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. 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).

20 April 2009.

- and again!

After all the words that have been written about carp fishing it's difficult to find anything new to say. This week I dug a packet of frozen Chum mixer out of my freezer just to give it another go (it seems years since I used anything but breadcrust). There's no doubt that the carp liked the mixers but because they are small, compact baits there was an urge to chuck them in by the handfull and see if I could stir up a bit of 'action'. When I'm using the bread I've gravitated to simply putting in the piece that's on my hook and at most lobbing a couple of chunks into other spots to see if the carp would take them. With the mixers I found that the carp had lots of choice which ones to take and my bait was simply ignored or missed as they mopped up the freebies.

Eventually I had a fish of middle-teens which took right under my feet but I'll have to rethink my strategy for surface fishing if I'm to use the mixers again.

A suitable spot.

The fish soon mopped up my free offerings from among the lily pads.

Got one.

Eventually this one picked up the mixers on my hook.

Ready to go back.

These days I don't bother to take them out of the net unless I have to.