The Grand Canal
Excellent Spring & Summer Fishing!
The Grand Canal
The Grand Canal flows from Monasterevin down through Vicarstown towards Athy where it joins the river Barrow. There is also an additional stretch of the Grand Canal south of Athy towards Levitstown which runs parallel to the river. The Grand Canal offers excellent sport for course fish and hosts many match competitions throughout the year.
There are permanent pegs and multiple parking locations along the canal from Athy town towards Vicarstown, with a permanent match stretch of pegs located close to Athy.
The Grand Canal is predominantly a Spring/Summer venue which begins to slow down as the Autumn progresses. Fishing the canals during winter can be hard as fish activity slows down in the cold and feeding is a lot more sporadic.
Using the Grand Canal
The Grand Canal is accessible to all anglers and membership of the Athy & District Angling Club is not required to fish this venue. The club do enforce a mandatory catch and release policy along the match stretch of the canal located near Athy town. There are signs posted to this effect.
Approximately 25 permanent pegs have been installed along the Athy stretch of the canal. There are also 3 off road parking locations along the canal from Athy town towards Vicarstown. The pegs & swims are cleaned and maintained by the Athy & District Angling Club. All members are welcome to volunteer to help with this maintenance, find out more here!
Fishing the Grand Canal
The Grand Canal is primarily a Spring/Summer venue, fishing best from April to late September for course fishing. Pike can be taken at almost any point of the year, though The Marina and The Barrow are stronger pike venues particularly during winter.
The Grand Canal is a very slow moving body of water, influenced heavily by the opening and closing of the locks. Most fishing tactics can be used here with success including float fishing, pole fishing and feeder fishing. Due to the shallow depths in the canal, sunlight & temperature can play a big part in fish activity. On high heat sunny days, fishing can be hard on this venue.
Species stocked in the Grand Canal include Roach, Perch, Rudd, Hybrids, Bream and Tench.