Last Throw of the Dice.

 For much of the season chub and barbel haven't featured much owing to my non-angling commitments and a winter targeting predators, so with no pressure on myself to catch I went walk-about, no plans to catch anything big, just to wet a net. First port of call was back to the carp shoal I'd found the day before but with the heavy rains the day before the chance of stalking anything had gone as even this reach of the river had been affected.

 Plan B was to be visited instead to salvage a little something from the day, this was to head on to another river and try for chub, the wind was a challenge in itself as I struggled to present a bait properly. As I begun it was clear to me that it was going to be a tough day, I hadn't even had a bite yet! For probably half an hour I smashed up loads of bread crust and allowed the flow to wash it along the run I decided to trot. With plenty of knowledge of this particular area I moved the float up and down to get the bait in the right areas of the run as a few snags had caught up on the gravel bar alongside a treeline on the opposite bank, this made for tricky fishing combined with the wind.

 For the next hour I continued to work my bread flake along the far bank before I got that all important dip of the float, "a fish at last" I said to myself as my 15ft Greys Toreon bent double. At no point in my visits here in the past had I struggled so badly, not sure entirely why but a fish was finally on its way into the net. Chub number one safely in the folds of my net. I hoped that would be the beginning of a frantic session having endured 90 minutes roughly of no action.

 3lb 8oz roughly, not big but a start and to be fair I was doubting my chances, even the thought of moving had already crossed my mind before the float went under with that one. It took another 45 mins for me to finally realise that the fish either weren't feeding much or they simply weren't there so I packed up and headed elsewhere. Plan C it was then.

 Another car journey and this time I decided just to chill and have a wander, swapping from trotting to rolling. I joined up with Brian for a few hours as he searched for his 100th barbel. For me as I said previously there was no pressure on the last day and just went out to enjoy it, unfortunately the previous two plans went down like a lead balloon so I had hopes for this third and final shot at success. Barbel haven't featured much for me this season which I will put right next season and having targeting them so little this season I fancied a go at one on what was a very good day (in terms of conditions) to be stalking fish and after a bit of toeing and throwing I managed to get a healthy bend in the cane.

 The sound of the Match Aerial' clutch paying line off is a great feeling and once I had extricated said barbel from the undergrowth the fight lasted all but a minute, not that I cared, a perfect example of a plump winter fish.

A beautiful stalked winter barbel.

 Chuffed as you would imagine with that peach we headed off in search of Brian' target where he came up trumps in fine fashion, myself? well I continued to look for fish and having known about a small shoal of chub hanging around an overhanging tree for about a week before this trip I decided to give it a go and wasn't disappointed at all!

 First cast wasn't particularly good but the second made up for that as it hit the spot required to get a clear run through the area the chub were holding. Just five yards or so into their lair and I felt a decisive pluck on my finger tip which was followed immediately by a wrenching pull on the rod, one of those barbel have grabbed it I thought to myself. However within just a few seconds a large chub battled its way along the outskirts of the tree and showed itself to us both and we knew it was a big one for this river, A certain "Five Pounder"! With the chub now clear of the snags yet really trying to get back in I could enjoy the battle a little more. This fish wasn't about to illustrate how good they can be at escape, determined to slip the net under it I applied a little more pressure to make sure no last moment dashes for cover were made and with my ever faithful ghillie poised to net her, one last thrash was ended as she slipped into the net. Job done, I was pleased with that.

My prize awaiting its 5 star photoshoot!

The shape all Chub should be !

Very pleased with that!

 That Chub was my last fish of the 2018/19 river season and it has been great even with the limited time available, my blogging in turn has taken a back seat too but I'll hope to continue writing frequently as my "100lb challenge" continues into the early Summer.

Wet and Wild in the South.

 The typical dilemmas of where to fish as the season draws to an end cropped up yet again, this time the weather had a part to play and most of the rivers I've angled this season were up and coloured beyond the point of enjoying a good days fishing. The rain that fell in the south-east of England had swollen just about every watercourse, thankfully for me and my local knowledge a couple of spots on one particular river remained fisherable. The target? Basically anything I could get to take a bait!

