Two pike for 55lb from River Wye

The River Wye proved yet again why it’s regarded as one of the UK’s best rivers when it produced two stunning pike - this 30lb specimen the highlight.

Ben Humber hooked in to the impressive predator, which he at first thought was a ‘good double’, after casting out a legered herring hookbait.

The fish, which is one of the biggest reported Wye specimens in 2013, left the Somerset rod with his heart in his mouth when it tail-walked across the width of the river and following a spirited scrap he beat his third 30lb-plus pike of the year with the help of a rig made with 45lb braid, a size 1 single hook and a size 4 treble.

“I really thought it was a good double, but then there was a mighty explosion beneath my feet and it tail walked across the river,” Ben told Angling Times. “It was a sight and the feeling that I will take to the grave with me.”

Incredibly, he came close to making it four thirties just an hour later but unfortunately he his hooks pulled out of the jaws of a predator that he estimated to be even bigger than his first fish.

 “I’d moved to another spot and cast my bait right under an overhanging tree and it wasn’t long before an even bigger pike was thrashing and shaking it’s head on the surface, but unfortunately the hooks came out. It obviously wasn’t meant to be.”

Also getting in on the action was predator fishing expert Dilip Sarkar who banked a mint-conditioned 25lb pike from the Herefordshire waterway.

Lowering half a legered sardine in to five feet of water just off his rod tip he beat his prize with a rig comprising 66lb braid, 30lb wire trace and size 4 Owner trebles.

It marks a productive spell for Worcester-based angler as the specimen came just a week after he banked another 20lb-plus pike from the River Severn.

 

 

 

 

 

 



33lb milestone Rutland pike

Rutland Water has produced its biggest pike in many years following the capture of this impressive 33lb 4oz predator.

The specimen, which measure 114cm in length, was boated by Artur Brzozowski who was fishing for zander at the time with a 15cm shad lure in an area of deep water on the 1,000-acre Anglian Water controlled venue.

The 35-year-old owner of online shop, www.lure-world.com, had already caught several zander with his boat partner when he hooked in to the surprise specimen.

“My friend had caught pike from the spot in the past so I knew there was a few there, but I didn’t expect anything of this size,” Artur told Angling Times. “Because the water was so deep I didn’t see just how big it was until I got it alongside the boat.”


Chris Tarrant straight on the pike at Chew Valley

Chris Tarrant enjoys fishing for a whole host of species and he showed off his predator skills when he boated this impressive lure-caught pike on his very first cast of the day.

He was fishing alongside England international fly fisherman, John Horsey, who also co-starred in his recent hit television series - ‘Chris Tarrant Goes Fishing’ - during the final week of this year’s predator fishing trials at the famous Chew Valley Reservoir in Somerset.

The fish was just shy of the 20lb-mark and was caught with an Abu 40gram silver spoon.


Monster 36lb pike from city stream

A tiny stretch of river that’s free to fish and not much more than a rod length wide has produced this huge 36lb 3oz pike.

The shock specimen was caught by predator fishing fanatic Stefan Catalin while targeting a small backwater of the River Thames known as Castle Mill Stream.

The London-based 29-year-old, specialises in catching both pike and perch on artificial lures and it proved to be a Savage Gear Real Eel edged along the bottom of the West Oxfordshire waterway that induced the take from the fish that smashed his previous personal best by 6lb 3oz.

The catch came as a complete shock to the captor, who battled with the fish for 20 minutes before sliding its huge frame over his waiting net, and will also erase any doubts that many people have of the capabilities of such a tiny waterway to support a predator of such proportions.

“I was fishing off the bridge and working the bait along the bottom when I got the take and I had to give the rod to a passer-by as I quickly got off the bridge and into position by the water’s edge,” Stefan told Angling Times.

“When I saw the fish for the first time I was stunned, and a little scared, because I never thought such a massive fish would be in such a small, narrow piece of water - it really took me by surprise.

“I’ve seen loads of pike anglers down here that use deadbaits and only catch small fish, but I’ve had loads of success with these artificial eels as they seem to pick out the bigger fish.

“This catch just goes to show that you can’t ignore these small streams and backwaters because they are clearly full of big surprises.”

Drennan International employee Stewart Moss has fished the River Thames and its tributaries for 30 years  and says that this further proves the potential of small venues.

