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 so if you are new to fly fishing or spinning these are the ones for you).

04 August 2008.

Perching.

Following my last session with so many perch on the bibless minnow lure I decided to see whether I could catch a bigger specimen. This morning I armed myself with half a dozen small dace and using my spinning rod with a light paternoster rig and a small circle hook to 15lb knottable wire I began to fish.

The first bait had been in the water no more than ten seconds when a pike shot out from a drifting raft of Ranunculus weed and grabbed it. I tightened and it was on - thank heavens for soft wire traces. I was on a high bit of bank so after playing the pike for a while I decided to clamber down and unhook the fish as it lay in the margin. Good start!

I attached another bait and walked on downstream until I came to a spot with about two metres depth under a large clump of overhanging grass. I lowered the dace into the hole and again, within a few seconds, the line tightened and I felt a heavy weight. 'Another pike!' I thought but no, out sailed a magnificent perch already well hooked in the lower jaw. I played the perch and lifted it onto the wet grass for a picture before sliding it quickly back.

I fished on for another hour or so, trying a number of very perchy looking spots but - nothing! That's fishing.

The pike

Ready to unhook.

What I was after.