Summer pike fishing, good or bad?

15/06/2011 By Leave a Comment

Angler’s Mail have a news feature on Summer Pike fishing and via their Facebook Page have asked the question, is summer pike fishing ok or not? On the whole the replies are pretty much for summer pike fishing with the caveat that handling of the pike needs to be done with care and the pike needs returning back to the water as soon as possible. I would argue that when handling any type of fish it should be done with care but I understand the underlying message.

I think it would be a good idea to dig a little deeper in to how to fish for pike in the summer in a responsible manner so that we can all experience some of the best sport available with rod and line.

It all boils down to two things in my opinion,

Land the pike with the minimum of fuss.

  • Use dedicated/strong pike tackle, this prevents playing the pike for a prolonged period. Minimum 2.5lb test curve rod when bait fishing with a minimum of at least 15lb mono breaking strain line. In weedy areas I’ve been known to use stronger line with no obvious detrimental effect on my ability to catch. Always use a wire trace.
  • When bait fishing, strike early, do not “wait” for a run to develop, summer pike tend to be more aggressive and you run the risk of deep hooking which will prolong the time the pike is out of the water and will cause more stress.
  • Use a large landing net, this ensures once again that when the pike is ready to be landed it can be done so safely and quickly.

Return the pike with a minimum of fuss.

  • Unhook the pike while it is still in the net and still in the water if practical, if on the bank or in a boat then use an unhooking mat. If you must weigh or take photos then keep the pike in the net, in the water until you are fully prepared to take the shot.
  • Do not retain pike in areas which are shallow or in full daylight. If you must retain then use a dedicated pike tube or sack, not a keep net.
  • When it is time to release the pike, ensure the pike is completely recovered and swims off in its own time. Keep hold of the pike until it does this, do not just slip it back in to the water

I think that pretty much covers things, I started Pike fishing properly last season and had some amazing summer pike fishing sessions on lures and spinners, take note of the above guidelines and there really is no reason why you can’t enjoy the same. If you think I’ve missed something let me know in the comments, if I agree I’ll update the article.

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White bread banned as a bait

09/06/2011 By Leave a Comment

I stumbled on a Facebook post from Anglers Mail stating that a venue had banned white bread as a bait. At the time of writing this post there has been 55 replies already, some of which seem a little over the top, many believing it is stupid or that they will just continue to fish with bread as they have always done before. I haven’t read the full story, I very rarely buy angling magazines these days but I understand it is a private venue that has impossed the ban so personally I have no issue with it, the owner of the venue allows people to fish for a fee, the fish and the venue belong to the owner and they have every right to decide what rules anglers have to abide by, don’t they?

If you don’t like the rules at a venue then don’t go there, it’s as simple as that, no matter if you agree or disagree with the rules, they are there, deal with it and comply. Some commenters have stated that these kind of rules will lead to fishing being banned all together, in my opinion that is complete ignorance and is just a knee jerk reaction. It would be interesting how many people have commented with a negative view have even fished the venue anyway, my guess would be not a lot.

So my solution, fish rivers. I fished the Norfolk Broads rivers exclusively last year, not stepping on to a commercial water at all. If I want to fish a bait then I can fish it, in fact when the 16th comes along I might even go bream fishing with a couple of loaves of the ever useful white bread.

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British Perch record beaten with a 6lb 2oz specimen, good or bad?

18/04/2011 By 6 Comments

The fact that the British Perch record has been beaten (to be confirmed) with the capture of a 6lb 2oz specimen by Neil Stephen at Stream Valley Lakes in East Sussex is probably old news to most followers of this blog. I’ve had time to think about this and have debated writing a post at all covering the news, however, I’ve probably got a different view point than most so I’ve decided to post my thoughts anyway, read on and let me know if you agree or disagree.

Let’s get to what I see as the good part of this story first. Neil was using specimen tactics targeting Perch and succeeded in doing so. For those who have fished for Perch you will know how frustrating it can be, especially wading through what seems like a never ending supply of kamikaze Perch of a few ounces, so well done to Neil. Let’s now move on to the parts of this capture that trouble me.

