The Kennet and Avon Canal

The first time I fished the Kennet and Avon Canal (K and A) was in 1961 at the age of twelve. Dad took me and my school mate Christopher Williams to Limpley Stoke. Chris had borrowed his Granddads rod (vintage even then). We travelled by bus to Bristol Temple Meads GWR then train to Freshford. Dad couldn’t drive. I think Dad had originally planned to fish the river at Limpley Stoke but finding the river in flood took us on the Canal fifty yards down from the road bridge towards Bath (pictured upper right). Back then there were parts of the Canal around Bath that were un-navigational, with some parts completely dry, so no powered boat traffic,

rendering the Canal gin clear and very weedy. I remember catching at least one Roach on bread that day. Chris didn’t catch anything; in fact Dad had to get in the Canal to retrieve his Granddads rod top joint. Subsequently, Dad and I had a few visits to the Canal catching quality Roach on bread around the George at Bathampton. However, we needed to rove along the Canal as it was a case of one fish per swim. The best way to catch them was in between gaps in the weeds. On the way to the river at Claverton I would often stand on the Bridge over the Canal (pictured right) watching the shoals of Tench. Dad would always say “If you can see them, they can see you”. Of course Dad was right I tried a few times to catch one but always failed, with them disappearing within a few minutes.

During the late sixties/seventies the Kennet and Avon Trust started refurbishing the Canal around Bath starting with the various locks. Anglers weren’t sure about the impact this would have on catches but as we now know the increase boat traffic improved it immensely.

My first match on the Canal was circa 1975 when the Bathampton AA Christmas match was transferred from the highly flooded river. I remember drawing next to Chris Rolfe just above the George Public House back towards Bath and because of the numbers fishing around 350 we were pegged about eight foot apart! Neither Chris nor I took a prize home, both blanking.

In the early Seventies Mike Jones then Match Secretary of Bathampton AA started running evening matches at Darlington just up from the Wharf (pictured right). Mike won most of these three hour matches using punched bread with around 6lb of small Roach. He showed me how to feed white bread in brown crumb - take off the crust from the white bread, put water in the GB bowl and swish up the white bread into small particles, drain some of the water, and add brown crumb and mix together, very quick and easy. This worked well and was the forerunner to liquidised bread – or rather Liquidisers.

In the eighties the Canal became more popular for matches still normally as a reserve venue for a flooded Bristol River Avon and not a first choice. I fished a number of matches between Bath and Avoncliffe organised by the Commercial House League, Angling Times South West Winter League, Fry’s AA, The Silver Dace, King William, Golden Carp and Bathampton AA. These matches attracted between 60 and 140 anglers. During this period I was framing in a good number of theses matches.

During the late Eighties I started to fish Canal Opens where ever I could mostly Saturdays on the Beehive section (up and down from the Pub) at Trowbridge ran by Bradford AA, which were well attended by the likes of Mike Stone, Nicky Collins, Richard Chave (Rigsby) and Terry Bruton… to name but a few. At one of these matches I was chatting to Rich Coles who got me worked up talking about the Devizes AA Carnival Cup, especially the bit about the anglers who framed getting a kiss from the Carnival Queen. These matches were very popular and well attended with 250 + anglers and fished on the Devizes AA controlled K and A from Semington Bridge to Wilcot, some 15 miles of Canal. Rich also mentioned fishing some of the Devizes AA Honeystreet opens as it was fishing well for Skimmers and Bream. This I tried and loved the place learning squatt fishing for big Skimmers from great anglers like Jimmy Norris. During these matches I developed a fishing style that was to later win me some big Canal matches.

On the 2^nd February 1990 the Angling Times South West Winter League was fished on the Canal from Bathampton to Limpley stoke accommodating 156 anglers. A match I won comfortably (result pictured right). This persuaded me to concentrate my open match fishing on the K and A Canal not just because of this result but finding I could do well from most pegs as opposed to what the river Avon was currently offering. I had found my niche.

