I've been struggling recently due to the very low river levels and last week was no exception. I had planned to go twice but after the first day I didn't bother going again, deciding I probably should start Christmas shopping, although I don't usually do that until Xmas Eve.
Anyway, on the day I went the river was the lowest I've ever seen it and crystal clear, so much so that I could see the bottom across most of the river and with it all of the snags and rubbish that was in there. I'll never understand the mentality of people who dump all manner of crap into beautiful places without conscience.
The day was tough with only 3 follows from unusually (for this stretch) small fish in the first 6 hours.. none of which looked like they were going to hit the lure. I made a move to another stretch that I've not fished this year which is generally a bit shallower, yet again hoping that the fish would be easier to locate in any deeper areas. That didn't really prove to be the case but after an hour a fish whacked the lure in shallow water. Unfortunately the strike met with nothing and all I got for my effort was a few extra slashes in the tail of my softbait. I carried on knowing that there were a few big slack areas towards the end of the stretch but, after the long trek, the river level meant that there was only a couple of feet of water in them. By now I'd pretty much resigned myself to a blank but I had a few chucks in each swim as I was there. I arrived in one of the very last swims which didn't look promising, very shallow with pacey water over a gravel bottom looking more like a typical trout swim, but on the second cast a fish hit the lure and I was finally rewarded with a pike.. not a big one at about 8lb but very welcome nonetheless.
This week has seen quite a rise in the water level but once the colour starts to drop out the fish should be well on the feed... I've just got to hit it right.
Wednesday, 18 December 2013
Sunday, 8 December 2013
Quiet Couple of Weeks
With the rivers dropping to summer levels and being crystal clear the fishing has been difficult for the last couple of weeks.
I fished a regular stretch one day without incident until a couple of upper doubles followed my lure in on the same cast, swimming side by side, which is unusual. Neither took the lure but a couple of short casts later and one of them hit it. On the scales she went 18.09lb and although I fished for the rest of the day on that stretch and another that was the only action.
A couple of days later I went again but the river had dropped even further and the fishing had got even harder. I fished a couple of stretches without so much as a follow! I fished one swim where two pike could be seen lying on the bottom in the shallow water but no matter what I threw at them they weren't interested.. in fact, they couldn't even be bothered to move out of position even after I dropped a big lure right on their noses.
I had made plans to go for the whole weekend with a mate but after a chat we decided it just wasn't worth the effort and expense so the plan was changed and we went to a beautiful stretch of river that I've been fishing for a few years on and off. This river has always had some cracking pike in it which can often be seen in the shallow, clear water but my last trip there last year was a bit of a disappointment. I had a few fish upto 18½lb but there was no sign of any of the bigger fish. This trip proved to be the same and was hard going for the most part. We did find some fish on one stretch on the first day though. What was strange is that even though we'd fished for hours without a take between us (apart from a 2lb jack for my mate on the first cast) we had two double hook-ups within 10 minutes, with the first hook-up resulting in two pike about 9lb then the next hook-up giving us two scraper doubles. Although I missed a mid double and had a follow from an upper double, that was it for the day. We'd decided to sleep at the venue so I knocked up a spag bol and we sat under a myriad of stars having a few beers and Jack Daniels, talking fishing and taking the mick out of each other. The next day proved to be similar to the first and the only concentration of fish we could find were in the same stretch as the day before, albeit in an area further along. I was first in with a low double and a while later my mate missed a good fish which he blamed on me for talking to him. A few minutes later he missed another which looked to be a low double. He wasn't happy by now and was speechless.. which is unheard of for him! I managed another scraper double shortly after before we went back for lunch which comprised of the compulsory bacon & egg sarnies, washed down with a couple of beers. We had a longer lunch than we'd planned so decided to go back to the stretch we'd caught from for an hour. My mate had a fish about 8 or 9lb on virtually the first cast as soon as it hit the water but that was it. We had met with the fishery owner earlier in the day and after a chat he said we could go and fish an adjacent lake so we headed back to give it a go for the last hour. On the way back I dropped into the swim where a good fish had followed the previous day in the hope that it was still there and on the first cast my lure got hit. Unfortunately it wasn't the same fish and one about 6 or 7lb came in. That was it on the river so we headed off to the lake, but after doing a complete circuit we'd only had one follow each from small fish so decided to call it a day. All in all we landed 10 pike between us, 6 for me and 4 for my mate, but it was tough going.
