Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Navigate your way to canal silvers – Paul Hardy
Targeting rarely fished waters has paid dividends for Paul Hardy who has discovered a canal stretch full of big roach
THE myth that canals are only any good if you want to catch small fish has been debunked in recent years. Gone are the days when anglers believed these venues produced nothing other than silvers the size of your little finger, with predator fanatics proving that hundreds of stretches are home to big pike and perch. Then there are members of the carp angling brigade who have left stillwaters in search of a new challenge, scouring canals for giant fish and often succeeding with specimens to over 30lb. But when it comes to silverfish there is still an air of disappointment. There is a feeling that while you may catch a net of tiny roach with an odd skimmer thrown in if you are lucky, a haul of big redfins, hybrids and bream is pretty much out of the question. Paul Hardy isn’t the type of angler that likes to visit venues based on tip-offs, preferring to scour waters that are rarely fished before ramping up his investigations. He’s the first to admit that some of the places he has tried have failed to deliver the goods. But more than a handful have raised a few eyebrows with their silverfish prowess. One of those is the Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation Canal. Located south of the Parkgate area of the Rotherham, Paul’s favourite stretch runs parallel to the River Don from the sewage works to just past the town’s railway station. Largely ignored by anglers over the last decade, it used to be a haven for local matchmen and regularly produced 20lb-plus nets of roach, with even bigger catches reported when bream and tench muscled in. “Like many canals, you rarely see an angler down here sat on a seatbox but I have discovered on many occasions that neglected waters often produce the best fishing,” explained Paul. “I had an inkling it would produce a few bites but what I experienced on my first session down here was way beyond what I expected.”
Full of silver secrets
At first glance the Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation Canal doesn’t look any different to several other waters in the region. Surrounded by local industry, warehouses and even a shopping complex, the waterway is up to 40m wide in places and has depths beyond 15ft. Although the sights within the vicinity may not be instantly inspiring, your interest levels will step up a notch when you discover what lies beneath the surface. The roach shoals are populated by fish of all sizes averaging between 10oz to over 1lb. There’s also perch over 3lb, double-figure pike and if you find the shoals of bream and tench then a 50lb catch is on the cards. Rumours have also circulated suggesting that big barbel made their into the venue via the locks that are connected to the River Don! “It’s such a diverse venue but the thing that makes it stand out from the crowd is the stamp of the fish. You can be catching a 3oz roach every drop in then suddenly you’ll put five 12oz fish in the net in quick succession.”
Renowned hotspots
Although you could catch a few fish from almost any accessible spot on the canal, there are always going to be hotspots. “Pegs where boats are moored up for long periods of time hold more fish,” said Paul. “Not many anglers come down here so the fish need to source food. The outlets from the boats and any freebies dropped overboard give them something to feast upon,” he added. The boatyard just down from the sewage works is one of Paul’s favourite areas. And that’s exactly where he was when the IYCF cameras came to see what all the fuss was about. Selecting a peg at the very end of the stretch, he had plumbed up a line three quarters of the way across in 10ft of water. Small fish could be seen breaking the surface all over but they were of no interest to the Bag’em Matchbaits-backed angler. “The bigger fish live close to the bottom and if you can get a hookbait past the thousands of tiny silverfish you can get very excited every time the float goes under.”
“Plodding around the swim, the glistening fish flashed in the clear water and with a little persuasion a 10oz roach was in the net”
Canal magic
Several balls of groundbait were cupped in at the start of the session to concentrate the bigger fish. Paul’s number one mix for the job is Bag’em Matchbaits Lake, Canal, River Dark Blend. “I add a few handfuls of casters and Bag’em Matchbaits hemp too. Both these baits catch bigger fish and I tightly pack the balls together to ensure they make it to the bottom and don’t break up on the way down.” Two rigs were set to be fished over the same spot – one with a bulk set 2ft from the hook and several smaller droppers below, and the other with just a bulk 18in from the hook. The latter would give a much faster fall of the hookbait to get it through the small fish. “I start on the rig with a few droppers as the presentation looks more natural. If the fish start feeding confidently they soon drop their guard and will happily take a hookbait that has bombed its way to the deck.” Maggot and caster were Paul’s hookbait choices. – the plan being to rotate between the two in single and double format to get the best results. Dotting his Colmic Jolly float down to a pimple, the rig was lowered in. It hadn’t even settled on the first drop when Paul struck. “The float was taking too long to settle which told me something had intercepted it on the way down,” he explained. A small dace – large numbers of which have got into the canal from the Don – was the culprit. The same happened on the next few drop-ins. It was apparent the swim was teeming with fish but Paul was yet to prove that the big roach he had waxed lyrical about were actually there. “When it is like this you have to go on to the rig with the bulk straightaway to get it through these small fish that are up in the water. Let’s hope this works.” The rig change was made and the float slowly settled leaving the tiniest fraction of the tip showing. This time it didn’t dip in an instant and a wait lasting a few minutes was required before it did finally disappear from sight. A firm strike led to around 5ft of solid No.4 elastic stretching from the top kit. “That’s more like!” exclaimed Paul. Plodding around the swim, the glistening silver soon flashed in the clear water and with a little persuasion a 10oz roach was in the net. “The place is stuffed with these and if you find one you can guarantee there will be a few more of his mates lined up at the bottom.” Dropping in the rig and waiting rather than constantly manipulating the rig seemed best and the big roach and hybrids were soon coming thick and fast. Topping up with another ball of groundbait whenever he went five minutes without an indication did the trick and within four hours he had amassed over 25lb of quality silvers. “If you looked at today’s catch shot you would be forgiven for thinking I had been on a stillwater,” he said. “The Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation really is a phenomenal venue that is helping to eradicate the myth that big silvers can’t be found in canals. They can!” he concluded.