One match that I remember well was the Devizes Open at Seend Park - Bowerhill, my peg being just above where a young lad was later to be badly electrocuted touching his pole on overhead power lines. I had done well enough to hope for either a frame placing or a section win catching Crucian Carp and Tench on a small home made Peacock waggler on running line over to the far bank with double red maggot. Because of the size of these matches and with limited number of scales it was customary to pass scales along sections. Your swim card clearly explained what your role would be. So after packing up knowing my section would be last to weigh I wasn’t initially worried that it was taking so long for the scales to arrive. It wasn’t long before anglers around me who I had beat were throwing back and going home. I walked along and found Rich Coles who also had also done well and agreed if I kept and eye on his kit he would walk back to HQ - The Three Magpies and get some scales. Two hours after all out we finally weighed ourselves in, plus the few others that remained. I weighed 10lb, with Rich beating me with 12lb. Glad we stayed both sneaking in the frame. Apparently we were told that a guy named Steve Jackson should have weighed us in but had packed in early leaving before the end of the match and not bothering to pass his weighing duties to the next angler! The organisers and anglers weren’t amused because all had to wait for our return. Because of the long wait I do believe the organiser may have had a couple of ciders too many.

On the 24^th June 1990 I fished my first Devizes Carnival Open Match. The Devizes AA Match Secretary back then was Terry Fell who was later to become President of the NFA and is still active today with the Angling Trust. Terry fished many of the matches but never the big ones as it took a lot of effort working the results especially the team matches. In to the draw with 240 other anglers and out comes a peg which was three pounds down from the access stile at Bowerhill, a very good area for Tench and Skimmers. I had bought myself a 13 metre Trianna Grandslam Pole which was then the bees knees, very stiff – not seen anything stiffer since, strong but heavy enough to sit on when fishing long. I thought the waggler float gave the better presentation rather than the top and bottom floats on the pole so had bought some Billy Makin Canal Greys – Balsa wagglers taking 2, 3 and 4BB. The reason I found the waggler best was because of presentation during specific feeding patterns of the Tench and Skimmer/Bream. The fish feeding patterns were significantly influenced by the boat movement all along the Canal. Primarily the opening and closing of locks both up and down stream. The Canal therefore towed either from Bath or to Bath. When the Canal was still it probably would have been better to have adopted the top and bottom float, however, during these periods I only caught the odd Tench and small Skimmers. When the Canal towed from Bath which gave the most flow the fishing was the most prolific. It was best to fish over tight to the far side which was most effected by the tow, so with the waggler set well over depth and dragging through slowly (not laying on) I would catch well. When the Canal flowed towards Bath the flow wasn’t as great but could still pick off the odd Tench and Skimmer. I weighed 19lb for second overall picking up a month’s salary and that promised kiss from the carnival Queen. Nicky “The Stick” Iles got in the frame and queue expectant of a kiss from the Carnival Queen, however, she took one look at his, let’s say sugar affected teeth and offered her cheek instead!

However, I felt that Billy’s floats were a little too long, so looked initially to shorten them, not easy with balsa wood, they always ended hairy and subsequently hard to paint smooth. I then thought of using the small pieces of peacock quill we had been using with the curly line on the Bristol Avon to catch Dace off the top. So I started making my own Canal floats (pictured right), simple shotting of 2 no10’s down and the rest at the float. Main line 2lb maxima and 1 ½ lb maxima hook length to a no 20 B520 micro barbed hook. Hook baits were either single caster or more often double red maggot fished over loose fed squatts and casters – half a pint of each was always sufficient. This worked really well. Soon after I fished an open match on the Bridgewater and Taunton Canal and found myself next to Kevin Ashhurst who was using a similar float but top and bottom and no insert – just a piece of unpainted Peacock Quill.

