Royal
Canal Amenity Group
Interactive
Fishing on the Royal Canal
The Waterways Service initiated a five year fish stocking programme
in 1991 aimed at upgrading the fishing potential of the canals and
turning them into a top class coarse fishery. This has involved fish
assessment to quantify exist- ing stocks, tagging fish to determine
movement patterns and identifying sur- plus fish from other sources
and transferring these to the canals. In associa- tion with this
work, the Waterways Service also have a research programme to maintain
water quality, with samples taken every two months, and a pro- gramme
to control weed growth in the water channel. The result of these
efforts has been to dramatically improve the fishing potential of the canal
and this work will continue as further stretches are restored and water
levels controlled. This has led to a noticeable increase in the numbers
of organised fishing competitions and in the level of foreign anglers
using the canals. Most especially, there has been a significant growth
in the number of local residents who fish the canal individually
and this is an aspect which the Waterways Service is particularly
keen to encourage. Coarse fish to be found in the Royal Canal include
Brearn, Roach, Rudd, Roach/Brearn hybrids, Rudd/Brearn hybrids, Tench,
Pike and Perch. in selected locations Carp have been stocked. All
coarse fishing on the canal must be carried out in accordance with the
Fisheries Bye-laws.
Bream These are a fish which are popular
with Irish and English anglers. A shoal fish, they grow on the canal
to 6 lb (2.5 kg). They are caught mostly on small red worm or maggot.
They can be located by looking at a stretch on a cairn evening and
detecting the bubbles which they send to the surface. Very light
ground-baiting is important to hold the fish in one area. Bream fright-
en easily in the canal and minimum bank noise is essential if one is to
have success.
Rudd These are a lovely golden coloured
fish with red fins. A shy fish, they are caught on maggot or bread
flake, i.e., fresh bread, lightly pinched on to a small hook. Rudd
can be held in one area by throwing light ground bait loosely into
the water. When one has caught a few fish, they will often move away.
They fish best in the evening near dusk.
Roach These fish resemble Rudd
but have slightly red fins and a body with a silver purple tinge.
They are prolific breeders and can over-run a system quickly, often
resulting in the reduction in size of other species. They feed freely
over the whole year and take maggot baits.
Pike There are Pike to 20 ]b (9 kg) in the
canal but one is more likely to catch fish of 3 to 6 lb (1.5 - 2.5
kg). These fish, common throughout the country, will take dead fish
or a spinning bait, such as a spoon or plug.
Perch A common fish which take
worm or maggot or even a spinning bait. They are mostly small in
the Canal.
Tench A fine scaled fish, brown
in colour and with red eyes. A great fight- ing fish, they grow to
specimen size of 6 lb (2.5 kg) and are taken mostly in the evening
and early morning with bread, red worm or sweet corn as bait.
Carp These fish are a specialist's
fish and are not easily caught by the aver- age angler. They are
shy and often require extreme patience to catch with the angler using
such strange baits as sausage or meat.
Techniques for Canal Angling The canal
is shallow and in some stretches where the water is clear, angling
is difficult during daylight. Extreme caution must be taken to avoid noise
or bank disturbances as the fish will detect every move because there
is little cover. light tackle, i.e., line and hooks, is essential
for success on the canal. When anglers are seen on the bank, boat
users should remember that boat movement will undoubtedly destroy
their sport for at least one or two hours. So, please travel slowly
past anglers.
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Galway
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