A quick outing before the hailstorm...

The weather has been atrocious since last week and although I made a trip to the canal at the same place, I only managed one perch as the water was really high and almost muddy.
Today the rain seemed to subside and there were some sunny spells with an intense chilly wind. It wasn't exactly ideal but I was sure there would be some pike feeding.
I got the UL gear as I wouldn't mind any perch coming as well and headed down the canal.
I used my K2K wire dropshot rig and a 7.5cm Lunker City Ribster mounted on the #4 VMC Spinshot hook. I got to the large basin first and started casting. The water was very clear something I found surprising after all this rain.
There wasn't much going so I moved towards the little bridge were I usually get a jack or two.. And so it was after a couple casts I hooked the little jack and brought him up.

Usual suspect at his regular jaunt!

A swift release followed and I was back fishing. There was another angler across the bank and not wanting to interfere in his swim, I crossed the bridge and went to the moored boats and barges near the next bridge. I made a few casts next to the canal wall and got the first feisty little perch..

I moved further and again cast next to the wall, another little perch obliged, albeit more plumb this time.

Next to the wall.

The wind was getting stronger and the sun was going down, so I decided wasn't gonna be there for much longer. I got snagged though and had to change rig to one with an offset VMC Spinshot hook which I don't really like using for pike, but I stuck at it and another cast near the opposite bank got a sharp bite and after a solid strike I had serious resistance.. I made a couple more strikes just in case and after a good fight I managed to slip the net under the best fish of the day. A beautiful jack of about 6lbs.

Beautiful fish.

After releasing the fish, hail started dropping and I decided to make my way to the car. As soon as I got in the car the hail developed to a hailstorm and I was glad I called it a day when I did!
Now the fishing has been getting better and more consistent lately despite the bad weather and I am sure that now is the best time to pursue the big perch and pike in the canal.. I am not gonna be doing that though because I'm going on holidays to the Philippines tomorrow until the beginning of March and I will probably be targeting tropical species in warm seas under the sun! It will be a completely new experience for me and even though I haven't heard the best about the fishing there, I am pretty sure that LRF will open some doors...

Tight lines and hope to post some tropical fish soon!

Gear used.

Rod: Awa Shima Qlite spin, 1-5g, 2.40m
Reel: Mitchell Mag Pro1000
Mainline: Sunline Siglon Fluorocarbon, 4lbs
Rig: dropshot
lure: 7.5cm Lunker City Ribster

A superb session!

Today I visited the canal at a spot near its middle reaches. The weather was overcast and a bit windy but I had a feeling that the fish would be active in that area, as it has a marina and good depth. In addition the previous sessions indicated that fish feed well right now and I should make the most of this.. I arrived around 14:30 and started fishing straight away with my UL dropshot gear. The water was stained but nothing to worry about.
Although I haven't targeted the perch on this stretch, I knew that it held good specimens along with a good number of decent jacks. I was expecting to have a mixed bag but nothing could prepare me for the action that followed!
I was working my little Savagear soft 4play along the moored barges and after the second or third cast, while retrieving parallel to a barge I got the characteristic sharp bite of a pike and after a typically vigorous fight I got it in the net.

First fish of the day.

I continued fishing but the bites dried up for a while. I moved towards a bridge and started casting next to the boats. Suddenly I got a bite but the fish didn't commit, I recast and this time it took it! I had a good fish on the end of the line and by the head shakes I could tell it was a good perch.. It came at the surface and straight in the net. It was a decent fish and among the bigger perch this season at around 2lbs. It also spat out a small roach that seems to be the dominant prey-fish in this canal at this time of year.

Beautiful hard fighter.

Food!

 I kept at it in this swim and got rewarded with another good fight, from a pike this time..

They keep coming.

I moved towards a marina and started fan-casting in order to find more fish. I could see baitfish jumping and scattering at times, so I was certain there was more to come!
Another cast parallel to a boat and I had a take but no fish, I recast and fish on. It was another big perch in perfect condition and bristling fins.

A beauty.

I made a cast towards some sunken tires next to the canal wall and let the lure sink to the bottom. As i tightened the line I felt weight and realised I got a fish on! This one felt heavy and fought like an 'obese' perch (!). As I got in on the surface I couldn't believe my eyes! It was a big bream clearly hooked in the mouth.. I knew that they get predatory but had never before caught one on a lure.
It seems everything feeds on these poor small roach!

Complete surprise!

Clean hook hold.

