Jacks red letter day

My son wanted to come with me today and have a bash at lure fishing. He comes occasionally but hasn't had the best of luck recently, only getting one fish so far. So after my crazy session yesterday where I bagged ten in an hour from one spot, we decided to go there both armed with a rod. The idea was for Jack to fish first until he catches a fish and then at that point we both get chucking. We crept up to the first peg and I explained to him where to chuck, what the water was like and where I thought a fish might lay up. It wasn't long before he had a take but as quick as that the bend in his rod had gone and the fish was off. I knew he'd be a bit gutted at this point because he'd had some blanks the few times he'd been out. I brushed off the miss and told him he'd get a fish, just get the lure back in the water.

I was setting up my rod when I heard Jack shout me and I looked around to see him bending in to another fish. Giving him a few pointers, mainly to keep his line tight, I stood by with the net. It wasn't a monster pike but I wanted to net this one as quickly as possible to make sure he landed it. After a bit of a tussle Jack got the pike around to the net and I scooped it in. High fives all round and Jack had a big cheesy grin. A healthy fish of around five pounds was quickly unhooked and put back. We then set about both having a bash, gave the peg a few more casts and then moved on to the next swim.

The second swim was a little larger and meant I could stand twenty yards away and we could both cover the water with our lures. I gave Jack a few pointers on where I'd caught the day before, along the edge, near some reeds and also straight out just off the main flow. My peg was similar and so we both had a good shout at catching here. It wasn't long before Jack was shouting me, but this time he'd missed a pike which had followed right to the edge and hit just as he was lifting out of the water. He couldn't believe what had happened, his nerves were on edge and he was buzzing. This is why lure fishing is something special.

I carried on fishing and yet again I hear him shouting me, and this time he'd hooked in to a pike. A brief tussle and he'd got the fish to the edge, I'd put my rod down and gone over to unhook it for him, chinning it out and giving him a good look. Another healthy fish of around four pound. I went back to my spot, cast in and started to retrieve and then heard Jack shouting me again. A pike had followed his lure, smashed it at the last minute and with Jack striking at the same time the pike ended up flipping clean out of the water and half on half off the bank in the grass and water. I ran over and he was laughing his head off. Another four pound pike bagged and he was beaming.

After half an hour or so maybe a little more we decided to leave this spot and go back to one of my other favourite spots. Jack told me to fish it insisting I should be the next one to get a fish. I was having none of it and told him we're both fishing. You have good and bad days fishing, but so what if it's not my day and he's grabbing all the fish. It's about enjoying your day out with your fishing partner and not who gets the most or biggest fish, even more so when you're out with your young lad, I was having a cracking day just watching him pull them in. We got to our peg and I made a point of encouraging him to cast out and he reluctantly did so. I had around four or five casts and then I hear it again, "Dad!" the lad was in to a fish again. I scrambled to him and picked up the net, caught a glimpse of the fish and knew this one was a bit bigger. He'd already got the fish in close so I scooped the net under it swiftly. I guessed maybe eight and a bit pound, Jack guessed at ten.I weighed it and it was 10lb 4oz and he was chuffed to bits. Four pike for Jack and none for me but I wouldn't swap that result for the world. Well done Jack, great bit of fishing mate!

2012 pike tally

 Doubles 18

Total 105

Largest 22.5lb
Bonus Perch 3