Mark Carolan of the Drogheda Coarse Angling Club along with the other members of the club are currently promoting coarse angling in the Drogheda and surrounding area. The Club are actively recruiting new members and this week Mark shares some secrets on fishing the Boyne Canal at Oldbridge, a venue that sometimes can be quite tough for even the most experienced anglers.
Oldbridge Canal, or as it’s more affectionately known, ‘heart break canal’, can be one of the most rewarding and at the same time one of the most frustrating pieces of water around. There is no doubt that there are fish in the canal, you can see them swim up and down your swim as your float remains motionless on a clear summer’s day. The Oldbridge stretch of the canal which runs from Oldbridge Lock Lower (opposite Lock House) to the Boyne upstream of Marry’s Weir is about 1.5 miles long and it is teaming with natural food and plant life which the fish happily feed on. Currently there are four fishing stands on the canal with many other bank side swims to choose from. (Of the stands the second is best)
If you are using ground bait try using Van Den Eynde Roach mixed with some dead maggots and chopped worm. Don’t put too much in at the start though. The best feeding method I find is to loose feed four or five maggots at a time , little and often, but keep this up so you have a constant trickle of bait falling through the water column. When you get onto the canal tow path near the Obelisk Bridge keep walking until you get around the first bend. You will find the water here to be seven to eight feet deep in places and this is where you start to catch fish. You will catch using the pole, whip, or small canal waggler. The best time to fish the canal would be the last three hours of day light. Bring a float with a night light on it; it may come in handy if the fish keep feeding into the night. Believe it or not, this canal holds stocks of Minnow, Roach, Rudd, Perch, Tench, Pike, Hybrids, and Bream. I know this because I have caught them all except the Tench.
All the best and I hope you enjoy your session on the Boyne Canal. Tight Lines Mark Carolan
The Drogheda Coarse Angling Club is actively recruiting new members so if you are interested in joining this progressive club why not drop Secretary Mark Carolan an email to
[email protected] or give him a call on 087 2801178
The Drogheda Coarse Angling Club calendar of events for its Spring League 2013 can be found below. Meeting points and times will be decided and notified closer to the competition dates. Competition structure and fees will also be advised at a later date.
Drogheda Coarse Angling Club Calendar 2013
Match 1 Lough Muckno April 14th
Match 2 Moyduff April 28th
Match 3 Brothers Lake May 12th
Match 4 Barnagrow May 20th
Match 5 Church Lake June 9th
Match 6 Corstown June 16th
To Join Up Now Contact Mark at [email protected] or give him a call on 087 2801178
