40lb 3oz pike caught on carper’s zig rig!

Carp angler Jack Sharlotte had the shock of his life when this majestic 40lb 3oz pike snapped up his zig rig hookbait during a recent session.

The 23-year-old from East Yorkshire fished a pond at Pasture Wood Fishery when the fine esox struck – nearly spooling his reel in the process.

Speaking exclusively to Angling Times, Jack described his session and exactly what happened during the fight. 

He said: “I arrived around 7.30am and took a walk around the pond. I couldn’t see any carp so I followed the warm wind and eventually ended up on the back right-hand corner of the water.

“I planned to fish three rods with my third incorporating an adjustable zig rig with pink foam. I cast this tight up against a rope which was connected to an aerator. 

“After not having a run for about three hours I decided to switch the pink foam for yellow and added a piece of fake corn soaked in Trigger from Enterprise Tackle. I re-cast this rig just inches away from the rope.”

This tactic soon proved a success, as 15 minutes later something big took an interest in Jack’s vibrant hookbait. 

“I heard a few beeps on my alarm which quickly escalated to my rod-tip smashing round to the right, ripping my bobbin off and melting line off my reel,” Jack added.

“I jumped up and grabbed my rod, and the fish started to kite to the right, but at this point it didn’t feel like anything special. 

“Suddenly it flew straight towards me, ending up right beneath my feet, and it was here that I got my first glimpse of the monster.”

After several more runs, when the pike nearly went round a snag and tangled with Jack’s other rods, it finally came to the surface ready for netting.

Jack continued: “I pulled the fish over the lip of my net and shimmied the last of its tail inside. 

“I stood, took a breath and had a look in my net, thinking to myself: ‘That’s got to be a 30-pounder’. I pulled it out of the water, and that’s when it struck me that it was so much bigger. 

“I laid the pike on the unhooking mat and was surprised to see that the hook was stuck just through the outside of the very tip of the bottom lip.

“Getting it on the scales, I was blown away when I saw the needle flick up to the high thirties/low forties of pounds, finally settling on 40lb 3oz!”

If you would like to see more pictures of Jack’s huge pike, please visit his Instagram page at _lilcarpy