Grand canal

Silversun

Hi all,
I'm thinking of doing some fishing on the grand canal around prosperous in kildare in the next two weeks. Can anyone tell me if I'm wasting my time heading down?

Any help / advice would be aprechiated

niallon

Sallins/Prosperous stretch was my second home last summer, nearly guaranteed fish every trip. Nothing of much size mind you though the few Tench I took in over the summer made all the trips worth it. Can be hard work though and I did make the unfortunate discovery that the rat population along the canal seems to have exploded, every spot I fished seemed to have a nest nearby and they had no issue with running about extremely close to my feet, tuck the trousers into the socks just to be sure

Silversun

I'm going to head down next week
Any recommendations for parking? I'm looking at an area known as the drownings there seems to be a bridge with some room for parking off it..
I've had problems along the bank with rats sniffing around my bait box before alright!
Last summer I was fishing mostly the royal canal in the leixlip area and mostly caught roach and a few decent perch so it'd be nice to get the odd tench

uch

Might be a bit early for the Tench, there's loads of parking down Ticknevin direction but I haven't spoken to anyone that's fished there this year so can't give a report

Silversun

Yeah I understand they like the warmer months allright.
Thanks il look into the ticknevin end Aswell. Il let you know how I get on.

niallon

Would the area you're talking about be Landenstown Bridge by any chance? If so that's usually the best spot for parking alright. Tad early for Tench yeah, caught all of mine across the summer. Seems to be plenty of small rudd/roach in the canal to keep you ticking over though, pop into the tackle section of McCarthy's in Prosperous, chap working there is more of a fly angler but he was great for advice on the canals to me last year.

Silversun

I'm pretty sure that's the one, the road it's on brings you straight into prosperous.
Cheers for that il pop in and have a chat and see what they say.

Silversun

So I headed down yesterday morning, caught nothing! Not even a bite!
There was a guy a bit further up from me who had caught nothing either. I went and got some lunch and then tried another stretch and managed to catch a few Rudd and some roach. Something also took my bait and my hook length just snapped...

niallon

Silversun wrote: »

So I headed down yesterday morning, caught nothing! Not even a bite!
There was a guy a bit further up from me who had caught nothing either. I went and got some lunch and then tried another stretch and managed to catch a few Rudd and some roach. Something also took my bait and my hook length just snapped...

There is, or was last summer, a Pike the size of a bus in the canal in or around the Sallins/Naas stretch. Saw it one evening when fishing for Bream, broke the surface going for something. Decided it was time to sit a bit further back from the edge after that. ;-)

Silversun

niallon wrote: »

There is, or was last summer, a Pike the size of a bus in the canal in or around the Sallins/Naas stretch. Saw it one evening when fishing for Bream, broke the surface going for something. Decided it was time to sit a bit further back from the edge after that. ;-)

Haha!
Also meant to ask, is there always a load of boat traffic in that area? That morning I had 4 go past me in a short space of time. I assume this is what spooked the fish away lol

viper123

Silversun wrote: »

Haha!
Also meant to ask, is there always a load of boat traffic in that area? That morning I had 4 go past me in a short space of time. I assume this is what spooked the fish away lol

Boat traffic makes no difference in my opinion, the fish are well used to them and the props might well shake up the bottom as well releasing some feed for the fish.

niallon

Agree with viper, boat traffic can be a good thing a lot of the time.

Can't say I've ever seen a massive amount of boat traffic along that way in the past, though with the harbour in Sallins being worked on last year it may have put some off venturing down that way

Silversun

I never catch after a boat passes through in my own experience but maybe I'm doing something wrong

viper123

Silversun wrote: »

I never catch after a boat passes through in my own experience but maybe I'm doing something wrong

By contradiction I've caught casting virtually into the propeller wash of a passing boat. I guess it depends on circumstances, number of boats etc.