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Articles by Robbie Northman
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #58
The Final Entry Well here we are, after over a year documenting my weekly fishing, we’ve reached the end… Of course, I’ll be continuing on with my angling pursuits, and new projects. If you wish to stay up to date with what I’m up to, head over to my Facebook or Instagram accounts – Robbie Northman. I’m proud to have documented my weekly fishing over such a time span, and hope these past articles have been enjoyable and helpful in your own fishing.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #57
Neon, Turquoise and Green I ended the final few days of the coarse fishing season in pursuit of perch and pike. It was an interesting end, the perch playing hard to get. The pike fishing, however, was insane with most days on the bank or boat producing an average of 20 fish. Despite the non-stop action from smaller fish and a few big followers, the average size was quite small, with most sessions producing just one or two low doubles.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #57
Neon, Turquoise and Green I ended the final few days of the coarse fishing season in pursuit of perch and pike. It was an interesting end, the perch playing hard to get. The pike fishing, however, was insane with most days on the bank or boat producing an average of 20 fish. Despite the non-stop action from smaller fish and a few big followers, the average size was quite small, with most sessions producing just one or two low doubles.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #56
Season’s End The end of another season of angling has drawn to a close. It’s a time of the year I enjoy, a rest, a chance to clean a very messy tackle shed, and to reflect. I slipped out for one final outing in the glorious weather on March 14th. A hard day, but a few pretty pike and a pub lunch made me content. It wasn’t a bad ending, I managed to put in a little bit of time through the final weeks of the season, to say it paid off would be an understatement.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #56
Season’s End The end of another season of angling has drawn to a close. It’s a time of the year I enjoy, a rest, a chance to clean a very messy tackle shed, and to reflect. I slipped out for one final outing in the glorious weather on March 14th. A hard day, but a few pretty pike and a pub lunch made me content. It wasn’t a bad ending, I managed to put in a little bit of time through the final weeks of the season, to say it paid off would be an understatement.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #55
Ten Minutes of Magic It was time for a day out that I look forward to every year. A visit from Kevin and Ken. I’m joined each winter by the guys, who make the journey up to visit me in search of a big perch. Last year proved challenging, with a few fish up to low twos. However, this year conditions were perfect. We decided to meet in darkness, preparing the boat, ready for a long motor towards the first spot. As daylight broke we set our course, through freezing mist and icy wind.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #55
Ten Minutes of Magic It was time for a day out that I look forward to every year. A visit from Kevin and Ken. I’m joined each winter by the guys, who make the journey up to visit me in search of a big perch. Last year proved challenging, with a few fish up to low twos. However, this year conditions were perfect. We decided to meet in darkness, preparing the boat, ready for a long motor towards the first spot. As daylight broke we set our course, through freezing mist and icy wind.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #54
The Girls Get It Done Having a free day, I decided to give some friends a call. I’ve been quite busy recently and struggled to find free time. Unfortunately, that meant I’d neglected a few good friends. It was time to make up for my absence. After a catch up with my fenland pals Adele and Adele (Del) we decided to get together and try to tick off a target fish… The magical 2lb perch. DAY ONE With an absent Del, Adele and I decided to tackle some local waters.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #54
The Girls Get It Done Having a free day, I decided to give some friends a call. I’ve been quite busy recently and struggled to find free time. Unfortunately, that meant I’d neglected a few good friends. It was time to make up for my absence. After a catch up with my fenland pals Adele and Adele (Del) we decided to get together and try to tick off a target fish… The magical 2lb perch. DAY ONE With an absent Del, Adele and I decided to tackle some local waters.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #53
