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).

Two contrasting lures.

Readers of the blog may have noticed that I've been using Mepps spinners recently for some of my River fishing. Prior to that I'd been fishing for perch, chub and seatrout with small Rapala, which was extremely effective. The reason for the change was partly just to keep my interest up and to search slightly deeper water which I felt I'd been missing out on. Of course I have been familiar with spinners for many years but tended to avoid them because of the tendency to twist monofilament lines. With modern braids and unifilament lines the problem of line twist and birds nests has almost disappeared and no longer is there any need for anti-kink devices. In addition even quite small spinners have enough weight to be cast substantial distances - certainly far enough to avoid spooking the fish in my local rivers.

In the past week I had two sessions on the river, the first with the number 3 silver Mepps and the second with the J9f Rapala. I'd added a bit of fluff to the hook of the spinner just to provide a bit more of a target for the fish but I don't think it made any real difference. Anyway, there was no lack of perch on either session and the vast majority of the ones I caught on both lures were in the 0.75-1.25lb class, no monsters but nice fish to catch. Perhaps more interestingly I also had one or two pike on the spinner including one in the middle teens of pounds which fought like stink before I could slide it ashore and take its picture.

The Mepps produced several chub but the largest was about two-and-a-half pounds. When I used the lightweight plug I think I was casting more accurately and as a result caught two chub from tiny bankside bays. The largest of these chub was over five pounds in weight so the best fish of the two trips. I finished off with a reasonable trout on the Rapala. All in all I don't think that there was anything to choose between the lures as fish attractors. The Mepps was certainly better for distances and deeper water while the plug scored best in the shallows and for searching out the chub hidey holes.

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

Small perch.

Small chub.

Slightly bigger.

Close up.

Better perch.

- and another.

Good pike.

Chub on Rapala.

Better!

Trout.