That feeling on a Monday when you a bagged a twenty at the weekend.

We're getting there folks. We're getting to that point where we can't fish the rivers any more. Just when everything is fat and plump, just when the rivers are starting to get in to a good condition some bugger goes and pulls the plug on it. It seems to happen like this every year, and then it seems like a really long way off before we can get back on it again.

So it's a mad rush for all to get on the rivers this week and try and get one last fish. As a piker it's the last chance to get that one last river twenty, that's the fish we all are chasing, all accept me. No I haven't already bagged one if that's what you were thinking. I finished work today at 2pm, the sun was shining and I had plenty of time to get some river fishing in but what did I do? I went home and cut the grass, it's growing like mad if you haven't noticed. I fixed the shed window too as the last nasty winds we had gave it a bit of a battering. A bit of a tidy up but I left some jobs for late, the closed season will be a long one. I then settled down with a pot of tea to watch the DVD of my team snatching victory in the very last second of the game. Work this morning was with a smile, a bounce, and lots of energy. The last time I felt like that on a Monday morning was when I'd landed a twenty at the weekend.

Last weekend I didn't even fish the river, I was out with a few forum lads who had booked a lake for a lure social. Most of them where new to the sport, some hadn't caught or even seen a pike before so I went as the "experienced" angler. It was hard work, crystal clear water and apart from a few follows not much happened. I reckon the place had seen a bit of lure action, despite the owner telling us it didn't get fished for pike. Every pike that followed was hesitant, and on a place that is not pressured at least a few jacks will smash the first lure they see. We didn't fail though in our quest. There was a follow from a couple of pike and two of the lads were trying to entice one. I passed my polaroids to Nick so he could see the action as he didn't have any and then I stuck on the reliable rainbow lip lure and wobbled it in. I couldn't see the pike or the lure and then Nick commented that the pike was following one of our lures, and then I realised it was following my lure. Both lure and pike came in to view but I had ran out of water, so I showed them a trick. Lure hanging right below the rod tip, a foot from the edge of the water and the pike sat face to face with the lure suspended a foot off the bottom. They were spellbound at this point, and I explained that you should never be in a rush to lift the lure out of the water. "Watch this" and I gave the smallest of flicks of the rod tip, the lure moved slightly and the pike smashed it. Don't let a pike think, let instinct take over. Not a monster but it was a fantastic sight to see and the lads were buzzing, plus we got to show them how to handle a pike so that when they bag a fish they can do it with confidence. We nipped off to a canal at the end and all bagged a couple of perch so no blanks. I also later got a message this week from Dave who was over the moon at catching two pike on the lures now he was confident that what he had been doing before was right all along. He just needed to put his lure in front of a hungry pike.



This Sunday saw me helping out at the Selby region PAC teach in day, as Mark Green had asked if I could get down and pass on some knowledge on lure fishing. It was a crazy March day, and the planned frosty fishing session with extra layers was instead met by glorious sunshine. It was a good turn out and a good few lads were keen to learn about lure fishing and I was glad to help. Too many things to talk about and too many questions for us to get fishing with the lures but I think those that came were happy with my mumblings. I tried to focus a little on the lighter lures as that is what has kicked off big style this last year or so in this country. Most of the lads weren't the serious pike fishermen, throwing huge plastics and jerks, so I just gave them a glimpse of that part. I think in the end about four fish came out to baits, so it was good that some of the new pikers got to have a close look at a pike and everything to do with handling. After my latest hook up the other day though, obviously I took a back seat for that demo!

You're not going to bag a twenty at this rate pal, you need to get some serious piking done. But that's not my aim, I class myself as a pleasure angler, a pleasure piker. I do love the big girl sat on my knee but I hate the hard grind of chasing one. You can dig back through this blog and often the general message about my fishing is, little and often. I enjoy getting out, armed with a few lures and the aim of catching a fish. Many times I blank, some times I get the result but that's how I like to approach things. It keeps it casual and keeps me away from the hard slog. Despite dropping on some good fish over the last few years I don't get about too much and I'm pretty new to this piking game, serious piking anyway, so I don't have stacks of waters to go at.

I had no plans at all to fish on Saturday, the wife and kids had far too many plans for me to even consider a small session. I resigned myself to a day of shopping. School shoes, party outfits, living room furnishings. Why doesn't she just order the stuff off the net and get it delivered to work like I do? Hell the day was that bad I even suggested taking the mother in law along, she's not that bad if I'm honest. Looking back, may be I did harbour a sliver of hope of getting out on the bank later in the day as I used a few time saving ideas. I used the in car sat nav to get me to all the locations as quickly as possible, gave a few words of encouragement and agreed at the first item they all wanted to buy. I was home for half two and when the wife asked "are you off fishing now?" there was only ever going to be one answer.

I love these off the cuff, spur of the moment sessions. No plans, no pressure to catch whatever I get is a bonus. It can be a fish, being outdoors, watching the sunset, anything and everything. Just anything on these little sessions is what it's all about for me. I just fished without thinking of anything and was just glad to be out.

There was a big swirl at my lure and I was in. The swirl gave me great hope as the water moved look decent, though within no time I saw a flash of tail and it looked like a jack. I'll take that, a fish is a fish. I moved the net closer to the water as I wasn't going to risk another self hook up if anything on this landing looked dodgy. I gave the fish some pressure to get it in and the jack gave me some back, going off on a typical crazy jack surge. I gave more, the pike gave more and after the third pass in front of me of the pike going up then downstream then back up, I was now hoping for a half decent double. Slightly more excited to see the fish, a little more effort was made to get the fishes head up and this just made the fish fight even more. Hold on a minute this is a good fish. As it neared the bank I was definitely netting this pike, an upper double easy and it doesn't matter where the hooks are it's going in the net for safety and as I pull the tail over the lip of the net I'm beaming. Super super fish. Most probably the last river pike of my season. I can't spake!