“It’s an unbelievable reward for fishing uncompromising urban waterways that are shunned by most specimen anglers,” said Stewart.

“Venues like this are often full of species like bream which are perfect food and this, combined with neglect, creates a water that’s capable of throwing up a real giant.”


Huge perch from river and canal

Commercial fisheries have become synonymous with big perch but natural venues have proved their specimen fish potential yet again with both rivers and canals producing massive predators.

Agony soon turned to ecstasy for Paul Elt when he slipped the net under a pristine 4lb 4oz perch during a session on a tributary of the River Ouse.

After his hook pulled out of what he was convinced was a 4lb-plus fish earlier on in his stint, Paul, who comes from Cambridgeshire, didn’t let his misfortune get the better of him and half an hour later he netted one of the biggest river perch of 2013.

The Drennan and Dynamite Baits-backed all-rounder started his day by catching some small roach livebaits which he offered on a simple paternoster rig incorporating a size 4 Drennan Super Specialist hook.

“After a hectic morning with countless pike and a 1lb 12oz perch to show for my efforts I then hooked a huge fish which rolled on the surface and then unfortunately came off,” said Paul.

“I slumped down in my chair and was completely and utterly gutted because I could clearly see it was well over the 4lb mark.

“But I was determined to persevere because I thought that the fish would still be on the hunt for its missing meal and I was right.”

Specimen all-rounder Dan Sales adopted a mobile approach on the Grand Union Canal and banked no less than 14 perch all over the 2lb-mark with the biggest fish weighing 3lb.

The Fox-backed rod was fishing with his friend Gavin Mooney and the duo walked over 4 miles of the waterway armed with ‘jigging’ outfits and braided mainlines.
They targeted areas above and below lock gates with Gavin banking a new personal best weighing 2lb 10oz and both anglers used Fox Warrior Mini Fry jigs.



34lb 10oz pike tops week of bumper hauls

There has never been a better time of year to catch a big river pike after a string of specimens to 34lb 10oz were reported.

The predator fishing headlines have recently been dominated by trout reservoir fish but this week it was the turn of their running water counterparts as they pack on weight ready for the onset of winter.

Pick of the catches was this 34lb 10oz monster to Nathan Edgell from an undisclosed southern river, but there were also several impressive 20lb-plus fish from both the Hampshire and Bristol Avon. 

Nathan banked his new personal best just days after landing a 22lb fish from the same waterway. The Dorset man described his capture as ‘a dream’ after spending five years trying to better his river best pike. The specimen came during one of the 30 Plus-backed rod’s trademark roving sessions, from an area of slack water behind a willow tree.

“Things had not gone to plan and I’d had nothing all morning except for one lost fish,” he told Angling Times. “I’d told my wife I would be home for 1pm but it was 2.30pm when I returned to a swim I’ve always had a good feeling about despite having never caught a pike from it. I dropped my float as close to the edge of the submerged branches as I dared and by the time it reappeared from the cast I suddenly saw a flash and it shot under. I struck hard, there was a huge boil, and I could tell straight away that it was a big pike.

“She went straight towards the tree but with plenty of side strain and 50lb braid mainline, I was able to stop her. If I had been on 15lb monofilament I don’t think I would have stood a chance. Slowly I managed to gain line but she scrapped and protested all the way in and at one point she came tail walking right out of the water.  My heart was in my mouth and I can remember thinking ‘she’s a thirty!’

“Panic set in and suddenly all those rod hours, heartbreaks and cold frosty mornings came down to this one moment. What a fish, strong spirited and wild. Finally I slipped her over the net. River thirties are as rare as the proverbial rocking horse poo these days and she has the potential to become an upper-thirty at the back end of the river season,” he said.

Nathan emphasised the importance of not being under gunned for large pike. He fished a strong wire trace, a single pair of trebles and a rudd bait, together with a 2.75lb test curve 30 Plus V3 Big Fish rod and 50lb braid.

Elsewhere, the famous Royalty Fishery on the Hampshire Avon has been on top form with a 28lb pike reported, although the captor wished to remain anonymous, plus a 25lb 2oz specimen to Ron Brooke from ‘The Piles’ swim on a smelt bait. Local man Terry Findlay managed to catch a 23lb 9oz fish on a dead roach from this prolific stretch too.

