Grand Union Canal near Southall

[Ray Roberts]

I have been taking one of my sons to Southall a couple of times a week. I have to hang about for two to three hours before returning home and wondered if anyone knows the canal in this area.

I took a walk along about a mile of it today and there was only one angler and he wasn’t catching on the float. I fancy trying a bit of light lure fishing for perch. Significantly I didn’t see one fish topping of any movement. The banks were covered in discarded beer cans and litter but there was a variety of bird life. I even saw a kingfisher zooming past.

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[103841]

Take plenty of lures!

 

[108831]

What a sh1thole,I would spend my whole session grumbling about the scum who frequent the dump!!!

 

[no-one in particular]

I used to fish here in the sixties, well not Southall but Heston, not far away. We lived in Hounslow and my Dad and me would get the bus there, pleasant memories. Still had the odd horse drawn barge now and then if I remember rightly. Don't remember it being such a shola, maybe sign of the times. I caught my first big bream there and we had some nice roach fishing as well, what it is like now I wouldn't know but try roach and bream if not the perch. Fishing very light with a single maggot if I remember rightly was how we fished.

 

[peter crabtree]

Looks like the magnet anglers have been down there. Good that they remove all the metal snags from the water, but sad they leave it on the bank. As for the fishing, I’ve not been down there for 50 odd years, it used to be good. I’m sure there’s still fish in there ...
There used to be some big matches along there, known in angling circles as the Cranleigh gardens stretch. There used to be 100 permanent pegs along from Uxbridge road to Bulls bridge where the Paddington arm joins the GUC.

 

[steve2]

I remember fishing matches in the area but we gave up when we stopped feeling safe and cars were broken into.

 

[S-Kippy]

As Simon said it used to be very popular many years ago....I doubt it gets fished much at all nowadays but as you're there anyway why not give it a go ? I'd expect not very much and hope to be pleasantly surprised. I never fished it as there were much better areas on the GUC not far away....like around Uxbridge and Denham.

 

[Ray Roberts]

As Simon said it used to be very popular many years ago....I doubt it gets fished much at all nowadays but as you're there anyway why not give it a go ? I'd expect not very much and hope to be pleasantly surprised. I never fished it as there were much better areas on the GUC not far away....like around Uxbridge and Denham.

As you say I’m there anyway, so I will give it a go. It’s now a predominately Sikh area and the one’s I saw on the tow path were friendly enough, nodding thanks when you got out of the way of their bicycles and acknowledging you as you crossed their paths. I walked the bit from Bulls Bridge to the bridge near the roundabout on Norwood Road.

Now I’ve said that some bu88er will try to rob me, lol.


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[S-Kippy]

As you say I’m there anyway, so I will give it a go. It’s now a predominately Sikh area and the one’s I saw on the tow path were friendly enough

Now I’ve said that some bu88er will try to rob me, lol.


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Big rough Sarf London boy like you will be fine, Ray.

 

[Ray Roberts]

Earlier this week I was in the same area near Southall and I took a walk further down the canal.

There was a foot bridge over the canal which was adjacent to a lock. The lock keepers cottage looked completely out of place for the area, It wouldn’t have been out of place in a proper rural setting, but this was actually in an otherwise totally urban district.

It seemed like a far more promising area than the previous stretch I looked at last week. There looked to be more features to fish to.

I bought a new rod from Angling Direct for lure fishing, but after consideration I think that it’s s a bit heavy for the canal in question. I also have a lighter lure rod on order and once that arrives I will give it a go.

Blo0dy hell this lure stuff is expensive! You spend fifty quid on a spool of braid and a few hooks and walk away with a bag that you used to be able to fit a quarter of sweets inside.

On the plus side; I found a mint 1000 size Shimano reel in the loft while I was looking for some lures, which I have absolutely no recollection whatsoever of buying. I also already have a fair few spools of fluorocarbon line in various strains for leaders, which will additionally save me a few bob.

If the canal should prove to be a bit of a non starter, then I have a couple of club venues on the river Rother in Sussex that aren’t fished very often. They are on my club card. The reason they don’t get fished is that they are away from the clubs principle waters.

I will report back after my first trip, which weather permitting, will be next week


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[theartist]

Go for it Ray you're probably safer there than in areas like Watford or Hemel believe it or not and Sikhs don't cause much trouble compared to others. I used to fish Greenford which was ok and Northolt which was a bit edgy but if you from SE London then them places would seem like Berko. Also Lure fishing can be really hit or miss as everyone is doing it nowadays, those mini drop shot set ups with the jelly lures work well though and the good thing is you'll be mobile, I get them come past me all the time often in areas where it's easier to get big perch on single maggot though, so the fish will be there just may need a bit of persistence. As Simon says those magnet fishers also clear out all the metal usually by the bridges but that removes some of the snaggy hotspots and cormorant cover which is a shame but if you need to cycle back from a long walk there should be plenty of rusty options on the towpath

 

[The Runner]

Ditto the above, used to fish matches all through those stretches and the Southall sections were generally little or no hassle (although we did once have a match at Havelock Road where the entertainment was provided by a guy running up and down the towpath waving a samurai sword shouting something about "my tears, your blood" and cleansing the world ....)
Could get a bit iffy around Kensington Road at Northolt at one time with lots of lightfingered kids hanging about and further up around Hayes/ West Drayton weren't too clever (and probably worse now).
Last time I fished it, admittedly getting on for 20 years ago, there were some big perch showing along the Havelock Road sections, hopefully their descendants are still in the area for you

 

[Ray Roberts]

Ditto the above, used to fish matches all through those stretches and the Southall sections were generally little or no hassle (although we did once have a match at Havelock Road where the entertainment was provided by a guy running up and down the towpath waving a samurai sword shouting something about "my tears, your blood" and cleansing the world ....)
Could get a bit iffy around Kensington Road at Northolt at one time with lots of lightfingered kids hanging about and further up around Hayes/ West Drayton weren't too clever (and probably worse now).
Last time I fished it, admittedly getting on for 20 years ago, there were some big perch showing along the Havelock Road sections, hopefully their descendants are still in the area for you

Funny enough Havelock Road was the last section I looked at. I also had a look on the other side of the lock and that looked okay too. I may give it a go on Monday if it isn’t absolutely peeing down.

I am lure fishing a drain near Wittersham in Kent tomorrow as a bit of a warm up, lol.


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