A couple of days later I decided to get out again but went to a different stretch to where I normally fish. This stretch is made up of shallow and deeper areas within the same swims so I was hoping that the fish could be found in the deeper areas more easily than on the other stretches which have a more uniform depth. Not sure if that proved to be the case but I managed to catch a scraper double and one about 6lb, although I somehow lost 2 or 3 other pike to hook pulls.
With the rivers remaining low and clear it is tough going at the moment and with no sign of rain it isn't going to get any easier any time soon but as they say, "you've got to be in it to win it" so next week I plan on spending a couple of days out on the rivers.
I fished a regular stretch one day without incident until a couple of upper doubles followed my lure in on the same cast, swimming side by side, which is unusual. Neither took the lure but a couple of short casts later and one of them hit it. On the scales she went 18.09lb and although I fished for the rest of the day on that stretch and another that was the only action.
A couple of days later I went again but the river had dropped even further and the fishing had got even harder. I fished a couple of stretches without so much as a follow! I fished one swim where two pike could be seen lying on the bottom in the shallow water but no matter what I threw at them they weren't interested.. in fact, they couldn't even be bothered to move out of position even after I dropped a big lure right on their noses.
I had made plans to go for the whole weekend with a mate but after a chat we decided it just wasn't worth the effort and expense so the plan was changed and we went to a beautiful stretch of river that I've been fishing for a few years on and off. This river has always had some cracking pike in it which can often be seen in the shallow, clear water but my last trip there last year was a bit of a disappointment. I had a few fish upto 18½lb but there was no sign of any of the bigger fish. This trip proved to be the same and was hard going for the most part. We did find some fish on one stretch on the first day though. What was strange is that even though we'd fished for hours without a take between us (apart from a 2lb jack for my mate on the first cast) we had two double hook-ups within 10 minutes, with the first hook-up resulting in two pike about 9lb then the next hook-up giving us two scraper doubles. Although I missed a mid double and had a follow from an upper double, that was it for the day. We'd decided to sleep at the venue so I knocked up a spag bol and we sat under a myriad of stars having a few beers and Jack Daniels, talking fishing and taking the mick out of each other. The next day proved to be similar to the first and the only concentration of fish we could find were in the same stretch as the day before, albeit in an area further along. I was first in with a low double and a while later my mate missed a good fish which he blamed on me for talking to him. A few minutes later he missed another which looked to be a low double. He wasn't happy by now and was speechless.. which is unheard of for him! I managed another scraper double shortly after before we went back for lunch which comprised of the compulsory bacon & egg sarnies, washed down with a couple of beers. We had a longer lunch than we'd planned so decided to go back to the stretch we'd caught from for an hour. My mate had a fish about 8 or 9lb on virtually the first cast as soon as it hit the water but that was it. We had met with the fishery owner earlier in the day and after a chat he said we could go and fish an adjacent lake so we headed back to give it a go for the last hour. On the way back I dropped into the swim where a good fish had followed the previous day in the hope that it was still there and on the first cast my lure got hit. Unfortunately it wasn't the same fish and one about 6 or 7lb came in. That was it on the river so we headed off to the lake, but after doing a complete circuit we'd only had one follow each from small fish so decided to call it a day. All in all we landed 10 pike between us, 6 for me and 4 for my mate, but it was tough going.
A couple of days later I decided to get out again but went to a different stretch to where I normally fish. This stretch is made up of shallow and deeper areas within the same swims so I was hoping that the fish could be found in the deeper areas more easily than on the other stretches which have a more uniform depth. Not sure if that proved to be the case but I managed to catch a scraper double and one about 6lb, although I somehow lost 2 or 3 other pike to hook pulls.
