Chester Predator Group

Fattest Jack in the World???

2012-02-08T11:04:00.000-08:00

This little fella had eaten all the pies. Send more your fat jack pics to compete with this porker!

Mother nature is a powerful thing!

2012-01-23T15:26:00.000-08:00

Here is a selection of photos courtesy of Paul Gratton showing recent flooding on our local river.....

Try this trace; It works!

2012-01-16T08:34:00.000-08:00

There's a lot of very flexible trace wire these days but some still waters where the pike have seen it all and often the big girls can very delicately mouth the baits i have added a ring swivel a few inches from the bottom hook to allow movement. This rig with the addition of an appropriate piece of lead putty at the ring swivel makes a super pop up trace. Plagiarised/adapted from a popular carp rig; always looking for an edge!

Piking with Paul......

2012-01-09T03:40:00.000-08:00

Paul's boat after refit.

Misty morning!

Two-Tone at over 19lb

Windermere in tranquil mood

Trying to get a bite lol

gold at the end of the rainbow!

Lures Paul has made for me. Awesome!

'The gwyniad' aka Paul Gratton sent me an assortment of photos from his albums. They sum up Pike Fishing. There is a number of super fish photographs but added to these are a selection of miscellaneous photos which speak for themselves. Fishing is so much more than catching fish. It's about sunrise and sunset and nature and so much more. I have added a photo of some of the hand-made lures Paul has made for me. Awesome quality and proven fish-catchers!

Mince Pies and Pike!

2012-01-09T03:27:00.000-08:00

As promised here is the photo of Paul 'The Gwyniad's' Festive fish; and what a Xmas cracker!

We laugh in the face of Hurricanes!

2011-12-30T02:41:00.000-08:00

Tornado Twins; When the going get's tough..........The tough get their rods out! lol

Festive cheer for the Tornado Twins

2011-12-30T02:19:00.000-08:00

Mally has knicknamed me and Paul 'The Gwyniad' Gratton as the 'Tornado Twins' after a blustery days fishing with 'Womble' the other week. But after my intentions to return to that exposed location yesterday and claiming to 'Laugh in the face of Hurricanes' and then ended up on the Dee; Mally duly took the piss!
The decision to switch to the Dee was not just a case of bottling the wind at the other venue, Paul had been on a reconnaissence mission and judged that although the Dee level was high the clarity was good. So it was an early start to beat others to the desired pegs. Followed by a good old natter in the dark and a fry up and a super sausage sandwich. My compliments to the chef!

Paul's research and shout to switch plans paid off. Early on we both banked doubles; Paul had a superb looking 15lb 2oz fish that was as fat as a pig(Photo to follow when i get the picture via e-mail). As soon as that fish was weighed and photographed and tenderly returned my right hand bung obliged and shot off into the middle of the river. A hard fighting typical Dee double of exactly 12lb came to the net. I managed a Jack shortly after of around 5lb and later on added another fish of 12lb 4oz to round off a super bit of festive fishing fun.

Xmas Pike for Mally

2011-12-27T21:20:00.000-08:00

A couple of xmas presents pictured above that didn't need wrapping.

www.baitsdirect.com

2011-12-21T02:51:00.000-08:00

Just got to give a plug for baitsdirect.com in Brentwood, Essex. I have just received an order for Lamprey, Pollen and a few Blueys. The bait arrived in super condition and are great quality. I also ordered some of their winterised fish oils which are superb quality and very reasonably priced; starting at £2.28 for 250mls. The chap in charge Graham Gurton is very helpful too.

http://www.baitsdirect.com/ Tel 01277 811903

Are pikers crazy?

2011-12-19T02:48:00.000-08:00

Some days we consider staying at home when the weather forecast suggests we should. But Pikers are crazy; Well Womble, myself and Paul 'The Gwyniad' Gratton certainly are. The video clip above shows the conditions last Tuesday we endured on a lake that at times resembled the North Sea.

Mally and Two-Tone

2011-12-12T02:37:00.000-08:00

Mally had a few bends in his rod again Sunday and this two-toned fish being the best at over 17lb. Well done that man!

Pike virgins catch first time out!

2011-12-09T07:16:00.000-08:00

Bit of guiding on the Dee last week saw my taxi driving buddies Wes and Wayne catch their first Esox.......Happy Boys!

Wet and wild

2011-12-04T09:21:00.000-08:00

I have just returned from my favourite perch lake in Scotland.Despite having to battle rain, hail ,sleet, snow and falling water temp. In true tradition my brother pull on a daft hat climbed on board the Fury and within an hour was holding a new pb perch of 3lb 2oz. Top stripy bro.

Great start to the season!

2011-10-06T00:13:00.000-07:00

Mally and his fishing partner made a superb start to the season with 2 20lb+ fish

Pike Season around the corner!

2011-09-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

The excitement is growing for the new Esox season. I am a traditionalist and my season starts on October the 1st. A trip to Cheshire fishing and Tattenhall yesterday with Buzzz got the juices flowing so to speak. I must stop buying lures; I keep saying this but am hypnotised at shiny things especially when they are on sale. Buzz was buying 2 new boat rods but came out of that shop with a whole lots more including a couple of free gifts.
Anyway tight lines to all you pikers out there! Bring it on!..................

Summer buzzing!

2011-07-03T07:06:00.001-07:00

The pike rods have been put away temporarily and the disappointment of Ireland is fading in the memory and Darren is back amongst the fish. What a superb treble as well; 2 barbel of 8lb+ and a new PB river carp of 19lb! caught from a secret river location. Fantastic daz. Well done mate!

For Sale

2011-04-10T18:26:00.001-07:00

Items for sale: Long shaft 25hp two strike Evinrude Offers but will swap for short shaft 15 or 20hp engine. Phone Dave Clarke on 01244 377442 Contact tackle shop. Three 4050 Daiwa Baitrunners in excellent condition loaded with line Contact Paul Gratton on 07855 497748

Franglais Fishing

2011-04-05T11:17:00.000-07:00

Checkout my link to FranglaisFishing.com ; they stock a superb range of jerkbait rods including St Croix rods. A great range of lures and accessories for us Pike fanantics.........The service is prompt and reliable.

Paul 'The Gwyniad' Gratton

2011-03-30T19:28:00.000-07:00

Legendary Esox hunter Paul Gratton adds another lump to his tally. Formerly known as the 'pike slayer' and now referred to as 'The Gwyniad' due to his un-natural and mystical talent of catching this little known and understood fish that resides in Bala. Paul has not caught these little very rare fellas in Bala though. He has managed a number of them many miles downstream on our beloved river Dee. What the hell they are doing this far from home i fail to fathom??? Maybe they just wanted a day out in Chester and are now safely back home in Bala. Who knows???

On the river at the 11th hour

2011-03-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

Eventually Darren and i got out on the river after many unsuccesful recent attempts. Darren skippered his landing craft on a beautiful almost summers day in March. the big girls eluded us but a number of feisty jacks entertained us on a day filled with story telling and laughter.

Mally gets his first Zed

2011-03-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

Connahs Quay Piker extrordinaire Malcolm Hough took time out from sending me his usual selection of dubious jokes to send me these pics of his trip last weekend to the drains for the pike doubles match. Sadly in the match the Zed didn't count but he managed a pike on the saturday of over 14lb's pictured above.

local lump

2011-02-25T09:01:00.000-08:00

Last week end after having travelled the length and breath of the country in the past few months my good buddies from Coventry had a session on a local venue that they had not fished for a few years. Neil started the day with a fish of about 7lb, and Baz soon after took a 17 pounder. Then the best fish of the day came to Neil a magnificent specimen just over the 20lb mark. Well done boys.

What a croc!

2011-02-06T05:59:00.000-08:00

Great fish Terry! The head on it is huge. Awesome fat pike...........

Womble shows me how it's done........

2011-01-28T08:33:00.000-08:00

Womble is getting quite good at this pike game. This week landing two super doubles of 14.4 and 17.4 whilst all i had was a dace bitten in half from a peg that 2 days later produced a 21lb'er.....Ouch that hurt!