The Year of the Monsters 2022! More like twenty-twenty wooo! But I’ll dive into that later. This past week of fishing has been somewhat incredible. I kicked off the week with some good old perch, with a twist… See, I was a man on a mission, and a bizarre one at that. As most of you know I’ve been learning my way around the use of live sonar. Lowrance ActiveTarget to be precise. For those that don’t know live sonar, I will explain.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #52
My Greatest Challenge Well here we are… blog 52! One whole year since I began documenting my weekly fishing. To say it’s been a challenge would almost be an understatement. But a challenge I’ve enjoyed throughout. More so than ever I’ve focused on consistency, to catch week in and week out across a multitude of species and venues. Through my efforts I’ve reaped many rewards, understanding lure fishing better than I have ever before.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #51
Submerged Treasures Mild weather, a little sunshine, and lightly stained water. Great conditions for a day afloat chasing perch. High but stable air pressure and mild air temperature increased my confidence. Earlier in the week I encountered a hard day saved by one beautiful fish. Now, having built a general idea where they would be holding, it was time to return for Round Two. When nights fall very cold with warm daytime temperatures I feel confident in a lunchtime bite.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #50
Back on the Yak Attack It’s been a while since I’ve fished from the kayak. In recent weeks, while on my travels I’ve passed so many neglected, under-fished waterways. Places small enough to overlook, but none the less likely hold some beautiful examples of pike. Inspired to break away from the crowds, I decided to go for it, take a chance, and explore what for me is uncharted territory.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #49
Active Targeting Another session with difficult predator fishing conditions, high pressure, gin-clear water, and not a cloud in the sky. I loaded up the boat mid-morning, fully aware that the day would be challenging. However, this time I’d packed my new toy. Earlier in the year I received delivery of a Lowrance ActiveTarget™ unit. It’s sonar taken to the next level, with Forward, Down and Scout™ imaging, displayed in real time.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #48
Back to the Night Bites In amongst my perch fishing antics, I’ve been revisiting those tricky, toothy, critters that often drive you to insanity… zander. Short evening and night sessions have been the main goal. Targeting them during key feeding times, and cashing in on a quick bite on my way to and from other venues. SESSION 1. FISHING WITH ROWAN I met Rowan at the Lathams open weekend months ago. A keen young angler, full of passion for the sport, Rowan’s been making great headway with the carp.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #47
Sweet Carolina Another busy week and one very interesting session, this time I decided to pay a visit to my friend Mark Murdoch from SPRO. The plan, to explore a few new waterways and drop by a few faithful spots on the way. I gulped down a coffee and loaded the car in darkness. A 5:30am start for me, and a fair drive to arrive at this spot at first light. Previous nights had dropped cold with heavy frost, today looked kinder on the hands.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #46
Ned Success Part 2 Two weeks ago I wrote about my experience using the new Ned range from Savage Gear. A series of four lures to cover all kinds of finesse perch and predator fishing scenarios. I wrote about two new releases, the Ned Salamander, Ned Cray, and how I fish with them. This week the final two lures in the range have been announced for release, and like the others, I’ve been putting them to the test for perch and other species.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #45
Dropshot isn’t Dead The dropshot rig, an old faithful, tried, tested, and adopted by many anglers over the years. A consistent method to catch predators, at one point dropshotting was easily the most recognizable light lure method. Anglers who had yet to try lure fishing would see the light bouncy motion and ask, “Are you dropshotting?”, regardless of the end tactic.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #44
Ned Success After weeks of referring to my top catchers as “prototype” or “test lure” we have a release date! I can finally reveal some of the latest lures Savage Gear are releasing at the end of January. Although much of my perch fishing is done with larger shads, creature baits and hard lures, when the going’s tough there’s one tactic that stands tall as a consistent catcher. Ned Rigging. Small buoyant in-their-face lures that often prove irresistible to lethargic predators.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #43
Late Night Bites To mix my fishing up I left Norfolk, opting to head out in search of zander. I planned on fishing a quick evening session before stopping at a friend’s and really going for it the next morning. I arrived at the venue about an hour before dusk, prime time for a zander or two. I rigged my rods, one with a dropshot, the other a shad, and began searching.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #42
