34lb 7oz pike falls to fly fishing tactics

This is a picture of one of the UK’s biggest ever fly-caught pike, topping the scales at 34lb 7oz.

The specimen was landed by experienced game angler John Machin when he set his sights on a gin-clear Midlands reservoir.

After noticing that the predators had been avoiding brightly-coloured flies he opted for a FlyTek 6” perch pattern – a decision that rewarded him with his new personal best for the species.

This is the biggest fly-caught specimen to be landed in the UK since the capture of a 39lb pike landed by Russell Cowell at Somerset’s Chew Valley Reservoir in June this year.
“The fish had really been spooking off the coloured flies, so I thought a more natural looking version would give me a better chance,” said John.

“There are also loads of perch in this venue so that’s why I chose this particular pattern of fly.

“This capture was a combination of a lot of time spent dedicated to the species and a slice of good fortune. A fish like this is really rare and very special indeed,” he added.

His catch now leads the way in the newly launched ‘Fly for Coarse’ competition that awards prizes for coarse species caught by design by those fishing with a fly.

The yearly competition is judged and endorsed by Matt Hayes and is run by regular Angling Times columnist Dom Garnett, who believes  John’s huge predator is a perfect example of what’s possible when fly fishing for coarse fish.

“With the exception of Chew Valley this is the biggest fly-caught pike I’ve seen in a long time,” Dom said.

“It shows how effective fly fishing can be and this competition is a celebration of that. Anyone can enter and it really doesn’t matter what species you catch or how big it is.”

To find out how to enter the ‘Fly for Coarse’ competition visit: www.flyforcoarse.com