Photographs don't do these fish justice; they were stunning lumps wiv bellys as fat as santa's.

Double double............

2010-11-24T15:09:00.000-08:00

Whilst i lay in bed feeling sorry for myself with some horrible virul man flu Womble was out catching pike. The intrepid river angler managed to bag himself two pristine doubles inbetween shifts.

Womble gets a local lump!

2010-11-17T08:35:00.000-08:00

Stu braved the stormy weather and went Esox hunting today and was rewarded with this stunning 16lb 13oz beauty.........He will fish when others stay by the fire watching re-runs of John Wilson this fella. Well done mate.

2010-11-13T08:41:00.001-08:00

2010-11-13T08:35:00.000-08:00

Scotch strips

2010-11-13T07:52:00.000-08:00

Last weekend i travelled just over the boarder to one of my favorite perch venues, a small Loch at just over a mile long that is just stuffed with small pike 4 to 8lb being the average and good shoals of big perch, all good fun on light lure rods. Here are just a few of the perch we caught, both my brother Jeff and my good buddy Neil from Coventry breaking there pb's with fish just short of 3lb

Last winter glory for Womble...........

2010-11-11T08:45:00.000-08:00

Stu 'womble' Maddocks holding a stunning 22lb Esox in the snow last winter. Here's hoping he adds to this stunner this winter. I would prefer less snow myself but it does make the photos more impressive..........

Buzzz and Noddy River fun

2010-10-28T08:12:00.001-07:00

My old mate Darren and his trusty companion Noddy get a couple of nice Dee fish trolling.

The long wait over!

2010-08-26T05:17:00.001-07:00

This is a very happy thing for me to report.....My old mate Stu McMorrin has at long last got himself a lump over the magical 20lb mark. Stu has put some hours in for this monster and as you can imagine is buzzing after the capture. Hope this is one of many to come..........

David gets a couple of beauties off the top.........

2010-08-05T08:19:00.000-07:00

My turn to play guide this week after womble did me proud last week on the Severn. This session it was in pursuit of carp off the top. My mate martin's nephew is a fanatical angler but hasn't had alot of success with carp off the top. So we hoped to turn that around. Fish were moving and feeding as soon as we arrived and it wasn't long before david was bent into a lovely double and quickly followed that by a smaller but very hard fighting single. Sadly the session was spoiled by the arrival of 3 adult novice anglers who were shouting at each other and disturbed the fish and they never showed again. We did move on to another pool but sadly we weren't rewarded with any more fish. But David went home with a big smile and so did uncle Martin and me........

Whiskers wiv da Womble

2010-08-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

After a failed attempt at whiskers wiv Stu the previous week in that torrential rain that fell on that dark Tuesday we weren't to be put off and returned to the River Severn once more for the thrill of the mighty Whisker; They don't half hang on in the words of Matt Hayes. This time after failing at our first venue; Stu decided on a midnight change of location. Scrambling across fields in the moonlight and with the feint illumination of Stu's torch i managed to find a hole in a field which nearly snapped my ankle. Prob the same hole his mum broke hers in last season. Anyway the burning pain and subsequent days of agony still were worth it after the 2 little splashers i managed to net; well actually not net because the net was still in Stu's shed. He had to clamber down the bank and into the mud and water and net the whiskers with his bare hands. A super job he did as well although he nearly lost/destroyed another camera in the process. How many cameras this angler has destroyed i have forgotten. But the fella knows where the barbel live that is for sure. It has been a while since i have felt the power of a barbel; and although these little chaps weren't the doubles i dream of they still gave a good account of themselves. I was being guided and using Stu's tried ,tested, proven method and also with his tackle. His barbel rods are actually salmon worm/shrimp rods and are awesome. Beautifully balanced, with the perfect synergy of strength and give which make playing powerful fish both a pleasure and instilling confidence. There was an early disappointment when i lost a decent chub but i went home a happy angler.................

Low 20's in the high 30's

2010-07-18T01:08:00.000-07:00

Due to the very wet winter in Spain the lake had risen over 100ft from last years lowest level almost doubling the surface area, this along with a very successful spawning of bleak resulted in the pike being both well spread out and well feed. The fishing was tough going this year but dispite this my brother Jeff made up for being the only person not to bag a 20 on a Chesterpreds trip last year by not only smashing his pb with a fish of 22lb, he also took two other specimens over the 20lb mark, a great achivement for his first week of self guided fishing. Also pictured above are new pb's for my dad Geoff at 21lb 12oz and for Dawn at 23lb 6oz, Myself and Paula managed fish to 18lb and Paula even plucked up the courage to hold one herself for a photo.

Mally's record livebait..........

2010-05-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

Mally has just beaten his personal best livebait record with a a huge common carp of 21lb 14oz. What a cracker!

Walking on water

2010-04-09T21:57:00.000-07:00

Chester preds can walk on water!

Some more pics from the trip

2009-10-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

Just added a few more photos of the trip. As you can see the weather was un-seasonably beautiful; except for a couple of days it was glorious sunshine. Very strange!

1st Photos from Gulper Goes West in October.....

2009-10-11T08:35:00.001-07:00

Here's a taste of Chester preds recent trip. More juicy pics to follow!

A Classic!

2009-09-29T20:15:00.000-07:00

A classic clip of Adam taking a breather..............

May 2009 Part 4.............

2009-09-29T20:09:00.000-07:00

Just can't wait to go back there on Sunday.............Bring it on!

May Part 3...........and there's more!

2009-09-29T19:36:00.000-07:00

More images of stunning Esox caught on a magical trip. I have to give a special mention to Chester Predator Group Regional Organisor Steve Lewis for yet another super trip; He organises everything, books our accomadation which is 5 star, the ferries and has vast local knowledge of the area which he has gained over many years on these waters and un-selfishly he goes out of his way to make sure everyone catches fish and enjoys great food and has a marvellous time. On behalf of everyone involved in the Chester predator Group I would like to express the gratitude for the efforts and passionate attitutude Steve has demonstrated. He is responsible and can take credit for alot of my big fish over recent seasons. The joy he gets from seeing someone smiling ear to ear holding a big lump of a pike is a rare thing in specimen angling which is littered with glory hunting egotists.

A little message to some in our region who dismissed his suggestions and input a while ago............... Big loss and Chester predators gain!

More May Photos.......

2009-09-29T19:25:00.000-07:00

May photos part 2.............some absolute beauties. Wes Ballentyne, Ian Porter, Steve 'Gulper' Lewis our RO, Adam Caulfield and myself put together one hell of a series of big pike...Part 3 to follow.

Piking is a very sociable pastime!

2009-09-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

After a tough day afloat catching hard fighting Irish Pike it is time to raise a glass or two or 7. Above are a selection of photos of 'Gulper's Gang' of very merry Pikers enjoying the local hospitality.

No wheels on my wagon

2009-09-05T07:04:00.000-07:00

Last weekend after months of threatening i finally got round to taking out a couple of pals Justin and Nigel from my local pub for a day piking onboard the Fury, also along for the ride and a bit of rod bending action we were joined by Justins seven year old son and top rod Harry. After an hour and a half of are we nearly ther yet from a very excited Harry we arrived at a large Welsh lake the boat was soon in the water and i decided that we would start by slow trolling a couple of replicants over an area that i have caught a lot of smaller fish from in the past. After only about twenty yards one of the rods bent over as a lively Jack hit and almost instantly threw the lure. One hundred yards on we had another strike on the same rod and Harry was into his fisrt pike, a beautifully marked fish of around 4lb. We crossed the lake to a favoured hot spot a and changed tactics to bait was in order, within the next hour my three guests shared five more fish to 5-6lb mark. With everone having caught something it was time to move up the lake, i explained to the boys that where we were heading the runs would not be quite as frequent but there was more chance of a bigger fish. After about forty five minutes one of the floats slipped under the surface and Harry bent into an hard fighting double figure fish, after several strong runs Harry brought the fish to the boat, quickly chinned and onto the scales the fish almost as big as Harry himself pulled the neddle round to 13lb, a quick snap with proud dad Justin holding the business end and back into the lake she went. Two more smaller fish and a sligthly one sidedly shared multi-pack of wagon wheels later it was time to go home, an enjoyable day had by all.

