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).

Fishing by proxy.

I've struggled to catch anything in the River for a while. Apart from salmon parr and small trout it's been difficult. However, my good fishing pal Paul Froom sent me the following email just to show that there are fish to be caught elsewhere.

Mike

Managed a few trips recently. Two on the Warwickshire Avon in Worcestershire and a trip at home to the Canal. Interesting for different reasons. For the trip to Worcester I was staying with a friend who lives up there. I think our preference would have been the Teme but conditions ruled that out. The Avon was at least fishable even if it was very high.

First trip was fishing a slack where a side stream joined the main river. It was hard work with only one take for me all day but it did produce a lovely roach of 1lb 7oz. The next day we fished a different section and went for feeder tactics this time and I struggled for a few small roach and gudgeon. A nearby angler was fishing for pike at a spot he had pre-baited all week. He managed 6 pike whilst we were there including a very nice fish in the mid-teens. As we returned to the car we met an angler barbel fishing. He'd also had some success and appeared to be fishing luncheon meat and casting out in to the main current and letting it find slack water. Lesson? Fish for barbel next time, if you are fishing for only a few takes all day you might as well try for something a bit bigger!

Friday, I was back home and decided to meet up with a couple of friends to fish the local canal. Water was high and running like a moderate river and a nice colour, against us were dropping temperatures. Michael opted to fish lobworm for perch from the start, I and Ashley went for a maggot approach for anything (small roach!) swapping to bread mash and flake on the hook as dusk came.

Ashley and I struggled for anything and I’m sure the cold night before and changing, clear weather didn’t help. Michael selected a shady spot with overhanging trees and fared better. Early on having a perch of 2lb 5oz, followed by others of 2lb 2oz, 2lb 1oz and 1lb 15oz.

My bread results weren’t the hoped for better roach. In fact I had only one small roach. But I did have a canal first of 2 brown trout landed and a 3rd lost due to my lack of patience. Michael also had a brown trout on lobworm. Fish obviously moved by the flooding! A mill stream cuts across the canal a way downstream so I would imagine that was their entry point. It will be interesting to see how long they stay for, it could make for some novel fishing at mayfly time.

Paul

Paul followed up with one or two pictures and another short note as follows-

Mike

I had another trip late afternoon today. I was back down the canal fishing the same area as before. I was trying to lay-on with float tackle so the bait would be stationary but kept getting the bait robbed. Ended up just trotting with the bait dragging - much better indication. Lost count of what I caught but it was better than average. Roach around 8oz mark with best nudging 12oz, a few skimmer bream which did surprise me (thought it would be too cold) and another brown trout.

Paul

Thanks Paul and well done everyone. There you go! Even after the horrendous floods of the last few months there are good fish to be caught on the basics of worm, bread and maggot. I hope I'll find a few before the end of the coarse fishing.

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

Roach.

Perch.

Closer.