Basic Bushcraft Fishing pt 1

[Jaymzflood]

Personally, I would never eat things like carp/rud/tench/catfish or anything that was 'course' in that respect. Fish like that should be caught then released.

Carp to me looks too big and tastless to ever want to eat. Want a proper tasting fish? Go to your river and catch a 1lb brown trout, get him home stick him in a big bowl with lots of butter. Wrap the bowl in clingfilm and put him on for 7 minutes. When hes done, pull the spine off the meat, and thats as tasty as you will ever get

 

[Jaymzflood]

we used to go 'tickling' fish in our youth, my dad taught me, although I was not up to much.

very very hard to learn ! Respect to the people who can do it

 

[Dave]

The majority of river trout fishermen are catch and release nowadays, with good reason.

Trout season for fly fishing is April through Sept. I may take a couple out of the rivers, during the season, but personally I think you should have at least enough experience to be able to tell the difference between a wildie and stockie, before you begin taking out brownies.

Rainbows in a lake are a different matter.

 

[Quill]

It's interesting to read your accounts of fishing as they are similar but different to those in the United States. When I started fishing 40+ years ago, my father cut a willow stick for rod. Nothing fancy, no reel, but I caught fish. Now I have all kinds of equipment, but not the thrill as the basics.

 

[Jaymzflood]

It tends to be the case in Neath River that the stockies are always bigger. Saying that, I havent done much river fishing for a good 3 or 4 years, Think ill have a little stab at it again come April.

 

[jeffz]

Yep. It's good manners to get permission...

 

[pilotlight]

I don't fish as often as I used to, I find in summer the low water levels on northern rivers make most of them almost unfisheable.

The the stocks of wild brownies are low as well and I find fishing the stocked lakes not as exciting as small rivers, where you could be alone all day and see no one bar a few herons, roe deer and maybe an otter at dusk. there's more to fishing than just catching fish.

 

[finlay]

i fish a lot and there is a lot more than caching fish theres the bait and the rod.

 

[mudgutz]

Great read. Iv eaten lots of pike and from my experience if they are over 5/6 lb then I put them back as they seem to be too earthy and just no where near as nice as the smaller fish.
There are lots of small bones in em but well worth it and not too much hassle to separate on the plate or mouth. Never bothered with any other course fish but have seen carp for sale in Aldi or Lidle but couldn't bring myself to buy and try one being an avid carp fisherman.

I learnt to tickle brown's in a small stream where I grew up and as kids we used to cook them up on a camp fire after a hard days fishin. As most were pretty small a good way was to take the top off an empty can, usually a beer can one of us had nicked of our dad's place your fish inside and hold over the flames with a stick till done. Can almost taste them now,mmmm.

Another couple of ways we used to catch them was put a net or bucket up stream of a likely looking rock and run a stick up under said rock. This way was good but you had to be fast.

I took my lad and his mate out last summer to teach them but every time they felt a fish under a rock they would scream like little girls and pull there hands out LOL of cause when they stuck there hands back under the fish had long gone, doh. I caught one for them to hold but they still couldn't stop screamin every time the felt a fish and never managed to land one. He ask's all the time to go and try again for em so that's a trip out for us soon as it gets warmer here

Sorry for waffling on, I love fish and fishing

 

[deMaccusweil]

Hey buddy, old post I know but any chance of a description on how to successfully tickle?

 

[mudgutz]

Hey buddy, old post I know but any chance of a description on how to successfully tickle?

Hi De, I'll try to explain best I can mate.

In a small stream I rock hop and you some time's see the trout dart under a rock or just look for a sutible hiding place for them like the boulder my lad is dangling off in the first pic above.
When you find a likley spot put your hands under,one hand to the far left, one far right and get them as far under as you can. ( The fish will be at the very back so if you can't get that far in you'll never get em) Now slowly move your hands towards the middle. If your lucky and there is one in there, soon as you feel it you have to be fast and kind of gently jam it between your hands and the back of the rock then work your fingers under it till you have a good grip and then slowly bring it out.

