Weed & Wind

 Another day of pike fishing was on the cards for my day off from work and I couldn't have picked a worst day according to the BBC and the Met Office. Fortunately due to my work I'm able to get good weather forecasts so I knew that the heavy rain and strong winds would soon drop after day break.

As I watched the rain lashing the windows at 6:30am, I knew that I just had to bide my time and soon enough the rain slowed up and this allowed me to pack the car and head off to the lake.

I arrived in good time, its just a shame that the gate keeper was running late, so I had to wait for him to open up.

The wind was still blowing as I parked up and the gate keeper suggested that I was barmy to be fishing on a day like this, little did he know.

I gather the gear together including the heavy brolly (I hate carrying it) and trudged off to the swim I had been to the previous week.

The wind was howling, but the rain had stopped, the dark stormy clouds were being blown across and I knew that I have a window of about 6 hours for the day.

I soon have the rods out, two at range with lamprey tail and joey mackerel and a close range popped up bait.

I sat back and watched the sun break and could see that the storm had coloured the water and have broken large amounts of dying weed from the opposite bank. This could cause me some issues I thought.

It was not long before the alarm on the close range rod was sounding, but the float was cocked on the surface. Strange?!? On examining the rod, I could see a huge bow had formed in the line due to a vast amount of weed getting catch on the line. I reeled in and removed the weed before recasting. 1/2hour later and I was repeating the exercise, this was going to be a pain, but I could live with it. The baits at range were un affected luckily due to the distance and gradient that the line took from the bank.

By 9:30, I was think of a change, by 9:55 I was approaching the close range rod with a view of a move, but as I lifted the rod, the line tighten against the bale arm. More Weed??? No there was a fish on. After a short tussle a lively pike came to the net. It was the season first double at 12lb. Nice

I decided to hold off the move, and re baited the close range rod. As I settled back into the chair, one of the range rods was away. This one had more of a fight in it and after bringing to the net on three occasions, only for it to power off again using the strong surface current to its advantage, it was in the net. Another double at just under the 13lb marked. Cool!!!

Nicely proportioned pike

By 11:00, the wind and weed had gotten the better of me as it was affecting presentation and most importantly bite detection. So I upped stick and trudged back to the car. The walk back was tiring and the weight of that bloody brolly was starting to takes it toll. Fancying a new swim on the far side, I dumped the brolly in the car and trudged off to the new area. It felt alot lighter without the brolly.

After a good walk I was in the new swim, just in time for lunch, but that would have to wait while I sorted out the rods. Two at range again and one close in, popped up in a deep bay that had product a couple of pike to lures in the summer.

Bugs life

Lunch was soon consumed and baits re cast or twitch in. 13:30 and the popped off bait in the bay was away and I was soon into a better fish. The fish stayed deep and kept running into the middle off the bay, but before I could turn her towards me, she went on a couple of powerful runs, and then accelerated towards me and straight into the sunken net. Hav it!!!!

She looked good laying in the net and I could see why she have powered off with ease. She was a wide, but short girl. Packed with muscle behind her head.

She was soon on the bank, unhooked and weighted. 15lb 12oz. That will do nicely.

Short stocky pike

14:30 soon came and with another rain front on its way, I decided to pack up and head for home. Three doubles in a 6hr session is nothing to be sniffed at and Iwas more than happy.

Tightlines!!