settle for a fair while after, however I did start to get a few bites by letting my float run with the tow. Proper indications, sharp bobs and dips with the float sailing away on occasion, but still no cigar. I decided to drop right down from a 12 to a 16, with a smaller bread hook bait to match. Sure enough shortly after I connected with a small roach which took a bait that was effectively being trotted towards the narrower section under the bridge.

One of several dog walkers came along, pleasant enough, he then boomed “Is this your favourite spot then?” I gestured for him to get down and he smiled and left, then the float dipped, strike, fish on, slightly better fish too, bend in the rod, but came off 10 seconds later. Gahh..ffs.

Shortly after the water settled, a lot of the leaves had drifted away and I managed to get the float to stay put, however no more fish came my way. I did however see lots of fish topping in my area, mainly blades it has to be said. I had one final proper sail away on a big piece of bread as the darkness properly descended but missed in spectacularly style.

So, stick or twist? Move on to pastures new? Float or leger? In view of the location of the swim, next to a narrowing, there is always going to be stronger pull so I think getting a float to behave will always be a bit tricky unless I’m there at sparrow’s fart before the locks open and boats start to move, but even that’s no guarantee.

The swim is full of small fish so a larger bait is probably the way forward, I suspect big pieces of bread and whole lobworms might help, 2 of my biggest roach came to lobs. Gut feeling tells me to give it another session or two, may even go for 2 rods?

Canal pastures new

16^th Nov 2019 SU Canal.

Arrived 1330. First go at this length today, 8 min drive from home, reasonable parking, although parts of the towpath are a bit dodgy and the mud is ankle deep in places. The plan was to fish it like I would a river, in that I would be 20-30 mins in each swim until I got a bite. 

As I made my way down the canal I put in a few handfuls of hemp down the track at certain points, the plan was to fish over these on the way back to the car.

Google Earth tells me I walked approx. 800m to my first swim/s. A long bleak open length with no cover. However ‘the word’ says these are decent match pegs. Anyway I fished bread and worm with no pre-feed to accompany. Five or 6 casts later, I was on my bike, ditto swim 2, which was part of the same length.

Now working my way back to the car, swim 3 was quite a tempting. Nice and dark, although this would bite me on the arse later. It was just beyond a bridge and there was lots of high, far bank cover. I fished down the track where I’d thrown in some seed an hour earlier and within 15 minutes I’d had my first rap on 2 pieces of dendra that I missed. 

I swapped to bread, another missed bite, back to the worm, ditto. This was the pattern for the next 30 minutes or so. To me it was clear there were small fish present, but where there are small fish….

I then decided to swap from the straight bomb to small feeder and feed liquidised bread and grains of hemp, same result, a bite a cast but no cigar.

At 1545 I decided to change my rig, I’d had a few mini tangles with the fine hooklength, nothing horrendous but it was bugging me, so thought I’d quickly change a few bits. It should have taken 5 minutes tops. Bad move. I underestimated how poor my eyes are now, even with glasses. LstoryS it was 20 minutes before I was fishing again. Then the second boat of the day came through, gahh. It was now dark and the next cast gave me an absolute horrible tangle and that was that. Frustrating last 45mins, but at least I found a few fish, even if I didn’t catch any..