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Evening All,

I am from a fishing family and have been fortunate enough to pleasure fish an match fish some very good stretches of the Shropshire Union Canal and the Bridgewater Canal. I was lucky enough to have a dad who in his day was one of "The" anglers to beat. He was the one who started up Birkenhead Centre AC, fished for Connahs Quay alongside his mate Eric Humphries (who at the time was the captain of the Welsh international team and went on to manage them too) He's beat Alan Scotthorne off the next peg twice and won individual National medals as well as team ones. So when I say I'm lucky I really do mean it. With all that experience to pick from I have also been taken to some fantastic stretches of canal with fantastic winter fishing. In all the years we fished these stretches we very rarely seen another angler there. I recall one session we had to break the ice I fish this certain stretch and it was pretty slow as you can imagine but we did catch throughout the day but it was that last hour that always made the trip out in the freezing cold worth while. We started getting hybrids to around 2 1/2lb, roach knocking on 2lb, and bream to around 5lb. I will never forget these days. In the light of all the carp fisheries around now does anyone still get out on the canals in the colder months? How are the canals fishing these days? Would be good to share some stories

hi. can i recommend www.wirral-fisheries.com dedicated to all things fishy.plenty of stuff in the forum section

Hi and thanks for that.

Yeah I know that site but if I'm being honest I'm just trying to light up a few conversations to get this forum going. There seems to be a lot of people reading the posts but no one posting anything.

see your profile says you are down south...
you left the area for good?
drop me a pm if you are back in town...love somebody to show me how to fish the cut properly...

Read your post on the shroppie and it brought back some great days on the cut at Rowton bridge,Backford,shady oak,Tilston bank etc etc.Winter days tying a 20 or 22 spade end with freezing hands when bloodworm and joker was the bait.Of course a little bit of application was needed,presentation and watercraft.I believe the boat traffic in the summer is relentless.remember catching a flounder out the shroppie behind Chester zoo!!My good friend no longer with us alas used to fish it rod and centrepin and bagged up!

I remember him, he used to fish half a pinkie on a size 28 hook tied to an 8 oz hooklength. It took him 20 minutes to land a Gudgeon.

That was when the weather was hot.on colder days he'd fish a tapeworms head on a size 41 hook tied to babyhair presented just over depth.I once saw him battle for ten minutes to finally bank a well conditioned and somewhat feisty neon tetra!!honest!!

Halcyon days