With the rivers remaining low and clear it is tough going at the moment and with no sign of rain it isn't going to get any easier any time soon but as they say, "you've got to be in it to win it" so next week I plan on spending a couple of days out on the rivers.
Saturday, 23 November 2013
Quite a Week
After catching such a nice fish earlier in the week I decided to get back out while my luck was in. Although the river wasn't in the greatest of conditions, with a bit too much colour, I was hoping to hit it in perfect conditions as the colour dropped out.
Unfortunately this didn't prove to be the case but after a lot of searching things came good in the end.
On Wednesday night I pondered going fishing on Thursday but the weather wasn't looking good with strong northerly's and north easterly's planned so had decided to go on Friday instead. My body clock had other ideas though and I awoke on Thursday at 4.30am! Shame to waste such an early start so off I went.
The fishing was hard and after 7 hours without a fish or even a follow things were looking pretty grim. I still had a few hours of daylight left so went off to a different stretch ever hopeful of a change in fortune. The river was still quite high and pushing strongly through but I came across a slack behind a fallen tree and sent my lure along the bank. About half way back next to a big clump of submerged grass a good pike shot out and smashed the lure, sending a spray of water everywhere as I struck, but the hooks didn't connect! How the hell did I miss that one I thought to myself! I wandered off gutted at missing the fish but encouraged by some action at last.
On I went, fishing every suitable spot with just one follow off a scraper double to show for it. Time was getting on and I was nearing the end of the stretch when a fish smashed the lure off the surface as I went to lift it out. I struck into it and the fish thrashed around on top for a while before I could get down to her with the net. In she went first time and I could see it was a good fish. I secured the net and left her to recover while I got myself sorted... with the weigh sling wetted, scales zeroed and camera set up for a self-take I lifted her out. After such a short fight and a rest in the net she was full of beans and gave me a bit of a beating up on the mat and as I leant over her, cradled in my arms, the loose stinger hook whipped past and caught my chin which started bleeding badly. No matter, it's only blood! After unhooking her she calmed down and went on the scales which went round to 24.14lb. As luck would have it one of the bailiffs came along at the perfect time and took a few photo's...
That was it for the day but plans were in place for me to come back again the following day.
Friday started pretty much the same as Thursday. The first stretch produced nothing at all so it was back to the same stretch as the day before. As I got to the slack where I'd missed the fish I was hopeful that she might still be there, even though the river had dropped about 18", and sure enough the lure got smashed on the first cast in exactly the same spot. This time she didn't want to risk it getting away and inhaled the whole lure. On setting the hooks she went berserk and powered all around the shallow swim, kicking up clouds of mud as she went. As she went in the net she looked a lot bigger than I'd thought she was when I missed her and on the scales she went 26.04lb.. exactly the same weight as the fish from another stretch a few days earlier.
This fish was in great condition and was very long. If she'd had the girth of a lot of the big fish from lately she'd be very big indeed. After a few quick photo's I held her in the water in the net but after a few minutes she didn't seem to want to swim off. I was getting worried a bit as I couldn't reach her to "swim" her back and forth to get some oxygen through her gills and the length of her meant her nose was pushed up against the mesh of the net, even though it's a XL size. Only one thing for it; off came the boots and socks and with trousers rolled up I slid down the bank into the shallows. I wouldn't normally have been able to do this (and it's certainly not recommended from a safety point of view) but I could see the bottom which was flooded grass. Bloody hell was it cold! I grabbed her tail wrist and eased her out of the net. I pushed her forwards and backwards about 4 or 5 times when I felt her kick, then with an immense amount of power she exploded out of my hand and shot off, leaving me dripping with the spray. Not sure if it was the net mesh restricting her breathing or whether she was just having me at it but it was worth getting wet to see her swim off so strongly.
This week's not been easy with the river not quite being on form but with 4 fish caught, 2 at 26.04lb, a 24.14lb and one about 11lb it has been a great weeks fishing.
