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).

Prettier carp.

After catching a decent carp two days ago I was enthused to try again in the same place. This time it was overcast and a good deal windier than on the previous trip but still fairly mild. I noticed immediately that there were less fish showing than on my previous session and, more disturbingly, there was no accumulation of dust and scum in 'my corner'. Anyway, I stuck a crust on and lowered it into the margin. After about half an hour with no sign of interest I was beginning to lose my concentration (I often do). The only fish movement I'd seen was in the reed bed a few metres out. I reeled in, put on another crust, dunked it and pitched it out into the reeds. The braid billowed as I cast and draped itself over a twig about six feet above the water so I laid the rod down and tightened just enough to move the crust an inch or so. Again I waited.

After about five minutes a fish nuzzled the crust and left it. Now I was all agog and five minutes later the bait was sucked in and I waited for the rod to bend before picking it up to feel a strong resistance. Now it turned into a bit of a tug of war as I tried to haul the carp out of the reeds. Eventually I succeeded and the fish lurched away to the left picking up a loose branch broken off an alder tree as it went. There's always a bit of excitement when you're catching carp. It was probably anothe five minutes before I was able to slide the fish over the rim of my net - a beautiful, golden scaled common of about eight pounds. Wonderful stuff!

That evening I had a couple of bass on lures from the coast - a really good day!

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

Not big but beautiful.