Fishing Session: Caster Fishing On The Canal

Jon Arthur spends an enjoyable afternoon on a cold and clear canal in the depths of winter. Learn how he catches a nice net of quality roach on casters.
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[@garywilliamsandmitsy]

Nice one Jon. Love your films. Thank you for brightening up a winter's day

[@80schild20]

Thanks Jon great video again I really like your presenting style👏👏

[@Keepitsimple-m4p]

Imo,whip on canals every time. I went yesterday, had 50 in 3hrs on a 4mtr whip, pole on canal is cumbersome and you continuously looking for bikes, walkers, dogs. I have 2 poles and only use them on commercials. But each to their own. Thanks for uploading. I

[@johnwhitcombe4522]

Don't you dare film in nice weather. Whatever next! You'll be sitting under an umbrella soon

[@JonArthur]

Ha ha ha ha!

[@barrypeers8665]

i always used to carry 3 pints with me every match i won so much on the bridgy manchester putiing in 1 and a hlf pints at 14 mtr with casters i wouldnt even look on it til at least 1 pm by that time it was solid . i new you couldnt feed again where the rest had to top up because the fish had been and gone they had not put enough in at the start they struggled i bagged the last 2 hours this was in the early 90s

[@JonArthur]

Nice one Barry thanks for sharing 👍

[@richardrichardw9520]

Good fishing Jon I’ve never fished a canal but will try soon

[@JonArthur]

Thanks for watching 👍

[@brahamalexandre6202]

Excellente video very gold at looking. Sorry my englich j m is belgium. J m like your vidéo

[@ifishmatrix]

Great video Jon, some lovely roach.

[@easyfishing1936]

Hi Jon another nice video. I fish another section of the GUC and if I laid my holdall on the ground or shipped behind me my gear would be smashed/kicked in the canal within 5 mins so have to ship parallel to the bank. I don’t fish bloodworm or joker as it is not available in my area and fish bread, chopped worm and caster and pinkies instead with pretty good results. Do you ever fish the whip? If so please could you do a video on this as a lot of people don’t own a long pole. Thanks for posting this as I’m stuck indoors recuperating post hospital and lastly I hope you will be at the fishing show in March want to say hi and get a look at some Matrix gear. Bill

[@JonArthur]

Laying the rod bag parallel is THE way to do it on normal width towpaths as it protects your top kits etc. I make sure it doesn't stick out more than me on my box and doesn't block the towpath in any way from anything up to and including a double buggy'd width, so it's a perfect protective barrier - especially with dogs roaming about etc. This particular section also has a secondary path up the hill behind you, so most people actually don't walk along the actual canal towpath (can't think why as I'd rather be walking next to the water). I will have a roller parallel to the towpath but also one high behind me so I can ship my pole up very high wherever possible. Most decent people will happily go under it BUT you need good peripheral vision and hearing and judgement! Also, never ever let a backpacker go under your pole, even if they say, "It's alright I can squeeze under!" as they usually forget they have a rucksack on! :-)

[@MrUpinthewater]

well done Jon, another hard earned catch on a very very cold day..."thank god for boats" (sometimes) lol

[@oggybwfc1]

Excellent, what sets you apart and makes you better than the rest is you don.t stop yacking. Keep it up.

[@gingeristhebest21]

Love to watch John's videos top class all round match angler

[@JonArthur]

Thanks Rob!

[@richardrouse1873]

Yet another good and informative video please keep them coming little Rich

[@neilmurphy9926]

Hi Jon do you prefer cannels or commercials? Back in the day it was only natural and cannels , I understand commercials hold the titles and money and with that comes the trapping s of the commercial side of things, I would be interested to hear what you prefer if any and why.

[@JonArthur]

My heart is with canals, but the canals of 10+ years ago. If I weighed up the pros and cons of canals v commercials now then the latter would win. Access has become much harder on canals, the urban stretches I grew up fishing are not very safe these days and the towpaths are busier than ever. There are also no big gudgeon shoals about in the GUC or Oxford these days. But they offer a different challenge now. Especially perch and skimmer fishing which has definitely improved. I'm happy to say I just like to mix my fishing up and fish all sorts of places, canals, rivers, natural waters, reservoirs and commercials. :-)

[@neilmurphy9926]

@@JonArthur have to agree times change we have to change with the times sometimes for the worse sometimes for the better ,best of luck with the big matches this year, thanks for the insight stay safe tight lines

[@stevenflint5271]

just said its allways raining yr vids then you said 15 secs later about it lol

[@JonArthur]

It sometimes snows too! :-)

[@patrickwalker2509]

My favourite style for the canals too. Excellent video again Jon.

