Big UK pike fishing catches roundup

It’s been an incredible week for big pike with stillwaters, rivers and canals producing their biggest fish of the winter.

The incredible Chew Valley Reservoir delivered a new personal best for experienced predator hunter Kevin Shore from Chester, when he boated an impressive 39lb 12oz giant that took his bait as he floatfished in 24 feet of water (below).

Julian Chidgey also had a session to remember at ‘Chew’ after slipping the net under a 33lb 5oz (below), his 6th pike over the 30lb mark, specimen that was coupled with another fish weighing 26lb 13oz.

Angling Times Columnist Paul Garner also had every reason to smile when he headed to an area of the lake that’s produced the goods in the past and a floatfished smelt was picked up by his 12th 30lb pike in the shape of a 31lb 8oz predator.

“This is the most productive week for big fish that we’ve ever had at the venue…it’s been incredible,” said John Harris, fisheries and recreation manager at the venue that’s run by Bristol Water.

“We still have another run of dates fishing left so who knows what the tally of big fish is going to be by the end of this year’s pike trials.

It is not just Chew where anglers have been enjoying incredible pike action as big fish man Sean Palmer enjoyed the session of-a-lifetime on a Fen Drain when he slipped his net under a colossal 31lb 2oz specimen (below).

Roving an unknown waterway, The Leicester based, 30-year-old, tempted the giant beast using a whole mackerel hookbait and the fish gave Sean a new personal best for the species during a session which also saw him land two other pike to 19lb 6oz along with a surprise 4lb 4oz chub.

All-round specimen angler Simon Ashton also smashed his personal best with this stunning 27lb 3oz fish from a large northern water.

Using a large legered mackerel deadbait that had been well soaked in Sonubaits Code Red Oil, he presented it at long range and left it out for over 30 hours before he received the all-important bite (below).


 

Another predator of 15lb was also taken during the session, with the brace falling to a rig made up of 18lb Drennan ESP Syncro XT mainline to a 40lb trace and size 4 trebles.