Catch fish with Mike Ladle.

Catch Fish with
Mike Ladle

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Information Page

Freshwater Fishing

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 several 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. As you see I also add the odd piece from my friends and correspondents if I've not been doing much. 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).

Perch and pike.

I do enjoy catching perch. Big ones, small ones, it makes little difference I think they are superb little fish. Last week I set out specifically to catch some on livebaits. I took the perch rod plus a small spinning rod armed with light float tackle. By baiting up with a single maggot it is usually possible to catch, more or less, a minnow every chuck. Sure enough I soon had a dozen minnows in my little bucket and, without shifting my stance, I baited the circle hook with a minnow and lowered it in to slightly deeper water. Within seconds I felt the tell tale bump bump as a perch mouthed the bait. Gently tighten the line and the kicking pull of a perch told me that I had a customer. The fish was well hooked on the debarbed circle hook so I took its picture and put it back.

Over the course of an hour or so I tried several spots and every one produced perch. The biggest fish might have been only a pound or so but I really enjoyed the session. Eventually I tired of the small perch and changed to a plug, a J11, in hopes of a bigger one. Third cast I felt a tug but nothing came of it. I moved upstream casting every few yards but no more bites so I decided to work my way back down. Every couple of paces I cast down and across and let the lure swing across the current to my bank before retrieving. Eventually, just at the point where I'd missed a bite, there was a fierce take and I found myself playing a pike. It wasn't a big fish but needless to say it fought much harder than any of the perch that I'd caught. After releasing the pike I went home but it was a very enjoyable afternoon.

If you have any comments or questions about fish, methods, tactics or 'what have you!' get in touch with me by sending an E-MAIL to - docladle@hotmail.com

A perch.

They make a fine sight in the clear water against a patch of bright green weed.

Minnowed!

The minnow hadn't even come off the hook.  Perch of almost any size will take a minnow.

The pike.

I don't like catching pike on plugs but this one was lightly hooked and easy to release..