Canals
Grand Union Canal - Abbots Langley to Tring, Hertfordshire
When was the last time you fished a canal?
Many anglers will say ‘never’, for good reason, as just the word itself invokes images of submersed shopping trollies and smoky canal boats.
The Grand Union Canal may come as a pleasant surprise to you. The Association have the fishing rights of 14 miles of fishing bank on the Grand Union, and the angling is surprisingly diverse – from Hunton Bridge to Tring.
Picturesque stretches, urban stretches, deep and slow, flowing confluences – the Grand Union canal has plenty of fishing spots to choose from.
This year, on our Facebook page, we have reviewed some classic LAA match stretches, that now sadly don’t necessarily hold the volume of fish that they used to. Rye House, Hertford, Portholme, Littleport and GUC, all once classic match venues have been featured – from a different perspective. In total, the above venues total 40 miles of waters edge for you to rediscover.
The Grand Union canal epitomises the change in angling habits and the way we fish today. Enter ‘Grand Union Canal Fishing’ into Google and you will see reports of catches that you would never expect. Brown trout and catfish have grabbed the headlines in fishing press in the last 5 years. However, the most significant change for this venue, is that the GUC is now regarded as an established carp venue. YouTube will feature many videos of carp outings at either end of our section, take a look. You will even find an episode of ‘Thinking Tackle’ filmed just outside our Tring Boundary. In the last few seasons, the Tring end of our fishery have reportedly produced carp approaching 40lb.
It’s not all about carp fishing though. Although increasingly rare, the GUC offers a slim chance of a big roach. This Autumn, the tidal Thames at Chiswick produced a 2 pounder – and catches like this produce hope for fisheries like GUC, and with good reason. The section at Kings Langley, virtually underneath the M25 flyover isn’t the prettiest of places to fish, but it is resistant to the Roach’s deadly nemesis – the cormorant.
And of course, where there are roach, and good shoals of bream, you will also find decent pike. The GUC canal with offer the roving lure angler with fantastic predator opportunities. Bridges, tunnels, locks, pounds, moored boats and inlets are all features for the skilled lure angler to enjoy.
The roving angler will enjoy the entire 14 Mile stretch of the GUC, and the dedicated angler will do all he can to experience it all. This is helped by fantastic rail links from Euston station to either boundary at Tring or Kings Langley. You can get from London to our stretch in 30 minutes. Car users will also find plenty of parking along the bankside.
Another good reason to dedicate done time to GUC, is that it benefits from 365 days a year fishing, which means stalking a spring carp is possible. A stroll from Tring towards London is a very pleasant one indeed, and you could spend all day stalking fish and visiting the charming public houses along the canal.
Surely that’s better than sitting around a ‘commercial’ waiting for June 16?
An aerial glimpse of the Kings Langley Stretch