2009-08-02T11:48:00.000-07:00

Esox Espania

2009-08-02T09:29:00.000-07:00

Due to work load and a broken internet connection Mike has not been able to update the blog since we returned from Ireland so he has entrusted me (Gulper) update you on the past months catches. A full report on Ireland will follow soon but in the mean time i just returned from my yearly trip to Spian and although we did'nt have the numbers of fish of prevous years, between us we did manage to take some good lumps. This years trip was quite a family occasion as myself and Dawn were joined by my dad Geoff, my brother Jeff and his partner Paula who had never held a rod before so her first fish of 8lb was bound to be a PB. About two hours after she almost trebled this with a magnificent fish of just over 23lb. Not finished there, later in the week Paula also took a nice big double. Jeff managed to boat a fine 15lb specimen which was quite an achivement if you consider that the bulk of fishing took place on a boat with all the beginners luck on board. Geoff had a good fish of 17lb 4oz but the luck was not with him this week as he did loose two much larger fish. I struggled at the start of the week only taking a few fish to low double figures, this all changed on Wednesday afternoon when trolling lures through an area more renound for smaller fish the rod buckled round and i knew that this was a good fish and it was'nt long before i boated a fin perfect 25 and a half pound Spanish monster. The next day i hooked what looked like a mid double as i brought it towards the boat, it was'nt until i had chinned it into the boat that i realized it was larger than first thought and it sent the scales round to 21lb 8oz.

On the last day i finally got to fish with Dawn and with lady luck on board we set out to try and get her 20. First fish was a jack, this was soon followed by a mid double, by this time the previous nights excess had caught up with me and so ihad to pull to shore for a much needed half hours kip. Back on the water for about 3 o'clock, the hottest and oddly the most productive part of the day. I covered a large arc on the sounder and just as it disappeared from the screen Dawns rod loaded up in way that could only mean one of two things, it was a snag or a good fish. Being that we were trolling lures at 28ft deep in 40ft of water it had to be the latter and no stranger to big pike it was'nt long before Dawn boated a new PB of 23lb.

After another hours trolling we decided to call beer o'clock and i turned the boat for one last run into shore. Just as the depth reading crept slowly towards the point where the lures would run into the bottom signaling the end of our trip the clutch on my reel screamed and i was into a fish that was very reluctant to come of the bottom. It finally surfaced and came straight to the net. Into the sling and onto the Avons the needle settled at 26lb 8oz, quickly photographed she was soon returned to the depths from where she came.....

What a trip!

2009-05-18T03:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a selection of photos from the 'Annual Gulper goes West' trip in May. Full write up to follow............5 20's to 24lb 13oz landed and around 20 upper doubles. Wes and Ian had 10 19lb fish on their boat alone to 19lb 14oz. Watch this space for more amazing pictures and funny stories!

PB Barbel to add to Adam's specimen list

2009-04-29T15:18:00.001-07:00

When Adam sent me his pike photo below he included this super photo of his PB barbel of 13lb 8oz from earlier in the season. I thought you would all love to see this stunning specimen. Again well done mate!

Adam's New PB Pike

2009-04-29T15:11:00.001-07:00

Last week i received an excited message from Adam Caulfield...........and it was a new PB for the Pike fanatic. What a stunning fish weighing over 24lb! Adam has had a good year with a number of big fish but this highlight must have been extra special. He explained the big Pike even tail-walked to add to his pleasure. Well done mate. Keep em' coming!

Time to catch a few carp before ireland...........

2009-04-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

I have to admit i do like carp and many other species. Yes i am totally obsessed with Pike but it's nice to catch other things too. This one is a bit too big for a live bait though................chuckle.

Jon get's another 20!

2009-04-17T03:15:00.000-07:00

Region 31 organiser Jon neafcy has added another super looking 20 to his tally with this nocturnal predator. Caught on a Cumbrian lake which doesn't produce many 20's this is Jon's 2nd fish over the magical mark. Well done mate!

Season continues with a convoy of boats full of lures!

2009-04-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

As you know i usually have my carp and tench gear out now but after that fun session on lures last week i had to have another go. This time 5 of us headed to this super fun lake in convoy with 3 boats loaded with lures. The fishing had slowed since last week but we all still enjoyed a great day with plenty of banter coming from everyone on the boats. Looking forward to Ireland and lots more Pike and more of the same banter. Above is a selection of yesterday's fish caught from 'The Fury'...........

A days fishing and a day at school........

2009-04-01T03:16:00.000-07:00

I class myself as a competent Pike angler and manage to catch my share of decent fish each season but we are always learning in this game of fishing. Yesterday i was treated to a lure fishing masterclasss with one of the country's top lure anglers; Wes ballentyne. Wes took me to a large stillwater yesterday and we managed to extract 30+ Pike from the water on lures and a few also falling to baits. Mostly hard fighting jacks but a number of doubles to 14lb 8oz which i landed on Wes's lure rod which he passed me to wind in out of the way as he dealt with a run on his bait rod. We found the bait fish not long after getting the boat out onto the lake and followed them around all day; tracking the roach the way the pike were obviously tracking them. We were also being tracked by one of the country's top pike anglers who appeared to follow us all day. Getting closer each time we hit into a fish. As well as the 30+ fish we landed we also enjoyed the excitement and sometimes frustration of approximately 50 follows from curious pike. To me that was almost as exciting as the fish we caught. We watched a lot of big fish follow which is always frustrating; but to see these pike come to the boat in clear water was absolutely magical. Pictured above is a selection of fish we caught.

Wes runs a guiding service called 'Fat Pike Guiding' and can be booked to fish almost any water you wish and any method. I advise anyone to book a day with him on lures because it is a real education. Wes can be reached on 07927 445367.

One last trip!

2009-03-22T02:58:00.000-07:00

As we all realise at this time of year the Pike have probably all spawned but Gulper and myself couldn't resist one more trip to a cold large body of water that could possibly still offer some sport. Although we didn't land any big girls we certainly had a days sport; with 12 fish coming to the boat. Steve managed 7 and 5 fell to my rods. Mostly hard fighting jacks with a double a piece to round off the Pike season in style. Lots of fun battling with changing winds but thoroughly enjoyable. A selection of fish are pictured above.

Memories of the hardest winter since 1981

2009-03-19T10:56:00.001-07:00

Above is a photo of the Dee frozen in the town stretch. A sight not seen for a long time. I have put some shifts in over the winter in extreme cold. I know talking to fellow Pikers up and down the country the piking has been very inconsistent and at times people's favourite venues have been frozen. On a positive note; although the temperatures have been low the lack of rain has seen the rivers in fine condition for prolongued periods. Possibly too low at times towards the end of the season. Us fishermen can always find something to moan about and excuse the lack of runs..................Looking forward to next season already!

Photos courtesy of Chester Predator Ace Wes Ballentyne.

Adam 'Bulldogger' Caulfield

2009-03-18T02:00:00.001-07:00

This months featured Piker is my mate Adam 'Bulldogger' Caulfield i met through region 31 of the PAC. Adam is a rising star in the Pike angling world and his dedication and enthusiasm to the sport will surely see him become a household name in angling in the near future. This winter he has put in more shifts on Windermere than Gord Burton and he has travelled far and wide in pursuit of fresh piking challenges. Not only is the lad a great young piker but he is a top bloke too. Adam and his Piking buddies Banjo and Neil are some of the funniest guys you could ever wish to fish with.

Adam has landed 4 20 pounders and over 60 doubles this season. An impressive tally any piker would be happy with and this is only Adam's 6th season fishing and 4th season piking seriously.

Pictured above are a selection of photos from recent weeks with some big pike to over 20lb. There is also a picture of his little sister holding her 1st fish; a perch caught on a spinner. You might have some competition there in a few years Adam!