Unfortunately this didn't prove to be the case but after a lot of searching things came good in the end.
On Wednesday night I pondered going fishing on Thursday but the weather wasn't looking good with strong northerly's and north easterly's planned so had decided to go on Friday instead. My body clock had other ideas though and I awoke on Thursday at 4.30am! Shame to waste such an early start so off I went.
The fishing was hard and after 7 hours without a fish or even a follow things were looking pretty grim. I still had a few hours of daylight left so went off to a different stretch ever hopeful of a change in fortune. The river was still quite high and pushing strongly through but I came across a slack behind a fallen tree and sent my lure along the bank. About half way back next to a big clump of submerged grass a good pike shot out and smashed the lure, sending a spray of water everywhere as I struck, but the hooks didn't connect! How the hell did I miss that one I thought to myself! I wandered off gutted at missing the fish but encouraged by some action at last.
On I went, fishing every suitable spot with just one follow off a scraper double to show for it. Time was getting on and I was nearing the end of the stretch when a fish smashed the lure off the surface as I went to lift it out. I struck into it and the fish thrashed around on top for a while before I could get down to her with the net. In she went first time and I could see it was a good fish. I secured the net and left her to recover while I got myself sorted... with the weigh sling wetted, scales zeroed and camera set up for a self-take I lifted her out. After such a short fight and a rest in the net she was full of beans and gave me a bit of a beating up on the mat and as I leant over her, cradled in my arms, the loose stinger hook whipped past and caught my chin which started bleeding badly. No matter, it's only blood! After unhooking her she calmed down and went on the scales which went round to 24.14lb. As luck would have it one of the bailiffs came along at the perfect time and took a few photo's...
That was it for the day but plans were in place for me to come back again the following day.
Friday started pretty much the same as Thursday. The first stretch produced nothing at all so it was back to the same stretch as the day before. As I got to the slack where I'd missed the fish I was hopeful that she might still be there, even though the river had dropped about 18", and sure enough the lure got smashed on the first cast in exactly the same spot. This time she didn't want to risk it getting away and inhaled the whole lure. On setting the hooks she went berserk and powered all around the shallow swim, kicking up clouds of mud as she went. As she went in the net she looked a lot bigger than I'd thought she was when I missed her and on the scales she went 26.04lb.. exactly the same weight as the fish from another stretch a few days earlier.
This week's not been easy with the river not quite being on form but with 4 fish caught, 2 at 26.04lb, a 24.14lb and one about 11lb it has been a great weeks fishing.
Wednesday, 20 November 2013
Back in the Game
After having my arse handed to me at Chew it was back to my usual haunts yesterday. It was freezing cold at first light with the temperature at -0.5°C and a hard frost covering the ground. The river had again dropped a few more feet and the water was gin clear which aren't good conditions.
I started off and on the third cast I felt a quick bump as a pike hit the lure but I think it only grabbed the tail as the hooks didn't go home, but it was an encouraging start in the conditions. Unfortunately that was the only action for several hours apart from a low double following my lure in 3 times but not taking it.
Lunchtime was approaching before I finally got a proper hit and a feisty fish about 11lb was landed. I was happy with this fish in the conditions but made my way back to the car fishing all of the available swims. As I neared the car I got to a swim I'd not yet fished, and which happens to be the swim my biggest fish from this stretch had come from at 24.12lb last year. It's a tricky swim as there's a tree lying on the bottom parallel to the bank that's about 60ft long! I'd lost plenty of lures on this tree last year before the water dropped and I could see what was down there. I made a couple of short casts and bought the lure over the tree. On the third cast the lure came close in, clearly visible in the clear water about 15ft from where I was stood when a big fish shot out of nowhere and engulfed the lure. I struck and with a big splash she was hooked. I could see it was 20lb+ so when she went in the net first time I let out a big sigh of relief. I secured the net and got my scales and camera ready, and asked the coarse angler in the next swim to come and take a few trophy shots. With everything ready I lifted the net and as she left the water she seemed to grow! She was a stunning fish in perfect condition and had been feeding really well. I laid her on the mat and noticed that the hooks had come out in the net! There's such a fine line between catching them and losing them sometimes.
