Jack's Pike #12

Happy New Year!

Good Ol' Chub!

Getting better at these self-taken photos. 3lb 14oz

It was a milder day today in London, and as I haven't caught a fish all month, I thought I'd fish the last hour of daylight on the Wandte. I started fishing about 3pm and had my first bite about 10 minutes later. A tiny bite but connected with the 3lb 14oz chub above. About 30 minutes later I had another bite, this one wanted to pull the rod in, and went 3lb 6oz. I recast but the light was fading and I headed home at four.


Not even wearing a coat! Must be warm. 3lb 6oz

Hair-rigged luncheon meat in about 18 inches of water did the trick. Chub aren't known for being hard fighting fish - but nobody had told these two - they both gave a great fight and I was convinced I was connected to a carp both times.

And just before I left a fox jumped over the wall I was sitting propped against, landing in my lap... Don't know who was more shocked me or the fox? I left him some luncheon meat for his effort (and for not biting me).

1963

Well the plan to fish Christmas morning went like this:

It is f*&kin' frozen!

It's the first time it's frozen over completely since 1963, and although it looks great I think that's the end of this years fishing. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you then...

Jack's Pike #11

Frozen Wye

There have been some good fishing reports coming from the River Wye for the last week or two, big bags of chub and roach have been caught as well as a number of pike to 20lb. So yesterday I traveled from London to get here... But the harsh weather was already working against me...

This morning I woke to a snowstorm adding to the already deep snow. Fishing looked out of the question, and this was confirmed when I went for a walk by the river. The ice in the margins was almost meeting in the middle and more snow was starting to fall... Only a madman would fish in conditions like this...

...So I did... For 2 hours... Without a run!

Jack's Pike #10

No fishing for a while now, but as I sit here watching the snow fall outside I have decided to head to the River Wye next week. I think I'm in for some tough fishing, but I need to open this season's pike account. Nothing warms me up like the thought of a River Wye twenty...

Jack's Pike #09

Sorry Sir...

...I can't go fishing today, my bait freezer won't let me have any bait..!

Edit: I did manage to chisel out a couple of roach and float them about in the Thames for an hour, but the pike weren't playing today...

Jack's Pike #08