Canal fishing
Fishing on the Grand Canal is exceptional and offers superb sport from quiet reed-fringed banks with a chance to catch tench, rudd, roach, bream, hybrids, perch and an increasing number of small carp.
In Laois we claim to have the most abundant stocks along the Barrow Line of the canal running through Rathangan, Monasterevin, Vicarstown and the market town of Athy before it joins the River Barrow. The canal is renowned for its perch stocks.
A quiet road runs along the canal for mile-upon-mile and there are plenty of spots with reeded banks and beds of lily pads that simply “scream” fish and all you have to do is pull over and start fishing! You can expect bream, rudd, hybrids, tench, perch, eels and an increasing number of roach and dace.
Tackle
GREAT NEWS… Your normal canal tackle is going to cope nicely with the Grand Canal, bearing in mind that your chosen swim could be crammed with bream and tench to 4lb.
Don’t be tempted to tackle up with anything less than a 1.5lb hook length or a main line of 3lb and if there are a lot of large fish about, particularly when fishing close to weed, consider using 3lb direct.
As for hooks, stay away from fine wire patterns and match the size to your chosen bait. A good idea is to start with a medium wire 16’s carrying breadflake or a large punch, but have change baits like corn, worm
and caster.
Float fishing with pole and waggler rigs will be the most useful and cope well with canals that are similar in width and depth. Pre-baiting is a good idea if you want an early start and it’s not a bad idea to take a small rake along to clear any problem weed and to rough-up the bottom before putting the ground bait in. If you don’t fancy making the effort to prepare a swim the evening before, you can turn up and unload a dozen balls of groundbait, sit down and begin fishing.
Improved results will usually come from a careful approach; perhaps starting with a couple of small light balls of groundbait (pots when pole fishing) followed by loose feeding.
Waterways Ireland has responsibility for the management and development of the Grand Canal. This includes protecting and encouraging fish populations and undertaking extensive fish stocking projects. A handbook, “The Coarse Angling Guide to the Royal and Grand Canals of Ireland” is available to buy from Waterways Ireland by calling the Marketing and Communication Division at +44 (0)28 663 23004.
Click here to download Laois fishing map as printable pdf
Download the Laois Angling Guide as pdf
Fishing on the Grand Canal is exceptional and offers superb sport from quiet reed-fringed banks with a chance to catch tench, rudd, roach, bream, hybrids, perch and an increasing number of small carp.
In Laois we claim to have the most abundant stocks along the Barrow Line of the canal running through Rathangan, Monasterevin, Vicarstown and the market town of Athy before it joins the River Barrow. The canal is renowned for its perch stocks.
A quiet road runs along the canal for mile-upon-mile and there are plenty of spots with reeded banks and beds of lily pads that simply “scream” fish and all you have to do is pull over and start fishing! You can expect bream, rudd, hybrids, tench, perch, eels and an increasing number of roach and dace.
Tackle
GREAT NEWS… Your normal canal tackle is going to cope nicely with the Grand Canal, bearing in mind that your chosen swim could be crammed with bream and tench to 4lb.
Don’t be tempted to tackle up with anything less than a 1.5lb hook length or a main line of 3lb and if there are a lot of large fish about, particularly when fishing close to weed, consider using 3lb direct.
As for hooks, stay away from fine wire patterns and match the size to your chosen bait. A good idea is to start with a medium wire 16’s carrying breadflake or a large punch, but have change baits like corn, worm
and caster.
Float fishing with pole and waggler rigs will be the most useful and cope well with canals that are similar in width and depth. Pre-baiting is a good idea if you want an early start and it’s not a bad idea to take a small rake along to clear any problem weed and to rough-up the bottom before putting the ground bait in. If you don’t fancy making the effort to prepare a swim the evening before, you can turn up and unload a dozen balls of groundbait, sit down and begin fishing.
Improved results will usually come from a careful approach; perhaps starting with a couple of small light balls of groundbait (pots when pole fishing) followed by loose feeding.
Waterways Ireland has responsibility for the management and development of the Grand Canal. This includes protecting and encouraging fish populations and undertaking extensive fish stocking projects. A handbook, “The Coarse Angling Guide to the Royal and Grand Canals of Ireland” is available to buy from Waterways Ireland by calling the Marketing and Communication Division at +44 (0)28 663 23004.
Click here to download Laois fishing map as printable pdf
Download the Laois Angling Guide as pdf