On the scales she went 26.04lb and to say I was happy is an understatement. I sat down for a coffee and a fag and grinned like an idiot... this is what it's all about for me; seeing a big pike hit a lure up close and feeling the power and aggression of the strike.. it never fails to impress me.
I carried on and fished the rest of the day without a sign of a fish, apart from a small jack that followed the lure in but after a fish like that it didn't matter. Can't wait to get back again now.
I started off and on the third cast I felt a quick bump as a pike hit the lure but I think it only grabbed the tail as the hooks didn't go home, but it was an encouraging start in the conditions. Unfortunately that was the only action for several hours apart from a low double following my lure in 3 times but not taking it.
Lunchtime was approaching before I finally got a proper hit and a feisty fish about 11lb was landed. I was happy with this fish in the conditions but made my way back to the car fishing all of the available swims. As I neared the car I got to a swim I'd not yet fished, and which happens to be the swim my biggest fish from this stretch had come from at 24.12lb last year. It's a tricky swim as there's a tree lying on the bottom parallel to the bank that's about 60ft long! I'd lost plenty of lures on this tree last year before the water dropped and I could see what was down there. I made a couple of short casts and bought the lure over the tree. On the third cast the lure came close in, clearly visible in the clear water about 15ft from where I was stood when a big fish shot out of nowhere and engulfed the lure. I struck and with a big splash she was hooked. I could see it was 20lb+ so when she went in the net first time I let out a big sigh of relief. I secured the net and got my scales and camera ready, and asked the coarse angler in the next swim to come and take a few trophy shots. With everything ready I lifted the net and as she left the water she seemed to grow! She was a stunning fish in perfect condition and had been feeding really well. I laid her on the mat and noticed that the hooks had come out in the net! There's such a fine line between catching them and losing them sometimes.
On the scales she went 26.04lb and to say I was happy is an understatement. I sat down for a coffee and a fag and grinned like an idiot... this is what it's all about for me; seeing a big pike hit a lure up close and feeling the power and aggression of the strike.. it never fails to impress me.
I carried on and fished the rest of the day without a sign of a fish, apart from a small jack that followed the lure in but after a fish like that it didn't matter. Can't wait to get back again now.
A Tough Few Days
After the success of a few days earlier I went out again hoping for some of the same but things had changed somewhat. There had been some early morning frosts which were the first of the winter and the river had dropped a couple of feet. The fishing was hard all day but ended up with 3 fish.. one about 14lb, one about 11lb and a 6lb jack on lures.
A close friend of mine had managed to book a couple of days boat fishing on Chew a couple of days later and although it's not a place I particularly like or fish very often I thought it would make a change and of course, you're always in with a chance of a real monster sized pike. To cut a long story short, we fished Saturday and Sunday and boated 6 fish between us but the biggest was about 7-8lb! I had a big fish we estimated at about 25lb nip the tail of my lure a couple of times before it turned away at the boat but that was the highlight of the trip. Not what we went there for but there was a 36lb'er, 2 x 29's and a number of other 20's caught whilst we were on there. It seems that Chew is a bit of a lottery when it comes to fish location and you either drop on them or you don't. That doesn't really suit me as I always like to have a plan on big waters.
A close friend of mine had managed to book a couple of days boat fishing on Chew a couple of days later and although it's not a place I particularly like or fish very often I thought it would make a change and of course, you're always in with a chance of a real monster sized pike. To cut a long story short, we fished Saturday and Sunday and boated 6 fish between us but the biggest was about 7-8lb! I had a big fish we estimated at about 25lb nip the tail of my lure a couple of times before it turned away at the boat but that was the highlight of the trip. Not what we went there for but there was a 36lb'er, 2 x 29's and a number of other 20's caught whilst we were on there. It seems that Chew is a bit of a lottery when it comes to fish location and you either drop on them or you don't. That doesn't really suit me as I always like to have a plan on big waters.