Anyway well done Adam for a fantastic season. Keep them coming..............

Treble Hooks can hurt

2009-03-15T12:40:00.000-07:00

When you travel all the way to Chew to fish for big Esox the last thing you want is a a size 5/0 treble in your wrist and 8 hours in Bristol infirmary and an operation. Top Chester piker Wes shows off his injury. Hope he finished his day's piking before going to hospital; places on Chew are tough to get hold of.

Spectacular last day of the season aboard 'The Fury'

2009-03-15T02:46:00.000-07:00

I always like to end the River Season on the Dee but as you might have read below it has been obvious to everyone that the Pike have moved off to spawn early. So Steve and I decided to switch to a large Stillwater we believed has another 2 weeks before spawning and it paid off. Friday night we discussed possible areas the fish might be in and made a plan. 5.45am Steve arrived with his trusty boat aptly named 'Unleash the Fury' and we headed off full of expectation. Soon as we arrived and launched we headed to our planned first area. The weather already looked like it would test the batteries for Steve's electric motor but heading down the lake with the wind we covered the ground fast. On the way down we trolled a couple of roach off the back and i hooked and lost a nice looking small double which came to the side of the boat and it was clearly not hooked and let go of the bait. Disappointed we carried on and Steve picked up a long lean fish just short of a double. We arrived at our destination; a known spawning area but sadly this produced just one small jack to a jerkbait. We realised quickly the Pike weren't there and made a move. The wind was now blowing a gale and the first battery soon died and we switched to battery No.2. After a short intermission in proceedings for some attention to the motor because we grounded it trying to get into a shallow bay we moved to our next planned location and it was a good decision to move. Not long after we arived Steve landed a very lean long fish not quite a double but he quickly added 2 superb looking fat doubles and i managed to a lose another fish. This fish took a big bait and felt very big indeed. I was gutted. Time went by and we couldn't troll now due to the lack of battery power in the horrendous wind. We moved when the wind died and anchored up again when it blew; fished for a while then moved again creeping up the lake hoping to get back to the launch site on the last remaining battery. It seemed each time we moved the fish would hit the baits but wouldn't hit them when they were static. Steve kindly handed me a fish on his rod to make up for the disappointment of the lost big one. It was getting late and we were beginning to think we might not get back when the wind died enough to head back and as we did so we trolled two lives off the back and 2 replicants down the sides. I was still gutted thinking about my 2 lost fish when my jerk bait rod whacked round and i was into a proper fish at last. No danger of this one coming off; it had engulfed the replicant. I had just been saying to Steve all the fish seemed to be down one end of the lake when the Pike struck. It was another nice double to add to the 2 that Steve had caught. We motored off again and within minutes my replicant was nailed again and a fish of 18lb 2oz graced the net. The day started with disappointment and frustration and Steve battled all day with the wind but what a days fishing! We both realised if the wind had been slightly kinder we could have doubled the number of fish caught, if not more. But we will be back.....................(Photos above)

Dee Pike have gone to spawn...........

2009-03-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

This last week the pike fishing has slowed in the regular hotspots. This week i was hoping for one last big girl to add to my season's personal tally but sadly it has become evident that the Pike have moved off to have piscatorial sex. Last week i got my last double(photo above) and since i have added a number of immature fish and blanked 3 days. Happily this season the blanks have been few and far between but i must admit i am shocked the Pike have spawned so early. After such a hard winter i think most of us expected the spawning to be much later than normal but in fact it has come a week or too earlier than recent years. The common accepted opinion amongst the Esox experts is that the water temperature triggers the pike to spawn and although the temperature has risen dramatically the last 2 weeks i am not sure whether the water temperature has risen enough. I think it is alot more complicated than people think and there are other factors including fish physical health and condition and much more to the equation. We will never fully know the whole picture. One question for Dee anglers that seems to baffle all those that i fish with and those i have met over the years; is where do they spawn? If this riddle could be solved there is an opportunity as the females gather prior to spawning to get a number of very big fish. The person who solves this puzzle could win the piking lottery...........I spent Sunday morning walking miles of the Dee looking for signs and i have done that now for a number of seasons but failed to find them. I will keep looking for years to come and maybe one day i will find the answer.

Running out of time.............

2009-03-05T13:10:00.000-08:00

As the River season draws to a close i am reflecting on another great season and don't want it to end. Today i went for an afternoon session with a few old maggots and a float rod and of course my trusty Pike rods. Unusually I couldn't buy a bite on the stick float but on my neighbouring peg Pete was hammering the Roach on the stick. He had a netful of some of the finest Roach i have seen caught this season. I put my best grovelling face on and had to beg for a couple of baits. At the time of asking Pete had just slipped the net under another fish close to the pound mark and immediately told me that was not getting fed to a pike. He lifted his net and handed me two lovely baits abouts 4oz. Which straight away were cast in attached to two size 6 Owner trebles. It wasn't long before i got a run and Pete duly weighed and photographed a super double of 16lb 6oz shortly followed by another perfect river pike that fought like a 20 but weighed just 15lb 10oz. Pete is claiming half the credit for the fish caught on his Roach and said i owe him £1 per photograph for his services. lol..........I then had the run of the season when a Cormorant ran off with my livebait and made my heart stop. I never managed to land the ebony feathered fish-thief but i had quite a fight with it before it let go. Grrrrrr!

No more runs for the rest of the day but a great short session and 2 lovely Pike.

Dave gets another Monster

2009-03-02T13:24:00.000-08:00

Pike Ace Rick Brown's fishing partner dave the rave comes in handy on Pike trips for removing Tyres and other un-wanted items from your swim. He is quite an expert at catching Jacks so Rick likes to have him along to clear the jacks from the area allowing Rick to get into the larger lumps. See Photo above. Keep it going dave you are a good fishing buddy!

Baltic Pike

2009-03-01T03:35:00.000-08:00

Wes kindly sent me a selection of great Pike he caught on his last trip to the Sweden With Ian Porter to fish for the famous Baltic Pike. Lovely looking Esox i am sure you will all agree. Wes is returning soon again to Scandinavia to do it all again.

Wes bags a superb treble

2009-03-01T03:24:00.000-08:00

Young Pike Ace Wes had an interesting day on the Dee last week with a super treble made up of a double figure Pike and Carp and added a 2lb plus Perch for good measure. The Carp and the big stripey both took a large spoon meant for Pike. A memorable day! Witnessed by Macka and Mr Kelbrick who were fishing the same stretch. Well done Wes.............

Young Predator Ace Rhys with a nice Double

2009-02-23T12:49:00.000-08:00

Rhys Price a top young angler fishing with his dad Mark on Saturday landed the best fish from 3 boats fishing that day. Beating all the older guys who only managed jacks including myself and region 31's RO and top Pike rod Jon Neafcy. Well Done Rhys! Keep them coming mate!

Rick Does It Again!

2009-02-22T12:05:00.000-08:00

Pike ace Rick added another 20 (22lb'er to be exact) to his tally with a super looking fish. Rick arrived at a popular stretch of Pike fishing at an un-godly hour and still never managed to get a peg he fancied. Not to be deterred Rick plonked himself in a swim not known for big lumps and managed to extract this super fish pictured above and also lost another good fish. Well done mate! Keep them coming............

Slash bags a superb double!

2009-02-19T12:52:00.000-08:00

Matty Yarwood aka 'Slash' or 'Matty Mudguard' bagged himself a memorable double which included a barbel of just ounces short of a double and an Esox a pound short of the magical 20lb barrier. That is a hell of a days fishing by anyones standards. Well Done Matt!

Paul gets a river lump at last!

2009-02-16T05:01:00.000-08:00

After a few frustrating trips and the pain of losing a certain twenty recently Paul Houghton landed a lump at last. A super fish of 17lb took his bait just inches from the bank on a live he had retrieved because he thought his other rod had got a run. We are not sure whether that fish was lying there or whether it was the fish that had been harrassing his other rod and had followed his bait in when he retrieved it to put it out of the way. Mark Price and his son had a Jack and i helped out with clearing the jacks which is normally Paul's responsibility with a super little chunky fish which fought like a good double. Mark competed with Gulper's culinery expertise by making a freshly prepared fried turkey baguette sandwich which really hit the spot.

