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The Best Baits for Canal Fishing in Spring
The best part of fishing on canals is that they tend to cost little to fish and are great for springtime angling, you just need to take the right fishing bait! Luckily, we are here to help you narrow down your choices and get closer to success on your canal session this Spring.
REMINDER: Be sure not to fish at river joins or along rivers during the Coarse Closed Season which ends 16th June. |
Fish Species Found in Canals
With thousands of miles of canal to go fish and most with a healthy mix of fish species, there tend to be some baits for suits to some fish than others, especially larger, specimen catches. With the variety of fish swimming in our canals, we thought we would just cover the species you tend to land at some canal venues.
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Barbel
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Bream
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Carp
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Chub
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Dace
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Perch
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Pike
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Roach
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Rudd
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Tench
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Trout (Brown Trout & Rainbow Trout)
Top 5 Baits for Spring Canal Fishing
Artificial Baits
For trout and predator species such as pike and perch, you can use lures as bait. If you are not a predator angler, trout are easily tempted by artificial flies with fly angling techniques.
Maggots
Most coarse fish will bite for live maggots in a feeder or wriggling on your hook. Maggots are actually a top choice for match anglers using pole fishing tactics and mixed with some groundbait.
As odd as it may seem to some anglers, a great fishing bait on canals are dead maggots. Dead maggot can even work better than live ones! Smaller fish do not pay much attention to maggots that do not wriggle and dead maggots stay put meaning they won't go hiding in a silty bottom or weeds once catapulted into the water.
Read our Top Tips on Using Maggots, here.
Worms
Usually, a great choice for attracting bream, chub and carp, worms on a hook will land larger species in canals. See the video below on how to make a worm kebab rig.
Sweetcorn
Carp love corn. When canal fishing for carp in spring you will certainly get some attention with the brightly yellow coloured bait of corn. You can try mixing sweetcorn kernels with some liquid booster to really send an aroma in the direction of your target fish.
Groundbait
As previously mentioned, groundbait can be added to other baits such as maggots to help create a powdery cloud in the water around your hookbait. You can also pair groundbait with a crushed boilie mix, corn, particles, etc to then either roll into bait balls or add to a feeder.
Read our Groundbait Beginner's Guide here.
Try using some plain brown crumb groundbait to roll into small bait balls. Due to the slow rise in both water temperature and the fish’s appetite remember to just feed a little ball in every so often.
Canals tend to be busy places for other water users which can unsettle the water. This is less common in the colder parts of spring but if a paddler comes your way be sure to throw in an extra groundbait ball or nugget in to keep the fish interested in your swim!
Spring Fishing Bait FAQ’s on Canal Venues
Where is the best place to spread fishing bait at canal waters during spring?
Due to the water being quite cold and clear still, springtime canal anglers should aim to fish two thirds or so across at the bottom, with an average depth of 4ft. It is best to have the bait just about scratching the bottom and paired with floats shotted for the best bite detection.
How do you avoid nuisance bites when spring fishing from a canal?
When canal fishing, be sure to keep feeding little and often in the right spot for your target fish. If you are happening to catch a small perch, rudd or orfe, just know that the bigger fish will soon arrive so quickly release and return any nuisance catches. You can also try adding larger bait (for example a larger kernel of sweetcorn or big worm) to a bigger hook size to avoid small mouths taking your bait.
What to Consider when Fishing on Canals in Spring
Before we finish this post of the best baits for canal fishing, be sure to just that the part of the canal you fish does not come under the waters prohibited to fish due to river closed season. Always double-check what canals are okay to fish.
You can find a list of UK canals on the Canal and River Trust Website.
You may also need to sort yourself a fishing rod permit if you do not already have one and buy a permit (such as a Waterway Wanderers permit) so you can access miles of canal fishing in your chosen area.
We hope this quick baits guide to Spring fishing on canals has helped for your next fishing bait shopping trip.