England's biggest pike landed
The biggest-ever English pike has been claimed from a Lake District trout fishery - but the captor released it without taking a photograph.
Jeff Dandy, who admits he did not realise the significance of the catch, said his main concern was returning the 46lb 1oz beast safely.
Had the weight been confirmed, it would be the biggest pike ever caught in England and would be just 10oz shy of the 20-year-old British record from Llandegfedd Reservoir in Wales.
Jeff, who is a competent pike angler despite favouring fly fishing, said he was not aware of the magnitude of the capture.
The Barrow-in-Furness rod told Angling Times: “I am absolutely genuine. I didn’t want any publicity - I’m not interested in that. My big concern was getting that fish back in the water. I can understand the doubters but somebody is going to catch it again.”
Top pike angler Neville Fickling said: “Esthwaite has produced pike to 37lb in the past. It’s gone through a bit of a lull but is now producing big pike again, so it’s not impossible for a fish like that to turn up.”
Esthwaite fishery manager David Coleman doesn’t believe Jeff would have made up the story: “We had a pike wash up dead earlier in the year that was well over 35lb.
“There are always going to be doubters, but we told Jeff to bring his scales in and we checked them against a set of Reuben Heatons and they were smack on. He’s an honest guy and I have no reason to doubt him.”
Jeff presented a floatfished roach from a boat and tamed the pike after a 20-minute battle using 30lb braid, a Shimano Baitrunner and a Fox Pikemaster rod.
He said: “It fought like absolute stink but when we got it to the boat and netted it I knocked the unhooking mat in the water in the panic and it floated off before I could get it back. To cut a long story short, we basically wanted to get the fish back in the water as quickly as possible.
“I was with my boat partner who’s in his sixties and I’m 56 - we’re not fishy-tale people!
“I’m kicking myself now. We did have a phone with a camera on it, but I didn’t actually realise at the time that it was near the record.”
Jeff, who said the fish was not bloated and looked immaculate save for a mark left by the hooks on its left jaw, added: “I’ve nothing to prove it so I’ll just have to catch it again - that’s going to be my mission.”
Matchman nets huge pike on Stainforth & Keadby Canal
A roach fishing session on the Stainforth and Keadby Canal took an unexpected twist when Lee Kerry hooked and successfully landed this 25lb 12oz pike.
The Preston Innovations rod had been enjoying a practice outing on the prolific Thorne section of the Yorkshire waterway and had managed to put over 20lb of roach in the net on waggler tactics in three hours sport.
With the light closing in he hooked another redfin which was snapped up by a big pike and after a tense ten minute battle in which a boat also ploughed through his swim it was in the net.
“The size 18 hook had lodged in between its teeth and it’s a miracle the rig didn’t break as I was only using an 0.09mm hooklink!” explained Lee.
23lb river pike on roach deadbait
JAMES Sarkar only had one bite during a recent session on the River Severn – but he wasn’t complaining as it resulted in this 23lb personal best pike.
The 20-year-old Sparsholt College student presented a floatfished roach deadbait on a pair of size 4 trebles to tempt the impressive predator, which beat his previous best of 22lb 8oz, from the near margin of his swim on the midlands waterway.
His father, Dilip, has also been getting in on the pike action over the last week and landed a 20lb 10oz specimen from an undisclosed river.
Trout reservoirs on form for specimen pike
PREDATOR trials at pike fishing mecca Chew Valley Reservoir have got off to a flying start and one angler to take advantage of the superb sport on offer was Peter Mersh, who slipped the net under this 35lb 5oz specimen.
The Bristol Water-owned trout water, which opens for a limited number of pike fishing sessions each winter, had already produced fish to just over 30lb before the London-based rod raised the bar with his new personal best, which fell for a bluey deadbait.
The 65-year-old and his son Paul booked a two-day stint on the vast north Somerset venue under the guidance of expert coach John Horsey and kicked things off by netting a string of fish to 15lb.
With most anglers on the day congregating around the Herriots and Stratford areas of the reservoir, Pete and his son headed for a quieter spot between Woodford Bank and Nunnery Point on day two, where they hit the jackpot just before dusk.
“It tore off and I instantly knew I was into something pretty special. My personal best before this was 24lb and I had a sneaky feeling early on that I’d break that if I got the fish into the net,” Pete told Angling Times.
“It plodded around for 20 minutes before I finally got the upper hand – once safely landed I knew that I was looking at the fish of a lifetime.”
The capture rounded off a memorable year for Peter, who also took a personal best carp of 62lb while holidaying in France. He has now set his sights on upping his pike pb yet again.
“Everyone knows the venue is home to some of the biggest pike in the country and while this catch has surpassed all my expectations, I’ll be back in the future to try and better it,” he added.
Chew Valley isn’t the only trout water to have produced huge pike this week, with Gavin Dickson landing a 32lb predator from Esthwaite Water.
