Pike magnet

Well I'll never say I don't want to catch a pike because I love pike, but when I'm trying to find other fish those pesky pike can be a right nuisance. The kind of nuisance that is fantastic though.

A week or so ago I took a break from trying to find perch, chub or anything else that would take a small lure in my local canals and went pike fishing. I took a medium set up to a pond I know where you can usually guarantee a jack or two, either that or a blank. I wasn't using surface baits, but I was using jerk baits (in fact Matts jerk baits) which I worked very fast, zig zagging them just under the surface. The pike laid up would charge up from the bottom and crash in to the lure in spectacular fashion. Sometimes they'd stick, sometimes they wouldn't but that was all a part of the attraction. I wasn't there for a monster and knew I was most likely to be getting small jacks. Great fun and it reminded me why I usually tend to target just pike.

Today I made the switch back to light gear again. The evening looked as good as they come and I felt that something, somewhere would be feeling hungry and so visiting new places in favourable conditions would give me a chance of a fish or two. Too many times I hit new spots when it's cold, windy and raining and just doesn't look right.

I've only been fishing five minutes or so when my first fish hits. It's a good hit but I don't see the fish and it could be anything, perch, chub, trout even but no, it's a pesky jack of around three pound clinging on to my copper mepps spinner. What a pretty little fish it was though but I plonked it back in the water sharpish without a blog photo. I felt the area had potential for all sorts but nothing else took my spinner or any of the other lures I tried.

Moving on a bit I spotted a few fish, a couple of carp going a bit mental on the top every now and again and then I saw some small rudd in the edge. There was a bit of a shallow bay where the smaller fish were hanging around and as I pulled my lure in over the ledge and in to the shallows I saw a monstrous figure charging after the spinner from behind. I was nearly out of water but thoughts of "do i speed up or slow down?" didn't even get time to compute as the pike accelerated in only around two feet of water and snatched the spinner right at my feet and right at the end of my tiny rod. I lifted up and I was in. The pike splashed and thrashed and then shot off like a rocket. When you only have a 5ft 6inch Greys G lite spin rated 5-15g it bends to the butt at this point. There's not a great deal you can do but hang on and let the pike rip off as much line as it wants. Once a surge is over you do have enough in the bottom end of the rod to give a bit back, but the rod is bent double and no matter how many fish you've had on it you still think it's going to snap!

I loosened off the drag just a little once I spotted where the hooks were. Nicely tucked in the corner of the mouth but by loosening the drag a touch more, should the pike go off on another run then I'm not going to rip the hooks out or even rip the side of the fishes mouth off. It's now that I realise I've only got a 35cm rubber mesh Daiwa landing net. Ok, you're going to need a bigger net. But no, I reckon I can get it in, I've had low double carp in and i've had other low double pike and yes the pike slides over nice and is safely in the net. Not much room to move about but it saves me getting a hook in the hand and the fish getting dropped. A lovely dark fish with cracking patterns that went just over twelve pounds, spot on!

The little chunk is ready for off as soon as I put it in the water but I hold it back just to make sure then watch it swim along the shallow and then out of sight. Now quick, get another cast in! This time I chuck up along the edge and start to retrieve then within seconds I see a shadow and then a commotion and it's all hell again as another decent pike takes off with me and my bent double G lite clinging on. Line rips off again and I'm wondering why they hell did I even bother chasing any other species of fish when I just love pike. Again as the pike comes close I know it's going to be a squeeze though this time a tiny bit more room left in the net as a nice pike of just over eleven pounds is bagged.

I didn't catch any more pike and I certainly didn't catch any perch, chub or trout. I think I'm just a chuffing pike magnet. Though I most certainly am not complaining! :)