Catch fish with Mike Ladle.

Catch Fish with
Mike Ladle

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Information Page

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 four years of (mostly) sea fishing and may be a useful guide as to when to fish (I'm putting the freshwater stuff on now and it will be similar when complete). I keep adding to both and to the tactics pages which are mostly 'how I do it' plus a bit of science. These pages are effectively my diary and will still take me a little time to bring up to date but often several pages are added in the space of a week.

19 May 2005.

More carping.

The weather's still on the cool side and I continue to find the carp a bit sluggish. This week I had one session of about two hours. Again I used breadcrust - more for my amusment than because I thought is was the best approach to catching fish.

As always I chose a snaggy, reedy patch that most other anglers tend to avoid. It was at the end of the lake facing the breeze so all the water surface was covered in a layer of scum - mostly willow seeds. Before starting I dropped a few bits of bread in to see if anything was interested and then I stood waiting and looking. As usual I soon became bored with waiting and lowered a crust onto the surface. Typically, within minutes, a decent carp began to poke it's head through the scum and to suck bits of floating rubbish into its mouth - totally ignoring my crust which was about a yard closer to the bank. As I watched the fish feeding I suddenly heard a rustle by my feet and looked down to see that the rod was bent and a fish was already taking line against the check.

I picked up the rod with one hand and the camera with the other then, after a bit of a tussle I landed the carp, unhooked and released it. As I returned it to the water I heard a slurp to my right and looked to see the ripples of another fish which was taking my loose offerings from the margin. I baited up with another crust and lowered it close to the source of the ripples. Within minutes the fish took the bait and was landed. It was a bit bigger than the first so I took a picture. No more bites for half-an-hour so I went home.

.

My chosen pitch.

Snaggy and with lots of stuff trapped in the surface film.  Just what carp like!

Well hooked.

A reasonable common almost ready for the net.

In the bag.

My old net is plenty big enough for fish this size but I wish it had a longer handle.

Landed.

Aren't they lovely fish?

and another one!.

This one was a gift and a bit bigger but did not fight so well.