After the bream I kept working the area as there were still baitfish moving about.
I got a good bite few meters before the lure was out of the water and this time I was hooked to something powerful! It made several long runs and was unwilling to come to the surface, but after a few minutes of sustained pressure I managed to see it. A nice pike.. It kept moving away but soon I managed to slip the net under her. I estimated her at around 3kg, a considerable fish for the gear used.
I fished some more after that and got a couple bites, but the fish seemed to have wised-up to the lure. Being a modest man I decided to head to the pub and leave the fish alone!

Hard fighter.

Big mouth!

It was an exceptional haul for the standards of this canal and I was really buzzing after this session. I believe that fish go on feeding now to prepare for the spawning season. The small roach shoals seem to be the mainstay of their diet and so 8-9cm shiny/silver lures are proving most effective. There is always a chance of a big fish finding our lure, but by using good gear and being patient its usually relatively easy to land them. I think the use of fluorocarbon mainline really helps at this as it has some stretch and works really well with the rod in minimising the stress of the fight.

Tight lines all!

Gear used.
Rod: Awa Shima Qlite spin, 1-5g, 2.40m
Reel: Mitchell Mag Pro1000
Mainline: Sunline Siglon Fluorocarbon, 4lbs
Rig: dropshot
lure: savagear soft 4play 8cm

A sunny session.

Today the sun was up and it was a glorious day, too good to be stuck inside.. So without much thinking I picked up my UL dropshot setup and headed to the canal. I wasn't expecting much to happen early as typically in these conditions fish prefer to feed near dusk. I wanted to experiment with different rigs though so I started with a carolina rig, using a split shot and Owner slim offset #6 hook as this presentation gave me a couple fish on a previous session. I casted in a fan shape and covered as much area as possible but fish didn't wanna play ball.. I switched to my typical wire dropshot rig with 6lbs Knot2Kinky and VMC Spinshot hook. The lure was my favourite of late, 8cm Savagear soft 4play.
I kept working the lure and covering water but after a mile or so it was apparent that fish weren't active. I decided to walk slowly back to some moored barges as the fish would probably be hanging out there in the shade and take my time until the sun goes down a bit.
 By now it was around half three in the afternoon and the canal started to look more alive with a couple baitfish splashing around. I worked around the barges and soon got stuck in to the first perch of the day.

Must be the "tough" neighbourhood at this spot!

I moved to another boat and got another one straight away. They weren't that big but very aggressive.

After working the boats I saw some commotion near the opposite bank and I casted straight away. A couple twitches later and I got a bite, I struck and after a nice tussle I had a slightly better perch in the net.

The little 4play was proving irresistible and on a later cast I found out why.. I was working the lure with a few sharp jerks soon after landing (as this tends to attract fish from a distance) and felt some weight on the line, As I got the lure up, I had foul-hooked a small roach at almost the same size and profile as the soft bait. Matching the hatch as they say..

A good imitation.

I kept fishing the area where I caught the perch as it was obvious that the fish were preying on these small roach. I made a cast right next to the wall and this time I got a sharp bite and felt good resistance at the end of the line. A great fight ensued but soon I had a feisty jack in the net.

Cant get enough of their fights!

After this fish the swim got quiet and I moved to a basin where there's usually the odd perch and pike hunting at this time. Many casts later and without a sniff of a fish, I was almost ready to call it a day. I made a last cast and gave some sharp jerks as soon as the lure hit bottom, I tried to repeat the jerks but as soon as I lifted the rod I had a fish on! Another good little fight and another small jack landed.

Last fish of the day.

After the jack the light had diminished and I decided to call it a day. It had been one of the most productive sessions lately and I was a happy angler.
Even though I caught no fish using UL carolina today, it was apparent that the deciding factor was the time of the day. I have been trying carolina to present the lures closer to the bottom and still have some sort of weightless/flowing effect, making the method less attractive to pike and hope to get some smaller species. So far no pike have been caught and works well on the perch..

Another thing to note is that perch really don't seem to be put-off by the 6lbs K2K wire and its really a relief to use it in areas with high pike activity.. This week I will try to fish every day and at different places, because I will be going to a more exotic destination soon and need to make the most of the freshwater fishing here..

More to follow and thanks for reading!

Gear used.
Rod: Awa Shima Qlite spin, 1-5g, 2.40m
Reel: Tica Libra 2500fd
Mainline: Sunline Siglon Fluorocarbon, 4lbs
Rig: dropshot, carolina
lure: savagear soft 4play 8cm, Berkley Gulp fish fry 2"