The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Interesting stuff.
I may well give it a go next season.

Snape wrote:Interesting stuff.
I may well give it a go next season.

Indeed, BL's account of a 42lb fish is simply mouthwatering! On the subject of braid and canals, I once went to a slide-show presentation by two guys who were catching good doubles and low twenties from a canal, and they swore by a simple refinement of the close range freelining method I have just outlined. They would lay out a short, direct line, as described, from rod to bait, bait up, then go back with a landing net pole, to stir up the bottom around the line and make sure the line was very lightly covered by silt - a kind of natural pinning down. They swore by this, and their results were good, as I've said. Canal carp can be spooky, -perhaps because they see a lot of fine lines etc. I once waited for fifteen minutes for a run to develop, - with just 1cm lifts on a light bobbin, as the carp tested things out to see if my bait was safe to take, or not. It was a long linear mirror, and it was hooked just a little way inside the mouth - and therefore, a very cautious fish.

FarliesBirthday wrote:

Snape wrote:Interesting stuff.
I may well give it a go next season.

Indeed, BL's account of a 42lb fish is simply mouthwatering! On the subject of braid and canals, I once went to a slide-show presentation by two guys who were catching good doubles and low twenties from a canal, and they swore by a simple refinement of the close range freelining method I have just outlined. They would lay out a short, direct line, as described, from rod to bait, bait up, then go back with a landing net pole, to stir up the bottom around the line and make sure the line was very lightly covered by silt - a kind of natural pinning down. They swore by this, and their results were good, as I've said. Canal carp can be spooky, -perhaps because they see a lot of fine lines etc. I once waited for fifteen minutes for a run to develop, - with just 1cm lifts on a light bobbin, as the carp tested things out to see if my bait was safe to take, or not. It was a long linear mirror, and it was hooked just a little way inside the mouth - and therefore, a very cautious fish.

On the idea of covering the line with silt a fellow TFF'er once told me he fished for line shy carp by casting out then putting compost over his lines!

Snape wrote:

FarliesBirthday wrote:

Snape wrote:Interesting stuff.
I may well give it a go next season.

Indeed, BL's account of a 42lb fish is simply mouthwatering! On the subject of braid and canals, I once went to a slide-show presentation by two guys who were catching good doubles and low twenties from a canal, and they swore by a simple refinement of the close range freelining method I have just outlined. They would lay out a short, direct line, as described, from rod to bait, bait up, then go back with a landing net pole, to stir up the bottom around the line and make sure the line was very lightly covered by silt - a kind of natural pinning down. They swore by this, and their results were good, as I've said. Canal carp can be spooky, -perhaps because they see a lot of fine lines etc. I once waited for fifteen minutes for a run to develop, - with just 1cm lifts on a light bobbin, as the carp tested things out to see if my bait was safe to take, or not. It was a long linear mirror, and it was hooked just a little way inside the mouth - and therefore, a very cautious fish.

On the idea of covering the line with silt a fellow TFF'er once told me he fished for line shy carp by casting out then putting compost over his lines!

You have to admire his dedication, Nigel!

Blackadder wrote:An interesting post BL.
I've fished the river Cherwell around Somerton and Heyford but never the canal, and I wasn't aware of the carp.
I might have to give it a go sometime, as I've never had a cut caught carp

There were some serious Carp up there, go past Heyford Station until you reach the pub, Barley Mow I believe its called, and just after the pub take a left, follow the lane to the bottom then turn right, that will take you to the lock. Walk upstream till you come to the Railway bridge. When you have reached the railway bridge you have walked past half the fish, there is a slight bend in the canal before the bridge and on the far bank a ditch comes in, from that ditch to 100 yds past the red brick railway bridge is carp alley or was, a mate of mine used to fish pva bags of pellets down the middle and that's all he did, he was very successful there.

If you want the big Carp walk over the lock and turn left, walk past the back of the church until you come to a big bend which has a solid concrete patch on the edge of the canal, this was always a Bream peg but the corner before it has to be 20 meters wide and thats where the carp were when I fished there last.
Its very possible fish have moved on in the floods as the Cherwell is 10meters from the canal bank here.

You may also like to checkout Northbrook, another carp stretch, seen many an angler get broke down there, its well above the Rock of Gibraltar pub, cant think of the village but when you get to the village there is a duck pond there, heading North turn left onto a track that leads to a farm, if you get there you need to walk west behind the farm to the canal, upstream is good and downstream is what they call the spinney, also good for Carp