Canal Dropshotting

So with my first few Dropshot sessions under my belt & plenty of perch caught. It's time I fished a water with a better stamp of fish to have a go at, with a pants dropshot perch of only 5oz being the biggest so far.

So when Paul (aka @spikydorsalpro)

Invited me down to his local canal I just couldn't say no.

With four huge 3lb+ perch to his name this year & hundreds of smaller ones, he's the man to show me his dropshot skills & the potential to fish a natural water with a high-ish stock of perch is just jigging heaven.

I dragged my weary body out of bed at a still dark 5am on a chilly November day.

With the rain tipping it down on the journey & the wipers were on the fastest setting, I wondered if u should have canceled.

But with the canal in cracking form at the 

moment & thoughts of a big old stripy there was no way I'd cancel, especially as Paul had been kind enough to show me round his perchy stomping ground.

I met Paul in the car park as the cold rain seemed to get even harder, we ran for cover & got the lures in the water as soon as possible.

As we talked away for the first hour or so & the fish chat flowed, I did slightly forget the perch weren't obliging as the sun poked his head over the horizon. 

Sometimes just being out with like minded people is enjoyable enough but I came for perch & as it became brighter with lots of cloud cover, the rain even slowed & I felt our fortunes could change.

I started with my new Sonik rockchamp LRF rod, coupled with my Michell mag pro lite, 12lb braid to 10lb flourocarbon, joined by a very solid & dependable GT knot.

As your reading this you might think this is a bit heavy, esp the flouro.....

I find that it doesn't hamper the chances of catching the smaller perch & I like the stiffness of a thicker than normal leader. I'm find it gives with more jerkiness & a lovely twitchy movement.

All good stuff in my book & hopefully doing something slightly different will put a few more fish on the bank.

Now for the lures, both Paul & I really rate the "Berkley dropshot minnows" with the spilt or shad tails, in one, two & three inch sizes. We've both had great success with these great rubber minnows but of course Paul's catches being in a different league to my tiny perch.

But with the darkness as we arrived I really fancied trying a new lure, a two inch "Ecogear grass minnow" in the colour "midnight glow".

I didn't realise until the sun caught them that they charge via daylight & glow green. Even more suited to a deep dark swim.... Perfect

Having read rave reviews it was time for me to buy a pack to decide for myself now.

I digress anyway, so an hour or so passed & the rain finally stopped, we both hoped that was it for the day.

   Small & shallow, but plenty of surprises 

I finally had a short sharp pluck on a slow retrieve mid water, no fish on the bank but it was a huge boost to my confidence.

Another cast resulted in a wee perch of 3oz & at last they'd switched on the feed.

           I'm off the mark at long last 

Both Paul & I had three or four perch each for the next hour, no biggies but around the same size & fought well on my new super sensitive rod. They were nailing my grass minnow, taking it deep with no hesitation.

All returned none the wiser & fighting fit for another day.

Clear water Perch always have cracking colours 

As we leapfrogged each other along the canal towpath, casting in any likely looking areas, taking extra time to bounce the lures in the margins for a minute or so, as Paul explained the fish follow the lure in & this hesitation gives them a last chance to take the bait, something that the dropshot is perfect for, keeping the movement but staying on a sixpence.

   Paul on the hunt, seeking out the stripys

I jumped out of my skin a couple of times as desent pike has a look at my lure in the shallow margins but as hard as I tried I couldn't induce a take. I'm sure these mini crocs of 10lb+ would be quite a handful on my little rod, but I'll be back to hunt them down another day.

Every bridge is worth extra time & quite often you can see the bottom on this crystal clear water canal. It's great to see these little predators appearing out of know where to munch on the lure.

With a few more perch each, we've still not had any bigger than a pound, but all the same very enjoyable.

               Another mint little perch

 My Grass minnow proved just too tempting

The last bridge has a small surprise in the shape of a small perch each & I had fun with a small jack pike.

A feisty little jack that just wouldn't stay still for his mug shot

As the sun warmed & dried our clothes, We knew that the clock had beaten us. As it gets to 12pm it becomes very hard as all the fish hole up for the day, out of the way from the dog walkers, bankside commotion & moving boats. Paul said they don't come back out till the late evening.

So my introduction to this lovely canal was plenty of fun, the big girls didn't turn up this time but I will be back soon for another try.

I must say a special thank you Paul for showing me round, he's an expert on the skills needed to Dropshot & Texas rig effectively in different conditions. The proof of the pudding is displayed bellow, all his hard work & time bankside has payed off. What a top geezer, cheers matey.

All 3lb+ fish with the biggest at 3lb 8oz

The stuff of my dreams, top angling Paul ! 

As a little foot note Paul went fishing the day after & had this beaut.

      1lb 11oz of bristling beautiful Perch 

As a little add on I went back to the canal 

A week or so later & really filled my boots so to speak, with the same grass minnow catching all the fish.

What a lure !!!

Four hours fishing resulted in 35 Perch, mostly 6oz or less.

Another one in my hand, by the way the gloves are because it was freezing at 8am

       Greedy little blighters & I love'em

Then it got more exciting, four of the perch were close to or over 1lb

              1lb 1oz & it's a dropshot pb 

After a barnstorming fight my new dropshot pb was in the net at 1lb 7oz

A couple of lost fish came next on the agenda, sadly a pike of 10lb+ snagged me & a big perch of 2lb+ that I'm truly gutted about that threw the hook at the net.

My consolation prize came next cast...

A bonus 2lb 6oz jack pike, I thought it might have been a big perch for a second

All in all an unbelievable day, the rain never stopped but neither did the fish.

With all but a few of the fish, the takes were in the margins & the pike takes were spectacular & powerful.

If I'd landed the big pike & perch it would have truly been an unforgettable session.