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During the whole of the river closed season I am constantly looking to get my fishing fix. I love floater fishing for carp, spending an afternoon by a lake in the summer after work is hard to beat. It’s also a perfect time to get all of my fishing tackle in some kind of order.  I do like to try and keep my fishing varied during the closed season, purely because when the rivers open I seem to get sucked into fishing for my favourite species, the Chub.

So after an afternoon in my veggie patch and boxing up all the worms I could find, I decided a nice way to spend the rest of my Sunday evening would be down the canal, float watching. As I have always done before I like to keep things simple with my fishing. My approach for the Perch was very simple. A 2 swan shot crystal loafer float, 4lb hook link and a size 14 hook.

On arrival I pitched up between two narrow boats. Perch seem to love the cover of a boat, especially on bright days. Picking out the smaller of my worms, I added some liquid worm and dropped them just off the rudder of a boat. 

I didn’t have to wait long at all for the priceless moment when the float dips and bobs about and then sail off out of sight under the murky water.  The fishing was superb, around a dozen Perch in a couple of hours. I actually ran out of worms otherwise I think I would still be there!

One of the best things about canal fishing is regardless of how the fishing is going, there is always plenty going on. Dog walkers, cyclists and boat owners all seem to show some interest in fishing, and it’s always nice to see the look on a person’s face when they see a Perch for the first time.

The river season opens in around two weeks time and for me it cannot come soon enough. But I believe I will be making some trips back to the canal during this summer.