Probably an angling blog from an angler currently fishing for predators using a variety of methods, but may well be fishing for other species as well.
Thursday 19 December 2019
Avoiding Pike
Last week one pond was frozen and the estate lake produced a blank on a cold and rainy day. Today I'm back at the estate lake and the temperature is heading towards double figures, but again threatening rain. Much to my surprise another angler was there pike fishing. A quick natter with him didn't fill me with hope. Over the past two weeks he'd fished for pike here six times and blanked on every occasion. We had a bit of a discussion on the virtues of stopping in one swim or moving about. Like me he'd found stopping in one swim had been the most productive in the past, but not by much. One thing he'd never tried was something I've been using again this season, groundbaiting with chopped up fish. I can't say it's worked so far, or perhaps that's what's putting the pike off.
I started with half a herring out in front toward the middle of the lake and a smelt on the near side besides an over hanging tree. Both baits were moved about during the morning, with little effect. In the after noon I change to a popped up sardine out in front. I tried wobbled/sink and draw sprat for a while, before reverting back to smelt close in. Neither of us caught or saw any sign of fish at all. We blamed the variable weather and wished the rivers would just settle.
After a reasonably successful start to the pike season I'm not sure what's going on now, but others are having an equally hard time on my local club lakes so I'm not alone.
My great angling friend John Richardson over on https://thetwoterriers.blogspot.com/ chops and changes his deadbaits. I tend to stick with what I've put out but twitch or move the bait after a while
Does either work any better than the other or does each have it's day? I suppose it's what you have confidence in. I've tried both. My usual sot of tactic is to leave one bait where it is and move the other or change the bait. It's a bit like moving swims. Some days it works, others you just get to blank in several swims.
My great angling friend John Richardson over on https://thetwoterriers.blogspot.com/ chops and changes his deadbaits. I tend to stick with what I've put out but twitch or move the bait after a while
ReplyDeleteDoes either work any better than the other or does each have it's day? I suppose it's what you have confidence in. I've tried both. My usual sot of tactic is to leave one bait where it is and move the other or change the bait. It's a bit like moving swims. Some days it works, others you just get to blank in several swims.
ReplyDelete