Plenty of pike

Hello again, I hope you are well and have been out catching lots of fish. As for me, last week was great because I managed to get out on the bank on three separate occasions, in which I landed at least one fish each session. With the weather being cold, the target fish at the moment is still the ever illusive pike. Last week my local area didn't see a lot of rain, so the river has been in top condition. The pike are also feeding in preparation for spawning, so when has there been a better time to go in search of a lump of a pike?

On Monday last week I set out in the mid morning to an area where pre-bait had been introduced to try to hold the fish until I could get a rig out. On this rather mild day I didn't have ‘that feeling’ which anglers thrive on. I'm not sure what it was, however I was out, and fancied my chances of landing a fish. As the day passed by nothing happened, no sightings of any species at all. However, there was lots of other wildlife around to keep me occupied and keep my mind off the fact that I hadn't had a bite yet. Eventually, when I got a bite it was a screamer of a take and I could see the line shooting off to the other side of the river as I picked up the rod. After an epic battle, full of tail walks and daring dives towards the snags, the pike was subdued and it was in the net.

12lb 04oz

I was so chuffed that the pre-baiting had worked this time. After admiring and weighing the fish, and taking my pictures, I safely slipped her back into the severely cold water.

Unfortunately I didn't have any more action for the rest of the day, but I was happy, as always, that I had caught my target.

The next session saw me head to the same swim to see if the pre-baiting had lured in and held a bigger fish. Again it was a slow day, there was no indication of fish in the area, and not the best conditions but I was out and this time I did have ‘that feeling’.

As the hours passed with no action and several re-casts to try to attract a fish, I saw a huge tail brake the surface leaving a big wake; it was heading towards my bait. As you can imagine I was excited and expected a bite soon. Ten minutes passed, and my nerves where building. When my alarm finally sounded, it wasn't a fish, but a somewhat large raft of sticks which had accumulated around my other line as it entered the water. As I cleared the debris from my line I heard a single click of my bait runner; I stopped what I was doing and stood staring at the rod tip to see if it would show any early indication. Within a matter of seconds the fish had picked up the bait and darted towards a scary looking snag. I knew I had to bully the fish a bit to turn its head and keep it away, but that was easier said than done! I knew it was a good fish as it didn't come up to the surface and it hugged the bottom as it pealed the line off of my spool. My heart was racing as I played it; there was always the chance I would loose it, and I couldn't bare that thought. After a good fight, when it finally tired, and rose to the surface, I didn't waste any time getting the net under it.

20lb 04oz

I was ecstatic when it just pushed the scales over that twenty pound mark, and as usual it was safely returned, to fight another day!

My next session involved teaching a good friend of mine how to find, catch and handle pike. It’s very important to me that people who fish for pike know how to handle them, so that they can be safely returned. Although many people think of pike as creatures made for killing, with savage teeth (which they can be), they are also fragile, and need to be handled correctly. This is what I showed my friend, and he was very happy to learn as much as possible. He has only been angling for a year or so, but has caught the bug, and is loving fishing.

With all the basic knowledge I thought was relevant to explain, we set up our rods on a bitterly cold morning. I don’t think there could have been a better start to the day, because as soon as the first bite alarm was switched on, there was a fish on the line. With a pike on the bank we could have a proper look at it and put theory into practice, and my friend watched carefully to see how I dealt with the fierce predator. After a short amount of time out of the water, the fish was safely returned. The action didn't stop there; all in all we landed eight fish, plus we had three dropped runs, in a five hour session.  

Well what can I say! He was over the moon with the busy day we had, and so was I, to be honest. By the end of the day he was handling the fish with so much confidence that you wouldn't have believed that he hadn't landed a pike previously.

Until next times guys, good luck out there.

Tight lines.