Casting on the other side.

Today the weather was relatively mild and overcast with the heavy winds of late dying down, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity for some perch fishing. I have been getting sidetracked from them because of the pike and they have been difficult as well so far this season. But as I remember I had good results on them last year at about this time, thus I need to persevere!
I got my UL dropshotting gear and headed to the usual hotspots. On my arrival the water was slightly murky and at the first spot there was someone else fishing for pike with heavier gear. After waiting for a bit and while getting some nibbles on the lure, he moved on and I casted where he was fishing before. I was fishing a wire Knot2Kinnky dropshot rig with an 8cm Savagear soft 4play and it wasn't long before I got a strong bite and after a lovely fight landed the culprit. A small jack only but they really fight hard on this gear..

Scrappy jack!

Shortly after I got another good bite but the fish let go. I moved towards a bridge with lots of moored barges around it and again there were some other anglers fishing on my 'good' spots. I casted towards a boat and got some perch like bites but no hookups and knew the fish were there.
The perch on that stretch tend to hide under the barges and very close to the canal walls but the other anglers seemed to overlook these areas and were instead casting all the time on the opposite bank of the canal.. As soon as they moved further down I made a cast just under where they were before and got a solid take and fish on. It gave a good account of itself and I thought it was another jack but instead I saw a nice perch come to the surface. It was promptly netted and released.
Another cast on the next spot between two barges saw another one come out albeit smaller and roughed-up!

'Stollen' perch!

A little one.

Been in the rough areas..

By know it was getting late and I had to call it a day, but it was a very enjoyable short session and I hope that the perch get more active and numerous in the coming weeks. It was apparent that the fish wanted the slower, finesse presentation today and also the lighter gear. I was very surprised though that anglers still overlook the classic fish-holding areas on the canals and get stuck with the notion that the fish are on the other side and not under their feet!

Tight lines and fish close as well!


Gear used:
Rod: Awa Shima Qlite spin, 1-5g, 2.40m
Reel: Tica Libra 2500fd
Mainline: Toray Bottom Attacker Fluorocarbon, 3lbs
Rig: dropshot
lure:savagear soft 4play 8cm

Piking in the rain...

Today I managed to go for a session on a south Cumbrian canal that I knew for a while it held a good number of pike and some decent sized ones at that. I wanted to test a slightly different presentation that I was hoping it would give me the edge and help me get more bites. I used a 13cm Savagear soft 4play mounted on the offset hooks meant for them, but with only one of the little weights on the hook and the addition of a spinner/flasher and a treble hook. Thus I was hoping that I could fish the lure relatively close to the bottom having good control due to the slow sink rate but also gain attractiveness by the flasher/spinner and a much better catch rate than just the offset hook.

Pimped out soft 4play!

The weather was cloudy with some wind and rain coming later, so I had to hurry-up.
I started fishing near some sunken trees and vegetation by flipping the lure under the branches (very easy to flip-cast this lure) and letting it sink to the bottom. I then retrieved slowly with plenty of pauses and short double jerks of the rod tip. As I paused near a branch and the lure was sinking I felt a sharp bite and I struck into a fish. After a spirited fight I landed the first pike and weigh it at 3kg.

Not big but very welcome!

 I continued walking and casting at all the features I saw, especially the ones near deeper water and after a few more casts I got the same style of take on the paused lure as before. Once more I struck hard and I had a good weight on the end of the line. This time the fish was slightly bigger and put up a better fight but again got it in rather quickly as I was using beefier tackle. I tried to weight this fish too but discovered that the wet weighing sling had gone over the cheap scales in my pocket and got it all wet and messed up! Anyway I estimated the fish about a pound or two heavier and put her back in the water quickly..

Nice plump pike.

By this time the rain started pouring and even though I continued to fish and was determined to persevere as the fish seemed very active due to the way they took the lure, I got a call from a friend regarding business and had to cut the session short. I will definitely come back to this canal as I'm sure there are better fish swimming in it. The lure presentation seemed to work well here and I need to try again for tweaks and improvements on it.
On the Lancaster canal things have slowly started to improve as the baitfish seem shoaled up in the usual areas and some decent perch have been seen. The larger pike have been shy at my usual spots but then again I haven't managed to devote as much time for them as last year.

Slightly better fish showing.

Little jack..

Baitfish-holding features..

A nice short session that could've been more productive as the fish were very active  but it was still good to be out and catching some fish! Hope the weather doesn't get any worse so that I could go fish for longer next time..

Thanks for reading!

Gear used.
Rod: Mikado Royal Edition Spin, 2.40m, 15-35g
Reel: Shimano Stradic GTM 4000
Mainline: Daiwa Tournament 8 braid, homemade Knot2Kinky 20lb trace
Lures: Savagear soft 4play

First fish of 2014.

Happy New Year to all and hopefully it will be a good one fishing-wise..
A couple days ago on my day off I ventured on my first fishing trip for 2014. I visited the Lancaster canal on its middle reaches hoping to get some perch and pike. The weather has been horrible with constant rain but I was optimistic. The canal was pretty murky and the water high after all that rain and it kept raining at times throughout the session.  I started with the usual soft plastics but after working my way for more than a mile without a touch, I switched to a silver-white spinnerbait thinking that the vibration and flash might help the fish find the lure in the murky water. After some more casts I reached a spot that has previously given me fish.
I made a good cast and retrieved slowly above the bottom, bringing it to my feet I saw a silhouette dart and hit the lure with force! The fish was only a jack and after a short tussle I landed it.

Small but aggressive!

After this fish I persevered but got no more bites and decided to go home. I got my adrenaline hit with the savage take and also my first fish of the year so that's me happy!
Can't wait for the weather to settle a bit and go back again. ..

Thanks for reading and best wishes for a fruitful fishing year!

Dimitrios