24lb pike from River Derwent

A legered mackerel tail saw Steve Meynell bank this personal best 24lb pike during a short session on the Derbyshire Derwent.

The Earl of Harrington’s AC member had witnessed his cousin land a 19lb specimen from the waterway a week before and returned to the same spot on the club controlled stretch to try and land an even bigger predator.

It didn’t take long for him to achieve his goal and he said: “When I hooked the fish I was convinced it wasn’t very big as it came in easily to start with. That all changed when it broke the surface and went ballistic. It filled a large landing net and more than doubled my previous best for the species of 11lb,” he added.