Pike - A plan comes together

The recent rainfall did nothing to improve the levels or colour of the Warwickshire Avon. If you read my previous blog you will know that I vowed to have a predator session if the river remained clear. With the traditional pike season commencing this week I set off for Charlton. However, this trip was wasted as the BAA actually have no pegs available. This is the third stretch I have visited in recent weeks that has left me cursing 'the UK's largest angling club'. They really need to get themselves sorted as it is no use advertising miles of river if a large proportion are covered in nettles. Anyway, this can be a discussion for another day!

I decided on another stretch upstream on the opposite bank. Conditions were far from ideal with a band of high pressure resulting in bright and sunny weather. I am no pike expert but I know that this kind of weather coupled with a clear river does not fill one with optimism. I started off casting a soft bodied lure. I opted for a natural coloured bait resembling a perch. I covered the area but no takes nor follows saw me switch to a float fished deadbait. I gave this half hour or so but again nothing resulted so it was time to up sticks and try another spot. As an aside, I have not had too much luck with soft lures on the Avon. Avon fish tend to prefer spinners and I would be interested to hear what others have to say.

The new peg looked more attractive with some far bank trees providing shade. I felt much more optimistic given the bright conditions. I set up a ledger outfit utilising a paternoster rig with a joey mackerel as bait. This was cast towards the far bank and set up with an alarm and drop off indicator. I again cast out a dead roach closer to the bank using my float outfit. About ten minutes later, the alarm bleeped and an aggressive run was met with a strike and the reassuring resistance of a fish on. The fish came to the nearside of the river quite easily. Then, the fun and games started. It was an incredible battle with the fish leaving the water's surface several times. It also managed to cross my other line, biting through it in the process (A reminder of how important a trace is when predator fishing). The fish made another surge, this time for some sunken roots but after one more tail walk the pike was safely netted. The hooks were easily removed, a reward for a prompt strike. The fish was not huge, indeed nowhere near my PB, but it was a beautifully marked specimen.

A super looking pike

The tail and fin patterns were wonderfully coloured while it was covered in vivid yellow spots. I estimated the fish at around 7-8lb and after a quick photo it was released. Its colours looked even better in the clear margins and I was able to watch it glide downstream towards the bankside vegetation.

I went on to try a few more spots without any further runs but to start the traditional pike season with a fish in unfavourable conditions was a pleasing start and justification enough for opting for the predator session.