Ultimate Fishing Guides & Tactics
For small fish sections and compact baitfish, a strong single hook is a straightforward starting choice. For whole deadbaits, a small treble or a combined single-and-treble rig helps position exposed hook points where they can work. Choose the arrangement around the bait and its presentation, then select the hook size. The important details are easy … Read More “Which Hooks for Zander? Choosing the Right Type and Size” »
Perch are excellent eating, but their small, firmly attached scales make preparation less inviting. Scrape carelessly and the scales end up across the worktop; pull at the skin without freeing it first and good flesh comes away with it. The easiest solution is to decide what you want to keep before picking up the knife. … Read More “How to Clean a Perch: Keep the Skin or Peel It Off” »
A perch bite on a mormyshka can be surprisingly easy to miss. The indicator stops trembling, straightens slightly or bends just a little farther than it did on the previous lift. React to that change and the apparently lifeless hole produces a fish. Keep working the rod without watching the tip and the opportunity passes … Read More “Mormyshka Fishing for Perch: Make Small Ice Jigs Work” »
November is a month worth keeping free for pike. There is still plenty of water to cover with a lure, the weed is opening up, and a short afternoon feeding spell can transform an otherwise quiet session. It is also a good time to fish with a larger pike in mind: prepare the tackle and … Read More “Pike Fishing in November: Where to Cast and How to Work Your Lures” »
A softbait that keeps swimming when you slow the retrieve right down is a valuable thing to have in a pike box. Add a supple body and an attractive scent, and you have a lure that deserves to be fished with confidence along a reed edge, over a weed bed or down the side of … Read More “Best Scented Soft Baits for Pike: Our Top 10 Picks” »
A small metal spoon disappears beneath the ice. The angler gives it a few lifts, feels a sudden knock and brings up a young pike. Not quite the fish he was hoping for. He changes to a compact balance jig, drops it into the next hole and, before he can even begin working the lure, … Read More “First Ice Perch Fishing: Where to Find Fish and How to Catch Them” »
December is an exciting time for pike fishing, although the experience can be very different depending on where you live. In northern Europe, anglers may already be drilling holes through frozen lakes, lowering balancing jigs and watching for raised tip-up flags. Meanwhile, across Britain and much of western Europe, spinning rods are still in regular … Read More “December Pike Fishing: Finding Fish as Winter Sets In” »
Pike are among the most exciting predators to target during winter. These powerful fish can put up an impressive fight even in freezing conditions, and the possibility of hooking a trophy is one of the reasons anglers venture onto frozen lakes year after year. Another attraction of winter pike fishing is that these predators remain … Read More “Ice Fishing for Pike: Tip-Ups, Lures and Winter Locations” »
Winter fishing can be full of surprises. One moment you are patiently working your lure beneath the ice, and the next a perch, roach, or bream takes the bait. The last thing you want at that moment is to lose your fish because of a poorly tied knot. The mormyshka is one of the most … Read More “How to Tie a Mormyshka to Fishing Line” »
In many regions, March can still offer a window to target zander before local spawning restrictions come into force. During this period, you have a chance to target zander on jigs and scratch that itch after waiting all winter for the open-water season. Why jigging? Because it is simply the most effective method for catching … Read More “Zander Jigging in March: Early Spring Tactics and Lures” »