[@tracyharley225]

Enjoyed that proper fishing nice one 😊

[@aidangill9064]

Nice fishing do you fish on or off the bottom caster fishing

[@JonArthur]

Mostly on the bottom, anything from an inch to 5 inches.

[@jambo308]

reckon we need to head in the direction of not taking the house when out fishing.

[@JonArthur]

Makes a refreshing change travelling light 👍🐟

[@ianberry1713]

Great video Jon. A real eye opener to me as I've not fished a canal for 30 years. Thanks for sharing.

[@KaduFishing]

Parabéns Brother belo vídeo tmj abraço aqui da Inglaterra

[@mikegerrard1982]

Great video John. More canal fishing please.

[@foxley66]

Great video Jon takes me back to fishing all the canals around North Staffs and South Cheshire. Trent and Mersey, Shroppy and Staffs Worcester long before the “commercials”. As you know we used to get 60 to 70 on a flyer on a Saturday and a minimum of 100 peggers on any Sunday. Halcyon days I’d rather catch roach or skimmers anyday rather than carp. Tight Lines Steve Amison

[@mikecarrington7096]

And there I was thinking the weekend. Come on Jon about time for another one. And it happens! You really present the videos very well and you share how you do things. And how you think. We all learn so much from you. And it must be a pain sometimes to fish and film. But you do it. And I and many others thank you for your videos. They are superb. All the best

[@JonArthur]

Aw, thanks Mike! It’s just a bit of fun

[@SteeeveO]

1:04 what are you doing with that dead dolphin?

[@JonArthur]

It's a baby shark... de de de de de de

[@HARDYSFISHINGADVENTURES]

canal fishing is my favourite aspect of the sport i grew up fishing with a 5ft rod catching perch and gudgeon around market drayton wonderful memories

[@JonArthur]

Such a fond memory of my old canal sessions

[@caiusmartius]

Very similar fishing to my local section of the Chesterfield canal at Kiveton Park, love this kind of 'proper' fishing lol. Excellent upload Jon, much appreciated, keep'em coming mate.

[@thecasualfront7432]

If you can’t carry your own gear without a wheel barrow, you have too much gear.

[@JonArthur]

What about disabled, weaker anglers and pensioners? Do they all have to carry their gear too? What about someone who has a recurring shoulder injury, like myself? ;-)

[@thecasualfront7432]

Jon Arthur Angling blue badges for the wheel barrows 💪

[@JonArthur]

Ha ha! :-)

[@geoffreysimpson1745]

Great video.I've watched a few of yours..What is good about your presenting style is you obviously just enjoy being on the bank..It shows that patience and perseverance works..Plus you give great tips and advice without coming across as the "I'm a top angler". Thanks 😊

[@JonArthur]

Appreciate that Geoffrey!

[@MatchFishingFilms]

I've lure fished that tunnel opening many times and caught lots of perch and some big zander. Never got round to roach fishing though despite driving over it three times a week for 9 years 😣

[@JonArthur]

Get down there!

[@sillybait1329]

Hi Jon, Thats a wonderful net of healthy roach, even better from a natural water, I've walked along here with my wife and always commented how good it looks and you have proved it, keep up the great videos, its a shame our rivers and canals are being devastated by zander and even worse otters in some areas, the last time I fished Coventry canal in a CIU match there was a family of mink raiding my swim, I still framed but these things need culling, the locals told me that they were otters (obviously they have never seen one)

[@DinoPawlak]

Nice videos. I love fishing for roach. Regards from Germany.

[@leerose9436]

Lovely ! Can’t beat Roach ! Enjoyable video ! Thanks Jon 👍🎣

[@neilolly]

I was upset to see matrix have cut back on the expenses to enable you to purchase some biscuits 🍪🤭

[@JonArthur]

Ha ha. Perhaps Id eaten them already!