Monday, 18 November 2013
Back on the River
With the rivers having been in almost continual flood, one of my favourite lakes having 15ft of water drained from it for repairs and another still 5ft down on normal levels it's been a bit quiet over recent weeks. I've had a few trips out landing a couple of perch to about 1½lb and a handful of pike to about 11lb so when the river started to fall a couple of days ago I decided on a trip. The anticipation meant I had very little sleep and was raring to go at 5am. On arrival I was very happy to see the water relatively clear with a tinge of colour, although it was pushing through quite fast... good conditions for this river.
I arrived at my favourite swim at first light and my big softbait got walloped on only the second cast. It felt like a decent fish but with a big headshake and an underwater flash of the fish it was off! Not a great start but at least the fish were up for it. I fished a few more swims then came to another favourite. Although the water was pushing through there is a small slack of a couple of feet against the bank and with the level quite high the vegetation meant the pike had plenty of spots to lie up and ambush from. This proved to be the case and within a few casts a good fish hit the lure hard. After a good fight she was in the net and was in perfect condition. She weighed in at 18.09lb which was a very nice start to the day.
I had a few more casts when an old chap arrived at the top of the swim, obviously wanting to fish it. We had a quick chat and I said I'd be moving along soon so he was welcome to it. As he started to set up it turned out he's been fishing this river for over 50 years and was a mine of information, a really nice fella, named Ken. I'd caught the fish within a few feet of me and there was still a big chunk of water I'd not covered so flipped the bait out again, further downstream. As it got closer a fish hit it hard and on striking into it it was obviously a good fish. It got closer and came to the surface where we could both see it was long, wide and deep and the lure was completely inside it's mouth. It seemed beat but as I reached for the net it decided to tailwalk, thrashing it's head from side to side, and as it did so the lure came flying out at me! I was left shaking and gutted. We both estimated it to be at least 25lb. By now a lot of pleasure anglers had turned up and swims were very limited. I fished on and managed another about 10lb or so, but the loss of that fish was still stinging. I eventually got back to the same swim and was having a chat with the old fella, who was catching roach, dace and bleak almost every cast but every now and again a pike would shoot out and nick one off his hooks on the surface. After about the third time he asked me to have a chuck in his swim to try and catch it. After a couple of casts a good pike followed the lure to my feet then disappeared into the depths. I made a short cast and as the lure hit the surface at my feet a big mouth appeared out of nowhere and smashed it, sending a spray of water everywhere. Unfortunately the hooks didn't find a home and an inspection of the lure showed that it had just grabbed the tail. Ken started to fish again but a few minutes later the pike nailed a roach he was winding in, attacking it like a broaching submarine.. very impressive! Once again he asked me to have another go for it and on the first cast downstream it hit the lure. This time she was hooked and after a few powerful surges she was in the net. Once on the bank her true depth could be seen and she was deep, but not that long, and on the scales she went 20.12lb, making up for the earlier lost fish.
I carried on and the light was fading fast by now but I decided to stick it out. I got to a swim I'd not fished as a coarse angler had been there all day and flicked my lure out, letting the current swing it into the bank. A couple of turns of the reel handle and another fish hit it. After an brief fight she was in the net and it was another good fish. Much longer than the earlier fish but her belly was completely empty. On the scales she came agonisingly close but after weighing her twice I settled on 19.15lb. Just one small roach and she'd have gone over the magical 20 but no matter, still a great fish. It was pitch dark by now so instead of setting up a self-take photo I let her go.
All in all a great days fishing which hopefully won't be the last if the rain stays away.
I arrived at my favourite swim at first light and my big softbait got walloped on only the second cast. It felt like a decent fish but with a big headshake and an underwater flash of the fish it was off! Not a great start but at least the fish were up for it. I fished a few more swims then came to another favourite. Although the water was pushing through there is a small slack of a couple of feet against the bank and with the level quite high the vegetation meant the pike had plenty of spots to lie up and ambush from. This proved to be the case and within a few casts a good fish hit the lure hard. After a good fight she was in the net and was in perfect condition. She weighed in at 18.09lb which was a very nice start to the day.
