The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Non fishing activities (motor sport stuff)takes me down several times a year to the lovely countryside around Priors Hardwick, where my band b is located . Nice part of the world- one minute you are in Warwickshire, then Northants and then Oxfordshire. I often walk over the fields to the canal, and have thought I really ought to take a dropshot rod on my next visit.

But....every time I see the canal it is an utterly vie colour- an almost opaque light milky coffee brown. Why ? I have fished a fair few canals recently and whilst silt clouds often appear after a boat passes it always settles quickly . I spent an hour on the canal on friday pm - seeing two moored boats only so the coloration is apparently a permanent state of affairs.

Am I right - how's it fish and why is it such a hideous colour (like the worst sort of carp puddle )?

The summit level of the Chesterfield Canal has been like this for some time with algae and nasty looking weed growth, I thought it might be down to agricultural runoff but it may have had something to do with the partial draining of Pebley. The problem diminishes rapidly as you go down past the locks towards Shireoaks.

The Oxford canal has been that colour for as long as I can remember. I think it's down to the amount of boat traffic it has to contend with and the constant opening and closing of locks.

A better bet not too far from Priors Hardwick would be the Grand Union canal at Stockton near Southam. Usually a bit better water clarity especially early morning before the boaters start their engines. The Lure anglers canal club run a stretch there.

http://www.lureanglerscanalclub.co.uk/

They would be worth contacting for more info.

You beat me to it Andy.

I used to fish that canal from Napton down to Banbury since the '60's and it was always a milky colour. I suspect this is due to the limestone round there (Blue Lias). I wandered the towpath with a light spinning rod and catch dozens of small pike and perch. My guess is that it is probably now Zander heaven.

I also used to catch native crayfish if I fished on the bottom, so I suspect they like the low water visibility. I wonder if they are still present or if they have been replace by those pesky foreigners!

Yes Bob I used to catch a lot of native crayfish fishing the canals around the Rugby area in the early 80's.

I always thought they needed clear running water over gravel? the Oxford canal is about as far removed as you could get from that.

Not many stretches now without any Zander

So even though the water has such low visibility a dropshot session might be viable you think ?

Yes John I do.
However I would certainly try drop shotting using a worm first, before you try an artificial. When you do use a 'rubber' try spraying it with WD40, a fish based oil. I find it works.

Just to add to my last post. The reason for both suggestions is that they will both have a smell attraction. The lobworm broken in half will leech out juices as will the smell of the fish oil from the WD40.

I stand corrected FB it is not fish oil based as you stated. Because of that I shouldn't have recommended it's use on lures.

However, I have used it and it did appear to work.

Firebird wrote:Turbid water is often better for fishing than clear - coarse fishing anyway.
Incidentally, WD40 is petroleum based, not fish oil. Don't put on baits or in the water.

Coloured water is fine -for coarse fish yes except not great for fishing with lure or fly where , although fish see more than we think ,in coloured water they can see inches and not feet .So I am happy to fish in muddy spates for barbel, far less chance of sport with sight feeders like perch and pike .(I know they can smell, but results suggest not very well !)My default dropshot method is with natural worm , which I find far outfishes the rubber/silicon jobs except when fish are visibly hammering bait fish