Q&A

Which rigs for canals?

WHEREABOUTS on a canal should I be looking to fish at this time of year?

Dale Wilkins, Coventry

MOST small canals follow the same contours, with a slope either side and a flattish, deeper section along the middle known as the boat channel.

Ideally, as the weather starts to cool down, you want to be fishing in the deepest part of the canal. However, this might not mean right along the middle. If there is still a fair amount of boat traffic on your chosen canal,

you’ll be best off plumbing the depth carefully and pole fishing at the far edge of the centre channel, just where the bottom starts to slope up. Here the water is likely to be around 4ft deep.

Quality fish such as perch and bream will be here, as well as bigger roach. As the day wears on, though, there is a good chance that many fish

will make their way into the shallower water up the far shelf, especially on warm days. Look for a depth of 2ft-3ft here.

The answer is to have two rigs set up – one for the deepest water at the base of the far slope and one for the top of the slope.

Feed and fish the deeper water first and try the shallower rig later.