Catch Fish with
Mike Ladle
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. 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. 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).
17 June 2005.
A bit more carping.
Bread is a handy bait. This season I've hardly bothered with dog biscuits (mixers). This is not because they don't work but rather because I usually forget to soak a few the night before and aren't well enough organised to freeze them. Anyway, the outcome seems to be that breadcrust is just as good.
This week I had one session (11a.m. to 2 a.m.). Armed with just a rod, reel and size 8 hook, a bag of breadcrust cubes (about 5cm in diameter) and my little old landing net (the big one needs replacing) I ventured to the pond.
There were a few carp moving when I got there so I chucked a couple of bits of bread into the edge of the reeds. Within minutes the free offerings were being ripped apart by small rudd. The carp obviously knew that the bread was there and after a while one even came up and took a piece but they were not really keen. In fact they were so 'not keen' that the crust with my hook in it remained unexamined for ten minutes. That being about the limit of my concentration span I reeled in and rebaited. I wondered if the breeze, by jiggling the baited hook, was putting them off.
Next 'cast' I simply dropped the bait into the edge about a foot from my bank and out of the wind. It fell among some floating bits of reed stem (I like that - it hides the line) and lay motionless. After five minutes the rod whipped over as a decent carp hooked itself - excellent.
The next cast was to a fish that I saw moving near the reeds. I never expect these ones to take - they usually buzz off when the bait plops in. However, this one was an exception and after a respectful couple of minutes it reappeared, took the bait and hooked itself. This one was a good deal smaller, perhaps five pounds, but in nice nick and again a common.
Having thoroughly disturbed the swim I moved to another where I could see lots of carp basking by some big, dark green, reeds. I cast out so that the bait fell in the edge of the reeds. This time it was about five minutes before a fish swam in from the open water and hooked itself. I hauled it through the reeds and eventually landed it. Another smallish common.
Off round to another spot where there were some flag irises growing in the water. I couldn't see any fish at first so I threw a few crusts into the edge. I waited for about ten minutes - nothing! Then I noticed a couple of decent carp just laying at the surface, snouts up tails down, about a metre to the right of my free offerings. I baited up again and gently lowered the bait to the fish. They both melted away into the depths but a couple of minutes later one came back up and slurped in the crust, again hooking itself. this one fought like hell and almost got to the other bank before I could turn it. It ploughed back and forth churning up the silt but it was well hooked. A nice mirror scaled fish weighing probably fourteen pounds - wonderful.
It's on.
On the bank.
The second.
Another common.
The mirror.
