Wednesday 4 December 2013

Reservoir Pike Part One.


 With my Pike challenge well and truly under way, I decided it was high time that I attempted some reservoirs in my search target species, my search today bought me to North London which for me was only a short journey to the other side of the Thames by tube, the morning rush-hour chaos was what I wanted to avoid but on this occasion I didn't get that opportunity, so I crammed myself on-board, neatly packed like a tin of sardines and off to Tottenham I went.

 I arrived at the fishery to meet my recent piking partner Brian the creator of "Jack's Pike", who was to join me at attempting to bank one of the not so famous Walthamstow Pike, the fishery is vast and houses just under a dozen reservoirs in total, a massive amount of water to find a couple of feeding Pike, the odds of catching were very slim but we gave it a good go anyway, we both started using dead-baits and lures in search of them and we spent over 5 hours of unsuccessful hunting, but we were buoyed by the fact I spotted three Pike in different swims but they weren't feeding, in one of the swims though I did spot a couple of shapes on the bottom so as the Esox weren't biting in that particular swim I thought of changing one rod to a trotting set-up and baited it with bread, the first couple of casts didn't raise any interest but the third cast down and the float buried itself and I was in.

This is just one of them and just over half way up.

 My initial thought was Chub but after 20 seconds it was very uncharacteristic fight for a skelly and it wasn't long before I saw the culprit..........a Rainbow Trout !!, my gosh I have had some surprises in angling but this one has topped it I think, after a very stout fight on pretty heavy gear, a Trout laid in the net resting, fishing never ceases to amaze as to what might come next.

My PB Rainbow, photography by Brian.
 Not to mention it was a Personal Best Rainbow Trout too, I was chuffed to bits as it was one I had no idea I would be breaking any time soon. 3lbs 2oz. Get in!

 That was exciting and it wasn't even a Pike, I kept it in the net to revive it, so Brian could have a look and prepare it to go back and live another day as: one I hadn't paid to fish and take the Trout and second was the fact that I will always release fish unless there is a strict keep what you catch policy, regardless of how nice it may taste for supper. After that strange event we paired up and started fishing adjacent swims to work the best out of each one and we didn't get another sign of life until an hour before dusk.

 I had 1 rod out with a dead Roach fished against the wall and was lure fishing with the other, I was plugging away with my Rapala's for around 15 mins or so and as I finished a retrieve I looked down at my dead-bait rod and couldn't find the float, then I looked hard into the water to see it being held under about a foot, so I wound down and after all our endeavour I had one on, a good sized Esox too, she powered down into the deep water and up to my left for a couple of minutes when she surrendered, a very short scrap so I knew what was coming next and it happened, I got constantly slapped up on the bank whilst Brian tried to unhook her and throughout it's photo shoot too, crazy cow. Brian followed with some cracking photography.

What a peach, perfectly formed but had teeth marks in it's back....possibly food for granddad. 



 Another double of 10lbs 11ozs, she looks a lot larger because of her length but she was very lean but it was the best marked and coloured Pike I've ever banked although that's not many it's improving all the time. Another venue another target fish claimed, I hope this purple patch continues, just like Arsenal's season, as I finish this we just won 2-0 against Hull City, thanks to Ozil and Bendtner??, funny character. Tight Lines All.

Sunset over Walthamstow and London town.


6 comments:

  1. Starting to think this pike fishing is easy James.
    Cracking rainbow too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers Stu, I wish Pike fishing was a little easier, a lot of effort for 2 pike in two trips, well worth it, but can't wait for the pike to really start feeding hard

      Delete
  2. James,

    This used to be my local venue in the late 80's until the mid 90's.I used to walk along the Lea from Hackney.Their used to be some nice Pike in the Coppermill Stream around the back of the No1 Ressie.

    Great silver fish and Chub too,until the Cormorants got involved.Their were so many the islands on the Ressies that had the trees stripped bare owing to the amount of excrement that was produced from the "Black Plague"

    I seem to remember a very large Pike in the angling press caught from the Coppermill some time ago.From what I'm led to believe the Lower Maynard may be your best bet today for a very large Pike.The Bream shoals and the size of the fish were huge.Not an easy venue,but it did/does nold some good fish apart from the Carp that most of the anglers target.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alright there, considering how close I live to Tottenham compared to say the Hampshire Avon, I can't believe I haven't fished it before, glad I have now, I'm sure some real big lumps still exist, food must be scarce due to the annihilation of the silver stocks by the cormorants, I did however find a couple of severed heads there of the Black Death, but unable to know whether they were culled or died of natural causes due to starvation and that is all that remains of the carcass, I will be back needless to say.

      Delete
  3. Some wonderful fish there James and that Rainbow is a beauty, congratulations on the pb.

    I did reply to you on one of my earlier blogs, where you said you wouldn't mind coming and fishing the Loddon. Then I realized you may have not seen my reply.

    You are welcome to at some point later this season or next and having spoken to my mum she would be more than happy to pick you up from the local train station for the days fishing and drop you off at the end of it, guest tickets are purchasable and also include the blackwater on the same ticket.

    Hope that is of some use to you mate.

    Kind regards
    Mark

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello there Mark, firstly cheers on the comment it was a genuine surprise to catch a rainbow trout, a PB to boot well, even better !.

      In regards to the Loddon and Blackwater, I would love to give them a go, it almost seems they both have substantial quantities of big fish of a range of species, I know the Loddon holds massive Pike so it may be a destination for me sooner rather than later, I'm just waiting patiently for the Cold weather to arrive and really get the Pike feeding hard, I'll bide my time until the banquet begins, and lastly thanks very much for the offer, I think I will take you up on it at some, time is such a valuable entity and in sort supply at the moment.

      Delete

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