My turn to Cook.....OOPS!

2009-02-16T04:28:00.000-08:00

Saturday trip out on Gulper's boat 'Unleash the Fury' was it's usual day of fun and although the Pike weren't really in the mood we all managed a fish a piece with Gulper landing the best fish; a perfect looking double and Womble and myself landing Jacks (photos above). The fishing was a little disappointing but not half as disappointing as the food this week. The Fury's catering is famous and today it was my turn to supply the ingredients for Chef Gulper to perform his culinery magic. Sadly i brought with me the supplies but the frying pan and utensils were still in my kitchen. In my defence I never expected Steve to tidy up the boat and remeove his stuff from the boat. There's was a discussion that ensued on board as to who was to blame. I think i lost...... Also there is an excellent photo of Gulper improvising a bacon sandwich with the use of a little gas heater and a couple of Pike spoons which held the bacon over the front of the heater. He also ate a pot noodle with the use of Pike Forceps.........Interesting! I survived by eating most of Womble's sausage rolls and Jammie Doughnuts.

Another fun day!

How quickly things change on a river.

2009-02-10T09:29:00.000-08:00

Another early start on the river today but not early enough. Pete and his son beat me to my favourite pegs for once and Pete was chuffed. Arrived at 4.30 am and the Moon was acting as a subtle form of floodlighting. I don't normally put a livebait out at this hour but couldn't resist. The bungs were clearly visible, except for the odd occasion when the moon hid behind a cloud briefly. My two rods weren't in the water more that 10 minutes when i decided to bring the right hand bait slightly closer to the shelf in a spot i know is a popular slack water Pike residence. I moved the bung and immediately the bung dived under and the fish moved out into deeper water. A small double came to the net(11lb pictured above). What a start. I will never know whether moving the bait contributed to enticing the strike or whether i moved the bait to the fish but whatever the answer is it resulted in a super little Pike being landed.

I placed a fresh bait back on the same spot and 10 minutes later i heard the clutch on the reel make that noise Pike anglers love but sadly this time the fish evaded capture by finding a snag. The advantage of fishing heavy 80lb braid is that everything came back except my bait and of course regrettably the Pike escaped but at least it wasn't left with hooks in it or worse still tethered to a snag. Rivers are full of big snags as are many stillwaters and using 15lb Carp Mono just won't suffice. Pike safety is paramount if we are to see the future of our beloved Esox flourish.

The next action came not in the 'Rod-bending' form but in the highly entertaining display of insanity by two EA officers in dry suits swimming into the river to dislodge some trees and debris that had collected around the Bridge supports(Photo above). The sanity of pike anglers is oftened questioned when we venture out in arctic conditions, so this brief interlude was highly amusing to all the river regulars.

Entertainment over with and I was enjoying some roach sport on the waggler and stickfloat when the left hand bung disappeared. I had positioned this bait out in the flow where the Chub have been present this last week. A hard fighting double of 16lb 8oz(Photo above) was the prize. It was another typical short fat seasonal river Pike with a belly which made my belly look small. Quite a feat you might retort! What a stunning greedy Pike it was..............

Shortly after that the days fishing came to an abrupt end. Last night's rain had melted the remnants of the snow and it was filtering into the river rapidly along with a heady concentration of Rocksalt i would guess. The silver fish immediately stopped feeding and the river turned from perfect clarity to something resembling the Mississippi. It took just an hour or so for it to turn chocolate brown and zero clarity. On this popular stretch of river where pegs are full on both banks every day at this time of year by sunrise it was completely deserted by 1pm. I was, as usual last to leave but even i was resigned to the futility of staying. I was gutted, as were those around me because the fishing the day before had been spectacular; I had watched Reg catch 40-50lb of Chub opposite me the day before whilst i had a mixed bag of around 30lb. Everyone filled their nets and the Pike were feeding too for the first time in a while. Today was certainly not a disaster by any means but it was anti-climatic..........But i guess that's fishing for you; especially on rivers. Like the opposite sex; they are moody things. Some days dreams are fulfilled and wonders are offered up and other days no matter how much effort you have put in you get nothing in return...........But we keep going back trying to unravel the mysteries of their depths.

OOPS! I did it again...........

2009-02-09T12:47:00.000-08:00

Early start on the River today and an early bit of action at first light but on this occasion the Pike managed to free herself from my hooks and left me deflated. It looked a nice mid-double. The morning went by without further action and i began to think it was going to be one of those days but No! my bung bounced once more and after a ferocious battle i landed another magical fish over the magical 20lb barrier. Only by 4oz but what a stunning fish. Just wish the job-hunting was as lucky as my Piking has been this season.

All aboard 'The Fury' in the snow.....again.

2009-02-08T00:33:00.000-08:00

As you might have noticed the country turned white this week . The weather for the past two months has been somewhat interesting and testing for all and especially anglers. But a little bit of white precipitation on the ground doesn't put off Gulper wanting to take his boat out and go piking. Womble arrived at my house at 5.30am. Not sure whether it is coincidence but 'Womble' and boat fishing tends to guarantee arctic conditions. Un-deterred by the snow which i was a little concerned by, Gulper arrived on time and we loaded his monster truck and off we went up into the hills. Having experienced trips to Scotland with Steve in the past where snow, ice and very testing terrain never seems to worry him i wasn't unduly concerned but as we drove into deepest Cymru the roads began looking treachorous and the snow kept falling. We past one car that had left the road and parked in the trees which was a little worrying but we carried on. Arriving at the lake we noticed we had company; three totally insane blokes had spent the night in a small tent on the side of the lake and after we launched the boat we were entertained by their efforts to get their car up a small icy, snow covered incline back to the main road. It took them a good half hour and alot of digging and skidding and clutch smoking.

Steve and i expected some early action after other trips but it didn't happen. But at 10am after trolling up and down popular spots the right hand rod went and 'Womble' was into a nice double pictured above. Gulper lost a jack that came all the way to the boat and then escaped but shortly after landed either the same jack or one of its cousins(also pictured above).

Midday we anchored up for lunch and the skipper and boat chef made one of his famous 'triple decker' breakfast sandwiches(photo above with me looking like an over-sized gnome) which i could eat every day of my life. We did some more trollling and anchored up on a couple of spots and late on i had a run on a very large livebait and probably hit it a little early and lost the fish. I was gutted but it had been a great day in beautiful scenery in the snow.

Gulper finds another great water..........

2009-01-31T11:26:00.000-08:00

Steve 'Gulper' Lewis came up trumps again today with a new still water. Not the biggest water but a water crammed full of lovely pike food such as bream and roach. Getting the boat in was a bit tricky but we managed it. Pictured above are a selection of photos of some quality fish we took today which included 3 upper doubles and another 20 for me aboard Steve's boat. Every time I get on that boat I get lucky. Credit must go to Steve's boating skill and presentation of the baits rather than my angling skill. No petrol engines allowed on this small lake but Steve has got the best electric set up i have seen with a bow-mounted electric trolling motor he specially imported from the States.

The day couldn't have got off to a more explosive start when we got the boat into the water i baited one of my rods and one of Steve's and just dropped them over the side whilst Steve organised the boat's floor space. Literally 90 seconds after i dropped my bait over the side Steve shouted to me 'You're in'. He had seen the bung bounce in that unmistakable way that signifies a pike attack. Before i could even turn around I heard the reel screaming off and after a short but explosive fight Steve put the net under my 7th 20 of the season. The next 3 hours were frenetic and then it went dead. Some waters fish midday and some first and last light. This place went crazy early morning and then died. We tried different baits and presentations from late morning until the close of play but not one run came of it. I was surprised but It was still a phenominal days fishing. Can't wait to go back. All the fish were really fat. Their bellies looked ready to burst.