Hope that make's sence, once you have got over the initial shock of a slimy fish touching your hand in a cold dark hole its plain sailing, sort of Anyway good luck if you try it, its good fun and take's a bit of skill rock hopping and not getting soaked

 

[dave89]

Hi everyone,

Im suprised so many of you havent fished

I found using a bomb (ledger) for fishing is a nice easy method all you need is a rod reel line a weight and a hook, i live in England mainly fish on rivers you have to remember that there is seasons for river fishing that differ from ponds. I find that i mainly catch grayling and brown trout on maggots and worm. Sometimes bread still works but i need this for my ham sarnies so not too pleased to part with it.

I got my first rod of ebay simlar to this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/8ft-Commercial-Coarse-Spinning-Rod-Reel-Combo-Mitchell-rod-omni-rear-drag-reel-/180987251786?pt=UK_SportingGoods_Fishing_FishingRods_EH&var=&hash=item2a23ae4c4a#ht_580wt_829

Its a good quality one and it won't break the bank, after learning a few knots (alot of you on here are masters of knots anyway) away you go, ive never actually eat any fish ive caught but its good to kill a few hours in a nice spot, and you see some great wildlife while waiting for that bite.

 

[leedsbrew]

top thread chaps! I have all the gear from years ago but just need to get a travel rod as mine are all standard kind.

 

[dave89]

top thread chaps! I have all the gear from years ago but just need to get a travel rod as mine are all standard kind.

i just use a standard rod, and dare i say iy strap it to the outside of my pack

 

[leedsbrew]

Good call! I don't use the walking pole holding loop on my pack so it could go on there! nice one! cheers

 

[dump of the stig]

Brilliant - thanks for making the effort.

As to Perch, my grandad used to say it was like eating cotton wool with pins in

Could some one please define where and when it is legal to fish? Seasons, private waters, rod licences (where do you get them) etc - it's all greek to me!

I think you must be thinking Pike! perch are fantastic eating (its only a sub species of bass) there amazing baked (if you stand them upright
on there belly with the dorsal up, when they are done you just shake the dorsal and 2 slabs of meat fall off, there beautiful,
Where on the other hand Pike is bloody awful, full of tiny bones and tastes of nothing.

Anyway my 2ps worth (its probably already been said but I cant be bothered to read through god knows how many pages just yet)
important one BIG HOOKS JUST CATCH BIG FISH! small hooks catch Big FISH and little fish.
To demonstrait this ive had a 54lb carp on a size 6 hook. and 25lb on a size 14 hook, both very big fish
being caught with something that's relatively tiny. Useful when you concider you can catch a fish of a few ounces on both sized hooks.

 

[Niels]

Perch are great eating. I've eaten dozens of rud too. If you fillet them and bake them with salt and pepper and flower they taste just like flounder.

 

[Dave]

top thread chaps! I have all the gear from years ago but just need to get a travel rod as mine are all standard kind.

The Shimano exage travel rods are popular, but expensive. [I broke mine within the first hour of using it on loch lochy...]

I have just bought a Ron Thompson Tyran telescopic spinning rod 9 feet, 10-40g for under £30.

 

[dump of the stig]

ron Thomson gear isn't actualy that bad these days, if its a catch anything anywhere kind of thing your after
look at lures designed for LRF (light rock fishing) tiny rubber lures with small jig heads of just a few grams,
these are twitched over the bottom, literaly anything will have a pop at them from sea bass too roach and carp
and obviously trout and perch. very cheap too.

 

[Dave]

Thanks. I know what you mean about the Ron Thomson. Technology with rods seems to come on so quick, that a rod made from certain carbon fibre, which would have been the top of the range, and uber expensive, just 10 years ago, is now as cheap as chips!
Ive actually got a load of those small grub lures, and ondex spinners, and other stuff, just havent got around to using most of it. Too busy on the fly!
Interesting to know that you can catch sea bass on them though.