Lure Fishing: A stab in the dark

With the rivers up and coloured, you could be forgiven for thinking barbel would be the top quarry at the moment. However, I was not convinced the temperatures were conducive to good sport and this was reinforced by my recent addiction to all things predatory.

Finally! (Pike and Perch)

With a run of 5 blanks during my last 6 sessions, my record was rivaling that of my football team, Aston Villa. Four of those blanks had come on a very unsettled Warks Avon attempting to catch Pike and Chub with the other on a lake famed for Pike. That day saw my companions and I fishing 10 baits between us for one solitary run. So I am sure I could be forgiven for being less than enthusiastic as the river once again topped the banks earlier this week coupled with some arctic conditions to boot. Therefore, as the weekend approached I my options were limited to stillwaters or canals.

A quick fix

The beauty of lure fishing is its simplicity. A few items and you're out and fishing and that was the logic behind my latest trip. With the rivers clearing and returning to normal levels the 'barbel' window was closing so my thoughts returned to drop-shotting. A few weeks a go, I managed to break my drop shot rod by folding the car seat on it. After I had got over the initial stupidity of my actions, my attention switched to a new rod which duly arrived just as the rain did. Therefore, it's spent the last 10 days untouched as I pursued Barbel instead. However, with this being the final week before the clocks go back, I was keen to try the rod out so I managed to squeeze in about 90 minutes of fishing on a marina after work.

With gale force winds sweeping the nation, I couldn't have chosen a worse time to be fishing. The wind was freezing, taking all feeling from my exposed fingers. Add to that the loss of control every time the wind gathered strength and you get the picture. But if I'm anything then it's determined and I was adamant that I would not be going home without christening the new rod. Eventually, a cast into open water finally provoked a take and I was able to reel in a small fish. It didn't have the dogged fight of a Perch and at first sight I could see it was no Pike. The culprit in fact was a small Zander,
my first on the method.

As night draw closer, the wind dropped a bit and there were plenty of fish topping but none of them suggested the bigger Perch were on a feeding rampage. I did manage a chunky looking Perch in near darkness but that fish pretty much signalled the end of the session. It was short and sweet and I managed to get the rod some action although I'm sure there will be better to come.

Variety, the spice of life

After what felt like a disappointing session at the weekend, I managed to sneak a couple of hours down on the Warks Avon albeit on a different stretch. With time at a premium, the plan was to try a bit of predator fishing before finishing off the last hour of light in the hope of a barbel.

This Pike gave a spirited fight on light gear

Predator fishing is always a welcome distraction to what I would say my normal approach is. I had a drop shotting rod and a regular lure setup in my armoury so set about trying to find some fish. The river was desperately clear with the bottom clearly visible in over 3ft of water. A variety of spoons and spinners failed to elicit a response so I switched to drop shotting a replica minnow in slacker water just off the flow. I carefully teased the bait, bringing the rubber minnow to life, inching it back to search out the swim. As the bait neared the bank and thump saw a lively fish on. Although I had hoped for a sizeable Perch might put in an appearance, the result was a spirited Pike that put up a fine battle on my braid and 7lb flouro hooklink combination.

It was my first Pike on the method and I had worried about this moment due to drop shotting not using a trace. More experienced users claim that Pike are usually hooked in the lips and therefore the line is not at the mercy of the Pike's razor sharp teeth. Fortunately, this was the case so the hooklink remained unharmed.

I tried another few spots before settling into a new peg. It was in this swim that I decided to cast out a boilie on a simple running ledger rig. I had baited with a few loose offerings earlier on so hoped a fish or two might be on the feed. I continued to drop shot as well. Once again, as the bait neared the bank and hefty whack saw another Pike on the hook.

Perfection in miniature

This fish however was pretty small by Pike standards at about 1lb in weight but was perfect in every way. I was taking a quick snap for this blog when my other rod went round. The Pike saw a hasty return as I grabbed the other rod. It became quickly apparent that this was no Barbel though. Instead a chunky looking Chub of about 4lb was the culprit. It was a distinctive fish with a red lesion on its gill cover. Two fish in the space of a few seconds and then nothing. In all honesty, in the swim I was fishing, catching the Chub probably ruined any hope of a Barbel as it was definitely a one bite situation. That said, it was nice to catch a couple of Pike on a new method and a decent Chub to boot since I hadn't had one for a month or so. Now I need to start planning for my Wychavon Parish Games debut at the weekend.

