Canal pike fishing

[DIDO.1 22,628]

I have put a few pics on the view from your swim thread, but rather than keep sticking them on there I thought I'd start a new one. 

I have grown up fishing the canal and though its produced pike for years.....with the occasional big one.....i honestly can't remember it ever producing so many nice pike. The average was always 4-5lb, now its 8-12 with one caught over 15 the other day. 

Most of my trips have been for no more than 3 hours, and I'm moving 2-3 times during that time so perhaps 2.5 hours fishing.....and I'm expecting to catch fish with 3-4 runs in that time. Where else can you expect that many runs in 2.5hours with fish around double figures?? I'm not even fishing to boats or features, my peg choice is based purely on shelter from the wind and lack of dog turds. I'm fishing the l+l canal around its halfway point....there is over 120 miles of canal with practically free fishing and fish that have never seen a hook. 

Anyone got any pics of canal pike or carp? ...proper wild fish that are a million miles away from commercial fisheries 

[neil r 1,844]

This is a couple caught on the fly last year on the canal . Most of the fish we get round here are only little jacks with the occasional bigger one . I’ve only lure and fly fished for them for years now so it could be that they are there but I’m missing them by not using bait 

[Fellman Mark 607]

Not a canal but river pike just short of 10lb had 2 small jacks aswell first time pike fishing in 6 year needless to say I am hooked again lol 

[DIDO.1 22,628]

OK we will count river pike as well ? proper fish ?

[C.green 3,229]

I was tempted to go for a walk this evening on the canal with a few lures. Anyone go for pike n perch at night with much luck ?

[DIDO.1 22,628]

I was reading about that in a fishing mag the other day. Apparently on waters that get a lot of attention its worth trying at night, anglers throw all there dead baits in as they pack up so fish in these waters start feeding at night. 

I can't see lures taking many fish at night....im sure its possible though 

[neil r 1,844]

Don’t know about perch but lure fishing for pike at night is worth doing . Phil blakey is well known for it , he did articles in the old p&p mag about it even catching on surface lures . He might have vids on his YouTube channel of him doing it . Think Black Country piker might have some aswell on his channel 

[neil r 1,844]

Just checked blankeys channel and he hasn’t got any night vids but Black Country piker has a few 

 

[mattyg 1,862]

3 takes in 2 hours yesterday on a local dropping river. Float pattanoster smelt and joey did the trick. Only managed to land 2 though.

[Lenmcharristar 9,727]

On ‎2‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 10:14, mattyg said:

3 takes in 2 hours yesterday on a local dropping river. Float pattanoster smelt and joey did the trick. Only managed to land 2 though.

that just looks a p i k e y place, nothing to do with travelers

Edited February 7, 2018 by Lenmcharristar

[mattyg 1,862]

10 hours ago, Lenmcharristar said:

that just looks a p i k e y place, nothing to do with travelers

Ironically that was the only swim out of the four I fished that didn’t produce a take, it’s a dead Lilly bed where I’ve had a few on surface lures in the summer skipped across the pads.

Matt

[morton 5,368]

On 01/02/2018 at 21:12, DIDO.1 said:

I was reading about that in a fishing mag the other day. Apparently on waters that get a lot of attention its worth trying at night, anglers throw all there dead baits in as they pack up so fish in these waters start feeding at night. 

I can't see lures taking many fish at night....im sure its possible though 

Im only a couple of minutes from the canal and often used to take a spinning rod and a few silver lures whilst i walked the dogs at night,a few miles along the canal and id catch more than i did daytime,fecked now because of the eastern europeans,who would want to eat a muddy canal pike?.

[pesky1972 5,217]

Hopefully Brexit will thin the Poles out a bit and let the pike recover.

[jack44 187]

Had a  3hour session today on the river boyne local to me had 2 good pike first one was 32 inch the second was a touch over 40 inch and the fattest fish I ever seen, the down side of the day my fxcking phone was at home so no pics and made a deal with myself not to fish again till I have a scales bought cos my heads recked wondering did the second make 20lb

[Mark_mjs93 164]

19 hours ago, jack44 said:

Had a  3hour session today on the river boyne local to me had 2 good pike first one was 32 inch the second was a touch over 40 inch and the fattest fish I ever seen, the down side of the day my fxcking phone was at home so no pics and made a deal with myself not to fish again till I have a scales bought cos my heads recked wondering did the second make 20lb

Alright mr "I live in Ireland and we don't have a close season on our rivers". Ive had bugger all this year. Well, that's a lie, had a couple of jacks but all tiny.