Friendship, A Great Fish and an even better Sandwich

2009-01-24T11:22:00.000-08:00

After a week of frustration chasing a new job a small dark invisible cartoon cloud hovered above my head and had been following me all week. But having a good mate like Steve 'Gulper' Lewis soon puts a smile back on my face. Today, Steve got the boat out to tackle a large stillwater he hasn't tackled before but one i know quite well. I was excited because the last time i was aboard 'The Fury' i caught a big lump of a fish. Steve really knows how to work his boat amd present baits perfectly on these big waters. It was an early start as usual. We always attempt to be on any water before light. The temperature was cool but the wind was kind and in the early light we found the roach topping in one bay. We trolled early with roach and lures and almost straight away Steve had a take on one of his super spoons that caught nearly 30 fish this season in Ireland. Sadly this fish shook the hooks but this was a sign to encourage us. We continued and shortly after i watched Steve's bung bounce under violently and disappear. Just as Steve was about to strike the bung popped up. The Pike had cheekily managed to steal his livebait. We started to think it was going to be one of those days. We continued to troll and the baitfish were still topping and then we were given a sign; a large pike swirled behind one of the bungs. So, immediately we lowered the stop knots and put the baits up near the surface and immediately it payed off. Re-covering the same area the Pike had swirled at the bung my reel screamed with a vicious take and i instantly felt the heavy head-thumping of a decent fish. After a short but hard fought battle Steve slipped the net under a fish just short of the magical 20lb mark(photo above); a PB for me on this water. Not long after Steve broke his duck and had an awesome scrap with a very plump jack that was hard to believe(photo above). We worked hard covering alot of water the rest of the day with no further success. A special mention must be given to almost the highlight of the day; and that was possibly the greatest breakfast sandwich ever made(photo above). Steve's culinery skills are well known and have received high regard in past Blog postings but this was outstanding. He concocted one of his famous triple decker sandwiches which was filled with a layer of Pork and Herb sausages and a layer of Deli. cured bacon and 2 fried free range eggs. The ingredients were literally mouthwatering and they were cooked to perfection. As i type this i am beginning to salivate.....................

Gulper Dude! Thanks for being a top mate but even greater thanks for that sandwich.........Awesome day!

Fenland Wombling........

2009-01-22T03:58:00.000-08:00

Another entry for the best caught piece of rubbish caught whilst piking comes from Mark Philips in the form of a double hook up; A nice example of a decent sized brolly but attached to the brolly by some bizarre coincidence is a Duplo Lego toy. Now that's a first! Brolly's aren't the heaviest of adverseries but they can put up a hell of a fight.

Dave's PB Tyre

2009-01-21T10:31:00.000-08:00

My old mate Rick Brown just sent me this photo of a Specimen Tyre caught on Ellesmere by his mate and Piking nut Dave. The leviathen was in good condition and fell to a bulldawg.

Please keep sending me your photos of your specimens caught whilst piking..........Well done Dave!

Bass Fishing

2009-01-18T05:16:00.000-08:00

Above are a number of Bass that Gulper and Dawn have caught both in Canada and Spain. Wide mouth Bass are a terrific little predator and pound for pound fight as good as any predator. Wide mouth Dawns are also to be respected! Also pictured above is a British diminuitive predator; The mighty Perch. Which leads me onto Chester Preds RO's Bass Style Challenge.

Gulper loves his predators even the smaller ones. You might have noticed on previous posts a selection of British Stripeys he has caught. The Perch is one of the most beautiful of British fish and on light tackle are good sport. For those of you who love the Perch Gulper is organising a trip to a Scottish Loch renowned for big Perch for a weekend in April. It will be fished Bass style in boats over 2 days. There will be a prize for the biggest Perch and Pike(also present in this loch to a decent size) and for the best weight over the 2 days. 5 fish each day to be weighed. Those of you that don't own a boat then please don't be put off. Places in other boats might be available and there is access to a boat on the loch. We will be travelling early saturday morning and staying in a Lochside motel saturday night. Those interested please contact me or Gulper. Further details will be posted closer to the event. A date will be chosen soon and I will of course contact the interested parties.

Buzzin' in the Florida Keys!

2009-01-14T14:29:00.001-08:00

My old mate and Predator fanatic Darren 'Buzz' Conroy had a special Xmas across the Atlantic. Whilst we struggled in sub zero temperatures Darren flew to warmer climes with Big Fish in mind. Pictured above are a selection of Photos from his trip. I had a phone conversation last week and it was very clear he was still on a high and understandably so. Baracuda, Dorado and a PB sailfish. What a trip! Darren has promised me a full report for the blog and i for one can't wait to hear in greater detail about this memorable trip. Congratulations Darren!

Series of blanks ends with a jack

2009-01-14T14:08:00.000-08:00

Since New year's Day like many in the country i have been finding Piking hard going with several blanks to my name. I still enjoy my time on the bank even when i blank but eventually i crave a run. Today i went canal fishing just for an afternoon with Gulper. As i waited for his arrival due to him being delayed because of work my pencil dead with a juicy Lamprey below bobbed delicately and slid away and after the half-hearted takes Wes and i experienced last week on Bala it did cross my mind whether i would get a hook up. But the rod bent over and i initially thought i had got myself a nice small double but it was just a tough ugly little jack of 7lb. It wasn't the biggest Pike i have ever caught but it was very welcome. I have to thank Gulper yet again for his knowledge of this water; On a short session just a couple of days ago he'd found the roach that the Pike follow and feed upon. The fish had extensive scars on it's rear which it had obviously received in it's youth from a larger Esox and survived. It went chilly this afternoon with a naughty wind that was biting as it went dark but the weather has warmed up slightly and hopefully this will herald a period of Pike feeding voraciously. Fingers crossed!

Get well soon Bob!

2009-01-11T20:07:00.000-08:00

Pictured above is my old mate Bob Reynolds pictured holding a tiny jack and a chunky fish of 14lb 8oz. This was Bob's first ever Pike outing, Not a bad start. Bob had a stroke this week and is in the countess. Thought i would publish these old pics and say get well soon Bob! Hope you make a quick recovery and get out on the bank catching big fish soon.

Waiting for the weather to change

2009-01-10T03:21:00.000-08:00

This week i have been job-hunting and also taking advantage of this period of enforced leisure time by putting a few hours in on the bank. I had a great day with Womble wandering the river and trying some new spots. Womble managed a couple of super little fish. The Pike fishing on the river has been slow for 2 weeks and these 2 fish were encouragement for future trips in this area. I had a very educational day on Bala aboard Wesley's boat. I learned more about this water in one day with the young pike ace Wesley than i have done on the bank in years on Bala. Four tentative dropped runs between us told us that the Pike are just not in the mood at the moment. We both agreed as soon as this weather breaks the Pike will really turn on.
I added a day on the Dee with Lancashire all-rounder and top Pike angler Paul Haughton. We both enjoyed some great sport on the waggler and stick float but the Pike failed to wake from their chilly slumber. But the day was full of laughter; starting from the early morning arrival on the river meeting up with Tony and Pete. I attempted to convert Tony to Pike fishing. I set him up with a rod and hoped he would feel the excitement of a thumping river pike but it wasn't to be. But there will be other days and i am determined to get this true gentleman a big green speckly beast. Paul got an insight to the potential of the river. He loves rivers the same way womble and i do and i know he will return to catch some big fish. He also has the same esoteric sense of humour as myself and i have enjoyed fishing with him the last 2 trips.
Back to job-hunting this week but hoping to get out during the week with Wes and Womble and the warmer weather is promised and Pike action could be frenetic. Fingers crossed!

Dawn keeps showing the guys how to catch Pike!