Mark Squire equalled his biggest pike with a 21lb 12oz predator, also from the Hampshire Avon, which was part of a four fish catch over two days.

And the Bristol Avon produced a 22lb 7oz predator for Carl Marchant as he smashed his personal best twice in the same session, following a 16lb 8oz pike earlier that day. Baiting up with a mush of mackerel and cod liver oil tablets, Bath angler Carl took the impressive brace from the Bathampton AA stretch at Newbridge on a smelt, having only started pike fishing a few months ago.  

 




Tenth UK Forty for Mark Munson

Navitas Apparel boss Mark Munson has caught his tenth UK forty in the shape of this 44lb 9oz common from a local syndicate lake.

The Essex-based rod targeted an area of thick weed and cast solid PVA bags filled with crushed boilies and Hinders Elips pellets over a small clear area at 50 yards range.

He said: “I’ve been really busy with work and not had much time for fishing recently. But with the weather looking so good I felt sure one of the bigg’uns was due out so squeezed in a few overnighters. The first night produced a 29lb 10oz common then I had a 30lb 12oz mirror before catching the forty just before I had to fly to China.”

Mark used snowman style hookbaits consisting of 18mm Exel Baits Mulberry Shellfish bottom baits tipped with 10mm CC Moore Northern Special pop-ups.


10lb zander banked after just a few minutes in to session

Mark Simmonds’ zander fishing campaign got off to a flying start when he banked this 10lb 11oz specimen.

The St Neots, Cambs-based rod hooked the fish just a few minutes after casting out a legered mackerel head into the middle of the Great River Ouse.

His free-running rig, consisting of a Drennan wire trace and size 8 trebles, also attracted the attention of an 11lb pike and a 3lb eel.

“I was in two minds whether to fish because the river was still heavily coloured from the recent rains, but thank god that I did,” said Mark.

 

 

 


Third visit to Chew Valley and new personal best

It was a case of third time lucky for Gavin Young, after landing this superb 34lb 8oz pike during a session at Chew Valley Reservoir.

The 33-year-old from Midsomer Norton in Somerset, was visiting the predator haven for the third time this year when he banked this fish, his new personal best: “I was fishing with my dad, who also landed a 27lb 9oz fish, and we decided to head to a section of open water which other anglers seem to avoid and it paid off for us,” he said. Gavin used a float ledger set-up incorporating 15lb mainline, a 40lb titanium trace and a herring deadbait on a pair of size 4 trebles.


26lb pike after four year break

A four year break from angling did nothing to curtail the efforts of Ian Buss who returned to his favourite venue and landed this huge 26lb 8oz pike.

The fish took the 24-year-old’s trotted roach livebait from a Hull and District Angling Association stretch of the River Hull.

“I used to fish the waterway for pike all the time and have caught them to 30lb from before so I knew there was the chance of a big fish,” said Ian. “I am on leave from the Royal Navy and just decided to get back into fishing - I’m glad I did.”

Ian’s rig included a 30lb trace and size 6 treble hooks.


Second-time lucky with 22lb pike

When the treble hooks on Nathan Edgell’s lure unexpectedly snapped, causing the loss of a large pike from a southern river, he was determined to settle the score.
And a week later that’s exactly what he did, catching the same 22lb 2oz specimen on his first cast. The 30-Plus-backed rod hooked the fish from a slack water swim using a Blue X Rattler plug.

“I was very sad to leave parts of a treble in this pike’s mouth in the first place. In all my years of fishing I have never had this happen before. I changed my lure and I couldn’t believe it when she took it straight away again. I was able to carefully extract the original trebles and gave her a few minutes to recover before she swam off none the worse for wear,” he said.

 

 

 


Huge zander to a deadbait

Big fish enthusiast Geoff Collins has continued his breath-taking run of form - catching this 18lb 5oz zander from a Midlands stillwater.

Only a month earlier the Northamptonshire rod landed the biggest barbel brace of the year with fish of 18lb 10oz and 15lb 12oz from an undisclosed river, and he struck gold once again when the impressive predator fell for his floatfished deadbait.
Bright skies and clear water provided less than ideal conditions, but undeterred he headed to a deep spot which had a good track record for producing specimen zander.

The first bite of the day came to his boat partner, Chris Ebden, resulting in a zander of 9lb. Shortly afterwards Geoff received a tentative take.