The 6lb 2oz record Perch was full of spawn. This doesn’t sit well with me; let’s face it, without the spawn the fish would not be pushing the weight it was caught at, would it have beaten the current record of 5lb 15oz caught by Lee Brown from the same venue without being full of spawn? I’ll leave you to debate that.

Reports state that the fish is almost certainly the same fish as caught by Lee Brown, might as well name the fish like the carp fraternity do and then cry when it is found dead amongst the reads due to poor handling and being over targeted.

The Perch was caught from a commercial still water. Nothing wrong with that I hear you say and I agree to a point but it just boosts the now common trend of advising anybody wishing to target large Perch to pop down to your nearest commercial water where you can’t fail to catch them due to them having a huge amount of food supply and not being targeted by the mass of carp anglers so they grow large. How many people will be descending on Stream Valley Lakes to try and catch the same fish hoping it has put on an ounce so they can claim the new record themselves? Sounds far too much like commercial carp fishing to me, all to their own and all that but it is definitely not for me. So should record claims be allowed for fish obviously full of spawn? Not in my opinion. Could more be done on still waters to close down when the majority of fish are obviously spawning, probably?

I like to fish rivers and streams, in fact I didn’t even set foot on a commercial water last season (yes I still talk about the fishing season), don’t get me wrong, commercials are very convenient and have brought many more people in to the sport which is a good thing, however, I think the art of stalking, selecting a swim based on its apparent fish holding characteristics is slowly being forgotten. Once 16th June comes along you will find me on the banks of the Norfolk Broads Rivers looking for that big Perch, will it be a record, probably not but I bet I have fun trying.

Go on, after reading that you must have some thoughts, comments etc, get commenting below ;-)

P.S what about Sergeant Stripey for a name? Your suggestions too would be most welcome.

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When is the river fishing close season?

07/04/2011 By Leave a Comment

The statutory coarse fish close season is between 15th March and 15th June inclusive. It applies on all rivers, streams and drains in England and Wales.

A strange thing to post you say? Well, judging by the amount of people coming from Google ending up on one of my previous posts regarding the season coming to an end it’s not such a silly post after all. So now you all know and for those looking to fish the Norfolk Broads, the close season applies to all of the Norfolk Broads waterways not just the rivers, yes that’s right, even Rollesby Broad etc. If your coming on holiday to the area and want to fish you will need to look up the commercial pools for your fix. Until June 16th that is ;-)

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A list of UK based internet coarse fishing forums

29/10/2010 By Leave a Comment

UK coarse fishing forumsWith the summer months and corresponding warmer weather well behind us (it feels that way in Norfolk anyway) there is often a sharp decline in the numbers of people out on the banks, their fishing tackle relegated to the back of the shed. This is a shame as many would argue that pike fishing comes in to its own in the winter, not forgetting the great chub and roach fishing that can be had if you put a little effort in.

Anyway after digressing so early on what is the point to this post? It’s simple really, if your after a fishing hit but don’t fancy getting out on the banks this winter I’ve put together a list of UK based coarse fishing forums for you. Why not register and join in? You may even be inspired to get out on the bank after all, inspired by the catch reports from the other members.

Maggotdrowning.com
Anglers Net
Fishing Magic
Go Fishing
Talk Angling

For those of you interested in Norfolk Broads fishing check out:

The Norfolk Broads

The Norfolk Mardler
The Norfolk Mardler is a very new site so post count is low at the moment, if you live, work or holiday in the Norfolk Broads why don’t you join in on the forum and help get it off the ground.

That should keep you going for now, it’s amazing what help and advice you can gain from participating in forums, my advice would be to register, introduce yourself (there is usually a new members/introduction thread) and look through the most recent posts and reply to at least one of them if you think you have something to give. Don’t lurk, get stuck in :-)

Have I missed a forum? Maybe you participate in or run a forum I haven’t mentioned, drop me a comment and I’ll add it for you.

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7 top tips to improve your winter fishing

22/10/2010 By Leave a Comment

7 winter fishing tips

7 winter fishing tips

With the temperature taking a tumble over the last few days I’m already thinking about winter fishing and how to improve my catch rate. I’ve put together a list of 7 things that I believe will be the difference between a blank and a few fish.

