Newcomers smash bests with 30lb-plus pike

DESPITE only taking up predator fishing a few months ago, Ryan Burrows has already caught a fish any seasoned specimen hunter would be proud of – this 30lb pike from Esthwaite Water in the Lake District.

The 21-year-old from Bowness, Cumbria certainly had beginners luck on his side when, targeting an area near the car park on the vast 280-acre venue, he hooked in to the impressive predator during a short evening session.

Using a legered mackerel head on a pair of semi-barbless trebles in around 6ft of water it took Ryan over 20 minutes to land ‘the fish of a lifetime.’

“I just cannot put this catch into words,” he told Angling Times. “Everyone has been congratulating me - except my boss who helped get me back into the sport as his biggest pike is only 28lb so he wasn’t too pleased!”

Another angler to break the magical 30lb-barrier this week was Dave Newman.  The 33-year-old caught his first 20lb-plus pike just before Christmas after four years of trying, and it didn’t take him long to go one better with this superb 30lb 14oz personal best from an undisclosed Lincolnshire gravel pit.

After moving swims to one in a secluded corner where a coarse angler had been fishing for silverfish with maggots the pike grabbed his float legered smelt deadbait while he slowly twitched it in.

“I knew that this lake held a 30lb-plus fish but I couldn’t believe it when I caught her on only my second visit,” he said. “My arms were aching playing it because I’d just completed a Guinness World Record for the World Darts Singles Marathon with my mate at our local pub. It was to raise money for Cancer Research and we managed 48 hours and 1 minute,” add Dave, who mounted his bait on a pair of size 6 trebles on a strong wire trace and an 18lb mainline.