Catch fish with Mike Ladle.

Catch Fish with
Mike Ladle

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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).

Alive or not very - does it matter?

On Sunday morning I intended to go to the coast for a spot of early morning bass fishing. However, I looked at the tide tables and decided that the ebbing neap tide and predicted flat calm conditions would be useless for my current bait fishing experiments and not much cop for spinning, unless I could find a spot with some water movement. (I later discovered that I was at least partly correct, because my pal Bill blanked on his spinning session). A possible alternative would be to try lure fishing on a tide race where the ebb would create a strong flow. I considered it and, although access would be difficult, thought I'd give it a try.

On the previous evening I set out my spinning rod,bag and chesties and I was up and about round about first light. I drove to the coast feeling quite enthusiastic, only to discover that literally every car parking space was occupied. Of course not only was it Sunday but it is now holiday season, there was a local carnival, a pop-festival and, with the first few days of warm, sunny weather for months, everybody and his dog had descended on the coast. I did not even get out of the car but rather than spend hours searching for somewhere handy to leave the car, simply turned round and went back home. I was not happy with my 'cancelled' session but, on following morning, I opted as an alternative, to give the river a try for perch (I like perch).

I think I may have mentioned already that I'd tried a couple of sessions at the river and totally failed to catch even a single minnow for perch bait. Perhaps it would be third time lucky? When I arrived on the bank at 05:30 it was devoid of people - fantastic! I was already set up with a light float rod with a view to catching bait and a second rod with a short wire trace on a light paternoster rig for the perch. I dumped the gear on the bank and, optimistically, put a few inches of water in my little bucket to hold the baits. Chuck in a few maggots and begin to fish. First cast the float dipped and I missed the culprit on the strike. A few more casts and several more missed bites on the single maggot decided me to try a smaller hook, so I fiddled about changing to a size 14 (you will gather that I'm no great shakes at light float fishing). The result was immediate when, on my next cast, I swung in, not the desired minnow but a 12cm bleak. Into the bucket it went and after a further fifteen minutes it was joined by three similar specimens. Time for a spot of perching, so I picked up the other rod. Picking the smallest bleak from my bucket I lightly lip hooked it and swung it out into a slack close to a wall. Almost as the small weight hit the bottom I felt a vibration on the rod tip - surely a customer. I gently tightened, tug, tug, then nothing. I wound in the baitless tackle. I'd lip hooked the bleak too lightly.

I put on with the next largest bait and swung it out again. Instantaneously another bite. This time when I tightened I could feel the tugging of a perch and this one was hooked. I reeled it in and took a couple of pictures before unhooking it and returning it to the river. The fish weighed about half-a-pound. On went another bait and I swung it out again. Plop, sink, rattle, rattle, tighten the line, it's pulling, it's on - it's off. I wound in, the bait was still in place but looking a bit the worse for its encounter with a stripy predator. Never mind Mike, swing it out again. In it goes, this time minutes pass without a sniff,

The first perch, no monster but a nice little fish..

xxxx.

It is quite some time since I did any serious perch fishing and I'd almost forgotten that they are far less keen on dead or even slightly moribund baits than on fresh, lively ones. Change the bait and try again Mike. I put on a new bait and lobbed it out again. At once there was a good pull. I waited a few seconds and tightened, there was another fish on and it felt like a decent one, as I reeled in I could feel a heavy bump, bump, on the line - typical perch. Then it went slack. I reeled in to find another badly 'perched' bait. I attached the last one from my bucket. Again an instant bite, things went tight, too tight! The weight had snagged in the stones. I tried to wrestle it free but the weight broke away (I use a 'rotten bottom' because of snags) and the fish came off. Bother!

Time was marching on and breakfast was calling. I trotted another maggot and quickly had a decent bait. Out it went to the 'hot spot'. As usual I had a good bite at once. Wait a few seconds, tighten and another perch was on. It jagged its way in to the bank. This one was not a monster but a reasonable size, and I took a couple of pictures of it in the water before releasing it. By now I knew that there would be work traffic on the roads so I packed in and set off on my twenty minute drive home.

Not such a good picture but a better perch nicely hooked on the circle hook.

xxxx.

The sea anglers among you may wonder why I am interested in perch fishing. After all these predators are only a fraction of the size of bass and don't fight nearly as hard as their saltwater relatives. However, the session was a good reminder of how sensitive some piscivorous fish can be to the state and movement of a bait (or presumably a lure?). I have not the slightest doubt that perch prefer lively, swimming, prey and, if I could, I would always choose a live fish as bait.

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