Okay, so the title supplied by Anglers’ Net writer Martin Salisbury isn’t the greatest but the method certainly is.
The method involves trolling a lure by walking along your chosen piece of canal, hence the name.
When the weather is cooling is the ideal time to try the method as the bankside vegetation and marginal plants are dying back.
Using a rod of about 12 foot, simply attach a wire trace and a lure of your choice. Pay out a little bit of line and then start walking (making sure to avoid the dog muck!).
You will find that you will be able to troll your lure for miles and miles at a steady walking pace only being interrupted by takes from hungry pike. This method allows you to cover a great distance and discover spots on the canal you’d never normally see.
I’ve found most takes are when you troll your lure close to the marginal rushes (if they exist) but I’ve also had takes in the clear margins as the pike lie under the bank waiting to ambush their prey.
Vary your walking pace to alter the depth and action of the lure. I’ve had plenty of takes using a rubber fish with a weighted head direct of the rod tip with only about three feet of line between tip and lure. This results in explosive takes as the lure is normally working about a foot below the surface. However, I keep missing the takes!!!
Obviously, due to the nature and width of canals this method is only really suited to these type of venues.
