Canal How-to

[Shuley76]

What do you use if you don't mind me askin?

[Mike P]

Frozen mackerel is OK if you can't get fresh bait, but fresh pogies are always your best bet for chunking.

Here's the rig I use when I chunk--my main line---usually 30 or 40 pound test mono--gets tied to a Krok barrel swivel. Then I run about 3 feet of 50 pound leader to a 7/0 or 8/0 Owner live bait hook. I attach either a 3/4 or 1 oz rubber core sinker above the swivel. This is key--you need a swivel and to put your rubber core weight above the swivel, or else the chunk will just "helicopter" or spin in the current. You're not going to cast this rig very far, but the nice part is, you don't have to. 40 or 50 feet is fine--the rip rap drops off into 30' depths very close to shore. Let your bait drift naturally in the current with the rubber core helping to keep it down. When you feel a bump, drop your rod tip and set when the line tightens. Don't let a fish run too long with the bait or you risk deep hooking it.

I like to do this kind of chunking around low water. Say, the last 2-3 hours of the west running current, ot the first 2-3 hours of the east. As the tide gets higher, you tend to get too much of a backwash and it impedes the drift of your bait. Some spots produce better on the west, and some do better on the east. There are good chunking spots close to just about anywhere you can park along the Canal.

I feel this kind of chunking is just as productive as trying to anchor bait to the bottom with a heavy sinker on a full bore current, and it's more active fishing.

By the way---if boat wakes are washing your line into the rocks, you're using too light a sinker. Try "drift chunking" the way I described and see if you can get some fish.

[NIB]

Try the west end.the area from the rr bridge east has quite a few little points that get exsposed at low tide.like mike said u don't have to thro far.Ur "fishin" ur bait at the ditch not just tossin it out waiting for a tap.Toss it up current.holing the rod tip high taking up slack as it drifts towards u the letting some out as it goes away.Rubber core sinkers are the choice because u can adjust the amount of weight to have the right "tickin" the bottom action.with ur rod tip high fish the bait from upcurrent down current along the inside drop off.I have witnessed keeper bass takin in the daylight hrs. with this technique.Low tides near dawn or dusk can be more productive as bass will feed more aggressively at these times.Get there early as the good spots get tied up with anglers fast.