Catch Fish with
Mike Ladle

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).

A short session.

At last the rivers seem to be fishable. My previous trip, a couple of weeks back, found my local stretch still bank high and tea coloured. An hour's spinning had not even produced a follow. Anyway, it was s sunny afternoon and I had an hour to spare so I decided to give it another try. Apart from my little, wire, anti-pike trace the tackle was the same as I had used for bass the day before. My lure was a J9 Rapala, small enough to tempt trout and shallow enough to fish over the weed and gravel riffles.

My first cast was encouraging when a small trout had a nip at the lure. Next cast it followed again but this time was more wary. I flicked the lure towards some overhanging willows on the far bank and a seatrout of perhaps three pounds shot out and had a look before returning to its shelter. My spirits were rising. I cast down and across and slowly inched the lure back against the current. I was in! Soon a nice little browny of perhaps three-quarters-of-a-pound was on the bank.

I plodded on upstream, casting up and across and retrieving just fast enough to keep the lure working. For fifteen minutes, nothing, then suddenly, in mid-river a fierce snatch and a big sea trout launched itself into the air. My heart was in my mouth and for a minute or two I wondered whether it was well enough hooked on the small trebles. I managed to prevent the fish going downstream, with the strong flow, past a big hawthorn bush (impassable on my bank) and began to feel that I was in control. Of course I'd left my net behind so the next problem was how to extract the fish without falling in. I slithered down the bank and with one hand on the tail wrist managed to stop the fish swimming off. I put my other hand under the trout's head (avoiding the needle sharp hooks) and with a heave managed to get it on the soft, grassy margin. Now it was easy. Remove the hooks, take a picture, remove a few scales to be read, weigh the catch (12.5lb) and slip it back. Whewww!!!

I thought about fishing on but that would have seemed greedy - so I went home. What a half-hour.

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

Small trout.

Big trout.