Huge 38lb pike landed on the Trent
Here is one of the biggest pike ever from the River Trent... and it was caught by an angler fishing from a kayak!
The colossal specimen, which tipped the scales at exactly 38lb, was caught by kayak fishing fanatic Jason Pardoe, who tempted it on a 10ins Sovereign Bass Harasser lure. The picture of the giant predator very nearly never surfaced, and was only brought to light following the Sheffield angler’s capture of a 17lb 2oz zander from the same waterway – reported last week.
Few anglers fish the Trent for pike but Jason’s, which he caught from a tidal stretch of the waterway earlier in the season, will no doubt whet the appetite of predator fishing fans across the country.
Monster pike landed on the Thames!
This 32lb 8oz pike is one of the best ever taken from the River Thames. It’s believed to be the third-biggest from England’s longest river and was landed by Berkshire rod Sam Meeuwissen. Prebaiting is often associated with species such as carp and bream, but the Gardner Tackle-backed specialist called on the help of a friend, who used the tactic to prime a few likely looking spots with chopped fish.
It proved to be a masterstroke, as the mint-conditioned fish took a floatfished mackerel within just 30 minutes of Sam arriving at the waterside. “My mate had been dripping in the feed for me, which really works well for predators,” said Sam.
“There were loads of tufted ducks diving over the spot, but a couple of days before my visit they wouldn’t go anywhere near the area that they’d been visiting for an easy meal.
“If there was something as big as this pike lurking around I don’t think I’d stick around either!” Sam positioned his bait at 20 yards close to a wooden platform in the water and used 30lb Gardner braid, a 35lb trace and size 4 trebles.
His catch smashes his previous pike personal best that stood at 27lb 10oz.“I knew it was big when it first broke the surface, but the air filled with a bit of choice language when I lifted the landing net out of the water and the pike just kept coming and coming,” he continued. “The sheer depth of the fish was jaw-dropping – it was at least a foot deep.
“There are loads of big pike in this river and this is just one of them. It’s the tip of the iceberg as far as its predator potential is concerned,” added Sam.
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.
Big Wye pike capture witnessed by Passion for Angling star
THE capture of a personal best 27lb River Wye pike was made that little bit more sweeter for big fish fan Robert Hall when he had the honour of having angling TV celebrity, Bob James help him land it.
The ‘Passion for Angling’ star watched on as the huge predator took the 30-year-old, Dudley rod’s float-fished roach deadbait just half an hour after starting his session on an unknown stretch of the River Wye in Herefordshire.
Bob James (left) helped Robert Hall land this stunning 27lb Wye pike
“At first I thought it might just beat my previous best of 16lb but once close to the net I realised it was much bigger” said Robert.
“Its not everday you get a result like that and to have my hero witness it at the same time is just a dream come true” he added.
Stunning river pike caught while fishing the River Wensum
This beautifully-marked river pike was Shaun Jermy’s reward for braving sub-zero temperatures and fishing among sheets of ice!
It scaled 23lb and fell to the 26-year-old as he used his old carp fishing tackle to target predators on his local River Wensum. The specimen smashes his previous personal best for the species by 13lb.
A floatfished smelt deadbait on size 6 trebles, a wire trace and 12lb mainline, proved too good to resist for the stunning esox.
“I’m a carper and haven’t done much pike fishing, and to be honest I nearly stayed in bed when my mate came to pick me up at6am….it was so cold,” said Shaun.
“We all had such a shock when this huge fish came up through the clear water.”
Monster 36lb pike banked from reservoir
IMAGINE spotting a 36lb 4oz pike in clear water and then catching it on your very first cast – that’s exactly what Ben Farley did during a short session at a trout reservoir.
The 27-year-old, who is an on-site fishery manager at Oxfordshire’s Farmoor Reservoir, was giving tuition to a fly angler on the banks of the 400-acre complex when a stroll during his lunch break revealed two large, dark, fish-shaped shadows just below the surface.
Ben rushed back to the car to fetch his lure gear, and it wasn’t long before he was casting a swimbait in hope of a potential hook-up.
“The water is gin-clear to around 15ft down and I could still clearly see two distinctive outlines that could only have been pike,” he said.
“I cast the bait around 3ft-4ft behind what looked like the bigger fish, and within a split second it had turned and snatched it. At this point the pike went absolutely nuts. It must’ve taken 80 yards of line from the reel. What an incredible feeling!”
After 10 minutes the colossal fish managed to wrap itself around his braided mainline – creating a heart-stopping moment for Ben.
“Every now and then it would come up to the surface and then dive straight back down again – and it was at this point that I knew I’d hooked something truly special,” he continued.
“I managed to draw the pike to within 20 yards from the bank, and that’s when I noticed the line was wrapped around one of its fins. The fish rolled and the line went slack, but as I reeled back down I was met with resistance, and was thankfully reassured!”
The pike finally came to the net and on the scales it went 36lb on the nose – a new personal best for Ben as well as a new record for the reservoir.
To find out more about Farmoor Reservoir visit:
www.thameswater.co.uk
Ben Farley Spotted this huge 36lb 4oz pike in the water before he hooked it.