“I initially thought it was a small zander as it didn’t put up much of a fight but it suddenly realised it was hooked and made repeated efforts to bore for the bottom,” said Geoff, who was used 15lb mainline, a 20lb Drennan 7 Strand wire trace and size 8 treble hooks. 

“When I got a glance at the fish it was clear it was enormous and thankfully it went into the net on the first attempt. Once on the boat I realised I’d how lucky I’d been as the hook was only just in its mouth.

“I don’t have that much time to get on the bank with family and work commitments but this catch –which beats my previous best for the species by 6lb - shows that a little research can be vital. It’s always better to spend an hour in the right place rather than 10 hours in the wrong one.”

With the temperatures expected to plummet in the coming weeks Geoff has now set his sights on increasing his pb of another predatory species: “It’s been a fair few years since I had a really big perch so I’d love to bag one around the magical 5lb-mark,” he added.

 


20lb 6oz pike best of 12 fish haul

This mint-conditioned 20lb 6oz pike was the highlight of a prolific session on a Leicestershire stillwater for predator fishing expert Alan Dudhill.

The general secretary of the Pike Angling Club of Great Britain (PAC) shared a 12-fish haul with his fishing companion Ian Cougil when they used popped-up whole mackerel hookbaits on free-running leger rigs.

All of their fish were beaten with 50lb braid and 30lb traces.

“This water is full of roach, bream and perch, so it seems strange that sea baits would work so well, but it has to be the oils that are released into the water that make this bait irresistible to pike,” Alan told Angling Times.

To find out more about the PAC visit: www.pacgb.co.uk
 

 


43lb pike is record shaker

The Chew Valley Reservoir pike record has been broken by Tom Mills with the capture of this colossal 43lb specimen.

The history-making predator, which beats the previous venue best of 42lb 4oz, was boated by the Bristol-based rod on his first cast of the day after he positioned a herring hookbait in an area in front of the sailing club which was totally devoid of other anglers.

In the past, the 36-year-old has experienced mixed fortunes at the vast 1,200-acre fishery and since he first started targeting its resident pike eight years ago he’s banked fish to a best of just over 25lb but also suffered his fair share of blanks.
He believes a culmination of experience and trusting his gut instincts was the key to his latest success.

“People who haven’t fished here are under the impression that you just pay your money, drop a deadbait over the side and catch big pike for fun. That couldn’t be further from the truth – I’ve had many blank sessions,” said Tom, who floatfished his deadbait on a pair of size 6 trebles.

“After all these years, my boat partner Mike Genge and I have gained a lot of knowledge, so instead of following the crowds we headed out from the sailing club where we knew there was over 20 feet of water. Both of us just fancied it for a big fish.

“When the float slowly slid away after just 20 minutes of being in the water I struck into what I thought was a mid-double. When it got close to the boat, though, all hell broke loose and it gave me the fight of my life.

“Some of my friends ask me why I bother coming back year after year, but Mike answered this question perfectly  a few years ago when he banked pike weighing 32lb and 31lb in an hour. That had been my inspiration.”

Since opening its doors to predator anglers for the annual pike trials in October, Chew Valley has already produced two different fish over the magical 40lb-barrier and more than 20 over 30lb.

And the capture of Tom’s venue record has only strengthened many experts’ claims that the venue will produce the next British record fish.

“It doesn’t take a great leap in the imagination to realise that a fish like this only has to be carrying a bit of extra weight in the depths of winter and eat a couple of 2lb trout to become a fish of record proportions,” said Tony Donnelly, assistant fishery manager at Chew Valley.


20lb pike from large stillwater

This 20lb 2oz pike was the highlight of a four-fish haul for Jon Neafcy when he braved the recent storms at a large stillwater in Cambridgeshire.

The 40-year-old also netted a brace of predators over 16lb as well as a 15lb pike when he legered mackerel hookbaits at range on free running setups in order to offer as little resistance as possible.

All of his fish were beaten with rigs constructed with 40lb mainline which was tied to a 75lb titanium trace.

 

 


29lb pike from Chew Valley Reservoir

This cracking 29lb 4oz pike was the highlight of Darran Goulder’s session on the famous Chew Valley Reservoir in Somerset.