All set and ready to go.

 The going was tough to begin with as I started my day out in search of barbel, in the coloured water stalking wasn't an option and I relied upon where they were the last time I was out and that at this time of the year is rather flaky information to rely upon. The barbel move incredible distances at time of year as they continue to search out areas where large quantities of food exist and also to avoid angling pressure, which is a factor, even if it is the winter.

 I spent possibly an hour and half fishing hard before I came across my first barbel and it was fairly decent too as it fought hard in the extra water, around the 6lb mark it made for a welcome soaking of the net as I was fearing that things might not go so well. A dry net is always a barometer of success and although I waited half hour or so for the next enquiry the sport slowly improved as I landed two chub to 4lb 9oz and another barbel around 4lbs. In the conditions I wasn't complaining, then I found enquiries hard to come by so I decided to change species.

 This sudden change in quarry was prompted by a plume of silt coming from upstream in the flow, I crept up until I found the culprit which turned out to be a small common carp having lunch and out the corner of my eye sat mid river were another three carp, two more commons and a mirror, these were all a little bigger and that is what tempted me to have a go, armed and ready I began to roll little pieces of bait towards the carp to see their reactions and it seemed none of those were feeding. It was time to play detective!

 It was quite clear from the offset that they weren't feeding out in mid river so it was a case of waiting for the carp to venture back into the margins, this turn of event didn't take long either as one of the carp broke away from the main flow the rest followed and with a little watercraft I was already in position where I thought they'd come to, it was all now a matter of when, not if.

 The mirror dropped off behind the now three commons and came in closer to the near bank margins, just 10ft from where I was crouching, concealed by a small bush I flicked out my tiny free lined offering and awaited it to settle where I hoped the carp would find it, there was however no need to panic, within a few seconds of the bait hitting the deck the carp made up the ground and went straight down on the bait, hoovered up in a flash there was no need to wait for any indication, I lent into the carp with trusty mark vi split cane and then all hell broke loose. The remaining carp scarpered but I had certainly hooked the largest of the four fish.

In the mix! :-)

 Plenty of under the tip battling with the occasional run for mid river was enjoyed thoroughly and within a few minutes of getting in position I landed a boisterous river carp in fine fashion. Not bad really considering how tough it started out. A little opportunism was taken with both hands.

11lb 2oz and bit of a looker too!

The obligatory mat shot.

 I have to say I have caught many river carp over the years but this is definitely one of the easiest on the eye.

 After that I managed one more barbel to the tune of 7lb 3oz and that was that for me as I'd said to myself that I would only fish up to midday, three barbel, 2 chub and a carp in 4 hours in squalid conditions is good enough for me!

Winter Predator Fishing Recap.

 I must confess that before this season started my predator fishing exploits were a little on the light side to tell the truth as I have mentioned in the past. Now being a father I find time to go fishing at all is rather difficult and having ramped up the amount of work I am also taking on, partially to offset what the better half isn't earning and that as we are entering the final throws of buying a house I have found much of my spare time is devoted at home.

 Most of my predator angling this winter has been focused on the rivers in the south of England. As my miniature campaign approached the hallway mark (around late December) I caught my third twenty pound river pike of my life and first of the season, the efforts for hard work were being rewarded and now we find ourselves in March I have ceased Pike fishing. Mainly owing to the fact most Pike down here spawn around mid-Feb onwards I don't want to be targeting knackered specimens when they should be left to recoup after their exertions.

 So to the recap now.

 I managed a total of 10 trips out, 9 on a river somewhere and the other on a ticket stillwater, where for the most part I was successful on all those adventures bar one. In those nine visits to flowing water I managed a total of seventeen fish with eight over the ten-pound mark and one over the magical twenty pound barrier. For me I couldn't have asked for much more.

 Then on to the Zander where I embarked on three trips, one a blank effort on the boat, the other two trips were a blazing success as I landed no fewer than 3 personal bests in 28 hours or so, I was chuffed like you wouldn't believe. One of those three was also over the magical ten pound mark which to begin with was a pipe dream. Awesome fun too.