1. Be Comfortable and warm

There is nothing worse than being uncomfortable when fishing, this leads to missed bites and less fish. Dress well with a number of layers, if it warms up take a layer off. Make sure your seatbox or chair is level, adjustable legs help here. Bait, trays and tackle all need to be close to hand, get this right and you’re off to a flying start.

2. Be patient

In winter fish very rarely come on to the feed immediately. Pick a couple of swims and concentrate on building them up, being patient and concentrating on building up the swims is key to success. Don’t chop and change tactics, choose a couple of approaches and stick to them.

3. Keep it simple

Don’t over complicate things, simple rigs and tactics are the name of the game. Don’t bog yourself down with a complicated approach, get your rig out there and get building up those swims.

4. Look for signs of fish

This is why you need to be comfortable and warm (see point 1). Constantly scan the water and be looking for signs of fish, swirling, topping and bubbles, get your rig over to them, this often results in a bonus fish.

5. Accuracy

Be accurate with your feeding and casting, spreading your lose feed over a wide area will not do you any favours and neither will casting to an area outside of your feed (see how being comfortable and warm is so important?)

6. Time of the day

I find that silver fish prefer it when the sun is up high so early to late afternoon is best, for those commercial carp try early and late but don’t take my word for it, do some research and ask others when the fish prefer to come on to the feed.

7. Research

Fishing is undoubtedly harder in winter than the summer months so don’t be afraid to get out there on the bank and ask others what is working. If you’ve sat on the bank and caught nothing more than a cold (because you didn’t take notice of point number 1) while the angler in the peg next door has emptied the place, ask them how they did it, what bait, what tactics, size of hook, diameter of line, get as much info as you can and try it yourself.

Disagree with my list, think I’ve missed one, let me know in the comments.

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Where have all the Norfolk Broads pike gone?

14/10/2010 By 3 Comments

Where have all the Norfolk Broads Pike gone? That seems to be a frequently asked question of late, whether it is on internet forums or in angling publications such as the October 5 2010 addition of Angling Times where Neville Fickling writes about the very question on page 4. The Broads Angling Strategy Group also organised an open day conference regarding the same perceived issue.

Many theories have been offered up, salt surges, over fishing, otters, summer pike fishing, young pike not being recruited in to the population and some people even pointing the finger at the small amount of pike fishing guides that operate on the Norfolk Broads. Maybe it’s the Cormorants as seen in this posts picture (credit to fishingfury.com) Some of these theories may well hold some merit, some on the other hand in my opinion do not but in my opinion I think the question needs to be re-written to “Where have all the BIG Norfolk Broads Pike gone?”. Why do I think this? Well simply put, I have seen many pike under 10lb this summer in some of the various Norfolk Broads boat dykes where the water has been clear enough to see them. I have witnessed them attacking the large shoals of silver fish that seem to be ever so prevalent this summer and I have caught quite a number of Jacks while targeting perch on small spinners, so to me, pike are definitely still around, even if they are of a small size.

Those of you reading the above paragraph closely will have noticed I mentioned the large shoals of silver fish and that I have witnessed pike (as well as perch) attacking them on a frequent basis. One day while free-lining a lobworm for perch along the edge of the dyke I was fishing there wasn’t 5 minutes that went by without the water erupting with bait fish, and that is no over exaggeration, it was an utterly fascinating spectacle to watch. So, if there is a huge abundance of natural food available to the pike (the small silver fish) does this make them harder to catch? In my opinion, yes it will.

There have been historical reports where summer pike fishing has not been that great but the autumn/winter season has been fantastic so let’s see how it fishes from now on, if one thing it should be interesting to follow. What I think we need to remember is that just because us anglers are struggling to catch them, doesn’t mean they are not there. Yes it should be considered as a factor when those who need to, make up their minds if something needs to be done about it if anything, but it shouldn’t be the only deciding factor.

Have an opinion? Let me know in the comments.

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The PETA and why you shouldn’t give their latest campaign a second glance

03/10/2010 By 3 Comments

Have you seen the latest PETA campaign that suggests those that take part in Angling may well be lacking in the trouser department? If you read any of the weekly or monthly angling publications it can’t have escaped your attention as the coverage of the PETA campaign was wide. The trouble is, and I realise this is my own opinion and others may disagree but I believe the only people who seem to be worked up about the campaign is anglers themselves. The more we give the campaign coverage, the better exposure the campaign gains. Much better to ignore it and take a closer look at anglers activities that are more likely to hurt our sport and if your wondering what I’m getting at continue reading to find out.

