Have you ever driven by a small canal and wondered if big bass where cruising those waters? Well, I can tell you I did just that not to long ago and I took the time to stop and fish it. Let’s just say if I were in a tournament I would have been cashing a pretty healthy check!

Bass fishing in canals reminds me of the streams I used to fish in West Virginia so my approach was similar. All you really want to do is try and determine where the fish are congregating. More often than not bass will group up and hold on obvious structure or shoreline cover in canals. This particular canal had an outside weedline which the bass would cruise searching for bait. For some reason when fishing canals and streams I like spinning gear better than a baitcaster and the lighter the better. My first suggestion would be to fish soft plastics in canals that have alot of grass. Try and run your bait parallel to the weedline if possible. This keeps you bait in the immediate strike zone. I prefer small weight but often times conditions call for heavier setups.

If you like a good topwater bite a canal can offer some top notch action. I recommend a Devils Horse prop bait or a Zara Spook to entice bass on top. Try and keep your topwater baits parallel to the shoreline I have noticed when baitfish in a canal are being chased they always flee to the shoreline for cover. Your color selection is pretty basic most canals have small bream or sunfish. I recommend a pattern of this nature for your topwaters. Keep it natural and simple.

If the canal you are fishing requires you to fish a little deeper then you will want to use a heavier rod for making long casts and setting the hook in deeper water. I would go with a Texas rig Zoom Trick worm for this type fishing and work it slow. Try and find underwater structure with your bait and keep good contact with the bottom. If you find deep cover work it hard the fish will usually stack up here. Try and use your natural colors here such as watermelon, black, pumpkinseed, and junebug. These colors will normally work anywhere you fish. I would also recommend fishing some reaction type baits such as a spinnerbait or rat-l-trap. This seems to work well early and late in the evenings when bass are feeding on shad in canals. Try and downsize your offerings for more success. Shad and baitfish are normally not as big in canals.

Remember to not take to much tackle and get permission if the canal is on private property. These small waters often do not look like much but can really be a awesome hot spot for monster bass. Give these techniques a try and look for those small canals next time your out for a drive. Also take a child fishing with you, a canal is perfect for an introduction to the fishing world!

Keywords:  bass fishing in canals  |  monster bass 

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This entry was posted on Friday, October 19th, 2007 at 2:51 pm and is filed under Fishing Techniques. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.