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 October 2009.
Chub on the plug.
Despite a good day's rain the local rivers have stayed pretty low. It can be tricky to sort out the bigger fish in these conditions particularly in clear water with bright sunshine. The other day I was home alone so I decided to try a spot of spinning. I started off with a leadhead jig but it was picking up every bit of algae and dead leaf from the river bed so I switched to one of the little plugs that I was sent from New Zealand by my pal Alan the other year.
I started off fishing a shallow fast stretch and immediately caught two small, out of season, trout so I moved on downstream. In the next fishable spot the perch loved my little plug and I was catching them fairly regularly by fanning out the casts to cover the water. The lure is a slow sinker so in the shallow water there is no time to let it rest before beginning the retrieve. It's a matter of cast and wind all the time. After catching half a dozen small perch I became adventurous, attempting to drop the lure as close as possible to the far bank in hopes of a chub. Twice I hooked bankside vegetation but the braid made it easy to pull free. On about my fifth cast I got it exactly right and the lure plopped in immediately downstream of a large overhanging bush. Before I could tighten the line there was a mighty sploosh and the rod was bent double.
To be fair after its first plunge the fish didn't put up much of a fight and it wasn't long before I had a nice chub ready to be unhooked. I took one or two pictures of the fish in the water then I had another go with the time delay on the camera to see whether I could take a shot of me with the fish. The camera was perched on top of my old haversack and the button pressed before I ran and picked up the fish. Click ,flash and it was done. I returned the chub to its native element and away it swam. Nice finish to the session.
A perch.
Another perch.
Still swimming.
Beaten!
Lip hooked.
Nice fish.
