Beukers Canal 

The Beukers canal is a favourite venue of mine, as you will always catch loads of fish. Today, we are on the car park section on the east bank at the top of the canal.

Just 2 rigs for the pleasure session today. Theo and Ingo are to my left, and a forest to my right.

The water here is 3.2 m deep at 11.5 m, and the canal is about 30 m wide. I found a gentle slope from 9.5 to 12 m where the depth changed by on half a float length. I opted to fish just one line at 11.5 m and ignored the inside line - I'm on holiday, so I'm going to keep it simple.

Theo on the next peg.

Rig 1 - a Preston Inter Carbon 1 g float with a bulk and five No. 11 droppers in a tapered string, on a top 3 with Preston Dura Slip No. 3 elastic through just 1 section. 

Rig 2 - a Preston Power 1.25 g float with a bulk and 2 No. 9 droppers also on a top 3 with Preston No. 5 Dura Slip elastic also through 1 section. The single sections are monoblocks that are 1.5 m long - so about 1.3 m of elastic. 

A good selection of fresh bait for the days fishing.

I mixed up a bag of Sonubaits Sweet Skimmer, a bag of Sonubaits Black River and added some crushed grilled hemp. After getting the right consistency, I added 1 kg of VDE Black Earth. This is a great mix for the Skimmers and Bream in the canal.

And as a bonus, the car was directly behind me.

A few balls for the start.

For hook baits and feeding I had dead and live maggots and pinkies, casters, hemp and Dendrobaena worms. To feed I was using my throwing stick as catapults are illegal to use in Holland.

I made up 5 balls for cupping in at the start. These balls contained some casters, dead pinkies, hemp and chopped worms and I cupped them in just short of 11.5 m.

The bites came straight away, in fact while I was waiting for Ingo to get ready, I fished without feeding and caught 4 fish in 4 minutes.

After feeding, the fish kept on coming steadily throughout the 5 hours we fished. Most of the fish fell to the lighter rig, although a few did come to the heavier bulk rig.

I regularly fed a ball with casters, dead pinkies and chopped worm and had used up all of my groundbait be the end.

Larger Skimmers came when I fed the chopped worms. There are not as many Roach in this area of the canal, with most catches dominated by Skimmers and Bream. 

Ingo and Theo had bites all day as well and they both ended the day with about 5 to 6 kg each. I had a good day and put 10.9 Kg on the scales. I had 115 fish mostly small Skimmers. 

Theo with his catch.

We didn't have a weigh net so had to make do with a groundbait bucket. Not perfect, but the fish were not damaged. 

Ingo with his catch and one of his larger Skimmers.

I had almost a full bucket of fish 🤣

My fish from today. Nearly a full bucket of Skimmers.

The Beukers canal is full of fish and if you fish light enough you will have lots of bites and a good days fishing. I hope you get the chance to give the venue a try.

Cheers, Steve