I had a few more casts when an old chap arrived at the top of the swim, obviously wanting to fish it. We had a quick chat and I said I'd be moving along soon so he was welcome to it. As he started to set up it turned out he's been fishing this river for over 50 years and was a mine of information, a really nice fella, named Ken. I'd caught the fish within a few feet of me and there was still a big chunk of water I'd not covered so flipped the bait out again, further downstream. As it got closer a fish hit it hard and on striking into it it was obviously a good fish. It got closer and came to the surface where we could both see it was long, wide and deep and the lure was completely inside it's mouth. It seemed beat but as I reached for the net it decided to tailwalk, thrashing it's head from side to side, and as it did so the lure came flying out at me! I was left shaking and gutted. We both estimated it to be at least 25lb. By now a lot of pleasure anglers had turned up and swims were very limited. I fished on and managed another about 10lb or so, but the loss of that fish was still stinging. I eventually got back to the same swim and was having a chat with the old fella, who was catching roach, dace and bleak almost every cast but every now and again a pike would shoot out and nick one off his hooks on the surface. After about the third time he asked me to have a chuck in his swim to try and catch it. After a couple of casts a good pike followed the lure to my feet then disappeared into the depths. I made a short cast and as the lure hit the surface at my feet a big mouth appeared out of nowhere and smashed it, sending a spray of water everywhere. Unfortunately the hooks didn't find a home and an inspection of the lure showed that it had just grabbed the tail. Ken started to fish again but a few minutes later the pike nailed a roach he was winding in, attacking it like a broaching submarine.. very impressive! Once again he asked me to have another go for it and on the first cast downstream it hit the lure. This time she was hooked and after a few powerful surges she was in the net. Once on the bank her true depth could be seen and she was deep, but not that long, and on the scales she went 20.12lb, making up for the earlier lost fish.
I carried on and the light was fading fast by now but I decided to stick it out. I got to a swim I'd not fished as a coarse angler had been there all day and flicked my lure out, letting the current swing it into the bank. A couple of turns of the reel handle and another fish hit it. After an brief fight she was in the net and it was another good fish. Much longer than the earlier fish but her belly was completely empty. On the scales she came agonisingly close but after weighing her twice I settled on 19.15lb. Just one small roach and she'd have gone over the magical 20 but no matter, still a great fish. It was pitch dark by now so instead of setting up a self-take photo I let her go.
All in all a great days fishing which hopefully won't be the last if the rain stays away.
Friday, 18 October 2013
Shocking
After an uneventful and very wet morning session on Wednesday I decided to get out again on Thursday to get my pike fix.
On arrival I could see that the lake had risen about 3" from the previous days rain and although the water clarity was perfect the fishing was very slow.. in fact, it was positively inert with not so much as a follow for several hours. I had my excuse ready and blamed it on the cold rain from the day before; the temperature had dropped dramatically on Wednesday and was only 6°C at 5am.
Whatever the reason the pike just weren't interested in feeding. I knew they were there and hoped that the warm sunshine and mild westerly wind might bring them on the feed later in the day after the water had warmed. As it turned out that didn't really happen so there's only one thing to do when the pike aren't feeding and that's to play on their instincts and annoy them into snapping at a lure.
I loosely call it the shock method when trying to explain it to anyone as you're trying to shock the pike into snapping at the lure, not to eat but to maim, kill or chase it away. The tactic is simple.. get a softbait down deep where the pike are lying and jerk it without retrieving too fast. Another way to do it is to jerk the lure off the bottom a couple of feet and then let it drop back onto the deck on a tight line, the same as when jigging for zander. A lure worked like this seems to grab their attention and they hit it out of pure aggression. It's a risky tactic amongst rocks and tackle losses are unavoidable but you've got to get it in their face so you just have to live with a few lost lures and leaders. As the pike are not trying to eat the lure, takes are usually one quick thump as they snap at them as they get too close and annoys them. I think they must try and spit it out as fast as they take it, rather than hold onto it, because takes can be hard to hit and you have to strike fast to set the hooks. Hookholds can also be a bit poor with the method due to them not trying to eat it.
