An angler's journal

An angler's journal

Tuesday 12 March 2019

Another nice pike

The last time I blogged, I was in the middle of an enjoyable pike fad. Having already landed some nice river doubles my appetite had yet to be sated and I was still on the hunt for more. Several sessions saw me catch on each of them although the fish were small. One Sunday afternoon session was particularly slow. Sat in my banker swim, the light began to signal the end of another February day. It looked like a blank was looming. I drew the float back towards me, partly as the light was now departing making it difficult to make it out on the water's surface. In its new position it sat nicely in between the reflection of some trees. It was then that it moved ever so slightly into the darker part of the reflection. It was a matter of inches but it had definitely moved. Was it the current? I was unsure. If it was a bite then it was very subtle. I held the braid between my fingers and felt for movement. A slight tug registered but again very subtle. If this was indeed a fish then it had barely moved upon picking up the bait. Another slight pull on the braid was enough to see me wind down and strike and indeed a fish was on. It felt good. No alarming runs but a decent force at the other end nevertheless. By the time it made the net it was pretty much dark. However, I could see enough to be sure another great river pike had been landed.
It also was a great learning experience, showing me how little a pike can move a float despite picking up the bait fully. I had another smaller pike do the same more recently so it really does pay to give your full attention. With March now here and the river levels fluctuating almost daily it has almost certainly signaled the end of my pike campaign for this year.  Three very nice pike have been landed with plenty of smaller ones keeping me busy on the slower days. With the season almost over I shall now look to finish with a barbel or two.

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