FISHING ON THE GRAND WESTERN CANAL

                                                                     26/03/2013

                                    FISHING ON THE GRAND WESTERN CANAL 

              WELCOME BACK TO MY BLOG IT BEEN A WHILE SINCE MY LAST BLOG ON HERE HAVEN'T HAD MUCH TIME TO GET OUT AND THE WEATHER AS BE CRAP I HAVE DONE A COUPLE EVENING SESSION BUT IT AS BEEN VERY HARD FISHING ON THE CANAL THAT IS THE REASON I HAVEN'T DONE ANY BLOGS AS IT HAS NOT BEEN WORTH WRITING ABOUT.I DECIDED TO DO A MORNING ON ONE OF MY MOST LOVED STRETCHES ON THE GRAND WESTERN CANAL I LEFT HOME AT AROUND 6 AM AND HEADED UP TO THE CANAL WITH MY GEAR I WENT UNDER THE FIRST FOOT BRIDGE AN HEADED DOWN ALONG THE DEAD STRETCH .I FISHED HALF WAY DOWN THE DEAD STRETCH A I LIKED THE LOOK OF THE PEG I WAS GOING TO FISH.

  THERE WAS A LARGE WEED BED ON THE INSIDE AND REEDS ON THE FAR BANK AND IT LOOKED REALLY GOOD I STARTED TO SET MY GEAR UP I WAS GOING TO SET UP A MATCH TOP 3 KIT WITH A NUMBER 6 ELASTIC WITH A O.40GR RIZOR POLE FLOAT ON A 3LB MAIN LINE TO A 2LB HOOK LENGTH TO A SIZE 18 ANIMAL BARBLESS HOOK I PLUMBED THIS RIG OUT AT AROUND 6 METERS OUT IN FRONT OF ME JUST PAST THE BOAT CHANNEL.I WAS GOING TO FISH THIS RIG ABOUT 1 INCH OVER DEPTH THE.THE OTHER TOP KIT WAS A POWER TOP 2 IT WAS ELASTICATED WITH A NUMBER 8-10 ELASTIC THROUGH BOTH SECTIONS ON THIS TOP I WAS USING A 0.30GR RAZOR POLE FLOAT ON A 3 LB MAINLINE TO A 2.1LB HOOK LENGTH TO A SIZE 18 ANIMAL HOOK

 AS THE OTHER RIG.THIS RIG WAS PLUMBED UP ON THE FAR BANK AT 11.5 METERS I WAS ALSO GOING TO FISH THE SAME RIG ON THE WEED BED ON THE INSIDE IN THE MARGINS AS IT WAS THE SAME DEPTH AS THE FAR BANK.I STARTED BY FEEDING A BALL OF CRUMB ON THE MARGIN SWIM AND THE SAME ON THE FAR BANK SWIM OFF THE REEDS THEN I FED 2 BALLS OF THE SAME CRUMB AND A FEW BITS OF CORN ON THE 6 METER LINE STARTED OFF BAY FISHING ON THE FAR BANK ON A DOUBLE MAGGOT FISHED IT FOR ABOUT 30 TO 40 MINUTES AND DIDN'T HAVE A BITE I THEN FISHED THEN FISHED ON THE DOUBLE MAGGOT ON THE INSIDE SWIM TIGHT TO THE WEED BED I HAD A FEW DIPS ON THE FLOAT A ONE PROPER BITE IN WHICH I MISSED I THE CUPED OUT SOME MORE BAIT ON THE FAR BANK AND THE INSIDE AGAIN AND WENT AND FISHED THE MIDDLE SWIM ON DOUBLE MAGGOT ON RED AND WHITE I SAW A FEW FISH BLOWING AROUND ON MY MIDDLE SWIM.WITHIN ABOUT 10 MINS I WAS INTO A FISH IT WAS A BREAM OF AROUND THE 3LB MARK I CARRIED ON AND HAD 3 MORE BREAM WITHIN ABOUT 15 TO 20 MINUTES 2 OF THEM WAS AROUND THE 3LB MARK AND THE OTHER WAS A BETTER FISH OF ABOUT THE 5LB MARK OR MAYBE EVEN A BIT MORE THE OTHER 3 WAS ON THE BREAD FLAKE WHICH I THING IS THE BEST WAS AND ALSO A GREAT WAY OF FISHING ON THIS CANAL AND MOST OTHER WATERS I WENT BACK OUT ON THE MIDDLE SWIM ON THE FLAKE AND BUMPED ANOTHER GOOD FISH IT WAS MOST LIKELY A BREAM I THEN HOOKED INTO A BREAM AGAIN ON THE FLAKE WHICH I PULLED OUT OF IN MY SWIM AFTER LOSING THIS FISH IT WENT VERY QUITE I ONLY CAUGHT A FEW MORE ROACH AND A RUDD I CHOPPED AND CHANGED FROM THE MIDDLE SWIM AND THE FAR BANK BUT AT AROUND 11 AM I DECIDED TO CALL IT A DAY AS IT WAS SLOWING DOWN AND IT WAS VERY BUSY I ENDED UP WITH 4 GOOD BREAM AND A FEW ROACH AND RUDD IT WAS A GOOD SESSION I PACKED UP AND HEADED HOME.PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMENT ON THIS OR ANY OF MY BLOGS WITH COMMENT GOOD OR BAD UNTIL THE NEXT BLOG. 