Anyway, I started with the shock tactic and not long after I felt a hard thump at the bottom of the shelf as I jerked it upwards. I struck quickly and a decent fish started shaking it's head and twisting. It seems as though the pike are in as much shock as you when they feel the hookset. They often don't seem to know what's happened and initially behave differently to a fish hooked on normal retrieve tactics. The braid was doing a merry dance zipping around in all directions on the surface before I could get any real control but I got it up quickly enough where the pike started fighting normally. A couple of minutes passed before it came to hand and I easily slipped one hookpoint out from its tentative hold at the edge of its mouth. It was in perfect condition... I didn't weigh her but she was about 15lb..
The afternoon passed by and I managed a couple more jacks to the shock method and missed a mid double that took me by surprise as I lifted the lure out of the water. I just saw an open mouth appear, grab the lure and make a big splash as I tried to set the hooks, followed by the fish turning sideways and disappearing! A bit later I had another hit and a healthily fat scraper double came to hand.
Even with the fish completely off the feed I managed to winkle out 4 fish by the end of the day so if you find yourself in the same situation give the shock method a go.. you might just save a blank.
On arrival I could see that the lake had risen about 3" from the previous days rain and although the water clarity was perfect the fishing was very slow.. in fact, it was positively inert with not so much as a follow for several hours. I had my excuse ready and blamed it on the cold rain from the day before; the temperature had dropped dramatically on Wednesday and was only 6°C at 5am.
Whatever the reason the pike just weren't interested in feeding. I knew they were there and hoped that the warm sunshine and mild westerly wind might bring them on the feed later in the day after the water had warmed. As it turned out that didn't really happen so there's only one thing to do when the pike aren't feeding and that's to play on their instincts and annoy them into snapping at a lure.
I loosely call it the shock method when trying to explain it to anyone as you're trying to shock the pike into snapping at the lure, not to eat but to maim, kill or chase it away. The tactic is simple.. get a softbait down deep where the pike are lying and jerk it without retrieving too fast. Another way to do it is to jerk the lure off the bottom a couple of feet and then let it drop back onto the deck on a tight line, the same as when jigging for zander. A lure worked like this seems to grab their attention and they hit it out of pure aggression. It's a risky tactic amongst rocks and tackle losses are unavoidable but you've got to get it in their face so you just have to live with a few lost lures and leaders. As the pike are not trying to eat the lure, takes are usually one quick thump as they snap at them as they get too close and annoys them. I think they must try and spit it out as fast as they take it, rather than hold onto it, because takes can be hard to hit and you have to strike fast to set the hooks. Hookholds can also be a bit poor with the method due to them not trying to eat it.
Anyway, I started with the shock tactic and not long after I felt a hard thump at the bottom of the shelf as I jerked it upwards. I struck quickly and a decent fish started shaking it's head and twisting. It seems as though the pike are in as much shock as you when they feel the hookset. They often don't seem to know what's happened and initially behave differently to a fish hooked on normal retrieve tactics. The braid was doing a merry dance zipping around in all directions on the surface before I could get any real control but I got it up quickly enough where the pike started fighting normally. A couple of minutes passed before it came to hand and I easily slipped one hookpoint out from its tentative hold at the edge of its mouth. It was in perfect condition... I didn't weigh her but she was about 15lb..
The afternoon passed by and I managed a couple more jacks to the shock method and missed a mid double that took me by surprise as I lifted the lure out of the water. I just saw an open mouth appear, grab the lure and make a big splash as I tried to set the hooks, followed by the fish turning sideways and disappearing! A bit later I had another hit and a healthily fat scraper double came to hand.
Even with the fish completely off the feed I managed to winkle out 4 fish by the end of the day so if you find yourself in the same situation give the shock method a go.. you might just save a blank.
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