FISHERY OF THE WEEK Gloucester Canal
DEEP canals like the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal can be daunting, but take a look at recent catch reports and your worries will disappear. There’s a fear of failure when faced with depths beyond 15ft, but when you consider just how heavily stocked with roach and bream the venue is, you quickly realise you’ll never be sat far away from a hungry shoal.
Catches to over 40lb have been caught in recent weeks, with redfins to 1lb and slabs to over 6lb contributing to these impressive hauls.
Unlike on many canals, the pole isn’t the only approach that’ll score. Because it’s deep and over 50m wide in parts, the feeder also plays a part on many pegs along the stretch.
Renowned hotspots
It’ll come as no surprise to many that the canal runs between the two places it’s named after and covers more than 16 miles.
Initially built in the 1800s to allow ships to bypass a treacherous stretch of the River Severn, it’s capable of producing the goods to anglers throughout its entire length.
But, as with any fishery, there are areas that stand out from the crowd. Hempsted is the first that springs to mind for many, but the zone at Slimbridge has been the most in-form of late.
Canal fishing enthusiast Chris Telling has enjoyed several sessions on the stretch this year and he told us: “There aren’t many canals that can compete with what’s on offer here and no matter what conditions you’re faced with, plenty of bites are on the cards.
“If the water is coloured then the bream are going to have a chomp, with the roach getting in on the act when it’s clear.”
Two line tonic
Silverfish are always likely to spook at some point during the course of the session so it’s important to have two lines and rotate between them.
When relying on the pole,
“Roach will get in on the act in clear water”
pencil a line in at 11m directly in front of you and another slightly to your right at 14.5m. This prevent the two areas conflicting and, if you’re attacking the longer zone, you won’t be shipping hooked fish through the shorter spot.
Feed a couple of hard balls of groundbait laced with dead pinkies over each, placing a pair of live ones on the hook.
On the rig front, use 0.12mm mainline to a 0.10mm hooklength and a size 18 hook. A 0.75g float will remain stable, while a grade six elastic contains enough grunt to set the hook on the strike without running the risk of bumping fish off.
The Gloucester & Sharpness Canal around Slimbridge presents a unique challenge to the visiting angler, and one that’s sure to produce memorable rewards if you get your tactics right on the day.