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).

Pike n' grayling.

The weather has been pretty good this week so I've had a couple of sessions at the river. Firstly I fished for pike with the usual circle hook and wine bottle cork float and the second time I tried feeder fishing for grayling - a method that I'm not familiar with.

The piking was pretty successful. I adopted my usual approach of giving each spot ten minutes and if nothing was forthcoming I moved on to the next likely spot. The first task was to catch a couple of baits and this proved to be easy since I had three dace in three casts. I walked to the river from my bait spot and lowered the float into a big pool, it swam round beautifully but the pike were not interested (I'm sure that there must have been one or two in there). A short distance upstream was a smaller pool under my own bank so again I lowered the bait in and let the float drift down into the margin. There was a plop and it shot under. Between me and the pike was a mass of overhanging brambles, so it was a little while until I could persuade the pike to head out into the current so I could manoeuvre it past the snags. Eventually the fish was guided into the long handled net (I was standing well above the water). The pike - just on a double - was nicely hooked on my barbless circle hook which fell out in the net. Good start!.

After returning the fish I moved on upstream to a long slack with reeds growing on the bank. The prime pikey spot, just where the current breaks away from the slack water, produced nothing so I worked the bait along the edge until It was ten metres downstream of my starting point. Bob, bob went the cork and the water erupted as a good fish crashed out of the reeds and seized the bait. Holding the rod high to avoid my line catching on the reed stems I played the fish as it made a series of strong runs. Walking slowly back upstream I reached a point where I could use the net. The fish was in the meshes but I couldn't see the hook. Careful examination showed that it was actually hooked as per usual in the scissors but only the bend was showing outside the mouth. No need for pliers, a quick twist and the hook was out. This one weighed 14lb. I began to walk back downstream and met my pal Adrian coming the other way with his pike tackle. we fished together for a while but had no more bites.

Adrian told me that he'd recently caught some big grayling so a couple of days later I was enthused to give them a go. I bought some maggots and set up a swim feeder (AS I suggested I'm not keen on feeders and have rarely used one). All in all I fished for a couple of hours, sat on a wasps nest (the wasps didn't seem too bothered) and caught four grayling with the best almost two pounds. So, nothing special but a pleasant session. I must get Adrian to show me how to fish a feeder properly.

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

The first pike, ten pounds and looking good.

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My second pike with its maxilla caught on the net mesh.

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The hook is almost invisible but still in the jaw.

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Selfie with the 14 pounder - as usual too much contrast against the sky.

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Smallish grayling just over a pound.

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Close up shows the beautiful violet sheen and the pear shaped pupil.

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One of several pictures spoiled by lively, wriggling grayling.

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The best one getting on for a couple of pounds.

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