A Beat For All Seasons

When rivers run awash in winter spate or the sweltering summer sun shrinks our trout streams to trickles, Mike Handyside doesn’t despair, he goes canalside.

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“Clear-water canal fly fishing… now how would you go about that?” I thought to myself as I walked the local canal in the cold spring. With plants struggling to leaf and birds confused by an ongoing wintry spell, I began to hatch a plan!

Despite the low temperature, fish were already rising here and there, but I would have to wait another couple of months because I choose not to fish for coarse fish during the traditional close season. This gave me time to think about what tackle I needed and the tactics I would employ when the sun would finally bathe the Shropshire countryside and dappled shade would become most welcome. Plus, what species were these early risers that could be seen, particularly at dusk? I wanted to find out more.

With the final arrival of a nondescript, cool and somewhat wet summer of 2016, thoughts turned to sea trout, as fishing for the browns inevitably goes off after the easy pickings of the mayfly season. With the coarse season now open, when not out after the silver summer tourists it was time to venture forth along the canal again, but with the fly outfit this time!

Selecting a 5-wt, floating line, 9ft fluorocarbon cast, tapering down to 3lb breaking strain and size 16 foam Black Beetle, I was quite successful on my first afternoon, catching three small rudd, which are easy to spot in the strong sunlight.

Wandering back on foot from my house in the evening was a different matter, though, because it was tougher going spotting fish without the strong light. I managed one small roach but cast to a leviathan of some 2lb, which was having nothing to do with my offering!

Free-Rising Canal Chub

On one hot, sunny afternoon I observed what I thought were good-sized rudd basking lazily, no more than two inches below the surface on a tree-shaded stretch.