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).

18 February 2008.

No perch this time.

BEFORE I START COULD I ASK DEREK EDMONDS TO SEND ME ANOTHER EMAIL PLEASE. DEREK ASKED ABOUT THE TRACE WIRE THAT I'M USING BUT HIS RETURN EMAIL ADDRESS SEEMED TO BE BLOCKED AND DID NOT FUNCTION???? SO NO REPLY FROM ME.

My last two sessions on the river were similar in their outcomes. However, on the first occasion I was after pike and on the second I tried to catch some more perch. First things first. Ben and I had not been fishing together for ages so, when he rang, I was quite keen to go. We opted for a spot of piking and the first objective was bait.

I had a few maggots in the fridge so I told Ben to bring his float rod and give it a go. He started off in a small side channel and it was not long before our bucket contained several reasonable dace. Ben set up his livebait gear and I opted to wobble a deadbait (I'd brought a couple from the freezer) just to be different. It was a lovely sunny day and we were very optimistic. However, our optimism was not well founded and it must have been half-an-hour before we (=Ben) had the first bite. As it happened the fish came unstuck and did not take again. he called me and suggested that I tried the dead bait for his fish which he estimated at eight or nine pounds.

After five minutes of wobbling the fish shot out from exactly the spot where he'd first seen it and grabbed my bait. I tightened and it seemed well on but it rushed about for a while and then came off - downer! Determined to 'break our duck' I tried again and again is was a little while before I managed to induce a bite. This time the pike was well hooked and Ben took a few pictures before unhooking and releasing it for me.

We fished on for another hour or so before the next and last bite. Again this one took my dead bait. It was hooked first time and after a decent fight was landed, photographed by Ben and slipped back. Altogether a very slow session.

My next trip was on my own. I set out to catch some more decent perch but it was not to be. First cast I felt a bump and tightened into - a small pike. Next cast it was the same story. I tried another spot and caught another little pike. In fact it didn't matter where I fished there was no sign of perch. The only difference from the time I caught perch (last freshwater page) was that the river was slightly lower and the water was a bit clearer. Thank heavens for modern fine wire traces I say. Anyway, at least the piking was a bit faster than when I went with Ben, even if the fish were on the small side.

Whoops!

Ben catches my pike in mid-sploosh.  Look at the bend in that rod.

Gotcha!

After escaping twice this time it's firmly hooked on my deadbait.

My second fish.

This was the only other catch of our session.

Not a perch.

one of the small jacks that I caught while 'perch fishing'.

Nice picture (apart from the toe of my boot).

Small but beautifully marked - I love pike.