Wet Weather. Short Sessions This past week we’ve endured rain, rain, and yet more rain. Despite having to put on wellies in order to reach the boat, I managed to get out on the water during calmer spells for a few short sessions. The variation in conditions this week proved interesting, with different styles of lure and tactics working on different days.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #41
My Favourite Weedless Perch Rig When it comes to rigs, particularly for perch, we all have our preferences. My favourite, which has remained at the top of my list for a long time, is the Jika rig. The Jika has been around a while now, yet I still use it on a regular basis. It’s one of the easiest, most versatile weedless set-ups to use. Today I’ll cover my Jika set-up, when I use it, and how I work it. What is the Jika? The Jika rig consists of an offset hook and weight mounted on a split ring.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #40
A Triumphant Return After a little rest and recovery from the weekend’s competition it was time to head back out on the water. The air pressure remained high, the wind had dropped, warm daytime temperatures filled me with confidence. It was time to get the boat out again in search of a few bites. I loaded up and set off on a long motor towards my chosen location for the day.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #39
The Zander Cup Last week I ended my blog with plans to try something new. Alex Mason and I decided to team up and enter our first UK lure fishing competition. ‘The Zander Cup’ at Rutland water. A team competition with a longest total length format. No minimum size and one target fish, zander. The goal would be consistency and efficiency. Catching non-stop would be the key to placing high in the ranks, and with some incredibly skilled anglers competing it would be a true challenge.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #38
My Fenland lure-caught double. A fish I wasn’t sure I’d tick off the list Night Time – Bite Time We’re back at that time of year where the days seem unsettlingly short. Light at seven, dark at four. All too often difficult to juggle fishing alongside many other commitments. Weekends on the bank seem busier than ever, difficult to find that peace and quiet. I often find release by fishing at night.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #37
Monsters Emerge It’s been an eventful week, many miles travelled across countless venues, with plenty of perch action and lots to write about. So where do I start? Let’s begin with the changing conditions and first leg of my journey. A weather front had set in, smothering England in a cloud of conditions that predator anglers dream of. A long high-pressure front has drawn to a close, replaced by wind, cloud, rainstorms and more importantly, low air pressure.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #36
Piking Problems Alongside tracking down perch we’ve been out targeting pike. Usually, October is a month full of insane action, aggressive takes, and numbers of hungry pike. This season has been a little more of a struggle. Pike numbers are certainly in decline, and with the recent approval of the great broad project, Broadlands’ fishing future remains uncertain.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #35
Perch Fishing – Autumn Tactics to Try Autumn has arrived, and the predator fishing has really begun to kick off. Last week I wrote about my perch sessions accompanied by the twins and their mum. With so much to cover, I didn’t really get a chance to dive into the tactics. So this week I’m going to cover the lures we used, alternative options, and why we use them and how to retrieve them. With some captures from the week that’s just passed. Autumn perch fishing can be challenging and fun.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #34
From Pike to Perch Another busy week began with preparing boat and tackle for some hard graft fishing. Rob, Sam (the twins), and their mum (Mary Ann) were due to visit for their annual holiday. This time I booked time off to join them. We planned on using two boats to tackle three Broadland river systems in search of pike and, of course, perch.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #33
A Start on the Pike With changing weather and time on my hands, it was time to set out after pike. My first session of the autumn. Last week I wrote about my autumn lure choice, now it was time to test the logic. I decided to head out with my friend Everson for a session on the boat. It would be my first pike session since March, and I was keen to get off the mark. Everson, however, had a goal in mind. Having caught great fish on bait tactics, he now wanted a big one on the lure.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #32