 It has been a winter worthy of remembering and even if my two Perch exploits both ended in failure I still thoroughly enjoyed them as I continue to seek another three-pound plus specimen. Not as easy as some make out I tell you! I will continue to try, starting from tomorrow if I shake this stomach bug!

 These, the best of each species this winter.

A tidal Thames double. 11lbs 9ozs.

A Lea system twenty. 20lbs 8ozs.

 Let's hope for more next Winter, it was great fun.

Pike Hunt: Last Roll of the Dice.

 As March approaches and the likelihood of the Pike spawning gets higher I get more weary of targeting them knowing the rigours they are about to go through. That said down here in the south for some reason they seem to spawn later, why? I think it is simply down to the temperatures but I am probably wrong. Brian is most likely the best person to answer that question, knowing I still have a week or two before the females start to gang up in preparation to spawn I decided to give them one more go.

 Having already had a good winter I would really love to catch another twenty from a river, one so far this season is brilliant, the specimen head tells me to keep going and something far more special could end up in the folds of my net. To really know whether I'll get that chance I have to keep at it.

 Bait this last few weeks has been tough to find and my reserves have been depleted. In the knowledge that I have to get bait before I can get out Piking does reduce my time out in search of them. Fast forward four hours I gave up and headed off for Pike, with three unwilling participants I made it to the Esox areas and hoped that something would be feeding. Having walked over a mile to my first port of call I could see plenty of features in the water and having spent a bit of time here this winter I have become quite fond of a few certain spots, this first one is one of my most productive.

 However, it wasn't to be that day (Saturday) as I trotted a bait around for nearly thirty minutes without a sniff and my chublet remained unphased which is always a good hint that theres not much going on. With that I headed on up another 150 yards upstream to a narrower section where I have had a couple of smaller fish from up to around 10lb, this time I could again see plenty of features which screamed Pike, the biggest lure of this particular swim is a sunken tree where the Pike sit alongside and intercept whatever passes them. I only had to drop it in the margins and let the bait do the work....twenty seconds or so later my float went berserk as a decent sized Esox chased and nailed the chub. I allowed a couple of seconds to pass before leaning into the fish and seemed a good hook hold was in place and the fight began.

 A specimen of possibly 14-17lb was charging around in front of me, scaring shoals of fry in the process, it looked a good fish, so I readied the net, albeit a little prematurely as she certainly wasn't finished. The longer the fight went on the more nervous I got, then in the blink of an eye she rolled on the surface and shook her head, which threw my chub clean in the air and off she went. I couldn't believe it.

 As cautiously as I played her I played it back in my mind and don't think I could have done any better, just rotten luck I guess. All I could do was get another bait on and try again. So thats what I did, unfortunately I had to wait a couple of hours before I got another enquiry, I walked and fished many spots that looked likely and just as dusk was approaching my float dipped and thundered off, no mistake in its intention, finally I got my chance.

 And with a slice of luck and good angling I made sure this opportunity didn't pass me by! A peach to boot aswell. My day was complete and on my only remaining livebait too. Days like this are sent to test us but rewards like these are there if we stick to the task. This more than likely will be the last roll of the dice. What a lovely fish to finish on if it is my last Pike trip of the winter.

Made me smile! 16lb 0oz of a riverine powerhouse.

Time For Fat Dace.

 As February the 1st comes along my mind starts to wander from what I have been targeting and slowly the want to target Dace kicks in. They are great summer sport with bags often weighing 10-20lbs can be had on good days with smatterings of Chub and Roach thrown in. Now is the time though for anglers serious in attempting to achieve the dizzy heights of specimens of the pound mark and possibly beyond.

 In my lifetime lady luck has shone brightly as I approach double figures for pound plus specimens (currently eight) and many back up specimens from 13oz and up. It was time for lady to shine once again. It is time once again. This time I want to see if some of my past leviathans can be beaten or will they simply be a memory, to never be beaten. A loaf of Hovis certainly is the sort of bait to winkle them out.

A 6gr avon wire stem, just to keep on the creases.

