With a week’s holiday in Wales behind me, it was back to the canal this morning for a quick session. Working from home days are great because it usually means that I can get a couple of short fishing trips in.
Heading for the Staffs/Worcs Canal, with the intention of setting up alongside a lock, there was not only a boat in the process of passing from one section to another, but a number of others waiting in line.
However, they didn’t affect the fishing, as from the off I caught. I ended with a number of small perch – that’s the biggest in the lead image – and a single gudgeon. The latter was a decent size though, which was great to see, as most from the canal are quite small.
I do like gudgeon, and especially from the Staffs/Worcs Canal, as my first ever fish back in the sixties was a Gobio gobio from The Bratch, on the outskirts of Wombourne, in Staffordshire.
They were so numerous in those days, then they went into decline. The rise of perch and chub made it a survival nightmare for the tiny fish. I went years catching just the occasional gudgeon, then suddenly I started to get them in numbers.
It’s true to say that they are back – and hopefully to stay – which is great to see. Every time I catch one from the canal it always takes me back in time to when I was a child. Although that was many years ago, I have never lost my love, enthusiasm or passion for angling.
Back to the present though, the session I fished saw me set up with a quiver tip rod and 4lb line straight through to a size 18 Drennan Super Specialist hook. The hook length was created by a small bead and shot about six inches from the hook.
The bait was a single red maggot and I loose fed the same. Although I was there for just a short time, I did switch to a size 10 hook towards the end with a worm. After having caught a number of small perch, I set my stall out for something better. However, I didn’t even get a tap.
As always though, I enjoyed the session and that’s what angling is all about. Out and about yourself? Tight lines.
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Stewart Bloor