FAR-SIDE SHELF
JUST before the canal begins to shallow up is an area at the base of the ledge or slope, typically 11m-12m out on a 14m-wide cut.
Here natural food gathers and roach, small perch, gudgeon and the odd small skimmer will feel safe.
Take a pint of squatts (small maggots) with you plus a bag of groundbait.
Set your stall out to fish at the very bottom of the ledge, introducing a couple of balls of groundbait holding squatts and a little hemp at the start (a low-feed, dark small-fish mix such as Sensas Match Blend is perfect). Then loosefeed a small pouch of squatts over the top every minute or so.
This constant stream of loosefeed will pull in the fish and they’ll then find the groundbait and settle. Rarely will you need to feed any more groundbait unless the swim dies totally or a boat goes wide and over this line. For rigs, light and fine are the watchwords. A slender, fine-bristled pole float taking 4x12 shotting will do, matched to a fine No3 elastic, 0.10mm (2lb) mainline to an 0.08 (1lb 8oz) hook-link and a very fine-wire size 22 hook to fish a single squatt or perhaps a pinkie as a change bait.
This line should be your main one, and as such you should be fishing it for the bulk of the session.