A Broads 20, tempted with a big tail bait Pike Plans Autumn is here, short days, cooler nights and happy pike. I avoid pike fishing on the Broads during the summer months, because boat traffic is intense and the water temperatures soar up. In recent times, anglers have become more cautious when it comes to warm water pike fishing.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #31
From Striped Bass to Sea Bass Two days spent on the bank with Joe. It had probably been the best part of five years since we spoke face to face. We had previously worked together in a tackle shop while Joe was undertaking his studies. I was pleased for him when he made the decision to move to the US to pursue his career, a decade ago now. But good friendships last over thousands of miles. After catching up on personal life on the banks of the Wye, I quickly shifted the conversation to fishing.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #30
Last of the Summer Chub Summer has drawn to a close, transitioning to autumn. Daylight hours shorten as the leaves display a fiery array of colours. October brings change in my fishing as I step away from chub, and turn my focus back to bass, and later pike. It’s not that chub can’t be caught on lures though autumn and even winter. But, with so much to fish for, I’m excited to change my target species.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #29
A Deadly Tactic For Chub For many years now my summers have been spent wandering the riverbanks in search of chub. Lure and fly have been my go-to tactics, accounting for numerous specimen captures. As seasons have passed, lure fishing for chub has risen in popularity, widely becoming recognised as a top method to catch these spectacular fish. More anglers targeting the species have created a demand, bringing new and exciting products to the UK market.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #28
Sea Trout Shortcomings A summer morning sat beside a misty lake in dappled sunrise targeting tench, with my good mate John Bailey. Crouched in reeds, watching pin bubbles, a wiggle of the float, time for concentration? For me, questions… Being an avid fly and lure angler it’s hard to stay quiet, especially when sat beside such a wealth of knowledge. I love a good fishing tale as much as the next angler, and from John I wanted to hear about his youth.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #27
Topwater Perch After exploring new venues on my road trip, and now back home, the urge to explore was still with me. Thinking about what to do next, I was a bit lost. I received a message from Rob and Sam, who were planning on travelling to Lincolnshire, asking me if I would like to join them, and just like that I was off. The plan, to target perch on some of the rivers and drains. Venues I had never fished before, and an opportunity to try new styles.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #26
The End of the Road Trip It was time to leave the South coast and head home. Not directly! Instead, I planned on heading up to Derbyshire to catch up with my good friend Andy Buckley. Andy’s a full-time fly fishing guide, and with a few days off, we planned on breaking his routine and searching out the lowland rivers for big chub. Unfortunately, the unpredictable UK weather systems dampened our plans as severe rain bombarded the region for the next 12 hours, leaving the rivers in a muddy mess.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #25
Wrasse Disaster – LRF Salvation Day Two of our wrasse adventure began, with rain and high winds bombarding the tent, laying waste to our morning’s plans. Changeable winds from a huge storm system would make finding safe areas to fish difficult. We scoured Google Maps for sheltered coves and bays, unable to find anything close by. Instead, we settled on targeting the mouth of an estuary on the evening tide, a prime location to catch a few bass.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #24
The Road Trip With the Sea Angling Classic at Hayling Island finished, it was time for the next leg of my journey. A two-hundred and sixty mile drive West into deepest Devon in search of the most beautiful fish I’ve laid eyes on… The Ballan Wrasse Wrasse inhabit rocky areas of coastline. They feed on an array of food, from scraping limpets off the rocks to chasing down goby and sand eel. Wrasse will happily feed on crabs and shrimp too.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #23
Perch against a moody skyline New Kit & the Sea Angling Classic AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY As I’ve mentioned in past blogs, I really enjoy fishing the Broads and other waterways from my boat and kayak, often using electronics to locate new and prolific areas to fish. One company’s products I’ve been really interested in is Lowrance. The easy-to-operate Elite series catching my eye.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #22
