• You need to be a registered member of Barbel Fishing World to post on these forums. Some of the forums are hidden from non-members. Please refer to the instructions on the ‘Register’ page for details of how to join the new incarnation of BFW...

Canal Carp

Chris Bourne

Senior Member
Il start fishing my local canal soon,it is stuffed with tench,the contests are won with 40-50lbs!Last year i had a pole section snapped by a very big fish,the carp in here go upto 30lb plus,this year am thinking of a few sesions dedicated to the carp,what would be the best bait to use bearing in mind the amount of tench about?
 
just watched a re-run of thinking tackle ! on sky , targeting Grand union canal carp. Fishing cell boilies under any cover/boats etc. Early morning/evening seemed to be sucessfull. A few freebies fished tight to rig using a margin pole and bait scoop to get under far bank cover. Hookbait snowman with flouro top bait or 18mm boilie with a topper to avoid 7/8lb bream. A few runs on fish i`m sure did not see boilies often. 16lb common being biggest landed over three days.
hope this helps
 
Done a bit on tench infested waters.

Try 22mm boilie on longish hooklink and hair with running rig - barbel style.

Or double tiger nut on your fave setup.
 
No cover at all,towpath on both sides of canal wand water crystal clear,so gona do as you say,a 22mm boilie on the carp rod and tench fishing with the corn on the pole to save me having a blank !
 
Done a bit on tench infested waters.

Try 22mm boilie on longish hooklink and hair with running rig - barbel style.

Or double tiger nut on your fave setup.


This ^^^^^^

Done quite a bit of canal carping in the past. If there really is no cover anywhere at all (which there will be somewhere) then bait a spot for a while before you fish, unless you find where the fish live then you will need bait to hold them in your area as they can be very nomadic..... Boilies boilies boilies ;)
 
Hi men ,

No cover in the Leighton Buzzard / Tring area , its all been "improved " , with everything being removed . Its carnage , well done to all involved you *****.

Hatter
 
This ^^^^^^

Done quite a bit of canal carping in the past. If there really is no cover anywhere at all (which there will be somewhere) then bait a spot for a while before you fish, unless you find where the fish live then you will need bait to hold them in your area as they can be very nomadic..... Boilies boilies boilies ;)

Agree with this, but don't worry so much about cover if it's not there, look for man-made features too. Inlets, bridges, locks, moored boats and so on.

Canal carp will give away their presence with bubbling and rootings too.

They are very nomadic indeed, but they won't be bait or rig-shy so plenty of the former and keep it simple on the latter.
 
There is an inlet to a boatyard with a couple of moored barges so think im gona target that area............when it stops raining!Dont mind sitting by the river under a brolly when its raining,but this is tipton canal...........rather stay at home in the dry lol
 
Chris, if you can find any long term moored residential boats, or a marina with residentials, they can be good. Carp like leftovers :D

Cheers, Dave.
 
Chris, if you can find any long term moored residential boats, or a marina with residentials, they can be good. Carp like leftovers :D

Agreed! One night I was fishing close to a permanent mooring on the opposite side and I heard a window slide open and the remains of food a plate being scrapped off and falling into the water. About twenty minutes later I heard a huge splash as a carp rolled when it found its tea ;) Shame is didn't come round the other side for dessert :mad:

Stephen
 
i was watching carp crew or something like that on quest, Martyn bowler on the ivinghoe. GU canal catching a few.
 
I remember many years ago one of the Leicester 'Likely Lads' (probably the great Ivan Marks) was relating a tale about a swim by a bridge on a canal they fished. Apparently, there was a pub just up the road, and a few doors down from that there was a chippie. Seems that a lot of the customers would stagger out of the pub at chucking out time, stagger into the chippie on the way by, then as they crossed the bridge on their way home, they would chuck what they couldn't eat into the canal.

He swore blind that night fishing by that bridge with a nice greasy chip on the hook was an absolute banker :D

Cheers, Dave.
 
i remember riding my bike down the slough arm on a hot day, must be 7 years ago now, someone had been feeding bread for the ducks, i noticed some fish, stopped and there were 10 to 15 of em going mad for it right in the the margin, some nice ones,doubles.
just wish i had some tackle.
 
I live a short walk from a marina in Worcester. Some crackers in there, a lovely big common, easily upper 20's. No fishing though :(
 
There are a number of pubs in our general area whose grounds back on to the various arms of the GU canal, where feeding the carp and/or the ducks is a favourite occupation of a summers day/evening...some of them even sell little bags of food for just that purpose. Fishing is usually banned in these areas, which is just as well....for a while at least, it would be like shooting fish in a barrel :D

(never been quite sure what that old cliché means....who would be shooting fish in OR out of a barrel...bow fishing apart :p)

Cheers, Dave.
 
Chris a good idea would be to find the carp. Go on the canal at night with a powerful lamp and shine it in the water as you walk the bank. The carp will reveal themselves and give you an idea where to start your baiting. Boilies and corn are a fair idea and fish boilie hook baits. The tench will move in followed by the carp. I have had several carp from te GU using this method my boilie choice being dynamite source.
 
Chris a good idea would be to find the carp. Go on the canal at night with a powerful lamp and shine it in the water as you walk the bank. The carp will reveal themselves and give you an idea where to start your baiting. Boilies and corn are a fair idea and fish boilie hook baits. The tench will move in followed by the carp. I have had several carp from te GU using this method my boilie choice being dynamite source.

You like a bit of lamping as well then Terry :p What amazes me is that it doesn't seem to frighten them too much if you move slowly. You would think a bright light being shone into their home in the black of night would frighten the bejasus out of them :D

Cheers, Dave.
 
It's great for finding the perch as well, it's surprising how they stand out in the lamp light. With the carp it saves a lot of wasted hours if the stretch has a low stocking
 
Back
Top