On the 15^th July 1990 I was eager to fish the Devizes Teams of Four and Steve Hutchinson and I got two teams together our team included Steve’s brother Dave Lewis. Eighty teams of four had entered 320 anglers. By now I was really confident of doing well as I had been framing on most of the Devizes mid week and Sunday matches so didn’t mind where I drew. I was drawn at Seend Park just round the bend from behind the farm, some ten pegs above the flyer everyone wanted on the outfall just above Seend Lock. I was happy because although it was narrow I was opposite a weed bed which the Tench liked to back into. Luckily there was plenty of water movement to and fro without seeing too many boats. I was soon catching Tench to 3 ½ lb and Skimmers to 2 lb. A day’s fishing never to be forgotten. Back to the Three Magpies for the result to find I had won the match with 30lb 9oz (my catch pictured right) and Team mate Dave Lewis coming second with 26lb 8oz which included a 6 lb Carp first dobbin (no change here). The Team sneaked in sixth and last in the team payout with 237 points. Two things I remember whilst waiting for the result, first I tripped over a metal tent peg and cut my shin, secondly an angler named Steve Jackson poured a bucket of water over his travelling partner Pepe Luxa (I think that’s how you spell his name) who subsequently chased Jacko around the fields with another bucket but didn’t catch him.

The following year we entered again under the City of Bristol banner and had a reasonable team draw but no likely framers. However, the match was all about the team result. I drew a peg up the lane by the side of the Three Magpies,about eight pegs up from the bridge by the bunker. A few Carp had been coming out along this part of the Canal but I choose to fish squatt and Sensa Magic GB down the track and had an enjoyable day catching small Skimmers on and off for most of the match. I weighed 8lb 4oz for mega section points. I think my catch was helped by all around me fishing over using big baits for Carp. All the team did well accumulating 208 points and were unlucky not to win instead having to settle for runners up missing the win by just 2 points!

My Son Steve and I fished a Devizes AA midweek match which was well attended and found ourselves one peg apart behind the Farm at Semington with Lee Nutland in between us. As Steve didn’t have a long enough pole to reach the far side I suggested he use the waggler and straight lead. The match proved to be very much a Bream match with the species feeding really well for half the match – I had only the one Tench in my weight of 19lb 3oz beaten into third place by Steve who was runner up with 22lb 1oz. But more important to me Lee Nutland was battered both sides by the Nicholls’s. As Steve was a poor student I sponsored his pools. Steve won just over £100 which he spent on a nice leather jacket.

 Another placing at Semington

One match that lives in my memory is one fished at Honeystreet. It was another decent size match with well over 100 fishing. I travelled to the match with then travelling partner Andy Floyd. I drew between the Chicken Sheds and the Barge Inn (pictured right). The Chicken Sheds use to hold a large shoal of Bream, but had recently moved off to pastures new. The bank was such I could get the box down into the water, which at times was essential for a 13 metre pole, but found during the match the box gradually started to sink but by adjusting my weight could keep the box level. After the match I found it hard pulling the box up from the mud and with every action there is a reaction so I sank into the mud. Finally having retrieved my box and with my back to the bank I swivelled around and put the box on the bank. A sudden pain in my lower back ensued and with my feet now well and truly stuck I had to get help from some of the drinkers from the pub to get me out. I managed to get to the pub and purchase some Aspirins which I swilled down with four quick pints of ale. This did nothing for the pain. Luckily Andy Floyd arrived and got my kit and drove me home. I sat upright for most of the night and went to the doctors first thing Monday morning. The Doctor sent me to a specialist friend of his. I just managed to get there and within 10 minutes of treatment the sever pain had gone to be replaced by a satisfying dull ache. Apparently I had dislocated my Pelvis which was put back in place with a quick wrench. The best £35 I will ever spend.

Since 1993 the K&A has gradually declined with regards the big Bream and Tench, most probably due to the increase in boat traffic and building of Marinas. However, there is still plenty of small fish to be caught especially around Bath, BUT the boat mooring is becoming a big problem for match organisers pegging a match the day before only to find boats have moved. It’s on the cards that the K&A around Bath will soon be a no go for matches due to not being to able to find enough pegs between boats. I’ve not fished the Canal since 2000 due to Dog Shit, Speeding Bikers, Walkers and inconsiderate boat owners. If the Canal fished like it did in the late 80’s and 90’s I would be first to book in.