Yesterday I cycled home from work along the GUC, I do most days in summer.
The weather was beautiful, mid 20's, it could have been the middle of May but for the trees being somewhat lacking in new growth. It was great just to be out but when I saw the large shadows of fish cruising the far side of a know rudd hotspot, I literally skidded to a halt and went into eagle eye mode. A quick scan of the water revealed about a dozen, at first what I thought were chub, but after observing them cruising the murky upper layers, I realized they were rudd. Great fat lunkers, that you just don't find in urban canals! I estimated they were all between 1.5lb and 2.5lb. "Damn, no rod", I thought out loud. I knew by the time I got home and back it would be too late, as it was around 6.30pm already, in spring they soon disappear when the sun gets low.
I carried on home, my mind on the rudd and how stupid of me not to have some a tackle handy. A few hundred yards further along was someone flyfishing! Now this is even rarer than spotting the big rudd! He recognized me as I'd spoken to him last year when I was "thrashing the cut" and he'd been out for a walk and expressed an interest in flyfishing, as a long standing "bait dangler". Here he was putting it into practice, excellent.
He'd not caught anything, so I told him of the fish and off he went leaving me to continue homeward.
So that was yesterday. Today was even better weather and I was out of work at 4:20pm, early as it is Sunday afterall! This time I had my Diawa multi section 3/4 wt rod,(already set up in my rucksack) some flies and a camera with me. I was at the "spot" within 20 minutes despite "everyone" being out for a strole, and in my way...I had fish to get too. It was busier than the High St. had been earlier. I'm not joking!
There they were cruising the far side, just as I'd left them nearly 24 hours earlier but glowing brighter and easier to spot with the sun somewhat higher in the sky.
I quickerly assembled the 5 sections of my lite rod, changed the terminal tackle to a single size 16 black and peacock spider and degreased the last 3foot of the 3lb tippet. Ready. Keeping low I moved past them so I could cast back at 45 degrees across the canal. There are huge bushes behind this spot and by casting at an angle I'd be further from them, so hopefully not spook them as easily. First cast saw my fly land about 18" from one of them. It turned, swam towards me, opened it's mouth and closed it almost immediately, around my unseen fly! Strike and nothing at all? Aggh! "Don't panic they are still there", I told myself. This happened on the next 3 casts too! On the fifth though my rod hooped over as it should have on the previous 4 attempts and a fat golden rudd was coming to my waiting hand(no smelly net with me). It probably went 1lb 12oz maybe a tad more, I'm not counting though. A quick snap and back it went. They were still there, although a Bit more nervous, as I prepared for number two but a big stupid dog diving in 40 yards away, had them melt out of sight.
My first proper canal Rudd this year...result.

I moved back down the canal looking for others and missed a "rare" chub, then took a small roach but really I wasn't interested in small fish, not today.

I found some smaller rudd but they were very hard which is unusual here? Think they may be getting ready to spawn. I took one from here on a size 20 peasant tail buzzer with a tiny amber glass bead head. Had to literally land the fly in it's mouth to get a take!

Back to the "spot", to see if the big boys had returned, I found it occupied by the new flyfisher from yesterday...the cheek!
He told me of a huge rudd he'd caught last night, the biggest he'd ever had and was well stoked, to use a skating term. The rudd wern't about but I stopped and chatted...well educated him really, for 40 minutes or so. Leaders, flies, lines, casting, venues, species etc., he wanted to know everything! Good to see someone so keen. I agreed to tie him up a sellection of nymphs ready for when I next bump into him, which he even wants to pay for!
I carried on my journey back, it was now about 7:30 and I did say I'd be back at six..as you do, but a rudd of about a pound, above the next lock, stopped me for a quick cast, land, photo and release, again to the #20 buzzer.

That was all the fishing done although I did spot a group of 4 bream but the light was getting too dodgy to try for them...next time.
Summer is here, well for this week anyway. If the rains come I may even have a bash on a resevoir next week.
Dee

Those are great looking Rudd, monster size.
Hopefully I will come across such fish one of these days.

nice one, i enjoyed reading,

Well done skateboard Dave, they are fantastic rudd you have caught. Keep up the good work. Here is a picture of one I caught last week on my local canal, hope you like it though it is not as big as yours!

I escaped from work earlier than usual on Thursday (hay fever/allergies were turning my nose red raw!) so a bike ride home seemed the right cure...with a rod and reel in my backback.
The rudd were in the usual spots along with some good chub, all very tight to the far bank and none of them were playing ball! They were very spooky shying from any oversized offerings. I eventually managed this OK sized rudd to a #20 PT buzzer but the bigger ones were very frustrating.

I think the chub may respond to a very early morning assult with some big nymphs/tadpoles cast to the far bank features and retrieved, fishing blind. This has worked on other canals I fish, that contain good numbers of chub but this canal has very few so I've never bothered to try it. Another one to add to the ever growing list to do.
Later on I encountered a shoal of bream, about a dozen 4lb sized slabs...40 minutes later and a dozen or more patterns tried they finally spooked..agh.
I've only managed one from here ever but one morning I saw 2 deff. take my nymph(lips closed round it!) but still missed them! First light is the way, they are far more likely to get feeding then, than when hanging in the layers sunbathing.
After these I didn't see anymore good fish but did catch lots of small roach (1-2oz) from a massive shoal of sunbathers. I had 2 flies on both #20, a PT with an amber bead head and a PT with a small flashy wing of "wonderwing". Twenty roach later and the amber bead was the easy winner at 19 to 1.
I might be clipping the wings off it that gets repeated again!
Dee

nice one dave like reading your articles keep it up met you at the newark show nice to have met you , hope to see you again keep up the good work

Skateboard Dave, those look great fish, I plan to fish my local canal this year, only problem is its very murky with and I am unable to spot the fish as you describe you have done. How would you approach this, i had a couple of casts with a small maggot imitation I tied up but no luck, I know there are plenty of Roach, Perch and Bream in there but just don't know how to go about catching them, thanks.

Thanks Cookie, met some good people from allover the country during the two days...some even with offers of guest fishing trips, if only I could remember who!
Dee

Great info Skateboard Dave on all your posts!

I've been catching quite a few roach recently when fishing on dries for trout. The roach in the river almost seem to jump clear of the water to get any bugs floating by, so when my dry fly floats by they just wolf it up. Great fun despite them being quite small.

Yes Summer is finally here! fish starting to show, had the oportunity to get out night before last and managed five Carp on the Deerhair dog biscuit in white. Best fish a shade over 10lbs had two others at 9lbs+ and two at 8lbs+ Hope you like the pic?http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...Image011-1.jpg Should have mentioned that they were from a local lake!

Alan