The size of our manhood being brought in to question is not going to make one bit of difference when it comes to banning angling, what will help put pressure on our sport is the evidence of poor behaviour from anglers that I have witnessed over the last week. I’ve been lucky to spend every day of the last week fishing in some form or other and at a number of different river venues and what I found in many of the swims can only be described as a disgrace.

My first issue is the rubbish that gets left behind in the swims, this ranges from plastic drinks bottles, crisp packets and plastic food bags through to sweetcorn or luncheon meat cans, all discarded on the bank or even thrown in to the margins. This is totally unforgivable behaviour and it upsets me that so called anglers feel they can discard rubbish in this manner. In one swim I cleared 14 different drink bottles and cans. I always carry a bin bag with me and will tidy up all rubbish from the swim before leaving, be it my rubbish or the numerous people before me, in fact after clearing a huge bag full of rubbish from a swim and removing it from my car to dispose of in my home bin I slashed my finger badly on a sweetcorn lid, thank you whoever you are who left it to me to clear up after you.

My second issue is the fishing tackle left behind, demonstrating a total disregard of the dangers this poses to wildlife, dogs or even people. At a popular weir pool swim I cleared approximately 20 metres of fishing line with a thickness I can only describe as being fit enough for Tope fishing let alone the odd 4-5lb chub that frequent that section of the river. On the end of the line was three swan shot and a size 6 hook. Just imagine the devastation this could have caused one of the many swans, ducks or other form of birdlife or wildlife that call the river their home, anybody who has witnessed a bird trapped in line will testify it is not a great sight to behold.

I could go on but there really is no need, the vast majority of anglers do not behave in this way, take an interest in their surroundings and wildlife and care for the fish that they catch, I very much doubt that those that behave in the manner described above will be a regular reader of this site, if you do fall in to this category, shame on you. It is once again the small minority that bring a bad name to angling, a fraction of people that I’m sure you find in all manner of sports.

So there you go, PETA are the least of our worries, we should be taking a closer look at ourselves. Agree or disagree? Leave a comment explaining why.

The latest PETA campaign can be found at www dot doanglershavesmallrods dot com (apologies for not providing a proper link I’m sure you can work it out but there is no way that I’m giving them a free inbound link)

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Angling on rivers is not on the decline. On the Norfolk Broads at least.

08/08/2010 By 2 Comments

While the national Angling press continue to cover stories of how angling on our countries rivers is on a total spiral to doom, I can tell you first hand that this is not the case for the rivers on the Norfolk Broads (specifically the rivers Yare, Bure and Thurne) where pleasure anglers are bagging up on some very large bags of Bream, Roach and Perch and not just at night either.

Over the last five days I have personally enjoyed fishing three of the Norfolk Broads major rivers, namely the Rivers Yare (At Brundall), Bure (at St Bennets Abbey) and Thurne (at Cold Harbour near Ludham), all during the day and at all venues Bream were a large part of the catch. Tidal conditions didn’t seem to make any difference either, having caught continuously on both the ebb and the flood and only seeing sport drop off for a time during slack water.

Tactics wise try a feeder approach for the Bream with sweetcorn, bread or worm on the hook, as long as the boat traffic will allow during the day or do the same at night after the boat traffic has died down. Otherwise a simple waggler or stick float approach should see you catching roach, skimmers, perch and even a surpise Bream or two, loose feed a pinch of maggots just before each cast and try running the float down no more than 2 rod lengths out and don’t be afraid to try out different depths to see where the fish are feeding (always being aware that due to the tides the depth int he swim will increase or decrease dependent on the tide flooding or ebbing away.

If your on your way to Norfolk shortly for a boating holiday then your in for a good time fishing, it couldn’t get any better. If your local to the Norfolk Broads and haven’t been out on the rivers yet, leave those muddy carp puddles for a day and experience some of the best river fishing available in this country which is directly on your own door step. Maybe I’ll see you there.

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