Aims and targets for 2013

[Ken L]

Currently I'm thinking about trying to target bigger perch and chub on lures (biggest after 1 season 1lb 1oz perch and 3lb chub) so I'd like to aim for a 2lb perch on a lure and 5lb chub. Also Pike fish with weedless frogs on the weedy venues near me.

Bigger perch tend to be in deeper water and respond well to soft plastics on jig heads. For the chub, stick with spinners but don't drop below a size three. Surface pike among the lilies are great fun but I always found the poor hookup ratio with soft frogs really frustrating. If you can track some down, the Heddon Moss Boss will do all that the rubber frogs can do and more (you can let it sink into gaps and twitch it subsurface) and the hookup ratio is massively better than with lures like the scumfrog.

[redtail]

A 30lb carp / 3lb perch / 8lb Tench - one of these would be great If I get all 3 i will be well chuffed

yes, that would be a great hat-trick, I came close to a 30lb carp with one of 28lb 4oz in a match on feeder gear!

[redtail]

If you have chub around your area then have a go for them, the hit the lure like a steam train and the first things you know about the bite if the rod arching over and the line steaming off the reel! Very exciting fishing :-)

there's a club stillwater that has chub in so if it ever warms up I'll give it a go

[redtail]

To stop being a wuss and learn how to handle pike properly. I'm missing out on a lot of potentially good fishing because I'm not confident enough to deal with one.

 

A bit more thought into my early season 'barbel on the float' activities. Managed it just twice last season and it should have been better than that given the venues I have access to.

 

Nothing else springs to mind.

good luck mate, let us know how you get on

[Errrm]

Bigger perch tend to be in deeper water and respond well to soft plastics on jig heads. For the chub, stick with spinners but don't drop below a size three. Surface pike among the lilies are great fun but I always found the poor hookup ratio with soft frogs really frustrating. If you can track some down, the Heddon Moss Boss will do all that the rubber frogs can do and more (you can let it sink into gaps and twitch it subsurface) and the hookup ratio is massively better than with lures like the scumfrog.

Thanks for the advice, I've only had follows on spinners from Chub and caught them all on very shallow crankbaits (less than 2ft below the surface) retrieved slowly. The biggest chub I had a follow from (way bigger than my PB of 5lb) was with a mepps, it turned away :-(

[Ken L]

Thanks for the advice, I've only had follows on spinners from Chub and caught them all on very shallow crankbaits (less than 2ft below the surface) retrieved slowly. The biggest chub I had a follow from (way bigger than my PB of 5lb) was with a mepps, it turned away :-(

They're lazy if you're above them or across the current from them, and wil often turn away. If possible, try to cast upstream to the fish so that you iduce a take. The spinner is moving past them in the current and they either hit it or loose it.

[azrael]

catch lots of big fish

[redtail]

catch lots of big fish

lol, me too

[Guest Chris Perch]

yes, that would be a great hat-trick, I came close to a 30lb carp with one of 28lb 4oz in a match on feeder gear!

my best carp is 27lb I have had quite a few over 25lb so hope for the 30lb this year - My best perch is 2lb 15oz - and tench 6lb 8oz - fingers crossed to beat one of these this year I would also like to catch a decent size catfish having had my first one while carp fishing 2 years ago at 10lb (a kitten) also a double figure bream would be nice as 7lb 8oz is my best.

[redtail]

my best carp is 27lb I have had quite a few over 25lb so hope for the 30lb this year - My best perch is 2lb 15oz - and tench 6lb 8oz - fingers crossed to beat one of these this year I would also like to catch a decent size catfish having had my first one while carp fishing 2 years ago at 10lb (a kitten) also a double figure bream would be nice as 7lb 8oz is my best.

yes a 30lb carp would be nice, my best perch is 2lb 5oz and would love to top that, I fished the Ebro a few years back and my best cat was a lowly 35lb