2009-01-03T10:21:00.000-08:00

Chester Preds 'Glamour Girl' Dawn Lewis Aka Mrs Gulper managed 4 christmas doubles in an hour on the River Bure whilst Steve and Coventry Pike Ace Baz Stokes were busy catching baits. After she won our summer carp competition; 'The Nige Williams Livebait Cup' i did strongly advise the Chester Preds Club regional organiser Steve that he should not encourage Dawn's interest in fishing. Even though she is great company and obviously enjoys being one of the lads or we enjoy being one of the girls in her company. This is becoming highly embarrasing. The salmon fishing fraternity has never truly recovered from Mrs Ballantyne's famous Salmon record fish which still stands to this day and i don't think Matt, Womble and myself have yet to get over her summer carp victory. She never demonstratively gloated; not a feminist taunt passed her lips or even a chuckle of ridicule. It was far more subtle than that. She just smiled humbly and graciously..........how annoying is that?

Pictured above is Dawn with one of her super Bure doubles and a foto steve captured when the weather deteriorated and Dawn retreated sensibly to the centrally heated cuddy on Steve's boat The Fury. What a big Girlie! Steve would have thrown me overboard if i had tried that. She looks very contented on both pictures! GRRRRRRRRR!

Mally's Monster

2009-01-02T20:36:00.000-08:00

Pike Fanatic Malcolm Hough has put in some hours on the river lately. He is as crazy as me! Well he got his reward over the festive season with this huge river lady weighing 20lb 10oz. A super chunky Esox. Congratulations Mally!

and a Happy New Year to me!

2009-01-02T10:55:00.000-08:00

Making the most of my time in the ranks of the un-employed i rose early today in the pursuit of a New Year's Fish and boy did i land a beauty. my digital scales showed 20lb 1oz but she looked a whole lot bigger but i will settle for that weight, but i am purchasing some Reuben Heatons as soon as i get a new job. I advise everyone to avoid digital scales in the cold weather; they will take lb's off your fish. Weight isn't everything and she was a stunning Pike and one i won't ever forget.

Look what i got for Xmas!

2008-12-26T09:57:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist the chance of a Xmas fish from the Dee. I got out of bed early today; boxing day with a delicate head from the excesses of yesterday. The Pike haven't really been on over the last week but i had so much confidence at first light when i saw the river was in perfect condition. The level was right with a nice flow with just a tinge of colour. The regular faces appeared before light and we all discussed the prospects for the day. Tony promised to catch some livebait for me and duly did especially after he was given some extra tuition from Dee 'legend' Reg. To be fair to Tony he wasn't doing alot wrong and was catching regularly before Reg imparted his expertise regarding his world famous 'Molehill Groundbait'.

My livebaits went out at first light and as the bungs danced in the flow of this majestic river on a stunning crisp winters day my heart beat a little faster. But sadly the morning went by without the hint of Pike activity. My old mate and Piking Ace Paul Gratton made a late appearence and whilst the Pike weren't biting we caught up; sharing stories of past triumphs and other fishing anecdotes the way only fanatic Pikers would understand. Everytime i talk to this guy i learn lots.

Although i had no runs there appeared to be Pike about; The livebaits at regular intervals went crazy in a way that usually indicates the presence of those beautiful speckled green underwater monsters. But nothing came of these eratic bung bouncing episodes til mid afternoon when Paul and myself were talking Pike tactics etc and the left hand bung bounced and began to move off. the result was a plump jack of around 7-8lb. Well after that nothing much happened for the next hour and then as before the livebait started moving excitedly and as Paul and i watched the left hand bung it bounced and then went flat upon the surface indicating something had picked up the bait. As i picked up the rod the fished moved off and i hit it immediately. At first i thought it was a small fish but it hadn't woke up yet, but as i applied pressure it resisted and made a number of powerful runs. As it came towards the net we could see it was lip-hooked with one treble and as it resisted the landing net i feared i would lose her but after a few missed heartbeats it was in. Paul dutifully weighed and photographed the fish (pictured above) and it weighed 17lb 10oz. A stunning river fish and a lovely Xmas present.

Womble's Double Hook-up

2008-12-25T13:22:00.000-08:00

Pictured above are two fat doubles caught by 'Womble' on a un-disclosed North West Stillwater. We can all have days of waiting for a single run but on this occasion before Xmas 'Womble' managed a double hook-up and managed to land two super fat doubles.

Merry Xmas!

2008-12-25T12:38:00.000-08:00

Xmas has not been a great time for me since losing my job 10 days before the festive season. But silver linings exist everywhere. I have enjoyed a super day with my parents and my belly is full and i am still full of hope and positivity for 2009. Last week i managed a couple of sessions on Dee with little success; one small jack in the fading light at the end of the day's fishing two days ago which was probably around 7-8lb. The Pike might not have been in the mood but i enjoyed the company of the regular Dee fanatics and their usual banter and good humour. The day was highly entertaining.

Earlier last week I managed a session with 'Womble' before Xmas which was also filled with our usual brand of Cestrian schoolboy humour and 'Womble' managed a nice double which weighed 15lb(Pictured above) and although the fish managed to give me a nice bit of 'Gill Raker Rash' it is always a pleasure to bleed for the cause. The foto above shows my gill raker rash and a slashed bait which was the story of the day for me. I had a mischievious jack in my swim which killed a few of my dace but cleverly avoided my hooks.

During that day on the next peg i befriended a super bloke; Rick Brown. A gentleman and also a good Piker. Rick managed a couple of super chunky Dee doubles that day when the Pike weren't tremendously hungry. Rick has caught some super Dee fish in the past and has sent me a great foto of a perfect Dee specimen over the magical 20lb mark (foto above). I look forward to spending some more time on the bank with this knowledgeable angler.

Great Ouse Wombling

2008-12-09T00:32:00.000-08:00

STOP PRESS! Cambridgeshire PAC Top Piker Andrew Allebone has sent his contribution to the trawling of disgarded waste products. Andrew is an avid trolling Piker who ventures up and down the lengths of the great Ouse with shads in tow and has on occasion managed a few Pike and Zander for his efforts but he claims his best fight came in the form of a seat cushion weighing a massive 46lb; a personal best for Andrew. He has also added such specimens as car tyres, a very rare eel net and even a fly rod and reel. Well that has raised the bar even higher and set new heights for the Chester preds and Region 88 boys to aim for. These Fenland Pikers do take some beating......................

Fortune favours the brave....and Mad Pikers!

2008-12-08T07:55:00.000-08:00

Slash and Womble ventured out this week whilst the rest of the nation stayed by the fire. They made an early start on a North West still water. The margins were lined with 20ft of ice. But the intrepid duo were rewarded with a sunrise that was breathtaking and added to this Slash; aka Matty 'Mudguard' Yarwood also managed a fish. Bravo Slash! Photos above..........

Blithfield does a record bit of old iron

2008-12-07T23:37:00.000-08:00

In response to my feature on some of the disgarded waste caught by Chester Pred. members on the Bridgey I received an interesting e-mail from my old mate 'Noddy' Neil from Region 88. Neil and Buzz were out last weekend on Blithfield and the lads managed a huge specimen (pictured above) which looks like the remains of a lobster pot. Didn't know there were any lobsters in Blithfield. Those Region 88 lads have really set a challenge for the Chester boys with this huge specimen which could be a Blithfield Record for the species. In very testing conditions with temperatures below zero. Neil reported problems with icy rings. Well, an icy ring is one of the hazards of boat fishing in sub-zero temperatures i guess. These lads have excelled themselves though and must be very proud of their achievment. Congratulations!.....

Pike Feed in the dark

2008-12-06T04:28:00.001-08:00

I see so many anglers packing up when the sun goes down. It is at this time my heart starts beating a little faster. I have had so many fish over the years after dark and even in the middle of the night and they tend to be the bigger girls(fotos above are two 20's that were 2 of 4 20's that came in 2 hours after dark). Stu McMorrin and myself have been fishing a number of Lancashire Lodges recently; waters that see quite alot of pressure. As an experiment we have been placing baits in the margins overnight ensuring they are visible which isn't a problem as these waters are crystal clear. The baits have all been disappearing. Some will have been retrieved by water rodents no doubt but we are confident that Pike have learned that there are free offerings to be collected after a days fishing, when anglers disgard un-used deadbaits. On pressured waters I am sure Pike have worked it out that these nocturnal freebies come without hooks and are readily available most days on many waters. For many years I have also noticed that Pike also gather around the activity of matchmen and not only do they get attracted to the silvers being retrieved but also await the emptying of keepnets when the odd casualty of their net incarceration will be only too gratefully excepted as a nice supper for the wiser Pike. As a youth on the Dee i used to wander the match lengths talking to match anglers asking if any of them had been troubled by Pike and i also observed who was catching and from where. I use to wait until the weigh-in had finished and dived straight in with a juicy free live-bait which i had usually acquired from the very matchman who had been resident in the peg.