[@davidhodgson1385]

I love that video ❤️

[@JonArthur]

Good to know. It was a great day!

[@davewilliamsfishingsession1785]

Nice one Jon, how did you like the Dino Dralion?, been using Dino floats for 3 years now, fantastic for commercials and natural venues too.

[@JonArthur]

Nice floats for silvers

[@jonathansutcliffe-bland4655]

Use a chalk pen Jon 😉

[@JonArthur]

Can't get on with liquid chalk. Tyre marker crayon is the best thing now.

[@peternewey1551]

What’s the advantage of NOT burying the hook in the caster on commercials ?

[@JonArthur]

You get a cleaner hook hold and can hit bites quicker if it's not buried. Burying it on hard days works well but you have to strike through the shell and make sure the fish has got it. Worth trying both but in my experience you rarely need to bury it on a commercial.

[@hummerman62]

Loving that Jazz D&B near the end, oh and the fishing is boss

[@DBCooper2]

Enjoy your style of presenting and I’m learning! Thanks

[@JonArthur]

Thanks for watching!

[@tonyorlando5973]

Very enjoyable video Jon just like the good old days keep them coming

[@davidmaggs6217]

Great film John, regarding clear water, in 1980 I was fishing the last round of the North West winter league at Burscough on the Leeds Liverpool canal. The canal was gin clear and no one in sight had caught a fish. I was next peg to the great Kevin Ashurst and he said to me “ no one will catch until a boat comes past and puts some colour in the water”. 10 mins later a boat came chugging along and as it approached us the rods behind it started to bend. (No carbon poles in them days, or very few anyway) when the boat passed I flicked a swan shot leger to the far bank with single caster. I had 6 bites in the next 20 mins hit 5 of them and weighed 2lb 14 oz for 4th in the 240 peg match, Happy Days.🤓

[@JonArthur]

Great story! Ive had similar sessions where thats happened. Most notably on the Trent & Mersey.

[@stewartriley2390]

Stamp roach on the carster, simply lovely..........

[@dufferscorner]

Another enjoyable watch and it seems most of the time successful. Slow patient winter fishing where pretty much you turn it around.

[@JonArthur]

That was a lovely days fishing

[@joegrimes4782]

Why have I seen this place in my dreams 😲

[@JonArthur]

Too much cheese in your diet? :-)

[@joegrimes4782]

@@JonArthur 🤣🤣🤣 too good

[@andydonzulu]

Cool to see you fishing just up the road, and useful to see your approach

[@AnnaGoesOutside]

Nice Video! Stay warm out there!

[@stevenjohnston4075]

Randomly came up on my You Tube feed, clicked it to have a quick look and to my surprise Braunston Tunnel is about 100m from my front door!! What a coincidence! Great video Jon i'm now working my way through the rest of your videos!

[@JonArthur]

Nice one Steven. Hope you've fished it!

[@stevenjohnston4075]

Jon Arthur Angling I have Jon but not for many many years I have to confess

[@Offcut55]

Great Vid. I think you were my neighbor 2 doors down sold it just after mine?

[@JonArthur]

In Coventry?

[@thomasboyce4666]

Great video of caster fishing at welton

[@tarpon07]

Great video Jon ! Is there a specific reason why you're not using any groundbait ?

[@JonArthur]

If i fed a squatt or pinkie swim then i would’ve definitely fed some Dynamite Frenzied Hemp Match Black but not usually for big roach on casters

[@3brewster]

Yes! Another video John. Thanks mate

[@suddentearsfall]

At 15:00 you added 2 backshots on your line. I'm curious to know the reason why you did this? There doesn't seem to be any wind or tow at that time. Does it make the float less resistant for the fish, or is there another thing?

[@JonArthur]

You always get a bit of a breeze and skim channelling down a narrow canal and with a light pole float it gives you something to 'hang on to' so the float can fall nicely and if you get a bite the fish isn't pulling directly against the pole tip. Plus on still days there is a lot of surface tension, so you can use the backshot to help set the float tip properly without actually lifting and dropping the float. Hope that helps!

[@richardwills2916]

Great video Jon, fished there as a kid many years ago.

