OUT AT LAST

 So last Wednesday I finally got my wish and loaded the van and headed to the big water for a day chasing 'Old Esox'. Weather was forecast to be sunny, cold and very little wind, which is not my favourite conditions to be fishing in, but 'sod it' said I, I'm still going. Arriving at first light I could just see that the area of lake I had chosen was teeming with silverfish dimpling all over the place. Especially along a line about 50yds out from the banks, I believe this is probably where the marginal weed thins out, not that there is much around at this time of year. Barrow loaded and off I went to find the first swim along the bank that I had chosen, one which I have not fished before. I've fished the opposite bank a fair bit but haven't done so on this side, all I have done is have a little lead around, a couple of years ago, just to get a feel for the topography of the bottom, it doesn't vary much until you get further up the bank but more of that later.

First swim just after first light

In no time I was set up in my first swim with all 3 rods cast at various distances with various baits but all fished on the same basic running ledger set-up. I've used this rig for most of my predator fishing since I first started over 25 years ago, with the only real adaption, over that period of time, to be the inclusion of a large run ring attached to the lead, usually 3oz or above, running freely on the line. I like the run rings as there's less chance of the line creating resistance running through them when/if a fish should pick up your bait and move off with it.

Small pike but made my day

It wasn't too long before I noticed a couple of twitches on the tip of my middle rod, which I had cast to where the bulk of the silver fish were showing at first light. A few seconds later and the alarm sounded as the drop-off indicator unclipped from the line and clonked against the rod rest. Out of the chair and by the rod in a flash, ok maybe not that quick but it was quick for a knackered old git like me, I stood poised watching the limp reel line to see if the fish was going to move off which it did in no time so I picked the rod up, reeled down and set the hooks into some nice weight at the other end. This resistance on the end of my line took me quite by surprise really and have to admit my legs went a bit wobbly as I slowly played this hard fighting, and it did fight hard, pike to the bank. After a few minutes, and a few head thumping runs, the culprit was finally wrapped in the mesh of my landing net. Now I have to be honest and say that I was not expecting to actually get a bite let alone catch a pike today as I haven't pike fished properly for well over a year and thought I,d use this days fishing to just 'get my eye back in' as they say, so to actually catch one and this early in on my trip made me feel very happy. One of the trebles was located just in the entrance to his stomach which I popped out easily whilst the other was in the roof of his mouth which again released its hold easily which made for effortless unhooking, although I still got a bit of raker rash for my efforts. A quick weigh and a few pictures and the little beauty was slid back into the water no worse for wear. A fighting fit 8lb pike had made my day, in fact I was tempted to pack up, go back to the van and have a wander round another part of the lake a couple of hours later as no other action had materialised and I was just happy with that one fish, but instead decided to load the barrow and move further along the bank to a swim I quite liked the look.

Second swim

Now once I got to this swim I thought I,d run my bait boat out around the area as to my right I could see a shallow point run out from the bank and I wanted to find the end of that as I thought it might be a good place to chuck a bait to. I thought this point might stretch out into the lake maybe 30-50 yards or so but boy was I wrong. The point actually turned out to stretch well over 100 yards out into the lake running from the right side of the swim through to just past the left side, and not only that the water was shallow too, running only 6 ft deep for roughly 50 yards in front of the swim. Now if I hadn't made a conscious decision prior to this trip to actually make an effort to find out more about the depths and contours of the lake bed when I go pike fishing, I do it when I carp fish but don't really when I,m hunting pike, I probably would of just launched my baits at the usual 3 different distances and would of ended up fishing shallow on top of the point/plateau, not that this might not of worked but I wouldn't of known any difference and ideally I wanted to be in the deeper water around the base of the point. After an hour or so of running the boat around and watching the echo sounder I had found 3 nice spots either side of the plateau and had my baits dropped, arse in my chair and a latte in my hand, all was good in 'Bryans World'.

Jammy D dunked in a latte mmmmm

Nothing happened at all through the afternoon, other than me drinking more lattes, dunking more Jammy D,s and scoffing down 2 huge freshly cooked cheeseburgers but I was comfy and relaxed so just sat watching the wildlife in that 'part awake part asleep' state that us anglers can slip into during a days fishing. Suddenly out of the blue the drop off indicator released and smacked the rod rest as my alarm screamed out for urgent attention which in turn made me jump with surprise causing the latte I was holding to spill down my leg, bollix. As I got to the rod I could see line peeling from the reel so quickly shut the bail arm, tightened up and leant into whatever was attached to the end of my line. Instantly I felt a good weight before I got flat rodded as the fish stripped line from my reel, WTF. For the next 10 minutes I gained a little line then lost a little line as the unseen fish fought hard trying to stay away from the bank. After a few minutes I was pretty sure that a carp had picked up my small smelt deadbait as this fish was fighting too hard for a pike, and I still thought that, until 30 yards out it bow waved across the swim in roughly 4 ft of water and I could clearly see its dorsal fin cutting through the water like a sharks. Now seeing this made my legs go to jelly as if this wasn't a carp it was a good sized pike and the weight of it also made me think similar. A few more runs later and she was safely in my net and looked like a real beast of a fish. Not particularly long or fat but really thick across her back, maybe a twenty I thought but quickly put that idea out of my head as surely I couldn't catch such a fish on the first attempt this season, could I!!!!

20lb 2oz get in......

She was only lightly hooked in the scissors so a gentle twist and the hooks were out and safe. On the scales she weighed in at an impressive 20lb 2oz which is my first twenty pounder for more years than I care to remember and the biggest pike I,ve caught from this huge water. I was proper made up so took a few pictures and slipped her back. Now the sun was starting to go down and I did consider not to bother  putting, the rod back out but thought maybe, just maybe, I might get another bite at the cherry. So another smelt was impaled on the hooks and the boat was sent out to roughly the same area for another chance, but I wasn't really that bothered as I was already over the moon with my 2 captures already.

Big old chompers

Thick across her back

Not long after I,d clipped on the drop off indicator and turned the alarm off the alarm sounded on my righthand rod and I turned just in time to see the tip pull round before the indicator fell and line started to peel out from the reel. No, this can't be true, not another fish, not now. Yes it was true, there was another good weight on the end of my line as I leaned into the moving fish which was now kiting to my right and moving into shallower water. I increased the pressure and the fish turned and started doggedly coming towards me as I gained a few yards of line. Again this fish fought well but I knew this was a pike straight away as it had the 'feel' of one as it pulled back. A few minutes passed, and other than a heart stopping moment when she swam towards a sunken branch to my right in only a couple of feet of water, before she was laying at the bottom of my net. Smaller than the last but I wasn,t complaining. On the scales she weighed in at 14lb 10oz and was in pristine condition except for a healing scar on one side. A quick few photos and away she went back into the lake.

Third pike 14lb 10oz

It got dark shortly after I returned the last fish and although I originally had planned to stay on a couple hours into darkness I just didn't feel the need to do so anymore. I had caught 3 beautiful, healthy pike topped off with a twenty pound beauty on a gorgeous sunny, but chilly, day and I just didn't need to fish on anymore, so I packed up and loaded the barrow and trudged off back to the van a very, very happy man.

Without this I wouldn't of caught the last 2 fish

Keep on dangling guys....................