Early Start To The Predator Season.

 This season I have decided that the cooler month's of the fishing will be dedicated to the pursuit of the predators that inhabit our waters, Perch, Pike and Zander will be my targets and hopefully I'll be successful in my quest, my quest will probably take me to rivers, canals and lakes, maybe even a reservoir of two.

 In all the years that I have fished I have never spent a prolonged period targeting the likes of the Esox Lucius, which for me is a very impressive species of fish and some challenges I would like to achieve is the capture of a 20lb Pike, a Zander over 5lbs and a 3lb plus Perch, obviously anything over that would be fantastic, I would love to be as dab handed at catching predators as my younger brother Richard, who has PB's to his name that are to be envied, Pike over 25lb, Zander at 9lb 9oz and Perch over 4lb 8oz, catching one of these species at that sort of weight would be target achieved, but I'm not expecting it to be an easy task.

 Although the typical predator season doesn't start until October 1st I decided to start my campaign early and I wasn't disappointed when I arrived at one of my local lakes for an early morning spin before work and had a take on my fourth cast and it reminded me as to why they are a great species to fish for as the take was fairly powerful and a good fight followed but after a short period of time I realised it was a Pike and I was fishing with out a trace so I expected it to bite through the 6lb line easily on their very sharp teeth, 4-5 minutes passed though and the jack was resting in the net, with just some pictures and weighing to be done.

 1st Pike of the campaign, at 5lb 13oz not a beast but great fun on my 6ft Shimano spinning rod.

 After I had the Pike and released my spinning reel jammed so I had to quit using it, so I went over to the cane rod and put on a waggler baited with a dendrobaena worm in amongst the overhanging tree's that line the lake, the ideal Perch hideout's and classic swims that I would expect to get enquiry's from but after two hours of trying the bright sunshine must have put them off of feeding as the sun was getting higher as the morning progressed but I was happy with a Pike, a good start.

The swim that never materialized a Perch, surprisingly.