A day aboard a charter boat inspired me to buy more jigging metals Bass at Extreme Range Alongside summer chub I’ve been back out targeting bass. However, despite amazing clarity, a new challenge has appeared. Launce, mackerel and other large prey have finally arrived. My problem… to overcome, fish at long range. Aside from short feeding spells in low light, everything has been out at extreme distance. The usual crankbaits, soft plastics and surf seekers haven’t quite hit the mark.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #21
Chub: Trying to Track a Giant With the season well and truly under way, and the chub fishing steady, I decided to turn my attention to specimen fish. Up until a few years ago the chub fishing on my local rivers was truly amazing, with a number of 6lb+ fish to target. Unfortunately, our small Anglian rivers have been in decline. Over-abstraction, silting, predation and pollution are among many issues, and the majority of these large fish have reached the end of their cycle.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #20
Chub: A Lure and Fly Day The weekend approached and I couldn’t decide what to target. I had planned on fishing an estuary for bass. However, I received a call from a friend who fancied doing some fishing, I suggested chub. Everson hadn’t caught chub on a lure before, so that would be the target for the evening. I formulated a plan, we would tackle a tricky section of river close to dusk.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #19
A beautiful scene on the Derwent A Day on the Derwent I found myself heading to the Midlands for a day’s work. Travelling to that region, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to fish, so I got in touch with my good mate Andy Buckley, a Derbyshire fly fishing guide, to see if he fancied a day’s fly fishing. Andy was fully booked, guiding for the week, but he managed to help me with a pass on the beautiful River Derwent. A river I had never fished for trout before.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #18
A Start to the Season June 16th came, and for the first time in years I didn’t fish! The 17th passed by too, and with it the glorious weather. Enter the 18th, my time to shine. Throughout the day we were bombarded with heavy rainfall and awful conditions. Finally, as evening drew in, the rain eased to a fine mist, and I took the opportunity to fish. Clad with waterproofs, I set off, armed with a small handful of lures and a 3-10g spinning rod.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #17
A quality summer chub which took a crankbait Chub on Lures THE DAWN OF A NEW SEASON, GLORIOUS WEATHER, WHAT TO TARGET? For many years now my summers have been spent burrowing through overgrown banks in search of summer chub. My favourite way to catch them – lures, topwater and crankbait. Targeting chub on light tackle with small lures is heaps of fun, they are often visible, tempting and frustrating.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #16
I was thrilled with this corker A Clearing Coastline A new day, fresh tide, and gorgeous weather. We are back on track this year, aside from a bit of lingering May bloom, the coast is pretty clear. I received a very cool delivery this week, a rod that I’ve been wanting to get my hands on. The Savage Gear SGS8. It’s a collaborative effort between Henry Gilbey and Mads Grosell. Designed solely as a lure-launching bass machine. The most expensive lure rod Savage Gear have produced at £300, ouch.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #15
Magical Mayfly MASS HATCH OPPORTUNITY Finally, the wind has turned a 180°, temperatures have soared, and the flood water’s receding. While I’ve been enjoying targeting bass, the change in conditions has opened up a magical fishing opportunity, one that I look forward to every year. The mayfly hatch. Mayfly symbolise the very best of dry fly fishing. There are over 50 species in the UK, but it’s those big beautiful cream-coloured trout snacks that really get the fish going.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #14
Back to Bass TACKLING SOME VERY MURKY WATERS With the bass beginning to make an appearance, I decided to team up with my mate Lee Rackstraw. With two goals in mind, we wanted to get Lee’s first fish of the season ticked off the list, and in the process see if we could crack catching bass in terrible conditions. We arrived at the coast on low tide, once again the sea was in a terrible state. A nasty shade of brown with little more than four inches of visibility in casting range.
Lure Fishing with Robbie Northman #13
Carp on the Fly and Start to the Bass STARTING THE WEEK WITH CARP ON THE FLY With the tide times not fitting my schedule and tired of trout fishing I decided to mix things up, again! One of the young staff at work was keen to do some fishing, so I suggested meeting at a local lake to stalk some carp. We set off for an evening on one of my local fisheries. I’ve been fishing this lake for over a decade, it’s a small fishery with an old stock of carp, running into the mid-doubles.
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