 I got down fairly late as all the people on the damn roads didn't realise I had fishing to do! inconsiderate people I tell you! After finally battling my way through the hoards the river trundled through in front of me as I parked up. Gin clear but carrying a nice bit of water which wasn't surprising as since 1st of Feb came along we have been catching up on all the rain we should have got from January. It was from recollection the 7th driest since records began and it did seem that way.

 The conditions filled me with hope and not before long my 6gr avon wire stem was hurled out towards the far bank where I hoped Dace would be holding station, just out the flow, hugging the creases. My plan sounded great but the Chub didn't get the memo as I netted one after another, good sport, not the target. Try as I did they would not leave me alone..after the third or fourth run I started to think the Chub were simply in a ravenous mood and that Dace simply wouldn't get there first and I was very nearly right, that was until this cracker turned up. Best of the year so far and hopefully the first of many (If I get the time).

My one and only of the day at 13oz flat.

 Not to cut it short but for the Dace, that one fish was my lot, so much so that I changed target and headed downstream. It wasn't just a big Dace that I'd get my hands on. It took nearly half an hour to start getting bites, hitting them was another problem, the sheer speed that the bait was being hit in the fast pace of the water provided another problem that I had to negotiate, I'm all on for problem solving but I did very nearly give up nearly an hour in until one finally slipped up and it was a lovely Roach of 1lb 7oz, then I had obviously done something different, as I hit another five in the next dozen or so trots, a couple more around the pound mark. The best was to come and just as dusk was settling in too. Oh and this little fella popped along too.

Love a gonk.

 Doing nothing different by this point it was obvious that the bigger fish were switching on as I connected with a ripping pull of the float, in the flow all the fish felt good but this one didn't feel like a Roach at all, such was strength. As she rolled on the surface I could see it was a very good one and looked to be over the magical two-pound mark, the remainder of the fight was played with caution. In she went !

 Excited to see if I had caught my first two pound plus Roach of the season I put her straight on the scales...

 ...One Pound Fourteen ounces...oooooohhhh that was close and if I had lost her I'd have sworn it be a "two". Full of excitement I slipped her in the keepnet and got the bait back out there. Three trots later the float began to reach the end of the run where it shallows up to a weedy/gravel bar, as I began to retrieve the float some 25 yards it dipped and vanished, for a split second I thought it was a little fish as it swam upstream, straight up to me. I didn't think for a second that I'd be connected to yet another Roach of fantastic proportions! This one looked bigger than the fish, not in length but the girth was nothing that I have seen the likes of before! With jelly legs still only just recovering from the first I had its sister in the net! This one felt heavier and again I wasted no time in weighing her.

 One pound fifteen ounces.....oooooooohhhhhh thats even closer :), I didn't know what to do with myself, to know and catch Roach like that is good for the soul, especially where they came from and it's past pedigree is slowly being rediscovered and enjoyed. The light was failing fast and I really wanted to get a couple of pics before the sun set, disaster set however when I had a flat battery which I possibly ran out photographing my Dace earlier on...I must charge them as a matter of habit because its not the first time...

 What a day it was, challenging is certainly a way of describing it, trotting 15-40 yards with 25-30mph cross winds and 6-10 inches of additional water to contend with, not to mention a very achy arm after a day of constant trotting, been a while since I fished that hard and I had to. It was a case of effort equals reward.

 A brace of Roach for 3lb 13oz and a few drams, 13oz Dace, Trout to 3lb+, Gudgeon to 1oz made for an enjoyable trip.

Happy as a pig in....

Not What I Expected.

 Just over a couple of weeks ago I visited one of my ticket lakes in search of Pike. Something that I have swerved most of the season, not that I don't like lake Pike, it's just unlikely to throw up a lump that the rivers are capable of. On this day however the thought of a specimen was not in mind and simply a venture out with a 6ft light lure rod was all I wanted, whether I caught or not again wasn't the be-all and end-all.

 Always nice though isn't it when you do, so...

 ...How about this then!

 A personal best Bream on a lure and arguably the prettiest one to grace my net at approximately 9lb, and those canal Bream that I have recently tapped into take some beating in regards to looks, I feel it has the edge though. Fair and square in the chops and the take wasn't strong either but was enough to keep the single treble of my savage gear 3-D Roach.

