Mystery Of The Pond

Or the case of the missing pike. I’m struggling to catch pike this season - which is weird because this time last year I was bagging up. And one pond in particular is proving a mystery:

• October/November 2018: 12 sessions, 46 pike
• October/November 2019: 7 sessions, 3 pike

Using the same gear, same lures and covering all of the water - I’m struggling to work out why (unless I’ve lost all lure fishing ability). I’ve thought of a few possible reasons (excuses):

• Fish kill? Unlikely, would have heard.
• Poached? Again unlikely as it’s well policed.
• Missing the short feeding spell, mornings or nighttime?
• A couple of big pike eating the smaller ones?

I’d seen plenty of jacks here in the summer so I was hoping it was the latter, so I spent 4 hours thrashing the water to a foam with a Savage Gear 3D pike - that’ll find them. Not even a follow!

Where have all the pike gone?