TIGHT LINES 

LEE

EVENING SESSION FISHING ON THE GRAND WESTERN CANAL

                                                                     
                                                                   7th May 2013                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                                     


Welcome back to my latest fishing blog this blog is just a short 5 hour evening session on the grand western canal i got on the   bank at around 5 pm on a warm evening there was a light south    west wind and slightly cloudy in the sky but still warm i looked really good for a fish or two i walked down

toward the basin was looking at     fishing a couple pegs before the    broken bridge as i got there i look really good so i fished along the   left side of the broken bridge i set up my gear i decided to fish one top 3 on a number 8 elastic at around 8- 9 meters using a 0.03 razor pole     float on a 3lb mainline to a size 16 barbless hook i started by feeding a small nugget of crumb and a pinch of pellet i also set up a top 3 kit on the margins to my left i plumbed it tight to the inside reed bed i used a number 6 elastic with a 0.60g     sensas pole float to a 3lb mainline  to a size 16 micro barbed hook on    this swim i feed 2 medium size cups  of crumb and micro pellet i was only going to fish the inside if i was to see fish come in on the feed i started by fishing the line i fed in the middle i started of on a double maggot and had my first bite within a few minutes it was a Rudd of around 8 to 10 oz which was a good sign i carried on    fishing the maggot i had a small shimmer of about a pound i       hooded another fish and  pulled out of it after a few minutes  i  think it was foul hooked as it was a dead weight after removing   all the slime left on my hook length i had another fish on the    maggot a bream of around 3 and a half pound i then fished the     rest of the evening on the bread flake i was catching skimmers    every put in after i had changed top the flake from about 6 to    about the pound mark i also had another bream of around 2lb (pic  above) it started to get dark and the wind picked up so i decided to start packing up it was a very good evening session and the    canal still counties to fish very well and lets hope it stays     that way until my next blog tight lies                              
                                                                  
                        lee                                                      

DAY SESSION FISHING ON THE GRAND WESTERN CANAL 06/05/2013



Welcome back to my blog i planned to do a early morning session today the 6th of may but i slept through my alarm so i didn't get up on the bank until around 8 am the sun was already high in the sky and on the water but with the hottest day of the year forcasted for today i knew the fishing could be very hard going.The stretch i was going to fish a streatch i had been looking along for the last few evenings for signs of blowing or moving fish and on some of the better swims along there i did see a few moving along the far banks i made my way down the tow path to a spot half way down were there was a thick reed bed were i knew there was a lot of fish all year around a lot of fish had been showing along these few pegs for the last few days and evenings so with the swim picked it was time to set my gear up i was going to set up 2 top kits on different spots on about 5 meters out in front of me in the boat channel and the other one at 11 meters to the reed bed on the far bank i started by setting up the match top 3 it was a number 6 elastic through the top 2 section i fished a 0.30g rizor pole float and a 2lb 9oz mainline straight through to a size 16 barbless hook i plumbed this rig up at around 5 and a half meters straight out in front of me in the boat channel which is the deepest part of the canal i was going to fish it at about a inch and a half over depth as i have found when i fish it like this i seem to get a lot more confident bites and a better hook hold i set the other top two up which had a yellow number 8 elastic through the full top 2 sections i fished this rig using a o.06g yellow tip pole float on a 2lb 9 oz mainline to a 16 barbless hook same pattern as the other rig . I plumbed it up at about 11 meters on the far bank tight to the reed bed i feed both swims with the same a small nugget of crumb and some liquidised corn and a pinch of micro pellet to start off with i gave it 10 or so minutes to settle be for i fished over it i started by fishing over it on a double maggot i started on the far bank swim it took about 10 mins before i had my first bite i knew it was a good fish as soon I lifted into it it took elastic i pulled out of it after a few minutes  .I went back out again on a double maggot and i could not get a bite so i decided to feed the far bank again and try fishing the the boat channel were i fed at the beginning of the session i also started on this swim by fishing the double maggot within a few seconds i had a bit it was a small rudd i was catching small rudd and roach most put in on this spot i had a good skimmer as well so i then decided to go out on a bit of bread flake i had a couple better size rudd and some good size skimmers and a (bream pic below)i went back on the far bank and missed a couple bites on the corn i went on to chop and change from my middle swim and my far bank swim  for the rest of the day and I went on to catch a few more small roach rudd and skimmers but at mid day as forecast it was very hot in fact it was the warmest day so far and the and the tow path had got very busy with dog walker bikers ect started to get a lot of boats up and down and at 2 pm the horse drawn barge went through at this time i was struggling to get a bite so i decided it was time top call it a day and head home.Please feel free to comment on this or any of my blogs keep your eyes out for my next one until then
tight lines

