40 | 9 JULY anglersmail.com
OLLIE & ANDY
cimen legend Andy Little’s activities are more restricted than usual,
his fi shing partner, big fi sh ace Oliver Johnson, will keep you updated.OLLIE & ANDY
Specimen legend Andy Little’s activities are more restricted than usual,
but his fi shing partner, big fi sh ace Oliver Johnson, will keep you updated.Quickfire
predators
I
GRAB any opportunity I can
to get on the bank, and light
summer evenings offer a great
chance for a couple of hours.
With minimal kit, I’ve been
heading to my local River Test,
in Hampshire, and a small
sidestream nearby.
I had predators in mind
and, having seen some pike
on a recent trip, I was hopeful
of some lively sport, with the
chance of a perch or two as the
light faded.
Summer pike fi shing can stir
controversy, but by now they
have spawned and are readily
catchable. Takes are often
explosive and fi ghts acrobatic,
so I’m happy to fi sh for them as
long as the tackle and methods
are suitable, and fi sh are
returned as quickly as possible.
One of the biggest concerns
is the potential for
deep-hooking, so I’ll avoid a
static bait or anything anchored
to the bottom, instead focusing
on more active methods. It’s
both more enjoyable for me
and safer for the fi sh.
I’ll happily work a lure, cast a
fl y or offer bait in summer, but
the main focus is being in direct
contact with the bait, whether
artifi cial or natural. I’ll strike at
the smallest of indications, and
would sooner miss or lose a fi sh
than risk any deep-hooking.
Having decided to baitfi sh, I was armed with a few
sprats and small roach, which
are ideal, as the bright silver
colour allows them to be seen
from a distance in the clear
water. They also enter the water
with minimal disturbance.
Summer pike can be found
in surprisingly shallow water,
and crashing a big bait on their
heads is a recipe for disaster.
They won’t fi shed them
static, but keep them moving,
either by trotting them under a
fl oat or by ‘twitching’ them back
through the water, allowing
them to rise and fall like an
injured prey fi sh.
My stout tackle comprised
a 9 ft rod, to make casting in
some of the overgrown swims
more straightforward, a reel
loaded with 50 lb braid, a
sliding fl oat and a wire trace.
Using such heavy main line
means that it’s unlikely I’ll ever
get a breakage. Often if you get
caught in a snag, the hooks
will bend out under pressure,
rather than the line snapping,
ensuring that no baited rigs get
left in the water.
Braid also puts you in direct
contact with the bait, so the
slightest indication can be felt,exaggerated through to the rod.
Again, this reduces the chances
of a deep-hooked predator.
As well as the pike tackle, I
had a short waggler rod and
a tub of lobworms, to target
perch. And as they often
frequent the same areas, I
could cover both species in just
a few swims.
An abundance of roach and
several chub were working the
upper layers of the main River
Test, but neither perch nor
pike was spotted, as I walked
the banks slowly, so I decidedA return visit and
a larger perch was
landed this time.Float, trace and bait- everything kept
very simple.