GOING FISHING

[Janet S]

As some of you may know, I recently started angling, and have been trying to teach myself. I’ve had loads of help and advice from the guys in my local tackle shop, but I haven’t had anyone to come out with me and correct my mistakes (which I’m sure are many!) I’ve mainly fished on the canal, and have had some brilliant days, and some not so good, but enjoyed every day.

 

However, this coming Sunday, I’m going out for a day on the River Ribble with Martin James, a well known and well respected angler and broadcaster, who hosts the weekly angling show “At the Water’s Edge” on Radio Lancashire.

 

I e-mailed him on the Radio Lancashire website when I started last year for advice on fishing permits etc, and as well as giving me all the information I needed, he invited me out for a day on the banks, to try and catch my first chub.

 

I’m sooooo excited! My friends think I’m barking mad, but I can’t wait! I think I’ll learn more in a day from him than I’ve learnt all year from books, magazines and that new-fangled Internet thingie!

 

Janet

[Sir Nibble]

I spent 20 years sea angling and I learned and learned and learned, and what I learned was... There is no such thing as fish.

[Janet S]

There is no such thing as fish.

 

NOW you tell me!

 

Janet

[Barry]

Wow Janet!!!

 

That'll be fabulous

 

I'm not envious AT ALL

 

Hope the weather stays nice for you

[tomsk]

Have a great day Janet

[Janet S]

Well, after a couple of phone calls, it's all sorted now. Meeting up to fish the River Ribble at an undisclosed (as yet!) location on Sunday morning. Steve, who owns my local tackle shop, and had given me loads of helpful advice, is providing transport for me for the day, as I don't drive. What a star! I'm so excited I could burst! Only another angler would understand...

 

I used to get excited over shoes and handbags. Now it's reels, rods and bait, and I'm having so much more fun! My hair's a mess, I'm usually stuffed into unbecoming waterproofs and I go home smelling of fish. My son is better educated now though. He knows that if it's on the bottom shelf of the fridge/freezer, then it's Mum's bait. He learned that the hard way, after thinking my frozen maggots were something to go with his curry! He's not an abused child - I did manage to catch him just in time before he served them up!

 

We're going to be targeting chub, and Martin's bait of choice is usually bread. I've caught nowt on bread so far but ducks! I look forward to learning from an expert.

 

Janet

[Barry]

Well, after a couple of phone calls, it's all sorted now. Meeting up to fish the River Ribble at an undisclosed (as yet!) location on Sunday morning. Steve, who owns my local tackle shop, and had given me loads of helpful advice, is providing transport for me for the day, as I don't drive. What a star! I'm so excited I could burst! Only another angler would understand...

 

I used to get excited over shoes and handbags. Now it's reels, rods and bait, and I'm having so much more fun! My hair's a mess, I'm usually stuffed into unbecoming waterproofs and I go home smelling of fish. My son is better educated now though. He knows that if it's on the bottom shelf of the fridge/freezer, then it's Mum's bait. He learned that the hard way, after thinking my frozen maggots were something to go with his curry! He's not an abused child - I did manage to catch him just in time before he served them up!

 

We're going to be targeting chub, and Martin's bait of choice is usually bread. I've caught nowt on bread so far but ducks! I look forward to learning from an expert.

 

Janet

 

I'm STILL not envious AT ALL

 

Freelining for carp - that's a lot of fun - and you can do it for chub too

 

I can't wait to see the photo's

[Janet S]

I don't do photo's! However, on this occasion, I will take a camera with me, and any captures will be recorded. Is there a record for minnows and sticklebacks? I've blanked on my last two outings! Still, I haven't let it put me off. Fishing isn't all about catching, is it?

 

Janet

 

Edited for over-excited typo!

Edited February 21, 2007 by Janet S

[Lesd]

Enjoy the day Janet, sounds like a great opportunity !

You can learn so much by watching and asking questions, especially if that person is open to teaching as this guy obviously will be. And yes breadflake is an awsome winter chub bait !!!

