Ulverston Canal: Fishing Methods

The methods described below are not exhaustive, just a suggestion to get you going.

Mixed coarse fishing on Ulverston Canal

If you're not bothered about what species you're going to catch, or not particularly targeting a specific species then many baits and methods can work from float fishing using a waggler rod or pole fishing. Ledgering can have its day if your're fishing for Bream, Tench or Carp.

Fishing for Tench on Ulverston Canal

Tench can be caught using standard techniques, which nowadays means boilies and rod pods or pole fishing. If you're pole fishing make sure you've got at least an 8's elastic and your pole is up to it. A favoured pole method is fishing just into the boat channel at around 9 meters and just on or a couple of inches on the bottom; most baits work, a favourite being double caster fished over hemp. Don't forget that the Tench in the canal also respond to classic methods like float fishing on a waggler rod or ledgering with a quivertip and feeder. Classic baits like maggot, sweetcorn, redworms, brandlings and breadflake still catch many fish, Tench have also been caught on hemp and tares.

Roach fishing on Ulverston Canal

Roach fishing in Ulverston Canal really excels in the late Summer and right through Autumn. Roach can be caught on a variety of baits including Maggot, Caster (a particular favourite for the larger Roach), Pinkies, Breadflake and Sweetcorn. Late Summer and Autumn can give excellent sport when fishing Hemp and Tare, (if you can strike at the lightening fast bites, a pole or whip is better for this type of fishing). Hemp and Tare can reward with 10lb+ bags of prime condition Roach from 4oz to over 1lb, with the larger fish coming to Tares. In the winter months success can be had by fishing Squatts and Pinkies or cupping in small amounts of liquidised bread and fishing Breadpunch on the hook.

Bream fishing in Ulverston Canal

Favourite methods are putting down plenty of feed, including Squatts and hemp in your groundbait and fishing maggot or caster a few inches on the bottom and waiting till the shoals cruise by. Loose feeding is important, and once the Bream arrive you must be prepared to feed them with more balls of laced groundbait to keep them in your swim. This method can also account for the odd Tench too! If the Bream are cruising on the top in the summer it can be difficult to make them get their heads down, although this has been achieved.

Fishing for Carp in Ulverston Canal

There carp can be caught using standard carping methods, however doing your groundwork is time well spent. Carp habit the whole of the canal and there are 20lbs+ fish to be caught if you do your homework. Try old baits instead of boilies like luncheon meat which has been successful in the past, this bait has also accounted for 4lb+ Eels.