Succesful Pike fishermen are adept at working out not only where the pike live in various seasons but also about feeding patterns. Study your waters carefully. Some guys are scientific about recording data and they swear it pays off for them. I take mental notes each and everytime i go out and every day is a 'Day at School'.....

Another River Fat Esox for The Womble

2008-11-27T23:27:00.000-08:00

Womble was out again on the river this week and managed a couple of nice doubles. The photo above is a fish of just over 12lb's in fine condition.

Bravo Stu..... Keep em' coming!

Short Trips Pay Dividends

2008-11-24T11:21:00.000-08:00

If you know particular waters well and know the resident Esox feeding patterns you can often manage to get a result in just short trips. I had two hours to spare today and visited one of my regular haunts that fishes well at 'Last Knockings' as Jon neafcy refers to it as. I prefer the expression of the'witching hour'. In reality on this particular venue i like the last hour of light and the 1st hour of darkness. Some waters it can be midday or between 11am and 1pm. Others it is first light and last light. There is no golden rule. It is worth making a mental note of the feeding conditions. Many fastidious Pikers record dates, temperature, wind direction, moon phases and even barometric pressure. If this scientific approach floats your boat so be it. The individuals who record this information must be luckier than i because i go fishing when i can go fishing; when work and other commitments allow. Do these anglers who religiously record conditions limit their angling to days when their statistcis dictate; I don't think so. Each to his own...

Pictured above is a frisky little fish that gave me a good old scrap today in conditions that statistics might not have approved of.

Battles won and lost

2008-11-23T09:19:00.000-08:00

All fishermen have experienced the joys of catching great fish and most of us have felt the heartache of lost legendary monster fish. My fishing partner 'Womble' has felt those highs and lows over the past week or so. He has been catching some super river fish lately with regularity but sadly last week he had on an enormous fish which he got to see in clear water and estimates in the upper 20's even a possible 30. He was distraught when i spoke to him. I hope he returns to his spot and the lady obliges next time. Pictured above is a super fish of 15lb that didn't escape his net.

Possible World Record

2008-11-23T09:16:00.000-08:00

Take a look at this potential Pike World Record and make your own mind up to it's authenticity. Buzzz Conroy sent me this Pic today. If it was genuine i would have to beef up my Pike gear.

Repeat Captures in Piking

2008-11-23T09:06:00.000-08:00

Many of us study the markings on the body and fins of pike so we can recognise repeat captures. Above is a re-capture for sure of a green curtain on the Bridgewater Canal in Salford. Originally caught in 2007 by Stu 'womble' Maddocks who claimed it was his PB for a curtain. Last week the lovely Melissa of Contact Tackle in Blacon re-captured this specimen item of habidashery at a reduced weight; curtains sadly tend not to gain weight in the Bridgey. chuckle! I have included a foto of the original capture for comparison

Dee-Lite

2008-11-19T14:16:00.001-08:00

Today Wednesday i had planned over a month ago to have a day out with local tackle dealer Dave Clark but sadly something came up and Dave didn't show.

I wasn't sure what to do. The Dee still held alot of water but i decided to find some slack water and give it a go. I started off in the morning wandering along the bank trying swims i hadn't fished for a few years and trying some new ones. I found some promising deep holes for future reference and I managed to land a number of small chunky jacks but nothing over 6lb. I switched to a favourite spot after midday and immediately landed some better fish to 8lb; 3 coming to the net in half hour. Then i managed a super fish of 17lb 2oz (pictured above) which put up an awesome scrap and I added another frisky jack of 8lb before light faded and Womble visited from his upstream venue. The Dee was coloured and this puts alot of people off. Rivers can intimidate alot of people and especially in these conditions but i advise people to extend their river craft to discovering the behaviour of fish in these conditions. Watch the movement of the bait fish because where they move to the Pike follow. They will obviously look for slack water and so should you. Even in the muddiest of conditions fish can be caught. Today the river was kind to me; 8 fish including a nice upper double.

Bridgewater, Salford

2008-11-19T14:05:00.000-08:00

As you might have noticed on previous postings regarding the 'Bridgey' I am a big fan of this often ignored canal. It is the only reason i keep renewing my Warrington Anglers membership. I fish this canal from Runcorn to Manchester city centre and beyond and it continues to produce big fish for me. I have learnt alot about canal fishing which can be different in style to other types of fishing for pike. Fishing with experts such as Steve 'Gulper' Lewis has taught me where the fish are to be found which is of course half the battle and when to fish and the added advantage of pre-baiting.

Tuesday i took along Tom and Melissa from Blacon's Contact Tackle who are keen anglers who have got the Pike bug. Above is an example of the stamp of quality fish this canal can produce. This fish had never seen a hook. A perfect hard fighting Salford Pike.

Chester Pred day trip to Wales

2008-11-16T11:57:00.000-08:00

Sadly there are no fotos attached to this article of fish caught on Saturday's outing and that is because we all blanked on a day that started with so much expectation. I decided to include this foto of Yam Yam of a trip years ago when he caught 2 jacks at the same time; both getting lodged in weed and Yam Yam preceeded to strip down much to everyone's amazement and march headlong into the water to recover the fish which he did. He should get some sort of PAC award. Chuckle! Paul 'Yam Yam' Humphries came up from the Midlands Saturday to join myself, Gulper, Martin and David on a trip to a North Wales Reservoir which has produced some big fish on previous outings to Chester Pred members. But it isn't all about catching trophy fish. The bank reverberated with laughter all day. I haven't had so much fun blanking in years...........Gulper cooked up one of his famous fry-ups and The weather was kind and the scenery spectacular. By the looks of the banks the venue has had alot of visitors. Sadly the visitors haven't been taking away their bait packets and other rubbish. It is very upsetting. This venue 15 years ago had never seen a piker and now it is not only been over-fished; it has been over-fished by heathens who have no respect for the countryside. Anyway, apart from that negative the day was thoroughly enjoyable

Mad Dogs and Englishmen

2008-10-30T00:52:00.000-07:00

Mad dogs and Englishmen might go out in the midday sun. The sanity of Anglers who venture out in conditions as we experienced on Tuesday across the nation must also be questioned. Womble came to pick me up at 5.30am and as he arrived in Saughall the Hailstones were descending and thunder and lightening announced his arrival. Sensibly after a discussion in my kitchen we decided against our original destination in the hills of North Wales. The alternative venue we chose still presented us with rain, sleet, more hailstones, oh and some sunshine. Such a climate change can often be fatal for Pike fishing and all morning went by watching the weather extremes from beneath brolly and shelter. It came almost as a surprise when at 1pm i got a run and landed a nice jack of 8lb which turned out to be my biggest fish of the day. No sooner had i re-cast this rod it went again and a fish of 6lb came to the net. in the next half hour i added another 3 smaller jacks; 2 falling to the same lamprey i had caught the 1st 2 fish on and a tiny fish which took a lure which was as big as the pike. Then nothing for the next 3 hours until the right hand rod went again and another nice jack (pictured above) about 7lb screemed off. I called on Womble to take a foto to remember the day and whilst he was there i was telling him about a jack i had caught earlier which had 1 bulbous eye (also pictured above) like one of those Black fantail goldfish, when i got another run and yes! you guessed it i re-captured the fish to be known now as Marty after the great comedy actor Marty Feldman. Womble worked very hard with no reward and lost a number of his favourite lures to boot. No justice some days Piking!