River wash out

What a shame this last week has been another river wash out as far as my pike lure fishing has been concerned. Rain, rain, rain and the river has been up and down and then back up again before you can even cast a line out. So my fishing this last week has been limited and I haven't got a great deal to write about. I did feel the need to put something here though which I'm hoping is a post to draw a line under the recent bad weather. I did manage to catch a few fish, one small perch and three pike which actually brings my pike tally for the year so far to two hundred. I've no idea if that is good or bad since I've never counted them before but it gives me something to think about of the next few years at least.

I somehow forgot to photograph the 200th fish, but it was only a tiddler of not even two pounds but at least I did get a trophy shot of a fish I caught from the river in between crazy levels.The river had been really high and then subsided, and I got out first chance. The bank was covered in debris, logs, bottles you name it. I couldn't even get a good spot to stand up on where I normally go. To make it even worse the bank was covered in two inch of silty mud which added to my troubles trying to stay stood up. Not a great deal happened but I did get a fish follow my firetiger real eel. I couldn't persuade it to take so left the spot half an hour or so and then cast into the same spot with my trusty rainbow lip lure. I figured the action of the lip lure might this time do the business and the pike took first cast. It put up one hell of a titanic battle and gave me great pleasure but the battle wasn't even over on the bank and I struggled for a picture as the fish just kept on fighting. A muddy and bloody fight for me in the end but I'm glad I at least got something to keep from this encounter with a truly fantastic brute of a fish.

Fourteen pound brute

I'm hopeful of a trip or two this week for the odd hour. I actually resisted the urge to get out today and gave the river a rest. It wasn't too far off a fishable level, the colour was getting better and I probably could have wangled at least a fish out as I'm sure the pike are ready for a feed. Instead I did something I don't normally do and I know it will give me the urge to get out next week. I had a lazy, boring Sunday doing nothing. I know what I'm doing tomorrow now.

2012 pike tally
Doubles 31
Total 200

Largest 22.5lb
Twenties - 2
Bonus Perch 49
Largest 3lb 12oz
Bonus chub - 1