The local angler from Kendal had never caught an example of the species over the 20lb barrier, but this soon changed during his first session on the 280-acre venue when he tempted his new personal best with a float legered herring fished close to his boat in 12 feet of water.
Grafham predator hat-trick
Persistence in the face of the elements saw Adam Perna score a perfect hat-trick of autumn predators topped by this near-30lb pike.
The all-rounder was aboard the only predator boat out on Cambridgeshire’s Grafham Water in blustery weather conditions when he took the 29lb 14oz esox, along with a 3lb 10oz perch and a zander weighing about 7lb.
Fishing with lures on the expansive Anglian Water venue, the 27-year-old tiler and his boat partner James Aris overcame high winds to land seven fish between them during two days afloat.
Adam, from Bicester in Oxfordshire, said: “The pike was caught at the end of a long hard day’s fishing and we were the only predator boat out. Conditions were pretty difficult, with 2ft waves at times making it hard to present our lures effectively.
“By 3pm we had only captured one fish, a perch, although it was a big one at 3lb 10oz. We decided to move back to an area in shallower water of about 30ft where we felt our lures would work better, and on the first drift I had a few nibbles and then a solid but dull pluck, resulting in a hooked fish.
“Initially I thought I may have been hooked into one of the famous big double-figure zander which reside in Grafham, but the alarming curve in the rod and the sheer power of the fish’s runs then made us think it was something altogether much bigger.”
The pike, which had picked up a six-inch yellow rubber lure with a single size 6/0 hook, was landed after a nervy 20-minute battle.
“It was an immaculately marked and conditioned fish and a new PB by over 7lbs. It was also the first pike I had ever landed at Grafham, and bigger than anything I could have hoped for,” added Adam.
Predator season off to a flier
The traditional predator fishing season has finally begun, with a number of reservoirs opening their doors to pike, zander and perch fishing fans over the past couple of weeks.
Among those getting in on the early action was Gordon Howes, who overcame far-from-ideal bright and sunny conditions on Grafham Water to bank a number of fine fish, including pike to just under 20lb.
Using a range of lures and jigs, the well-known predator fishing guide also boated a string of decent zander from the 1,500-acre Anglian Water owned venue.
Fly fishing tactics score for 30lb 4oz pike
Fly fishing expert Mike Green showed that you don’t need to use fish baits to tempt big pike when he landed this huge 30lb 4oz predator.
The Northampton-based specialist used a home-made pike fly at the popular and prolific Chew Reservoir in Somerset and landed the fish during a tough two-day session.
A silver and blue sinking bait, that’s made to imitate a small roach, was the winning bait and it was a catch beaten with the help of a Bob Church Pro Piker rod and a 20lb leader.
Mike is no stranger to catching big pike using this method either as he’s now landed three ‘thirties’ and one specimen over the 40lb barrier.
“Big pike almost fight like marlin when you catch them on the fly and it’s such an effective and enjoyable way of catching them I don’t know why more people don’t give it a go because it’s not complicated at all,” Mike told Angling Times.
Early start brings pike success for Gord Burton
Predator fishing legend Gord Burton proved that when the temperatures are high, it can pay to get out there early, when he banked this superb 25lb 8oz pike before 5am on a session last week.
The well-known angler, from Southport, Merseyside, and his fishing companion began fishing at a stillwater in south west Scotland at 3.45 am and by the time it got light the duo had caught 10 pike, with Gord’s specimen topping the haul.
They alternated between lures and coarse dead baits to amass their catch from a loch in the Dumfries and Galloway region.
“I fancied that the big fish would be on the move before it got light because it was such a hot, sunny day….and I was right,” said Gord.
“This just goes to show that if you’re prepared to get up and get out there before everyone else then the rewards are there for the taking, especially at this time of the year.”
Hunt is on for mystery day-ticket 40lb-plus pike
The hunt is on to find an angler who is rumoured to have caught a 42lb pike from Swan Lake on the Bluebell complex in Northamptonshire.
It is believed the lucky captor was actually targeting the water’s resident catfish when he hooked into the huge predator, which if authenticated will be one of the top 20 biggest pike ever landed in the UK.
After being informed about the fish by a carper who was on the bank at the time and witnessed the catch, fishery owner Tony Bridgefoot contacted the Angling Times in a bid to try and track down the angler. “I just wish the person who actually caught the pike had come and told me about it,” he said. “Hopefully he will read this or someone who knows him will because obviously we would love to get in touch with him as this would be one of the largest pike in the country.”
Although more famous for its big carp, the fishery does have a history of producing specimen pike. In 1995 it hit the headlines when local angler Colin Bailey landed a fish of 41lb 12oz from Kingfisher Lake, which at the time was one of the biggest ever pike to be caught from a non-trout water. A year later, famous predator angler Nige Williams landed the same fish at 40lb 12oz and he wouldn’t be surprised if the fishery had produced another pike of that size: “The pike in Bluebell are from a good stamp of fish which are perfectly capable of growing to that size. When you couple that with the excellent water quality I’m not at all shocked to hear that another forty could have been caught. The lakes there produce fish of all different species to specimen sizes and where you’ve got these rich waters you are always going to get big pike. I hope the captor does come forward as I would love to see the pics,” he added.
