Catch Fish with
Mike Ladle

Information Page

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).

30 August 2009.

Bleak day.

Grandson Ben came over to stay the other day. He's twelve now and is a very keen and competent angler. Anyway we decided to have an hour or two fishing a local river. Ben likes catching perch so that was our target for the afternoon. We tackled up a light float rod to try and get some livebaits and a light paternoster with a knottable wire trace and a small circle hook for the perch. When we reached the river and began to cross the bridge we could see lots of little fish in the shallow water under the bridge so we stopped and began to trot a few maggots down. The first bite proved to be a minnow and after feeding in maggots for a while we were getting plenty of bites. A small roach was followed by a few bleak a dace and eventually (much to Ben's delight) a perch of about four ounces which dropped off onto the bank and wriggled back into the river.

By now we had about eight baits so we marched off to try and catch a perch. The river was quite clear and it was fairly mild but there was a stiffish breeze and it was steadily drizzling. Ben was undeterred by the rain and in fact he said "It's quite nice fishing in the rain isn't it Grandad?". I sort of agreed and we hooked on a bleak and lowered it into the water. Second drop Ben was into a fish which turned out to be a reasonable perch (a lot bigger than the one he'd had on maggot anyway). We fished on but that was it. Despite trying a few more 'perchy' spots we failed to get another bite. eventually we switched to a jig - nothing and then to a small plug - again nothing. Ben had loads of casting practice - he's getting pretty good by now - and he wasn't the least bit bored. In fact, every time I suggested going home he wanted a few more casts and he was so keen that we were late for our dinner. It recalled many similar occasions in my own youth. Anyway, he's coming over again next week and I expect that we'll be after some other species, hopefully with a bit more success.

Ben fishing.

First bleak.

One and only.