KEEPING TIDY ON THE TOWPATH
With cyclists, dog walkers and joggers, canals can be hazardous places for delicate items of tackle. Always keep your kit tidy and lay items such as pole sections parallel to the bank, rather than sticking out onto the towpath. Another good trick to make passers-by wary of your kit is to place a tougher, less valuable item, such as a net bag, sticking out slightly behind you, so bikes and boots take a wider berth.
Canals In Uk Map Photo Gallery
Float Rods
Often known as ‘match rods, the ideal blank to float fish on canals is something well-balanced, light and fine in the tip. A fairly fine model will cast small floats with ease and allow the use of light hooklengths. Just as importantly, such a tool will give you a great deal of pleasure even if the fish are modest-sized.
Although many float rods come in a length of 12-13ft, canal anglers often drop down to a shorter model of eleven or even ten feet – a slightly more compact rod is great fun and well-suited to smaller canals. Nor does such a weapon always come second best to the pole; in the winter, for example, when waters go very clear and fish are wary, a light waggler can be preferable to a pole tip waving over their heads.
Rods vary greatly on towpaths, but for canal fishing, shorter, lighter tools are often more suitable – and fun – to use.
