Catch fish with Mike Ladle.

Catch Fish with
Mike Ladle

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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).

Chub etc.

After my spot of livebaiting and catching little perch, on my next trip to the river I reverted to spinning the J9 Rapala. The first spot I tried was a glide with overhanging trees on the north bank. Last year there was a big willow tree in the river which held back the flow and caused a big slack under the south bank. There were always chub in the slack. The tree has gone - washed away last winter. I waded in from the north side and cast into the ex-slack. A ripple, too big for the splashdown of my little plug, moved out from the bank. Clearly the chub were still there. I cast again and the lure was taken. A four pound chub surged out into the flow and was played to my feet, photographed and released. I cast again and a smaller chub took the lure. The next one was missed and after a couple of biteless casts I tried fishing back towards where I'd waded in. The water was faster and shallower under the trees and, to my surprise, I had a fierce take. Pike! I thought but it proved to be a 5lb+ chub which (unusually) fought all the way to my feet. It was as fat as a barrel. I beached it and took a picture. No more bites so I wandered on upstream. The next spot produced a small trout and then, in the tail of a big pool, I had an extremely lively jack pike.

All in all it was an excellent session and I have to say that I love catching chub on lures. I think it is an excellent method for sorting out bigger fish although even tiddlers will take a 9cm Rapala. With the fine braid and a knottable wire trace to avoid pike bite-offs it's a very satisfying tactic. After my short session I drove to another stretch where there are only a couple of fishable spots. I missed a good trout and had a follow from a decent pike before hooking a chub at maximum range. It was bigger than any I'd caught, but it came off as I was trying to slide it onto the grassy bank to have its picture taken. After that I boldly cast the plug into a willow tree overhanging deep water. When it broke off I packed in - I hate losing lures.

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

Chub.

A nice chub on the little plug.

Close up.

Well hooked on the mid-body treble.

- another one.

They were all fat and in prime condition.

Trout.

A bit of a disappointment after those lovely chub.

Whoops!!!!

The pike makes an aerial bid for freedom.

Caught.

Ready for unhooking and returning.