Think of a canal and you’ll automatically think about pole fishing. The two have gone hand in hand for many years but are we missing out on some fantastic catches by not being more open minded when it comes to our choice of tactics? We joined England international Kayleigh Smith for a canal session with a difference.

Like most people I’ve been guilty of turning up to canal matches armed with just a pole, after all no one wants to carry tackle to their peg that they’re not going to use. That all changed this year when practicing for the national on the venue we’re at today, the Aire & Calder Navigation. The Aire & Calder isn’t your typical canal, it’s wide and deep and therefore by limiting yourself to pole range you’re actually missing out on a lot of fish.