The Kent-based former Drennan Cup champion put his faith in a whole float fished sardine and also landed a fish of 17lb as well as a small jack at last knockings.

“The 29lb’er was caught in the second spot that we fished during the day,” explained the Shimano-backed specimen hunter. “It was ridiculously windy and we were struggling to keep the boat in place, even with two anchors out.”


Grafham heads up new pike season

The traditional pike fishing season got off to a flying start with both stillwater and river fisheries producing some of their biggest predators of 2013.

At the top of the long list of venues hitting top form was Cambridgeshire’s Grafham Water as it produced what’s believed to be its biggest fish this year so far in the shape of a pristine 25lb 2oz specimen landed by Rich Holden under the expert guidance of Waterland Fishing guide Gordon Howes. After locating a shoal of bait fish, the 27-year-old cast out a Power Team Hammer Shad lure in about 20ft of water and connected with the fish after half an hour.

It wasn’t just the pike anglers cashing in on the excellent sport on offer, with perch to 4lb and double figure zander reported along with similar results at Anglian Water’s Rutland Water.

Two new venues have also opened their doors to predator anglers for the first time ever this year.

In its first week, Eyebrook Trout Fishery in Leicestershire has already produced large numbers of pike to a best of 23lb and perch to 3lb 14oz. Top Scottish trout fishery Harelaw in Renfrewshire, has also announced plans to allow a limited number of pike anglers access from November  1 until March 10 2014.

Predator fishing legend Neville Fickling was one of several high profile anglers to target the resident predators for the very first time at Eyebrook Trout Fishery and is very optimistic about the coming season.

“It’s been a great start with lots of smaller fish being caught from all over the UK,” Neville told Angling Times. “It’s just a matter of time until the weather starts to get a little colder and the big fish will certainly go on the feed.

“Pike fishing is getting more popular every year and the demand for venues to facilitate predator anglers is increasing. It’s great news that venues such as Eyebrook are opening their doors to us.

Further north, two budding predator anglers broke their personal bests at small Scottish Lochs.

The first was 13-year-old junior Pike Angling Club (PAC) member Michael Ward from Merseyside who banked a 21lb 2oz pike on a legered mackerel tail coated in Pikepro Mackerel Oil and Red Dye. A session at Loch Ronald produced a fish of 18lb for Daniel Fletcher (16) who offered a roach deadbait on a pair of size 4 Owner trebles close to a set of reeds in 4ft of water.

Running water venues have also been producing first-class sport for visiting pike anglers. The famous Royalty Fishery on the River Avon in Hampshire has already produced several fish over the 20lb barrier and one angler landed 12 pike to double figures in a single session.

Nigel Davis, owner of Davis Tackle on the bank of the river, said: “The best fish I’ve had reported so far is a cracking 26lb specimen which is a great fish for this time of year. So far lures have definitely been the best tactic.”



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.


Huge pike on the fly

THIS huge 39lb fly-caught pike is sure to make hundreds of predator anglers green with envy as it was landed by Russell Cowell during his first ever session targeting the species.

Fishing at Chew Valley Reservior in Somerset, widely regarded as the UK’s finest big pike water, the 34-year-old from the Isle of Wight set out to achieve his ambition of catching his first pike with four friends, including Northants-based fly-fishing legend Mike Green.

Due to tough conditions the party only had a handful of single-figure fish to show for their first day efforts, but that all changed on the second afternoon.

Mike had tied a replica of the ‘Jamie’s Jonah’ fly that he used to catch a 40lb 8oz pike from the same venue in 2009 and Russell used it to devastating effect to land the new personal best – a fish that he admits he is unlikely to ever better.

“I’ve lived on the Isle of Wight all of my life so I mainly go sea and game fishing, but I’ve always wanted to catch a pike,” Russell told Angling Times.

“Even though I was well aware of what this water is capable of nothing could have prepared me for this fish and the thrilling experience that it brought me. The fight was amazing and it almost leapt completely out of the water on a couple of occasions.

“Having never caught a pike before I didn’t know how big the fish actually was until it rolled over in the net and I saw the girth of it, which truly was a sight to behold .

“I might be new to pike fishing, but I do appreciate how rare a fish like this is and I am great full and honoured to have caught it because I’m almost certain it won’t happen again.”

Russell used a nine-weight fly fishing rod coupled with a 100lb bite leader to get the best of his prize.