Sunday 14 March 2010

Season Review 2009/10


Well I didn't manage to get back on the bank this week but it was a fantastic season that saw me catch 12 carp to 20lb 2oz, a new personal best, 37 pike in 5 sessions with the largest being 25lb 4oz, a new pb, plus a second twenty at 23lb 8oz and a new pb perch at 2lb 1oz. So three personal bests in one season!

Looking back I wish, as always, I had more time to go fishing, especially pike fishing - but work does tend to get in the way. Next season my goal is to spend at least 10 days Wye piking, perhaps starting earlier in the year. And to try a few new venues around London...

...See you next season.

Sunday 7 March 2010

7 March 2010


Couldn't resist a final few hours fishing before returning to London. We didn't have any bleak so we tried sprats and plugs but nothing was playing today. Can't catch every time but still had a great morning, this would have been a different post if the large perch that followed my plug into the bank hadn't shied away at the last moment.

So it was 31 pike over the weekend with 5 doubles and a new personal best of 25lb 4oz - Yay!

Saturday 6 March 2010

6 March 2010 (New PB)


Location: Weir End / Wilton / Stones
Number: 15 pike (Me 10, Roger 5)
Largest: 25lb 4oz
Method: Float-fished bleak / Sprats / Plug

An early start and a long walk to fish some out-of-the-way River Wye. I started with a float fished bleak and my first cast must have landed in the mouth of a yawning pike as the float went down instantly, resulting in a 3lb pike. I then followed this with a 7 pounder, again on float fished bleak, while Roger persevered with float fished sprats.

I went to convince Roger that Wye pike don't eat sprats and he should switch to bleak when his float bobbed and went down - a 4lb pike convinced him otherwise.


The perfect looking pike swim?

Despite some of the best looking pike swims I have ever seen the action dried up so we headed for another out of the way swim we had caught pike from in the past. I switched to sprats and had a pike about 8lb and Roger swapped to bleak and had a pike of about 3lb. While we were fishing I noticed a tiny little slack piece of water and pushed my way through the trees and bushes to put a bait in it (John Wilson would have been proud).


Not enough room to swing a sprat.

I cast out a float fished bleak and about 10 minutes later was rewarded with a 2lb pike. The most difficult part of this was getting the net through the undergrowth to net it, Roger made a rather comical success of it.

Next I tried a sprat. 20 minutes later the float bobbed and gently slid across the surface, I struck and realised I was connected to something special. The fight was short as the swim was about the size of a snooker table, 3 powerful runs trying to get under the bushes before Roger expertly swept it into the net. The scales rested on 25lb 4oz, a new personal best, both myself and Roger were delighted. I tried the swim again for about 30 minutes but no action and it was time to move.

We then decided to move back to the water we had been fishing yesterday, we had a number of fish to 10lb on bleak and plugs before we arrived at the Stones.


A rather dirty 11lb 4oz pike.

We fished the Stones, where I caught my 10th pike, a personal best number of pike in a day. Roger was soon in the action taking 3 pike including 2 doubles to 11lb 4oz all on float fished bleak.

We fished until about 6pm before heading off for a pint and roast beef, what a day!

Friday 5 March 2010

5 March 2010


Location: Wilton / Stones
Number: 16 pike (Me 9, Roger 7)
Largest: 12lb
Method: Float-fished bleak / Plug

It was a frosty start to the day when we began fishing at 8-30 but Roger was soon into a fish of about 4lb on float fished bleak in the bays at Wilton. He followed it quickly with a second pike of about 4lb while I lost one about 10lb. I then tried a shallow fished livebait over deep water and was rewarded with a 12lb pike.


Rather pleased with myself!

After an hour without any more runs we swapped to the opposite bank where Roger picked up 4 pike between 4 and 7lb in quick succession, I struggled but did manage a jack on a bleak and one of about 6lb on a plug before the action here dried up.


Nice fat seven pounder.

We moved to a peg called the Stones which had seen the odd big pike over the last couple of months. Roger caught a pike straight away, about 7lb, which looked like it was going to be the only pike in there. With the action slow, and the pike total being 7 for Roger and 3 to me, Roger decided to take the dog for a walk.


Jess!

No sooner had he left when my float went down. I had four pike all around the 4lb mark within the hour he was away. When he returned we fished for another fruitless hour, Roger decided to go and get some sprats, and again, no sooner had he left my float dipped and I caught 2 more pike before he returned.

We fished into the evening with sprats with no success. I wondered if the pike in the river eat sprats?