I thought they'd all spawned?

After my own great start to the season, and added to that Neil getting in on the big fish, I've been pretty relaxed about fishing. I've still got out a few times but nothing too serious, if I catch it's great, if not then so what. Neil has been back with me and he's noted that he himself is also very chilled out now he's had a big fish. We've had a couple of fish and lost a few fish and it's just been fun. I took the time to go have a look at a new spot I'd spied during the closed season. It looks like it would hold some pike and within ten minutes I was proven right with a nice seven pound fish that fought like stink. I then picked up another two jacks who also went mental and I also missed a couple of hits. Very promising signs and somewhere I'll be going back to when I think the conditions are right.

Tonight I nipped out for an hour rather than being sat bored. I got to the river to be met with what seemed like 100mph winds. I was actually thinking about throwing some small lures, but with the wind I knew I would have a nightmare casting and upon seeing the colour of the water was still a bit dirty, the big lures seemed the best option for a fish.

Even with the heavier lures it was still a nightmare to cast and also to keep the bow out of your line. I gave the first couple of pegs a good going over but not a sniff before finally ending on my last swim. Neil knows it as the "extreme fishing peg" since most of it is off a high wall. If you get some action here it is something different as you are looking down over the fish and can see them come up form the depths. Not always the easiest as you often strike on what you see rather than what you feel.

Second cast in the swim and up comes a head from the depths. I seem to recall I struck on what I saw, which sometimes means you end up pulling the lure from the fishes mouth. Luck was on my side and the hooks stuck and then all hell broke loose. The swim is a snaggy one, that's the reason I fish off the wall so that I can get past some nasty snags. This pike seemed to know where every snag was and had a crack at every single one of them, some of them twice. Often it's a quick tussle to guide them in the right direction then just make my way along the wall before finally clambering down to finish off. With this fish going mental I was up on the wall battling the fish for what seemed like ages. Finally I managed to get it out in to some safe water and then climbed down before eventually netting the fish. I took a quick photo on the mat then put her in the water. But it was only then that I started to appreciate what a nice fish this one was. It was chunky as hell and clearly hadn't spawned. She was ready to go but I held on, then whipped her back up the bank and grabbed one quick photo.A fifteen pound chunk of a pike. Well worth that extra effort to get out for an hour on a blustery evening.