  The intended target did also play ball with one at 8lb 2oz and another around 5/6lbs, plus a bonus Chub which took a liking to a Mepps spinner. Pretty varied and the sort of trip I love, that bream...wowza what a peach!

Pike Hunt: Hole-y Saturday...

 This day was always going to come along at some point. Another day planned in search of Pike and another day spent roving with an eye on the prize of another river twenty. A nice hour and thirty minute drive was punctuated by a series of dreadful roadworks which caused tailbacks of a couple of miles which seemed like it took an eternity to get through, all the while my Pike time was ebbing away and all I could think of was getting on the water.

Dreaming of catching more.

 Finally I reached the river and no time was wasted in getting the rod set up, within two minutes a bait was lobbed out and ready to go. I couldn't wait to get on it and with good reason too. Before dusk a large band of rain was pushing in and a quick drop in pressure meant it was going to get fairly windy too which never bodes well for stalking. Knowing this I pressed on my pursuit and settled for only two or three casts per 20-40 meters and allow the bait to drift through all the little eddy's etc.

 Twenty minutes or so had passed before the first enquiry and my float slipped under in typical jerky fashion, a quick wind down to the fish confirmed a Pike, albeit not a big one it didn't matter. 9lb 13oz, I'll take that. For starters. Back out with a fresh bait and I could see nothing in the run (mind you, I didn't see the one I'd just landed), so I moved on up when I came across a lump sat side by side with a fish fairly smaller, and that was a low to mid double! Was it a twenty? I was dead keen to find out.

Decent start!

 In a frenzied panic I got a bait out near the Pike to arouse a response but it wasn't the response I thought I'd get. As the Chublet approached she backed off then stormed upstream ten yards before slowly dropping back down onto position, I couldn't believe it. Not to be put off by the strange rejection I tried again with a similar reaction. After the second rejection I thought about leaving the swim and trying later, but I couldn't walk away from a fish that looked every bit 17-18lbs, not quite a twenty from what I could see but bloody close.

 Out went the bait again, this time I shallowed up the fishing depth and cast well upstream of her position which allowed the bait to slowly approach the awaiting Pike, all this time she sat on station, almost as if she waiting for the bait to come down again. Which it did. This time the outcome was explosive, at no point was I ever in doubt of her intentions this time. A massive gulp of water encompassed my bait and the rod lurched unhealthily to the river. I was connected to a lump but the battle was something of a damp squib as within a minute or so I had her laying in the net and ready.

 I popped her out to get her weighed and photographed, on the scales she was pretty much what I thought she'd be, all 18lb 9oz and I was well chuffed to have met her acquaintance. I snapped a couple of images off on my iphone to send to Brian and then decided as she had been a minute or so is to get her back in the water to revive...this decision however was to bite me horribly on the backside as I had left her to rest for a couple of minutes she had gained strength and began to show signs of fight. The decision to leave her for another thirty seconds proved to be the nail in the coffin as far as a trophy shot went.

my impromptu shot ended up being the shot!

 With a couple of powerful strokes of the tail she found a small hole in my net and I watched in horror as that hole became a gaping tear for which she swam through and back into the river! I watched in horror and couldn't believe it. That was not in the script and my fifth biggest ever Pike got away...yes I got a mat shot on my phone and knew what she weighed but I was fairly peeved by it. You live and you learn!

 After watching her saunter off into the deep I spent the next twenty minutes stitching up my net with 20lb fishing line so I could continue with my trip. What a palava.

 The fishing after the eighteen went down hill and cast after cast and section after section revealed no action and it wasn't until the light was failing and time running out did the float bob, one last time.

Another stunning river double!

 After negotiating a perilous snag in the margins I slipped my somewhat raggedy net under Pike number three. A beauty to finish off with and I was very pleased with my haul. 2 doubles and 1 just missing out. Not bad at all because just as I made it back to the car the heavens opened with that forecasted rain, perfect timing.

A Return To The Barbel: The Return.

