‘Gut feeling’ leads to 31lb pike capture

Mike Lyddon demonstrated perfectly why trusting your instincts is vital to catching a new personal best when he won the battle with this stunning 31lb pike.
Perch were his initial target, but after getting what he described as a ‘hunch’ that told him that a big pike was on the cards, he stuffed some deadbaits into his rucksack and made his way to a large stillwater in the south of the UK.
Having found a small weedbed surrounded by 8ft of water, the experienced Gardner Tackle-backed all-rounder cast out a float-legered joey mackerel hookbait.
Mike was just minutes away from moving swims because he doesn’t tend to favour coloured water for targeting pike – but then the huge personal best fell into his trap.
“Every now and again I get a feeling about the species I should be going for, and even though I intended to try for perch something inside me said it wasn’t the right thing to do. I’ve learned to listen to these hunches,” said Mike.
“I had a 6lb pike and then the water started to colour up, so I gave it another five minutes. Just as I was going to reel in, it rattled off.
“The fish plodded around and when it rolled on the surface I could see just one point of my trebles was nicked into its bottom jaw. As I drew it over the net, it shook the hook.
“It rolled over and was as wide as a dog across the back. Then I realised how close I came to losing it.”
The fish smashed his previous personal best that stood at 23lb 10oz. It was beaten with a rig made from 50lb braid, a 40lb wire trace and size 4 trebles.