Birmingham Canal Main Line.
Loction: Dudley Port, West Midlands
Directions: In Tipton, turn off the A457 onto Mayfair Gardens and left onto Victoria Road, then right onto Park Street where you can gain access to the canal. Parking can be hit and miss because it's a residential area 
Contact: Ernie Thomas on 07949 393988
Day Ticket: Free Fishing.

I adore the canals around the birmingham area and, although I do Fish commerial venues from time to time, for me you just can't beat the thrill of bagging up on a 'natural' canal, and this is definitely one where you can do just that - as they say round here: "It's really bostin'!"

Fishing is free on this lenght, which is rented by Ernie Thomas, John Whitehouse and Neil Homer from Sportsman's AC. The club holds regular matches and much of the time the results are fabulous, thanks to a high number of fish in a wide range of species. It's a clear canal, which many anglers would see as a sign of a difficult venue, but when the weed growth gets up during warmer weather, the fish seem content to feed at all times.

The actual stocking of the canal is varied and basically inknown. I do know that a lake in Victoria Park, just next to the Main Line, was emptied a few years ago and all the tench were transferred to the canal, where they subsequently thrived in the weedy water. There are now tench to well over 8lb, plus some mammoth carp, and the head of bream averages 4lb. In addition to these bonus fish, there are tons of roach, rudd (to 2lb), big perch, gudgeon and some predators in the form of pike. This all equates to the potential for 50lb - plus bags, which is basically unheard of on a midlands' canal!

Hint - Weed Trouble.

Weed can sometime be something of a problem on canals, because there is a lot of it on the bottom, and it grows thick in the heights of summer. It's also an asset, though, inasmuch as it provides a heven for the fish. You do tend to pick a lot of it up on the line when a fish is caught and it ploughs through the weed.

The main problem lies in how deep to fish the bait. I like to plumb up with a heavy plummet. then fine tune with an AAA shot on the hook so that the bait is just tripping the bottom and therefore not disappearing into the weed. A few regular, short, delicate lifts on the pole should keep the hook bait visible to the fish and out the weed.

Feeding.

I flavour my casters and pellets with Van den Eynde Liquid Pellet. I really do believe this draws the fish. Other flavours such as Scopex can also bring similar rewards, especially with species such as bream that do have a sweet tooth.

I'm a keen advocate of the special 'G' groundbait because, even thoughit's a fishmeal mix, it's not overly fishy. If you're going to target canal fish with commercial baits it can pay to go for more subtle mixes, because they may not necessarily be accustomed to the scent - if it's too pingent it may send them running!
While fishing, and after the initial balls have been fed, I introduce a small blob of cloudy, sloopy mix plus a few loose casters after every fish caught, in order to keep the fish milling around in the swin. The initial large ball should keep the tench and bream on the bottom, but the rudd will take it at all depths. You can't really ignore the rudd if you're fishing a match because there are so many around, and some of them are of a really good stamp, that they really help you to builda good weight. Small fish should affect the pellet line less, because it's all particles lying on the deck.

When it comes to pettels, my favourites are the VDE Elite Marine Expander range (in dark and light forms). I feed 4mm pellets and fish 6mm pellets on the hook. I also use mirco pellets to feed. If you do feed large pellets then give them a quick run through a pellet pump to make sure they sink and break up quicker. Also, why not add a dash of flavouring to them, such as liquid pellet?