 Didn't think I was going to get back out for Barbel so soon, the day after that haul I got an unexpected early finish to my day, with not enough time to head down with the boat I choose to get back out in search of Barbel and effectively continue from where I left off, that plan worked a treat as it didn't take too long to get my first enquiry.

 First dip of the float resulted in a mint 3lb Chub which was quickly followed by a lovely 6lb 11oz Barbel, not the biggest but certainly welcome. As I headed upstream I had another shot at a decent Barbel as I run the bait along side a fallen tree which was providing a good amount of cover that screamed Barbel, I wasn't wrong either.

 It did take three trots mind you before I got the hit I was half expecting. Crazy that you expect a fish whilst trotting for Barbel in the winter but I know this river very well and that all the knowledge of this venue comes in very handy when ones angling fix needs quenching with limited time. The size of the Barbel wasn't apparent to begin with as she hung deep in the flow and remaining close to the cover, I had a sneaking suspicion she was of a decent size and after a minute or so she came roughly parallel with me and then I could see all of her.

 Immediately knew it was a good 'un and as she approached the net I thought she maybe another double, two in two days? You bet! On the mat all was revealed and looked every bit ten pound plus.

10lb 3oz and a second double in less than 24 hours.

 That was just the ticket! A couple of photos and she was off back into her watery world, excellent stuff.

 The rest of the afternoon was spent looking but that was all I could muster, not that I cared.

 A couple of days later and in identical conditions, I managed another hour or so on my way home from work which again was a complete success. No double figure Barbel this time but a Barbel all the same! Boy I did miss fishing for these powerful creatures.

A smaller one at 7lb 4oz. Not that I cared of course!

 Most enjoyable indeed. 

A Return To The Barbel.

 It has been a long time since I got the urge to fish for old Bertie and having fended off that urge I finally caved in. Glad I did too! My roving started on very familiar grounds and was shocked at the clarity of the river, I could see every pebble and strand of weed throughout the 1 mile or so that I covered.

 It has to be said I missed this aspect of my fishing as carp and predators have featured heavily at the expense of most other species. Within 40 minutes of arriving on the river and making my first cast I had already slipped the net under three Barbel, one of which was a beautifully conditioned 8lb 10oz fish, no marks or blemishes it was a poster girl for the species.

Second best of a quick fire session, 8lb 10oz

 With that pristine bertie released I fancied another try through the same swim and as my bait approached the same gravel bar a large frame cruised up to it and in a flash the bait was gone and I was locked into battle with another good fish. In the powerful flow I enjoyed every second of the fight as she darted for wintering weed beds and then out into 6 or 7ft of open water, it really was that enjoyable I got a little disheartened as she slowly gave up and coasted in towards the net and with very little resistance she was on the bank. A lovely double to cap off a fantastic hour of fishing!

 10lb 4oz on the digitals and my second biggest of the season, only bettered by an 11lb 2oz fish from the late summer, crazy considering five trips all season for Barbel have been embarked upon. The other two Barbel weighed approx 4½ and 5½lbs.

Awesome way to end what was a very quick trip.

River Monsters: Twenty No:3.

 For a few sessions on the boat and bank I have had some good luck and hit some fantastic specimens, however there has been something missing, as to what, I'm not entirely sure. Maybe the battle with a monster Pike being that missing piece of my seasons jigsaw?.

 Having spent most of the Christmas period either working or spending it with the family my fishing time has been greatly reduced, however I had managed to get some fresh air on a couple of occasions, one of those occasions was this trip, in search of Pike. A river I am starting to understand just a little more and a river I am very keen to extract the secrets it holds. I have been lucky enough over the last three seasons to catch two twenty pound plus specimens and I feel thats not all and don't feel the job is quite done hence my continued attentions.

 Stealth is part of the game, usually. Not on this session. I arrived to find the river slightly up, only by a couple of inches but running fairly murky and I struggled to make out the bottom even in the margins which is unusual but a new hurdle to tackle. Confidence levels took a hit as I hadn't had to fish in these conditions, nevertheless I was there and looked to make a go of it. I got my self set up, 20lb mono, 25lb Drennan pike wire and a 20g slider float is my usual, I only change the float for something bigger if I'm trotting bigger baits or laying on at distance. As I'm only fishing 20-50 yards its not an issue and the low resistance free running float gives me all the indication I need.