Are you the captor or do you know who is? Contact Angling Times on 01733 395104 or email james.furness@bauermedia.co.uk
Big water pike success for Gary Knowles
This stunning 27lb 8oz pike was caught by well-known specimen hunter Gary Knowles when he set his sights on a daunting 850-acre lake in the North West.
He was working a lure with a 7ft rod at around 60yds from his own bank when the mint-conditioned fish struck.
Gary, from Warrington in Cheshire, used a Rapala ‘Gliding Rap’ pattern, attached to 50lb braid, and had to coax the fish over the top of a bank of thick weed that lined the shallow bay that he was fishing from.
“It was real heart in the mouth stuff with this fish because it came leaping out of the water on several occasion, and when I got it in the net the hooks just fell out,” Gary Told Angling Times.
Perch pb broken twice in one session
The South West region of the UK isn’t renowned for its specimen coarse fishing opportunities, but that didn’t stop John Deprieelle from smashing his personal best twice in one session after banking perch weighing 3lb 6oz and 4lb 4oz.
Having recently moved from Southport in Merseyside to Bude in Cornwall, the 38-year-old targeted the daunting 82-acre Upper Tamar reservoir and struck gold when he put his faith in a simple feeder rig with a lobworm hookbait.
The capture tops a prolific spell for the freelance photographer, who also recently beat his canal pike personal best with a fish that topped the scales at 22lb 10oz and was caught from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.
Personal best 27lb pike caught on a Rapala lure
John Cameron smashed his pike personal best when he targeted his local venue in Perthshire to land this 27lb specimen.
Armed with a Rapala lure, he managed to subdue the specimen with the help of a 2.5lb test curve rod, 30lb braided mainline and a 20lb Drennan wire trace.
The fish comfortably beat his previous best for the species, that stood at 18lb, and his productive session also produced six other single figure fish.
“To beat my pb was a great surprise and the power of the fish was immense as it kept diving under the boat in a bid for freedom,” said John.
14lb 8oz zander best of three doubles
Renowned Fenland predator guide Gordy Howes enjoyed a superb first visit to the mighty River Severn at the backend of the season, with this 14lb 8oz zander being the pick of three doubles he took in a short 30-minute feeding spell just after dark.
The trio of fish all fell to bleak livebaits, presented on running leger rigs incorporating a Fox 20lb Easy Twist wire trace and a single size 8 treble.
“I’d been hearing stories of the Severn throwing up a lot of big fish, and that coupled with the reduced numbers in the Fens finally drew me and my boat across the country to catch a few for myself and open up a new venue for myself and my clients. I can’t wait to get back there next season – I’m sure the zander won’t be as heavy, but the scenery will no doubt be more beautiful than ever!! Here's to the summer!” said a delighted Gordy.
Huge 32lb 8oz River Shannon pike caught on deadbait
Three anglers shared a day to remember on the famous River Shannon last week where they took a haul of big pike which was topped by an incredible 32lb 8oz specimen.
The fish, which is believed to be the biggest authenticated pike from an Irish river so far this year, set a new personal best for well-known all-rounder Kevin Lyons, who runs the Melview Guest House in Longford, Ireland.
On the day Kevin was guiding customers Mark Whiteside and Kerry Hardy, who also got in on the action by banking fish weighing 20lb 5oz and 18lb.
The fish were taken on a combination of sea and fresh water deadbaits, and later on Kevin Lyons rounded off the trip in fine style when he tempted two more big predators weighing 25lb 4oz and 24lb 3oz on Bulldawg lures.
Bury Hill Fisheries receives stocking boost
A commercial complex that caters for predator anglers has announced it has introduced another batch of double figure fish to help boost sport.
Surrey’s Bury Hill Fisheries draws pike anglers in from far and wide during the winter season and officials have announced that 80 specimens up to 15lb have been placed in the Old Lake to provide visitors with even more hectic action.
For more details on the complex visit www.buryhillfisheries.co.uk
Chris Tarrant scores on Chew Valley
TV celebrity Chris Tarrant enjoyed a day on the in-form Chew Valley Reservoir and although he was unable to tempt any of the resident ‘thirties’ he was still able to gain a series of runs from fish to 14lb.
The Who Wants to be a Millionaire star targeted the predator mecca with local guide and close friend John Horsey and was able to gain several runs by using herring deadbaits.
It was an equally memorable outing for John who bagged a 32lb 12oz specimen and the images of the lump can be seen in next week’s Angling Times – on the shelves from Tuesday February 14!
