Darren Jukes - Something New

This entry was posted on 25th September, 2018

I’ve finally had a go at drop shotting.

A year ago A customer of mine twisted my arm to go drop shotting with him. I’ve finally got a free day, so we decided to have a go. We decided on a venue; the waterfront basin in Merryhill, near Stourbridge, with a nice depth everywhere, and most of all plenty of perch.

This was my first attempt at it, so rather than go like a bull at a gate and buy all the kit my customer happily let me use some of his tackle. We quickly rigged up with some micro fry lures on our Advanta PS drop shotting rods and off we went. I loved the fact everything is kept simple and very you don't have to lump loads of kit about.

We are both very new to this type of fishing, so when I had my first nibble I was like a child at Christmas! It was apparent that there were lots of fish there; we just couldn't hook them! Finally I hooked a perch after a couple of hours’ fishing. Now, I’ve been fishing since the age of 14 and match fishing since the age of 16, I’ve caught countless amounts of perch over the last 20 years, especially on the west midlands canals. This fish was no monster - it was 4oz -but the joy and excitement it bought me was amazing; I’ve not felt this exited to catch a fish since I first started when I was 14.

So am I hooked on drop shotting? You bet! I’ve been out again this week, tweaked a few things as I thought the end tackle we were using was too big, so scaled down hooks and lures and bingo I sussed it. I had a quick couple of hours free, so went and had a chuck on the 10 lock systems in Brierley Hill, a massive hill that leads up to Merryhill; it’s a series of locks, with each lock system holding a basin, which have to contain perch; I wasn't disappointed; five perch all about the same size, 3-4oz, not monsters but great fun. It was a great couple of hours spent, and again I was like a big kid, with a massive grin on my face every time that tip bounced.

Definitely a great way to break up the vigour of match fishing. I'll be out again next week to try to beat my p.b