All the best

Les

[gaggle]

I'm STILL not envious AT ALL

 

Freelining for carp - that's a lot of fun - and you can do it for chub too

 

I can't wait to see the photo's

what is "freelining for carp"

can you say a bit about how to, set up ect

kids want to move the boat to hotspot this weekend and target carp exclusively, at present they use hair rigged and wieght type of set up.

[Barry]

what is "freelining for carp"

can you say a bit about how to, set up ect

kids want to move the boat to hotspot this weekend and target carp exclusively, at present they use hair rigged and wieght type of set up.

 

It's an extremely sensitive, simple and resistance free method of presenting a bait

 

There is no weight on the line at all nor a float - just the hook on the end of the line

 

it's useful if the bait has a little bit of weight inherantly - a cube of luncheon meat perhaps or a boilie

 

simply flick the bait into the water, tighten up the line and let the bait sink

 

place the rod in its rests and, when the bait reaches the bottom, slacken or tighten the line until there is a small sag in the line between the rod tip and the water's surface

 

a bite is indicated by the line gently straightening

 

I've tried this in conjunction with a fine quiver tip and the line tightens before the quiver tip even twitches

 

bread flake is a very light bait but if you dip it in the water very quickly it absorbs enough water to enable you to flick it out

 

On a stillwater I can flick a freelined bait 10 metres or so - so it isn't just a near bank method

 

On flowing water it'll definately be a near bank method - and you might benefit from a quiver tip because the flow will pull the sag out of the line between the tip and the water

[Janet S]

I haven't come across that method of fishing before, but it sounds interesting!

 

Janet

[Barry]

I haven't come across that method of fishing before, but it sounds interesting!

 

Janet

 

Interesting isn't the word Janet

 

It's exciting

 

simple, quick, nothing to go wrong, the fish don't know that you know that they've got the bait............

 

they won't drop it because there is no resistence - they just swim away and the line tightens

 

oh boy!!!!!

[Janet S]

Simple. I LIKE simple!

 

Do you think it's a technique that I could use on the canal? I normally try to target perch (my favourite fish - PB currently 2lb 14oz), but there are one or two rather large carp on my stretch.

 

Janet

[shane]

Simple. I LIKE simple!

 

Do you think it's a technique that I could use on the canal? I normally try to target perch (my favourite fish - PB currently 2lb 14oz), but there are one or two rather large carp on my stretch.

 

Janet

 

 

try checking out www.carpforum.co.uk there is everything on there that you would ever need to know and some really nice people

shane

[Lesd]

Janet,

Wait for the summer then get those large carp feeding on floating dog biscuits (chum mixers etc). Once you've fed them regualry for days and days and they loose some of their natural caution they are ready to be caught ! When you do fish for them get them feeding hard before casting a baited hook (normally a couple of mixers of a size 8 with floating line would do the trick. overcast and gently draw back into the feeding area and bingo !!

Believe me this type of surface fishing takes some beating in terms of raw excitement !!!!!

 

Regarding your freelining and perch question. If you know where they lay up then a freelined lobworm would probably do the trick, you need to be in touch with the bait and strike early as they hve a tendancy to swallow baits real quick if they are feeding confidently.

 

Good luck

Les

[Janet S]

Thanks Les.

 

I know where the big perch are. I've been watching a particular stretch on the canal for a while now. It's beautifully clear. There's one I've spotted several times that I guess must go to well over 4lbs. I would just LOVE to land that one! I'm not too good at estimating weights with perch, as they seem to vary so wildly, but this is a BIG one. I've just been going up for a regular walk and trickling a few chopped worms/maggots etc in, to get the little bugger confident in feeding. I'll get it next time!

 

As for freelining for carp, no thanks! Well, not at the moment! I don't feel confident enough yet to land big fish. I've had a mirror carp from my local river, but it was only a couple of pounds. Very nice though! Remember. I'm still learning.

 

Janet

[Lesd]

Hi Janet,

Sounds tome like your learning fast; You already sussed one of the golden rules; best way to catch any fish but particualry large crafty one is to find them first and then feed them......then when the time is right and they are confident you can fish for them. A lot of people dont bother with either, rather relying on pot luck and chance that something hungry will just happen along !

A 4lbs+ perch is staggering large, that would be a true fish of a lifetime, so very good luck with your quest. If you were closer I'd love to come for a days carping in the summer to see if we could catch you one of those too !