This Chub had a strange sore on its gill

Drop-Shotting for Perch

I fancied a change so decided to spend a couple of hours on a Warks Avon backwater. Predators were the target so I armed myself with a traditional lure rod and a drop-shotting setup.

 

Drop-shotting is something I got involved with last winter. If you're interested in knowing the finer points then the web is packed with information from much more credible sources than me. Basically, an artificial rubber lure of a few inches long is attached to a hook on a length of line with a weight at the lower end to keep it in touch with the bottom, as shown in the diagram.

 

 

You then use the rod to impart some action into the lure, keeping a tight line whilst you watch and feel for bites. When I tried it for the first time last season, I caught small Perch immediately but found subsequent sessions a little hit and miss. I was determined to give it another crack and look to find some larger fish.

 

Upon arrival, I opted for the standard lure rod and a small spoon. The backwater I was fishing is something of an unknown quantity. I know it contains a lot of small fish including a good head of Perch. Although pike have to be present, previous trips have provided no clues as to their presence. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised and pleased when a small Pike was hooked within the first ten minutes. Unfortunately, the light hook hold resulted in the inevitable and the fish escaped. Whilst it would have been great to have landed the fish, I was not too down beat since it proved there is a Pike population present so future visits won't be in vain. I continued to explore the area, casting to moored boats, staging and any other feature that might provide an ambush point for a predator. However apart from my early flirtation with the Pike the next hour or so was a tiresome experience. A Perch of a few ounces did follow at one point but was not convinced enough by the lure to attack it.

 

As the last hour of light approached, I noticed some activity. A few small fish scattered and alerted me to some fishy action. I moved round to the spot and tried both the drop-shot rod and the lure. I then moved a short distance away to a narrow channel. Here I observed a small fish frantically accelerate as a larger fish, almost certainly a Perch, pursued it under a staging. I quickly decided that I should employ the drop-shot method here as it was clear there were feeding fish and one Perch usually means others in attendance. Within minutes, a Perch of around half a pound nailed the 3" replica minnow. In fact it had disappeared from sight when I came to remove the hook. Fortunately, the hook hadn't so it was returned safely.

The first fish of the session

A string of similar Perch followed in what appeared to be a twenty minute feeding frenzy. I also managed to see a couple wriggle themselves free of the hook before a solid knock saw me connected with something a bit bigger. Although not a monster by Perch standards at 1lb 3oz, it was the biggest Perch from the venue to date and gives me reason to believe a 2lb fish is possible. It's a really fun method, which after a little practise is very effective. So much so that I'm already plotting another visit.

 

At 1lb 3oz, this proved to be the fish of the session

 

 

Season's end and a few fish

It's been a while since I last posted. A combination of poor river conditions and a hectic few weeks have limited my time. With the end of the river season fast approaching I am determined to get a few outings planned and hopefully a bonus of a decent catch or two.

Before our recent cold-snap, I did manage a few hours on a backwater to the Warks Avon. It was a reasonably mild day although the water was very coloured as a result of the high river levels we have experienced over the last few weeks. 

Drop shot debut

I have recently purchased the necessaries required to attempt the 'drop-shot'style of fishing. For those that don't know what I'm going on about, it basically involves a length of line attached to your braid. Tied to this line is a specially designed hook which is baited with a soft rubber lure. This bait is suspended off the bottom using a small weight to keep things straight and then action is imparted in attempt to lure a fish. As with most lure fishing tactics, it's best tackled in clearer conditions but I was eager to give it ago. Unbelievably, my fist cast resulted in a small perch with a few more following as I got the hang of it.

However, with conditions as they were my main attack was a 4m whip, fishing to hand with maggots. I knew the venue would be crammed with small fish sheltering from the high water so it didn't take long before I had fish queuing up. None of them were particularly large but 40+ fish later signalled the end of enjoyable afternoon on the bank with perch, roach, dace and skimmers all succumbing to my bait. The area evidently contains a large head of perch which I am determined to tackle when water conditions lend themselves to lure fishing. However, clear water seems a distant memory so I may have to wait until June before tacking them again. In the meantime, if you're river fishing in the final couple of weeks then good luck.

A mixed bag resulted in an enjoyable afternoon