[@michaelburr9104]

I mean can I change my hook length from 0.12 to say o.8 will it catch more fish thank you

[@JonArthur]

Yes definitely! Scaling down in winter will catch you much more roach with baits like casters and maggots

[@jerryhudson8700]

Always look forward to your videos

[@colgaming778]

Nice video Jon lovely net of roach!

[@JeffOrtega33]

Thanks Jonny A enjoyed the session

[@rickheras5871]

A diff type of fishing...it is

[@stephenpyner4156]

Great video Jon, I miss fishing canal's as there's no decent canal near me now since the early nineties due to the only stretch at bow East London was left to go down hill by the people running it at the time

[@JonArthur]

Sorry to hear that

[@stephenpyner4156]

@@JonArthur it's ok it's just one of those things isn't it jon

[@patcarroll5896]

Cracking net of canal roach Jon 👍

[@neilolly]

Haha I should have watched it all 😂

[@JonArthur]

:-)

[@philliputv1876]

Brilliant......really good

[@EpiXxKilleurR]

Nice to see some non commercial fishing! By the way i've seen you've got 2 go pros, does it last you a 5hours match without changing the battery? Or how do you proceed? Thanks a lot mate!

[@JonArthur]

Nope! Especially winter. 3hrs battery if lucky. I just stop n start. Not ideal but ok for now... I’ve got add-on boosters but they’re flakey too.

[@EpiXxKilleurR]

Alright thanks a lot!

[@stevebrookes7971]

enjoyed that John. Gotta love those caster roach. We'll be back on the canals up here once the river season closes. Interesting to see you feed with the cup while having a rig in on the cuppa tea line. That's regarded as fishing with two rods up here and is not allowed in matches.

[@JonArthur]

Yep, like I said in the film, I wouldn’t do it in a match... but it wasn’t a match, ha ha!

[@stevebrookes7971]

Ah! Didn't hear you mention not being able to do it in a match. Thought I would mention it in case others didn't realize. I've seen others getting caught out by doing it. Strange rule, especially because we can feed other swims by hand or catapult!

[@smonclark2270]

Nice video

[@steveames8286]

Lovely vid John , no r in caster .

[@steveames8286]

After the a obviously .

[@JonArthur]

Carrrsta!

[@terryyakamoto3488]

Love roach fishing and i was really enjoying that till the manky thumb came into view. totally ruined it. A big thumbs down from me

[@richrichierich8902]

hi Jon , great video as always , could you tell me please , what is the jacket you are wearing ?

[@JonArthur]

Matrix Hydro RS 20K jacket 👍

[@richrichierich8902]

no the one underneath@@JonArthur

[@JonArthur]

It's a Matrix Wind Blocker Fleece. Perfect for this time of year. I've unzipped the hood as I also wear a normal hoodie underneath for even greater winter warmth!

[@michaelburr9104]

Wen people say fish light can I just change my hook length in stead of the full rig

[@piscatorialquagswagging]

A sleeper out for Zander next time ?

[@JonArthur]

Crossed my mind!

[@georgehealy8350]

Great stamp of raoch there

[@JonArthur]

Thanks George

[@neilolly]

Not painted the top kits white yet ? What’s the yellow on the pole , not the crayon the tape ?

[@JonArthur]

The tape is a useful depth reference. Not got round to painting my new top kits white yet, but it's on my very long to-do list!

[@antrog1895]

Jon Arthur Angling at first I thought it must be discarded banana skin 😀 speaking of which serious lack of in last cpl vids, please rectify for next vid, cheers.

[@carlnoy8828]

Great video Jon I always enjoy watching. I was just wondering what made u leave drennan for matrix? Imo drennan make the best gear by far!!

[@JonArthur]

Matrix are a much nicer company in every way imaginable! :-)

[@chrisslater6681]

Hi Jon, what elastic are you on is it slik 4-6?

[@JonArthur]

No this is green Matrix solid No5. It's what I initially fitted around October time as I never had 4-6 Slik and it's caught me no end of fish, plus lots of rogue carp etc, and still going strong, so I've not seen any need to swap it yet.

[@gee3883]

Spot on filming, advice and a good look at how to fish with a pole, just what I need Mr thanks.

[@nigeljohns9174]

nice fishing jon cant beat caster and roach fishing .

[@markoneill9028]

Well done Jon, nice watch again