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).

Another try for a carp.

After losing a big carp on my last (actually my first) session this year (see the previous Freshwater page) I was a bit disheartened. Anyway, it was such a lovely afternoon today that I thought I'd have another go. From the minute I arrived it was obvious that the carp were very active in the warm water. Instead of the usual basking and lazing about many fish were moving at some speed.

As on my previous trip I was armed with a few lumps of crust and the 'rig' was simply a hook on the end of the line. I didn't feel that there was any hope of hooking the big fish that I'd lost before but I couldn't resist trying the same spot. First of all I lobbed the crust out a few metres so that it rested against the edge of one of the sparsely scattered lily leaves (later in the year it will be solid lilies). I put the rod down, closed the bale arm and waited. It wasn't long before the rudd found my crust and every minute or two they subjected the bait to a bit of a hammering. However, the crust was firmly hooked on and it was probably more than twenty minutes before the little bait robbers had reduced it to not much more than a big crumb.

I reeled in and rebaited with another matchbox sized cube. This time I flicked it over a twig closer to the bank where there seemed to be less rudd activity. I was right and the crust remained unmolested for quite a while. The slight breeze had wafted the floating bait round a couple of dead reed stems so I opened the bale and jiggled the line to adjust its position. Of course the jiggling attracted a decent sized carp which slurped the bait in and ran off with it, removing the soggy lump of bread before I could strike. Downer!

Again I baited up and having seen some movement in the lily leaves I cast to the spot I'd first tried. The rudd returned to their onslaught but I was patient and after perhaps ten minutes a carp came up, slurped in the bread and hooked itself. I Played the fish in the small area of open water immediately in front of me and after a bit of splashing and a few short runs I had a fat fifteen pounder in the net. I took a picture without lifting the fish from the water, then I removed the hook and slid the carp back. Now it was time for me to go home - at least this time I'd caught something.

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

Got one!