All the best

Les

[Janet S]

Les,

 

Well, all being well, I'll have the chance tomorrow to see if my pre-baiting has worked, and try and tempt it. It the weather's reasonable, I'm going up to the canal for an hour or two. Just been out digging up some nice juicy lobs!

 

I'm going to spend the afternoon fishing about three hundred yards away from where I've seen it regularly, pop over every now and again to drop some chopped worm and casters in, then have a go at it towards the end of the day.

 

To be honest, I won't be too bothered if I don't catch it (this time!). I consider it quite a privilege just to SEE a perch that size!

 

One thing though Les, I do have concerns about deep hooking perch. I lost two last year - only tiddlers, but still not good. Is there anything I can do to prevent it, or minimise the chances of it happening, other than strike as soon as I get a twitch and risk losing it from striking too early?

 

Janet

[Lesd]

Hi Janet,

Make sure you take your camera in case you strike lucky, it sounds like your doing everything right so far. Regarding deep hooking, although perch are well known for it you'll probably find the smaller shoal fish are much more prone than larger fish. You also have more' room' to unhook a larger fish. That said the best way to mitigate any kind of deep hooking is to fish with some form of sensitive tackle, by sensitive i dont necessaryily mean lighttackle, more sensitive to movement of the hook/bait. Yoy need your bit indcation (quiver tip etc) to be in contact with the hook so you get very early indication. Long, slack hook lengths are the worse thing, shortish tight hooklinks are very sensitive. A paetrnoster rig (very simple but very sensitive ledger rig is ideal). The most sistive method of all would be the float,just off or tripping bottom. You'll see bites very early on both of these.

Go catch it lol

Les

[Janet S]

Thanks for that Les. I bought myself a feeder rod when I started, with several interchangeable tips which I've used for both legering and float fishing. I was on a very limited budget when I began, and I think my local tackle shop gave me good advice. It's been a pretty good all-round rod for a beginner to start with, and I've caught loads on it using both methods.

 

However, last week I treated myself to a nice John Wilson float rod and a new Shimano reel, especially for my big perch! (I'm turning into a tackle tart!) I don't suppose it'll make the slightest difference, after all, the fish can't see what tackle you're using, but it'll give me more confidence, and I think that'll help. Also, it's a pleasure to use! I'm very much still learning, but even a new starter like me can feel the difference with a well-balanced set-up! It had it's first outing last week, when I completely blanked, but it felt good! I've got more floats than Imelda Marcos has shoes, so I'm sure I'll find something to suit!

 

I do hope the weather stays reasonable. I don't mind a bit of wind and rain, but the section of canal I like to fish is very exposed and tends to get very windy. If it's not a very calm day then it's hard to float fish. The wind blows straight off the hills in your face and it's near impossible to keep your bait where you want it. I particularly want to float fish for this one - I find it a really nice way of fishing. I'm so glad you are of the same opinion! It's a bit difficult when you're trying to teach yourself to know if you're using the right technique for the fish you want to catch!

 

Yes, I'll be taking a camera! I've also borrowed some digital weighing scales, as I'm not totally convinced of the accuracy of the ones I have. I haven't weighed anything for ages, as I think I'll just KNOW when I catch a PB. I prefer to just get them back in the water as quickly as I can. After all, I'm not in competition, I'm out there to have fun! However, should I land this little beastie, it will be weighed, measured and photographed!

 

Thanks for all your advice.

 

Janet

[Lesd]

How did you get on ???

[Janet S]

Weather was too bad on Saturday, so it'll have to wait until next weekend now.

 

However, I had a fabulous day on the river with Martin James yesterday. I'm still buzzing!

 

Janet

[Barry]

Weather was too bad on Saturday, so it'll have to wait until next weekend now.

 

However, I had a fabulous day on the river with Martin James yesterday. I'm still buzzing!

 

Janet

 

 

Well? what did you catch?

 

Come on Janet - details........we want details

[Moley]

However, I had a fabulous day on the river with Martin James yesterday. I'm still buzzing!

 

Agreed with Bazza, that really isn't good enough, we require a full report please.