A Quick Reconnaissance Trip

 I've been working my way along a local canal, with varying success, over the last few weeks in search of pike and perch. The perch have been rather elusive, but the small jacks have provided some fun. I'd deliberately avoided one section as I'd assumed it would get a lot of hammer. Following some very useful and comprehensive information I decide to have a very brief wander down there. I took a couple of rods in case I spotted anything worth casting too. The first thing to greet me as I got to the cut was a cob protecting his family having a rest by the bridge. I could also hear a deer barking somewhere in the trees.

Looking down from the bridge there was a fair number of small roach swimming about, along with a lot of small perch. Twitching a lure among them produced several hits but no hook ups. As I wandered along there was similar sized fish to be found at various points along the length., but nothing of any size. I did have the occasional chuck of the lures in some likely looking spots but nowt was hungry apart from a small jack. By now I'd reached the next bridge and had to be heading back soon. A ludicrously bad cast clattered the lure into the bridge. Initially the lure looked OK but closer inspection revealed it had been cracked. Being through wired I reckoned it would be OK to have another go at one of the fish loitering under the bridge. A very tiny little jack was what I got from among the perch and roach I'd seen.

There were signs the stretch had been fished but not excessively. It is however very weedy so it's shallow running lures or weedless rigs by the looks of it. Maybe a surface lure would work. I think it will be well worth a go later in the week.