First Pike Trip of the Winter.

 Winter and Pike are almost inseparable, when you think of one you automatically think of the other. Crisp mornings by the river as the time ebbs away and the aching arm of a great days fishing is the ideal conclusion, not always reality but when the countryside that we are lucky enough to be able to enjoy lye just an hour or so away who cares, just love to be out and in with a chance to catch a fish of a lifetime. But there is also the opposite side to the beauty of our countryside, the town and city waterways which arguably hold fishing opportunities just as impressive as those unknown stretches that are seldom targeted by anglers.

 For my first trip of the season I fancied a short trip after work close to home, a quick scoot down and the rods were baited with smelt and in position, location of bait fish I feel helps with catching Pike on the Thames, seeing as it's so close to home I felt I had to give it a go and it'll be on my radar for a majority of my Pike fishing this season. The Piking pirate joined me for the short trip and it didn't take long in our 2nd spot for his rod to come alive, a small Roach was snaffled by a scrapper of maybe 5lb and not long afterwards my upstream float vanished from sight. A short fight resulted in a fish of similar size, between 4-5lbs....not a monster but it was action and seeing as by Thursday night we haven't had a frost yet the silvers were everywhere, with the silvers being very widespread I suspected the Pike were also going to be spread out.

 The theory sounded plausible but after catching my first I cast a new Smelt straight out on the spot of the first take, forty seconds or so passed when the float bobbed and then slipped under, winding down slowly I lent into a slightly heavier Pike which gave me a good fight, a few minutes later a nice Esox between 8-9lbs lay resting for a picture, before we could do that it flipped on the mat and caught my hand and gave me one of the worst raker rashes I've ever had, not very pleasant I tell you.

Best of the evening, twenties do call this home though.

 The short spell of action was short lived and after about another hour of trying to find some more Pike we gave up as a two-day trip down south beckoned, we didn't want to leave it too late to grab our forty winks!