Catch Fish with
Mike Ladle

Information Page

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 four 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. 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).

20 September 2005.

Perching.

The other day I had a free hour one afternoon. It was blazing hot and bright sunshing but I decided to try a spot of perch/chub fishing. I picked up the spinning rod and tied on a J11f Rapala. I arrived at the river to find that there was noone else fishing the stretch - they had obviously more sense than me.

I ducked under the barbed wire fence and slithered down to the bank by the end of the weir The flows were low and there was perhaps a half a metre width of white, foaming water under the lip close to my bank. I knew from past experience that the fish were likely to be tucked right in under the face of the stonework so I cast as close as I could and wound the plug back parallel to the face of the structure and under the strip of turbulence. First cast I felt a tug but the fish was not hooked. I repeated the cast and this time, before the lure had travelled more than a metre there was a firm resistance. The perch splashed and struggled at the surface but it was soon subdued and landed. half-a-dozen more casts produced no further bites so I moved on.

Wading downstream through a treelined stretch I was casting ahead and across but it was ten minutes before I had another bite - a perch a little smaller than the first. Then that was it. I fished on for a little longer but had no further success. Perhaps I could have caught more perch by using a different lure. A countdown plug or a Mepps would probably have been more effective than the floater that I tried but it was good fun anyway.

Bid for freedom.

Lovely fish.