Pike: Consolation Prize

Unusually for me I decided to sit it out in one swim all day - the spot where I lost the big pike before the flood. It took a while to catch a livebait - but once I had I watched him work around the slack all day. It looked perfect, and so did my bait when I set him free as it got dark!

No pike - I was expecting some blanks - but they're always disappointing. I did however stick a cube of meat out on a sleeper rod (this stretch is known for some big chub). The alarm screamed off twice; a 6lb barbel and a cracking 5lb 11oz chub - what a blank-saver!

Pike: Flood

Well it needed a good wash through, but no fishing this weekend. Lets hope it settles down now - and doesn't keep flooding - fingers crossed.

I did loose an upper double (possible twenty) on a lure earlier in the week & had one about 16lb keep following - need to get back to them...

Pike: Run!

I've said it before; the most exciting thing in fishing for me is a pike run. Sometimes you've been watching the float all day when suddenly it comes to life - then sails away - when it does it could signal a two pounder or it could be twenty. Not much over two in this case!

Pike: Chips

Chipping away at my River Wye pike target or just enjoying chasing pike! Less than ideal conditions, red and rising, but one fish lost to a hook-pull & one landed, 10lb 5oz - bleak livebait doing the trick.

Pike: Backflip

On the river in the rain - beating a flood? I found a massive shoal of bleak - and sat on them hoping a pike was keeping her eye on dinner. Just one run - a fantastic aerial fight - this thing pulled like a pike three times it's size! Brilliant, season number three.

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And James has added The Fabulous River Wye to his 40 River Double Challenge. But he did it at night while I wasn't there to take the photo, perhaps he needs a daylight one?

Pike: Opener

Pike-Time - first day targeting pike on The Wye, sunrise to sunset. And I think it's going to be tough; I've seen a lot of otters over the summer and although the pike population does seem to be increasing overall on the river I wonder how many are still in the sections I'm fishing?

I expect a few blanks - so I was delighted when my float bobbed and slid under. A jack to start the season - not a big fish - but a pike is a pike and I love 'em! A lot of miles covered over the rest of the day but that was the only action - more to follow I hope...


I had the camera set up for dogfish in the dark and didn't check the photo until I had release the pike - at least it wasn't a thirty :-)

Chesil Binks

A day on the beach in the autumn sunshine. Fishing with Steve, the targets were cod, bass and rays. Although I really wanted to catch my first gurnard - just as well, that's all we could manage in daylight - what brilliant looking fish - really made my day!


Gurnard - it's like Jar Jar Binks had sex with a gudgeon.


Steve isn't one to quit so we fished on well into dark - unfortunately the cod didn't show up. Nor bass or rays - but we did manage a few dogfish, seen by most sea anglers as a pest - I'd happily catch them all day! Cracking day - more sea fishing coming up I hope...


Dogfish - mini-sharks.


Foxfish - waiting to steal the bait!