loch allua pike

.red.

Hey lads.
I want to have a go off the pike this winter and i really have no idea where to begin. Loch allua is pretty close to me and seems to hold a few fish.
Ive only ever fished in fresh water once, a few weeks ago when i caught a tiny roach so i really am clueless.
Im not planning on spending a whole lot of money on gear as its not something ill do a lot of but i dont mind spending a few bob on whats nessesary. Ive a decent collection of sea gear and that will have to do. Ive a nice quiver tip style rod that cast upto 100g and a bass rod rated to 130g and reels to suit.
What do i need to get, what type of traces work best and what baits should i buy?
Theres a lot of info online but id rather get some from anyone who knows the lake and is willing to share some info.
Ill happily trade some sea secrets to anyone who wants.
cheers.

The other fella

I fish Lough Allua a fair bit. All the usual baits work but smelt and roach are my personal favourites.

The set up i use is a running float beneath an adjustable rubber stop, half ounce bullet weight with my mainline connected to a steel trace and a size 6 treble.Simple really.

It might be a good idea to rent a boat too as you will cover a lot of water.

I find that dead bait works best for me down there but the man who rents the boat has lots of success with lures and spinners.

The lake is gone a bit downhill the last few years though imo.When i first started fishing it it seemed to be infested with pike.Not so much these days though

.red.

Thanks for the reply.
Ill probably stick to the shore. I looked at the boat but its a bit expensive as ill be on my own.
Whats the craic with roach? Can i catch my own for bait and if i can is there a minimum size?

The other fella

Ya i think your allowed keep 3 roach a day.Better check that up though, im not sure.

A small mackerel or any other oily sea fish are also good baits.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

The regulations prohibit the killing of more than 4 coarse fish per day or having more that 12 for pike bait.

The other fella

Wilson Gentle Cigar wrote: »

The regulations prohibit the killing of more than 4 coarse fish per day or having more that 12 for pike bait.

Does that include frozen baits you would buy in a shop Wilson Gentle Cigar?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

The other fella wrote: »

Does that include frozen baits you would buy in a shop Srameen?

It does.
The CONSERVATION OF PIKE BYE-LAW NO. 809, 2006 provides for the following conservation measures:

It is prohibited to kill more than 1 pike in any one day,
It is prohibited to kill any pike greater than 50 cm in length,
It is prohibited for any person to have in their possession more than 1 whole pike less than 50 cm or more than 0.75 kgs of pike flesh.
(i) It is prohibited for a person to have in his or her possession more than 12 coarse fish for use as bait in fishing for pike
Where a person has more than 4 coarse fish in his or her possession for use as bait in fishing for pike, the person, in respect of fish in excess of that number and subject to the paragraph (i) above must have –
(a) Obtained the fish from a fish tackle dealer or fish bait supplier registered with the Regional Board in whose fisheries Region the dealer or supplier carries on business,
And
(b) Obtained and retained a receipt of their purchase.

.red.

Thanks for that srameen. Theres a little river near me with loads of small roach so might try to get a few of them.
How many fish baits would i want to be bringing with me and how often would i want to change baits? For sea fishing i usually change them every 15/20mins but i presume a larger bait like a small course fish would be left out longer?

The other fella

.red. wrote: »

Thanks for that srameen. Theres a little river near me with loads of small roach so might try to get a few of them.
How many fish baits would i want to be bringing with me and how often would i want to change baits? For sea fishing i usually change them every 15/20mins but i presume a larger bait like a small course fish would be left out longer?

Id usually keep the same roach on until it starts becoming torn from re casting it.
7 or 8 different baits should see ya through a days piking no problem.Sometimes when they are feeding well you'll need a few more though, but im sure thats a problem you wouldnt mind having

niallon

.red. wrote: »

Thanks for that srameen. Theres a little river near me with loads of small roach so might try to get a few of them.
How many fish baits would i want to be bringing with me and how often would i want to change baits? For sea fishing i usually change them every 15/20mins but i presume a larger bait like a small course fish would be left out longer?

Aside from conservation of stocks, which are in dire straits these days if course, I would suggest you'll fare better picking up bait in a tackle shop.

Most tackle shops do Pike Packs, my local one here does one for a fiver, has lamprey, mackerel, smelt etc, good variety and more than enough for a days fishing. Always serves me well

ch750536

18lber pulled out of there today. Awaiting pics.

.red.

That time of year again when I think about pike fishing but usually dont get around to it lol.
Anyone know what loch allua is like at the moment? I might head down next week and have a go.

One other thing, how far from the car would I be fishing? I know different spots will be different but just roughly. I've a dodgy back so can't carry much gear if its a trek so can scale it right back if needed. I don't like leaving stuff in the car.
Thanks.

Inchilad

.red. wrote:

That time of year again when I think about pike fishing but usually dont get around to it lol. Anyone know what loch allua is like at the moment? I might head down next week and have a go.

I see greg latour from the boat hire reporting a good few fish over 90 cm.on the south lake side of the lake one can fish really close to the car.bit of walking involved on other side.

.red.

Inchilad wrote: »

I see greg latour from the boat hire reporting a good few fish over 90 cm.on the south lake side of the lake one can fish really close to the car.bit of walking involved on other side.

Seen that a few big ones were caught alright.
TBH I'm not bothered on size, I'd just be happy with a few fish as I've never caught one before.

.red.

Tried loch allua today and blanked, first blank in a long long time but didn't really have much clue on what I was doing. I'll take a few lessons from it tho and have another go soon enough. Hopefully ill find a fish or two the next time.
Cheers to anyone who replied above.

Inchilad

.red. wrote:

Tried loch allua today and blanked, first blank in a long long time but didn't really have much clue on what I was doing. I'll take a few lessons from it tho and have another go soon enough. Hopefully ill find a fish or two the next time. Cheers to anyone who replied above.

Bad day for a blank!whereabouts did you fish?

.red.

Inchilad wrote: »

Bad day for a blank!whereabouts did you fish?

It wasnt too bad, I set up the beach buddy on the grass so was comfy enough.
Fished just after the mobile home. Bit of rubbish around and a few burnt patches of grass so it seemed worth a go!
Why can't clowns just take their junk away with them!

Inchilad

.red. wrote:

It wasnt too bad, I set up the beach buddy on the grass so was comfy enough. Fished just after the mobile home. Bit of rubbish around and a few burnt patches of grass so it seemed worth a go! Why can't clowns just take their junk away with them!

Ya its a disgrace.was involved in adventure race on the lake couple months ago and cleaned all that stretch. Broken glass,used disp bbq,cans everywhere.really give fishermen a bad name.

.red.

Inchilad wrote: »

Ya its a disgrace.was involved in adventure race on the lake couple months ago and cleaned all that stretch. Broken glass,used disp bbq,cans everywhere.really give fishermen a bad name.

It wasn't too bad, few clumps of foil, a couple of bait bags and a few empty bottles, mostly stuck in a bush.
I stuck it in the car and dumped it, took all of 2 minutes when i was packing up. It still grates me tho.

demanufactured

.red. wrote: »

It wasnt too bad, I set up the beach buddy on the grass so was comfy enough.
Fished just after the mobile home. Bit of rubbish around and a few burnt patches of grass so it seemed worth a go!
Why can't clowns just take their junk away with them!

Probably the reason you blanked also...