First 20lb Pike & on a work lunch time session

As the weather has been so bad, I decided to dust off the pike stuff out and see if I was able to catch something! Early December last year I made it a bit of a competition with a few friends to fish both lakes and the river for big pike! Well...... we were just after a bite really, with snow falling and freezing conditions, the normal carp hunting was put on a back burner until a break in the weather.

We decided on a lake that has quite a large head of bream and silver fish, and on paper has pike up to 25lb. I have regularly carp fished this lake and have seen over the summer months many pike striking at the shoals in the upper layers of water.

Now we decided on a Saturday morning to meet up and all have a go at the lake. I was a little sneaky, as I work 10 minutes from the lake, I took an extended lunch and got down there with the rods to have a scout about mid day on the Tuesday before. 

I set up on the dam end, the deepest part and where there are normally huge lily pads covering the whole area.  Plus it was close to the car park and I didn't have a very long time to walk about. From this position I was also able to see the whole lake and potentially where the bait fish were holding up.
 

Positioning the baits a rod length out, I thought that the pike may be patrolling along the deep channel at the bottom of the wall. Smelt was my chosen bait – I have always had loads of luck on these baits and you are able to chuck them about and they stay intact compared to a lot of other dead baits.
 

Rods set and armed with my binoculars scanning the water I noticed that there were about 10 cormorants diving and bringing up fish every dive. They have found the bait fish but I really don’t like these birds as they just decimate the amount of fish in a lake very quickly. I watched them for the next 20 minutes and they continued to keep catching fish after fish. An almighty clap of thunder sent them off the lake and I have to admit that it even made me jump. The rain followed and I had to bear in mind that I needed to go back to work in the next hour.

I sat under a tree and just as the rain eased my right hand bobbin pulled tight but no line was being taken. I always hit pike early to avoid deep hooking and so tightening the line I felt something slightly pull back so struck, setting the hooks.

Believing that I hooked the bottom or a snag the fish just stayed deep and didn't really do anything. Gaining a little line the fish woke up and gave me two very powerful runs before giving up. Once in the net I knew this was a big pike.

Asking a passer-by to give me a hand with weighing and pictures I had just smashed my PB by over 10lb’s with this lovely 23lb 4oz. My first pike over 20lb and a cracking fish in excellent condition.  

What a fantastic start – 55 minutes after casting out I had a new PB and really didn't want to leave but had to go back to work.

If this was the start of more to come then I would be more than happy to pike fish more!!!
 

Tight line and be lucky!