Part 2 – Techniques
In Part 1 I described the basic gear and requirements for a session on the Grand or Royal canal in Ireland. In Part 2 I will look at some of the practical problems that arise and solutions that have worked for me. Whenever possible I like to find the fish before I start but this is not always feasible.
In the absence of the fish showing, there are several obvious features that attract them. Wide barge-turning bays are favoured by bream. Any place where the canal widens, deepens or bends are possible holding areas. Barges, particularly those moored for a long period, offer shade and protection, and usually house a shoal of one species or another. The Royal canal has a more uneven bottom and can contain deep areas that have almost semi-resident fish. Reedbeds, trailing roots, clear patches between weeds all have potential. Lilies and large beds of cabbages are traditionally associated with tench, and with just cause. Polarised glasses are a great aid to spotting both underwater features and fish. 
On the Grand Canal particularly many of the stretches are devoid of bankside cover and the presence of an angler continually moving around does nothing to improve results. Try to maintain a low profile and set up away from the water’s edge. When fishing, the gear and essentials should be kept as neat and compact as is practical, to enable the angler to cast, feed, and land fish as discreetly as he can.
Plumb the swim by using a swan shot on the bend of the hook as this will cause less disturbance than a conventional plummet. Having said that, I have a dislike of plonking gear around a swim, especially if fish are present and I would normally start with a depth of 4 to 5 feet and experiment from there. Constantly adjust your depth until a fish is encountered or you feel the float is behaving as you would like. On most occasions, for bigger fish, I like to have the bait on the bottom, as much as a foot overdepth.
If fish are not showing, or you are unfamiliar with the area, an alternative to plumbing is to cast and run a float through or see how it behaves. It is no use feeding a line that you cannot keep a bait in. You can safely leave the line on the surface (rather than mending it) for this exercise as the drag will encourage the gear to search the swim. Watch for the dropper-shot taking effect on the float. If the float doesn’t settle to its full depth, then the gear is trailing over weed or the shot is on the bottom. Or a fish has taken the bait as it sank.
One of the first surprises for me was finding that the canals are seldom still. Wind-induced surface drift, the draw from the lock gates or the gates themselves being opened to allow boats passage all create a pull of varying strength. The problem is not that a moving bait will not catch fish, because it will. But surface drift will pull your gear off-course, out of the baited area and behaving erratically. A belly of line also dampens any strike. The solution is to sink your line. A lot of modern lines are labelled for sinking or floating but I always carry a tube of diluted washing up liquid. A quick squirt on the spool will refresh a line that has lost its sinking qualities. Cast out, slightly over-casting if the swim allows it, sink the rod tip and reel a couple of turns of line quickly. All the line should now be under the water and your gear is now controlled.
One important point to remember when using a sunken line is that any strike should be made to the side if possible. Striking vertically you will need to cut through the surface film before the power is applied to the hook. It may be only a fraction of a second but it can be enough time for a wary fish to spit out the bait.
When it’s windy I would start on an insert waggler, with a decent shot capacity and the line well sunk. If calm the Canal Grey design is great as the tapered body offers minimal resistance. Dot the float down as much as is practical. The less that is showing the better, but you must be able to see a bite, and in any degree of drift a tip that is too fine will constantly drag bottom or weed and submerge.
When I started fishing the canals, I piled in groundbait and loose-fed frantically over the top. My results were drastic. A bit wiser now, I am cautious when thinking of throwing in balls of groundbait. If fish are present or the water very clear, I will not put in any groundbait but will loose-feed maggots in small numbers from the time I arrive, and as I set up the gear. If no fish are showing or the water is coloured, I would try two or three egg-sized balls of soft groundbait. The important point is that the balls should break up when they hit the surface.
Angling wisdom states that a large shoal of bream or hybrids demands a lot of feed to keep them interested and remain in the chosen area. This is always a gamble with canal fish. When fish are present they have decided on the location for reasons often unknown or unseen to us anglers. They can choose to leave for similarly unknown reasons or they can be forced out by having great balls of bait landing on their heads. By all means try adding further balls of soft groundbait if you feel there are enough fish to merit it, but I would always err on the side of caution.
I like to mix standard brown crumb with a small helping of liquidised sweetcorn. I would not normally add anything else to the mix. Liquidised bread is also useful. A soft squeeze will see it break nicely on entering the water. If you press it across your palm, you will get a finger of soft groundbait that lands lightly causing minimal disturbance.
Another form of groundbait that is excellent on canals is chopped worm. A handful of mush tossed in can bring a swim to life and attract big perch into the area.
I feed a pouch of maggots on every cast, the amounts varying according to how the fish are responding. If you should be so lucky to be getting bites every cast, then keep about 20 going in every cast. Regular feeding is important. It is not always possible but try to keep the baits and catapult close to hand to minimise the amount of movement. When bites tail off, reduce the amount of loose-feed. The presence of larger fish can cause their smaller brethren to cease feeding. Whenever a lull occurs, try a switch to a worm or a few grains of corn. You may be rewarded with a tench or bream.
I mentioned earlier the four baits that I use and my favourite among these is the garden worm. Hook a worm once only, tipped with a red maggot. This is a killer bait for bream, perch and tench. Perch aside, worm also tends to be discriminating. If you get a bite, the fish will often be a good size. I have witnessed on many occasions anglers struggle for bites on maggot. I have continued to catch by putting on a worm, though there may be long gaps in between fish. Corn is also excellent for bigger specimens, though it does not have the universal attraction of worm.
I hope the two articles have given some insight into my approach to canal angling. I have tried to condense my experiences to give some general tactics that have worked for me and produced many enjoyable days and individual specimens. They may help any aspiring canal angler shortcut the road to good catches. Being able to see fish and their behaviour at close range gives an invaluable insight into how our targets live, knowledge that can be effectively used for all the waters we fish. You will also learn float control, the effects of feeding patterns and how to handle big fish on light tackle.
The Grand and Royal canals may appear pretentious names for these small intimate waters. They are generally overlooked for the attraction of Ireland’s more glamorous natural lakes and rivers. The influence of man is seldom beneficial to angling, but once you’ve experienced the unique magic and challenge of our canals I’m certain you’ll agree that the engineer who designed and named them knew what he was talking about.
