33lb 5oz pike... on a fly!

Matt Roberts slipped his net under three specimen pike – topped by 33lb 5oz beauty (right).

The 30-year-old from Surrey opted to fly-fish for the pike on

his favourite Midlands reservoir and attached a minnow-imitation lure to his line in an attempt to ‘match the hatch.’

The ploy soon worked, as he explained: “Using a fast-sink line I presented the fly in 18ft of water among a shoal of baitfish I’d located on the fish-finder.”

“During the day I had three takes which were really subtle – just a sharp tap followed by a solid resistance. I landed pike of 22lb, 29lb 5oz and 33lb 5oz – my new fly-caught best. It was definitely the session of a lifetime.”