JK,

Canals can be tough, primaily because so much of it looks all the same.

Bass will ALWAYS relate to edges and what we call 'breaks'. A break is some kind of 'change' on an edge...picture a drop off with a big rock laying in one spot on it's top...the bass will 'relate' to this rock. In a canal, these are very important...the main 'edges' you'll find will be the shorelines, the bottom where the sides meet it, and the surface.

You'll want to concentrate your fishing where something intersects or interrupts one of these edges...a connecting canal...any concrete or rock structures that jut out into the flow..a tree limb that's fallen in...an old car laying on the bottom...things like that.

Canals generally have current. Current is your friend, as bass, just like trout in rivers, almost always face into the flow. So, when fishing a canal, casting upstream/across and working your bait downstream will have the fly moving where the fish will expect to see it most times.

There are three types of water clarity...scientist classify them as 'clear', 'stained', and 'muddy'. If you can see a white object in direct sunlight five feet down or deeper, the water is clear. If you can only see it from one to five feet, then the water is stained. If the object disapears before one foot of depth, the water is muddy. Color of the water, like green, brown, etc., doesn't matter here.

Since bass are sight feeders, this is important. Bass can and will use their sense of hearing, both audible and vibration, to 'locate' prey, but they will seldom, if ever, eat something they can't 'see'. Luckily, their vision underwater is several orders of magnitude better than what we 'see'.

In muddy water, you need to fish larger flies that push more water. This puts out more of those helpful vibrations into the water, helping to let the bass know your fly is there. If the water is warm, rattles can be a helpful addition (cold muddy water is whole 'nother issue-drive hundreds of miles to avoid it if you can ).

You want to use black flies (black is the most visible in dark water because it gives a cleaner profile). Add a contrasting color if you like, but all black seem to be the most effective (most colors quickly fade to varying shades of gray in muddy water anyway).

Bass are very tactile, especially in muddy water. They like to be right up against whatever cover or structure they have chosen to inhabit under these conditions. Since they can't see far, this means you want to cast/fish your flies right up against any cover you can. You may need to address issues like weed guards or patterns where the hook rides up to do this effectively.

Depth control can be an issue if the current is particularly strong. This means weight on the fly or a sinking line, and spending some time figuring out where your fly really 'is' as far it's relation to where it landed, how far it sank, and where the current took it, etc.. Only way to figure this out is to fish there a lot and pay attention while you do.

Make multiple casts to each target you find. Rather than fan cast and try to cover a large area, fish specific 'spots'. Hit every inch of any visible cover with multiple casts. If there is a tree limb laying in the muddy water, you are much more likely to catch fish making a hundred casts to it than you are if you fish a larger area of open water.

In low light conditions, a large, noisy, black topwater bug can draw some impressive strikes fished right along the edge of the canal. You need to make it pop and splash to draw the fish up....just remember to have a good grip and a stable heart.

Good Luck!

Buddy