Catch Fish with
Mike Ladle

Information Page

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).

Richard's pike.

My third son Richrd lives and works in Brazil (poor soul!). On a recent visit to Europe he stayed with us for a week and of course we had to go fishing. A couple of brief sorties to the sea shore proved fruitless so, in an attempt to restore the balance, we went for an hour's fishing on the local river. Our first job was to catch a couple of baits, which we did in short order with a float and a box of maggots for bait.

The pike tackle was our usual circle hook and wine bottle cork float. Richard baited up and lowered the bait into a slack about six feet in depth. To be honest with the water as high as it is at present slacks are few and far between. Within a couple of minutes away shot the float and Richard tightened into a pike. The fish was no monster but it fought very well. The hook was, as usual, nicely placed in the side of the jaw and before long I was able to lower the net into the water as he slid the pike into the meshes. We took a couple of pictures before returning the pike and that was that. Not another bite in the next hour, even though we tried a number of nice spots.

Anyway, Richard's winging his way back to temperatures of 30 degrees by now, so next time I'll be doing the fishing. Let's hope the water levels go down a bit in the coming week.

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

He's in!

Whoa!!!!.

Unhooking.

Pleased!