Catch fish with Mike Ladle.

Catch Fish with
Mike Ladle

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For anyone unfamiliar with the site always check the FRESHWATER, SALTWATER and TACK-TICS pages. The Saltwater page now extends back as a record of over four years of (mostly) sea fishing and may be a useful guide as to when to fish. The Freshwater stuff is also up to date now. I keep adding to both. These pages are effectively my diary and the latest will usually be about fishing in the previous day or two. The Tactics pages which are chiefly 'how I do it' plus a bit of science are also updated regularly and (I think) worth a read (the earlier ones are mostly tackle and 'how to do it' stuff so if you are new to fly fishing or spinning these are the ones for you).

01 September 2007.

Last carp.

Lilian was at work today so I nipped out for a last hour's carping before my holiday. I had decided to use my bass bait fishing rod to make sure that I could stop any carp from ploughing into the reed beds (I lost one like that last time I tried). I sat, on the grass, in a position where I could see several 'carpy' looking marginal spots and dropped two or three lumps of crust into each one and waited. I'd already put a big lump of crust on my size 6 barbless hook and intended waiting until I saw action before putting it in the water.

It was a long wait (for me at any rate)! Almost an hour passed without so much as a ripple, I even resorted to throwing bits of crust into the open water and watching the little rudd tear them to pieces. Then, at twelve-thirty (I looked at my watch the fish were so inactive) I saw a couple of carp cruising in mid-lake then I saw another and another all out in open water. The fish seemed to become more and more active and suddenly I heard a slurp. I wasn't sure which of my little groups of marginal baits the slurp came from (there were four within a few metres of each other), so I waited in mounting excitement for another slurp or ripple (all carp anglers will know the feeling). Eventually there was a sipping noise from the spot just under an overhanging willow next to where I sat.

I peered cautiously into the bush and I could just see the snout of a decent carp as it hung in the shade of the leaves. I stepped back and poked the tip of my rod into a little gap, opened the bale arm and let the piece of crust drop softly onto the water. I closed the bale arm and laid the rod on the bank with the tip ring projecting just a few centimetres. Now came the suspense! It was not long before I heard a little sucking noise and the line began to tremble then there was a louder suck and the rod was pulled down. I grabbed the butt and the fish was on. What a battle! I'd set the clutch pretty tight but the fish still managed to take a bit of line and it seemed to have incredible stamina. It was ages before I had it at the surface even though it never managed to go more than a few metres from where I stood. I even had time to extract the camera from the bag with my left hand and take one or two pictures as the fish surged around.

When I managed to slide it into the big net my arm was aching (a lot of leverage on that rod). I took a few pictures of the fish in the meshes before slipping it back into the water. Success!

Whoaaa!.

My carp plunges away on its umpteenth attempt to escape.

Tired.

By this time we were both tired.

Ready to net.

The carp is by the bank and no longer struggling.

Beauty.

I know that they look a bit like beach balls with fins but you have to admire them.  Note the bass rod.  The last fish caught on it were actually bass.