Tufted ducks... help please.

Day Breamer · Apr 28, 2009

I am currently fishing on a water for Bream that run upto 12lb, but ive got a problem, tufted ducks (at least i believe this is what they are).

No sooner does my groundbait hit the surface then i am plagued with 2 Tufted ducks for the entire duration thereafter.

The water is upto 8 feet deep and quite coloured.

Does anyone know of any way around this problem on how to stop the ducks from constantly diving (and i do mean constantly)...

Its really frustrating, please help with any advice or tips.

And no i cant shoot them, but believe me if i could... /forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

NIGE K · Apr 28, 2009

some people use laser pointers i believe to frighten the ducks off you could try that.or put extra bait out so there is enough for the ducks and the fish.or dress up like a peregrin falcon and wave angrilly at them from a tree.

Red Army · Apr 28, 2009

Yes laser pointer or opening and closing quickly and repeatedly a brolly pointed in their direction may work..but if your baited area is far from the bank the success of these methods is limited and/or short lived /forum/smilies/crying_smiley.gif. So I'd suggest firing some big particle, pellets or boilies at them once you'd hit some of them hard enough in the buttit'll take time before they come back if at all...and doing that you're feeding your swim as well...sort of killing two birds with one stone.../forum/smilies/embarassed_smiley.gifsorry no pun intended /forum/smilies/big_smile_smiley.gif

Graham Whatmore · Apr 28, 2009

Take a clockwork model tufted duck of the female variety and let them chase her around the pool while you are fishing. /forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

Poshpaul (Angling Trust and PaSC) · Apr 28, 2009

Bait a swim you don't want to fish first...luring said ducks...and keep on topping that swim so the Tufties are always interested.

Meanwhile fish the swim you intended.

If said candidates for a confit move over your main swim...you still have a second swim to have a look at before trying to lure them back to original decoy.

Mind you with yer Widgeon or Teal...that's an entirely different matter....... /forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

The bad one · Apr 28, 2009

Laser pointers are dangerous, some are illegaland many clubs around me have banned them. Rightly so in my view.

We stop tufties diving on our baits by putting thespod in their direction. They don't like itup em'

Richard Walker · Apr 28, 2009

I think it's part and parcel of fishing lakes for bream, carp and tench. The more bait you put in the more it attracts the diving ducks. I had at least 12 of them feeding on my bait day and night for a whole weekend. You just have to adjust the amount of bait you use as they will prob eat half of it. If you accept that they are there it will annoy you less and you can get on with enjoying your fishing.

LongMan · Apr 28, 2009

/members/images/55163/Gallery/plastic-owl-decoy-bird_0.jpg

Bivvy buddy!

Day Breamer · Apr 29, 2009

Thankyou for the replies, im not comfortable about using a pen to scare them, im not sure if the club would allow it either to be honest.

I dont mind them eating the bait put out, cos i take buckets with me, im more concerned about them diving down scaring/spooking/preventing the big Bream from feeding or staying around whilst the Tufties are diving...

Do the fish get spookedand move on when Tufties are diving ontop of them? i would have to guess at yes but i dont know, ive not had to encounter them on any otehr water before.

trev (100M bronze) · Apr 29, 2009

In one of the Korda underwater videos there is a bit when ducks can be seen diving and scoffing the bait, the tench moved in on the area straight away after the ducks had gone. Im guessing that because Bream are not prey for ducks that they will live quite hapily side by side and the same scenario would occur. If you can make your freebies small and the same colour as the lake bed the ducks will find it harder to see them and if they are small the ducks will have to stay submerged for longer and hopefuly the effort wont be worth the gain and they will bugger off sooner.

Day Breamer · Apr 29, 2009

Thanks Trev, i was originally using bright red vitamix packed up with loads of particles and ground pellets (i make it at home - Bream love it) but then got the idea of what you said about it standing out like a sore thumb so i added a bag of Swim stim betaine green, this made the whole mix a dark green colour and i thought would be less visible to the Tufties, but alas... they still came and dived and hung around all day.

Does anyone else have any opinion or experience on whether the Tufties diving non stop what impact it would have on feeding Bream or potential feeding Bream... i caught 1 Eel whilst the Tufties were diving, so they didnt seem to be too bothered, but theyre not Bream ;s

Red Army · Apr 29, 2009

<blockquote class=quoteheader>The bad one wrote (see)</blockquote><blockquote class=quote>

Laser pointers are dangerous, some are illegaland many clubs around me have banned them. Rightly so in my view.</blockquote>
They are only dangerous if overpowered and missused...just like cars.

Cakey · Apr 29, 2009

why blind the ducks they have a right to be there ?

The bad one · Apr 29, 2009

Red Army and quite frequently they are misused.

5 times last season members were told their membership was under threat if they continued to p*** about with the pens on club waters.

And three of the waters are under the flightpath to a major airport.

The bad one · Apr 29, 2009

Cakey an interesting point.

Anglers accused of blinding Waterfowl by using laser pens Says the RSPB!

Future headlines perhaps?

Red Army · Apr 29, 2009

If you ever manage to blind a moving duck yards away from the bank with a laser pointer make a claim to the Guiness world Record /forum/smilies/eye_rolling_smiley.gif

Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC) · Apr 29, 2009

Mr. Breamer

What you need to do is keeping shouting, "Oi! PIGEONS. YOU TWO PIGEONS. GET OFF MY LAKE YOU UGLY PIGEONS!"

The trick is to keep shouting it.

Tufted ducks are known to be very pedantic and will eventually feel the need to take issue with you. When they do, they will swim right up toyou and walk onto the bank. This is where you have to be very quick.

Before they can say a word, whip your landing net over them and scoop them up. Then tip them into a large cloth sack (you need this ready under your chair - don't let them see it or they may suspect what you're upto).

Then tie thetop of the sack and put it aside.

You are now able to get on with your groundbaiting unhindered.

I say unhindered. You will have to put up with their constant quacking and protesting that they are not pigeons throughout the rest of your session, but I think you will find that it is a small price to pay.

Don't forget to let the ducks go free before you leave or the RSPB won't be too happy with you.

Hope that helps.

Cakey · Apr 29, 2009

Red Army theres been bus drivers blinded around here and they move a lot quicker than ducks !

The bad one · Apr 29, 2009

The test done on laser pens have been calculated for human eyes not on ducks eyes. There is a world of difference between the two.

Greg Whitehead · Apr 29, 2009

Day Breamer, you simply need more bait.

I like my tufted friends. They tend to be very good at helping prep my swims for fishing. By heavy particle baiting for three weeks prior to fishing (gives me something to do at the start of the closedbefore the fish wake up) the tufties will clear back the weed and attract the fish with their repeated diving.

I have always assumed that the birds will attract the fish. This is probably what happens whenever there's an abundance of natural food, like a hatch or something - birds find it, attracting thefish. I'm pretty sure a carp swam into my swim at around 3am on Sunday morning cos the tufties all popped up to the surface at once and left in a hurry. Eaither that or a damned big eel....I had a few more liners after they'd gone, but no fish alas.

The two things to avoid are expensive bait - makes no sense if birds are eating a lot of it (I avoid boilies when the brids are about) - and hooking the little blighters, although that's sometimes unavoidable. Short hooklinks help here because if you do hook one then it can't swallow it deep (which wouldn't be too good for its constitution). Otherwise hooking them seems to do them little damage... the beggars are usually straight back on the bait after a brief sulk!

Tufted ducks... help please.

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