 After five minutes of preparation I got my first trot in and surprise surprise the float remained static in an eddy further downstream without incident. As I slowly retrieved the bait I felt a little pull on the bait, I thought about striking, instead I let it go and allowed the bait to go back on the trot, within seconds the float bobbed and shot under! Confidence was boosted no end in an instant, funny how fishing works! The fight wasn't strong and with my stepped up gear I got the better of a nice clean looking Pike in quick time.

 Happy with that one! Not quite a double but a lovely fish all the same. I couldn't wait to get the bait back out. After releasing that fish downstream some way I decided to give the run another trot to see if anything else was home and on the prowl. I think I was hoping the commotion that one above caused would have bought something else into feeding. Another trot down the same crease yielded no rewards this time, so I decided to go right tight to the far bank, which was quite a cast but the response was almost instant, possibly five seconds between the bait hitting the water and the float vanishing, I swear the float didn't even get to right properly. Just how I like it. 

 Within a few seconds the Pike breached the surface and cleared it by a good half a foot at least before crashing back down with a large splash, acrobatic Pike is something I don't often see and with that show of athleticism I could tell it was bigger than the first, the fight a little more purposeful and stronger too, as the last Pike found out my gear was too much to challenge and soon after she was in the net. Thinking it was an easy double she went on the scales and to my surprise she only just made the mark.

Long, lean and pretty empty.

 In the murky water I was having a bit of success! Effectively three trots and two Pike is the sort of return we can only dream of. I was happy with that and it could of ended there in regards to what I'd caught numbers wise, however I always harbour dreams of finding a big fish as I know its possible, it only takes one bite. 

 Having had joy in that particular area I fancied a move, not far up, maybe 40/50m upstream from the beginning action, it didn't look like much but a bush half way down looked a place for an ambush. I got a bait on and trotted it the length of the run without a touch. Not surprised by that result I deepened up on the float so fish worked slightly deeper, the desired effect was almost instant. Just as the float came level with said bush it slipped under and a powerful but slow charge began which set the tone for the fight, being out of eye shot and murky water I couldn't the fish. I wasn't sure about the size, it didn't feel big, probably no heavier than the last two. 

 With that in mind I was in no rush to get her in and I spent the next 3-4 minutes tackling the tricky lunges into near bank overhanging vegetation. As I gained on her and its frame came into view just under the surface nearly at my feet a large frame was soon apparent, I went from rather cocky to a nervous wreck. The thought of a twenty pounder on the other end was just awesome, by the time she got under my feet the fight was all but done, a half hearted charge was easily thwarted and my net bulged with my best of the season.

 Boom!!!!! Just what I dreamt of and I got one! A real good looking Esox weighing 20lb 8oz and my third river twenty. My confidence may have been lacking upon arrival, an hour later and I couldn't have been more upbeat! What a creature and very well fed too, long, muscular and mouth full of big teeth. After getting a couple of self takes I awaited her to start kicking which didn't take long before dropping the front of the net down and watch her waddle out slowly back into the murk. Special.

 Understandably, I found it tough to regain focus. Knowing that it would be possible to catch another just as big or larger pushed me to crack after I had a little punch of the air in celebration. 

 The next two hours drifted past with no such luck, the float didn't even quiver as I sent it trotting down stream on numerous occasions. It wasn't until the sun began to lose its strength and dusk begin to settle in did I get another chance, with the sun full on my face for the remaining minutes I noticed a Pike close in where I had a little visibility. I could see she was a mid-double and a fish I wanted to catch, as she wafted up in the current effortlessly I trotted a bait down to her and in a split second a set of flaring gills created a flash as pandemonium set in. Pike number four was on. This one decided that she wasn't going to make life easy and on numerous powerful runs to far bank sunken trees she really put my clutch to the test, a couple of times I had to slacken off as I thought she might break me off under the strain, thankfully though that didn't happen and a bit of careful battling another mint river double graced my net. What a day it had been! 

A mint 14lb 6oz specimen to round off proceedings!