lee

                                  (above a  couple of the better size fish that i caught on the day )

FISHING ON THE GRAND WESTERN CANAL

monday 29th april 2013

welcome back to another one of my blogs fishing on the grand western canal in tiverton were i do 95% of all my fishing all year round the canal is fishing the best i have known it for many years with a Lot of big rudd and roach coming out with bags of bream around 30 to 40lb and 3+ tench in a short session i haven't known the tench to show like this on the tiverton end of the canal for many years i was going to fish a spot on a streach of the town end known to local anglers as the dead streach but it is far from dead it is one of my most liked stretches on the whole canal with loads of good fish there to be caught all through the year even good fish to be had in the winter as well. I decided to fish the second peg down on the others side off the green foot bridge also know as wooden bridge buy the local club anglers alot of people feed the ducks swans and wildlife off this bridge i always found the bigger roach and rudd skimmer bream ect always show along the first 2-4 pegs of this streach i set up my gear it was around 4pm i looked at the swim there there were 2 really good looking spots on the peg i was fishing so i decided to fish 2 different areas.One was a match top 3 kit with 4-6 elastic through the top 2 sections i fished with a 0.50g td pole float i find this pattern of float one of the best floats for all round fishing i was using a 2 lb 9oz main line to a size 18 wide gape barbless hook i fished this rig at around 6-7 meters slightly to my left on this spot i feed bread crumb and some liquidsed corn i only

feed one medium cup and a few loose maggots and pinkies.The other top was a power top 2 kit with a number 8 yellow elastic through both sections on this top i fished a 0.50g td pole float with a 3lb line to a 2.6lb hook length to a barber size 18 wide gape spade end hook i plumbed this rig straight out in front of me at 11 and a half meters to a over hanging bramble bush on the far bank i was quite shallow but fish was showing i fed this swim the same as i did on the short line so the rigs set bait out it was time to start fishing i started of by fishing a double maggot 1 red and 1 white i started off by fishing on the 11.5 meter line straight out on the far bank i had a bit within less the 2 minutes and started off with a good rudd and went on to catch a few good rudd and roach and small skimmers on this line for around the first 45 minuets after this i decided to fish on the 7 meter line in deeper water which is straight in the centre of the boat channel i started fishing this line the same with red and a white maggot i didn't wait very long for my first bite which turned out to be another big rudd which was bigger then the first one i had on the far bank swim i carried on catching every put in and most of the fish were rudd roach and skimmers of around the 6oz to 1.lb mark  after around a hour and half i feed both swims again and went out to fish the far bank swim for the second time of the session and fished with a chopped worm tipped with a red maggot the first fish was another rudd of around 12oz as soon as i shipped back out i was into another fish within a few seconds of the bait dropping through the water to the bottom i lifted into the bite and it shot off to my left side taking loads of elastic with it but when i got it under control and got it a bit closer and i swirled on the surface at around 4 meter i then saw it was a pike of about 4lb as it turned and shot to my right it bit me off i carried on to fish the rest of the session by chopping and changing from my middle swim to my left and my far bank swim i caught a few bigger skimmers and also the same sort of size roach and rudd i pulled out of around 5 good fish which was on my middle line which i believe were skimmers but it was a very enjoyable session with a nice bag of of fish (as shown in the pic below this blog)i will be doing 3 session this weekend as its bank holiday so keep an eye out for my next blog hope u enjoyed Reading this one feel free to leave comments as feed back would be great until the next blog tight lines

lee