Fishing the Hungerford Canal
Who said having a week off meant lots of fishing...................mine has consisted of gardening, decoration and everything apart fishing, but on Wednesday I told the world to do one as I was going fishing.

This time me and Steve were both free so we decided on the Hungerford canal to try and catch a few Perch and to try out the new lure kit.

I picked Steve up at a leisurely 8:30am after popping to Bato Baits in Basingstoke for a few maggots, there was no rush at all this morning as the pet shop selling the permits in Hungerford town centre where not open until 9am, so it was a nice lying.

After getting the permits we parked up next to the Church as we have before {due to free parking} and with the lure gear out consisting of a small waist bag of lures and scales, net and my new rod and reel.

I was lucky enough to win this Fox Ultron jig and spin rod earlier in the year at a lure weekend at Anglers Paradise for biggest Trout, coupled with a new Quantum spinning reel.

We started right next to the Church where there is a small bridge to left, we headed right up the canal. The weather was looking perfect, a nice amount of cloud cover, maybe a bit warn for my liking but bearable, the water was sadly very coloured and due to a lot of boat traffic locks where being opened either side of us, so one minute it flowed left then right.

We walked a couple of miles up the canal with not so much as a nibble, at this point I was just using a small jelly lure and changing the colours as we went, Steve had the first right at the end of the stretch we could fish, a nice Perch of about a pound.

It was time for a change for me as nothing had really happened, so it was time for a bit of drop shotting, a big craze in angling now and completely new to me so time to give a shot.

After walking back up to the top of the run and still with no fish I gave up on the lures, although we did see a horse drawn canal boat, which is a first for me these days but great to see.

After a pasty or two from a lovely bakery in Hungerford town we decided to crack out the float fishing gear and try for a bite or two this method.

We setup near the rear of the church where we have had luck before and began fishing, I setup towards the front of the boat moored here, there was a few small trees to sit under, which was good for staying out of the sun but bad for everything fishing related as it was near impossible to lift the rod due to branches, but worth the risk of not burning in the now blistering heat.

I was using a small 10ft float rod with a centre pin reel loaded with 4lb line to a 3lb hooklink using a size 18 hook baited with 2 maggots. After plumbing up it was a short wait to catch the first fish in the shape of a small Perch. The fishing was steady with plenty of fish including Roach, Rudd, Skimmers and Perch. Soon most of the fish had disappeared except the Perch which were feeding well and I had them up to around 1lb and good fun on light gear. With loads of Perch caught I wanted to catch a few Ruffe, Steve had a few in his swim at the rear of the boat but I think with all the Perch about they were a bit scarce.  I decided to move to my left a bit next to the bridge to see what was home turns out not a lot, after about an hour I had a couple of bites but no fish, so we decided to call it a day and head home.

For me a great but disappointing day, float fishing was brilliant but was only packed as a secondary method hoping to catch a few on lures, but the lure fishing was poor I think due to the conditions but you can't win them all, or catch them all in this case.

Bashing Bishops.........
Sadly I was having a fishing trip without my fishing partner in crime Steve due to a prior engagement but as I was itching for a fish and the weather near perfect it had to be done.

I spent a while deciding where to go, the choices were between Marsh Farm in Godalming or Bishops Green near Newbury.

An old school friend of mine asked for a day out on the bank and as his style of fishing steered towards Carp it was decided we would target the Carp at Bishops Green.

With Bishops now quite a popular place to fish even with a day ticket increase I felt we needed to be there early so I picked James up at 5:45am and we headed for Bishops. And as I hoped for we had arrived first, paid in the dog house, and made our way down to the lake.

After a lap we decided the far end of the lake looked favorable as there was a few bubblers in the edge, which was where I planned on fishing.

I have fished Bishops Green a lot in the past, it's a great place to take the kids, as I have done many times, there's a lot of Roach and Gudgeon present so the kids love float fishing for them which is a great way to start, whilst I have a couple of cheeky Carp rods out on alarms, perfect.

Over the years I have chopped and changed a few different methods but have found two that I use and have never failed, and on this occasion they really done me proud.

The first and normally the most prolific starts the moment I get in the swim, where I will put two handfuls of Halibut Pellet either side of my swim right next to the bank and in this case next to some rushes either side. Method wise I use solid Pva bags, small bags stuffed with 4mm Halibut Pellet nice and tight with a 12mm halibut pellet on the hair topped with plastic corn of any colour soaked in Betalin, strong size 10 hook as I have seen the Carp in here snap hooks with their brutal fights, a short 3-4inch hook link of a supple Braid to an inline lead of 2-3oz all on a leadcore leader of a couple of foot.

The second method is simple floater fishing tactics with either a controller float held by rubbers and a size 10/12 surface style hook or straight to the hook for close in work, a couple of simple methods which really do the business.

Whilst setting up base camp with mat etc and a shelter with a possibility of rain and every few minutes I put a bit more Pellet on the spots.

With alarms in place, rods put together and one of the 20 ready made pva bag/leader setups on either rod and dropped right in the edge a few feet from the alarms.

It took all of about 20 seconds for the first run which resulted in a little Common of a around 2lb, but off the mark, before a new bag was put on the other rod was away with a similar sized common.

The bites where so frantic for the first couple of hours that it was hard to have both rods in at the same time.

There was a few anglers on but not many fish out, it seemed all the fish were in the edge with me, well all the small ones so far.

James had had a couple using similar tactics but without pva and I wasn't even putting a bag on every time anymore as they were so frantic it wasn't needed.

Whilst fishing I had my camera out doing a bit of filming for an upcoming YouTube video so decided after over 15 Carp to nearly 13lb and being about midday I would have a rest, and try to get some shots also I had caught that many fish I was getting fatigue in my right forearm causing my muscle to pop out, not something that has ever happened to me and not something I wish to ever happen again.

After a long lunch break and some really strong wind resulting in my camera on its pod to go flying and my mat to disappear into the hedge, I got back to job in hand, there was fish to be caught so I carried on, pegging the mat and pod down.

Although the wind was being a pain there was fish coming up for the odd floating dog biscuit so I set up my Barbel rod on a simple setup of just 6lb mainline straight to a 12 hook and stalking around the edges near our swims as there was no one fishing up near us.

After a few tense minutes I had a nice Ghostie on the bank of around 11lb, followed by another similar size Common.

With my arm still giving me gip we decided to call it a day and with over 20 Carp and half being doubles to my name I was happy and having comments whilst walking back to the car asking what on earth I was doing felt like I must have been doing something right, for once.