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).
Dropped perch!
Once or twice a year I go spinning on a local river with my pal Richard, a keen all-round angler. Anyway, the other day we had one of our sessions with the intention of catching perch and/or chub. We were each geared up with fairly light spinning tackle and wire traces (jacks are everywhere). Richard favours a spinner for the perch and he started off with a little Rooster Tail lure while I used a small, slow sinking plug.
We began fishing in a large pool downstream of a weir and it was not long before Richard was into a fish which turned out to be the ubiquitous small pike. Shortly afterwards I hooked a small perch (they have a characteristic 'bumping' feel on the line) but it soon came unstuck. Then I hooked a much better perch which, after a short battle also managed to unhook itself. This, it turned out, was to be the pattern of the session and though we each landed a couple of pike, every perch came off. We never actually managed to lay hands on a perch although Richard came near with one that flipped off at his feet. The chub were seemingly absent although I had a 'follower' which, to judge from the position and the bow wave behind the lure was probably a chub.
All in all it was a bit of fun and it was good to have a chat about fishing (we don't see each other very often.
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
A pike.
The biggest pike.
Nearly a perch.
