Sturgeon but no caviar

Above are a few snaps of Sturgeon landed in recent years. These are babies compared to the monsters caught by 'Gulper' over in Canada......I'll try to get some copies of Gulper's fish and post them on here. They have to be seen to be believed.

Summer Predators

If you get bored in the summer months waiting for winter to return why not try a spot of Zander and catfish fishing. Plenty of fun. I advise you go to the gym for a bit before tackling the cats though! Pictured above are some fotos of some Zeds and Cats.....Hope they whet your appetite.

Gulper's Irish Esox

Steve 'Gulper' Lewis'; The warrington Esox Maestro regularly visits the emerald isle and has been netting plenty of big crocs over there to add to his growing UK tally of big pike. Above is a selection of fish he has landed with Steve daly and a really nice foto of him and his dad this year on his dad's first piking trip to Ireland. Gulper heads for ireland again in October and has high expectations from some top spots he's found over recent trips. Can't wait to see the fotos.

Adventures of Mashy & Blunty

This is a few fotos and memories of recent years fishing with Andy 'Blunt Hooks' Dixon.

Andy was one of the founders of Chester Preds with his brother Tony also pictured above. Both very good predator anglers and tremendous fun on the bank.

Fenland Adventures 2007/8

Over recent years i have fallen in love with the flatlands of the Fens. Through these plains run miles of mysterious waterways full of silver fish, Pike and Zeds and i plan to spend alot more time down there over the coming seasons. As well as the quality of the fishing the quality of the old English hospitality and friendliness of the Fenland people is part of the package. As you enter the Fens life appears to slow a little in this modern age of runaway madness. I have found the help i have received from fellow pikers down there refreshing. I fished the Marie-Curie cup last year and stayed down for a couple of days extra fishing. Local anglers were only too happy to put me onto good quality piking and their information was spot on and fish such as the 18lb'er above came to my net thanks to their help. i befriended one of the marshalls of the Marie-Curie event Andrew Allebone and have kept in touch since; a true english gentleman and a wealth of knowledge on Pike fishing.

I can't wait to return soon.............

The 'Womble's Year 2007/8

Stu maddocks aka 'The Womble' is a recent addition to the ranks of the chester preds and this last winter i spent alot of time with him on the banks. He is a great all-rounder; happy with a bag of dog biscuits stalking carp on stillwaters or roaming the River Severn with a bucket of Halibut pellets. He is of his own admission a 'novice' to piking but has already managed to apply those all-round angling skills to piking and has managed to land some fantastic fish that many veterans of Piking would be envious of.

I have published above some of the highlights of Womble's efforts in the past 12 months. Impressive i am sure you will agree.

PAC Region 31

As many of you will know i am a member of the PAC region 31 run by the enigmatic Jon neafcy. I have had the pleasure of fishing with Jon over a number of years and the guy is an absolute Pike 'Nutter'. He spoke to me a long time ago of his intentions to run a region and explained in detail his vision. Well, he has been true to his word; masterminding the re-birth of an old lancashire region which was dear to his heart and many others.

Jon has put so much work into getting this project off the ground; marketing the idea with help of Martin james from Lancashire radio and others including Piking dignatories like Eric Edwards and Gaz knowles. In such a short space of time I am astounded at the success and i will go on record as saying it is the best PAC region i have personally come across. Meetings have been attended by 40-50 people each and every meeting. The meetings have been lively and the selection of speakers have been excellent in the 1st year and this come year looks to be just the same.

Meetings are held on the 1st Wednesday of each month at the Caledonian pub, Bolton Road in Ashton in makerfield near Wigan, Lancashire. Easy to find off junction 24; just follow the road in to Ashton from the motorway and the pub can be found on the right.

The members are my type of pikers; a mixed bunch of down to earth anglers, no primadonnas. True lancashire lads with humour and camararderie.....

Starting off precedings in october Damien Woods will be doing a talk on Eels,Perch & Pike. November 'Mad' Mick Bowen will be talking about River Pike and December the legend of Steve Ormerod will impart his knowledge on Northern Reservoir Piking. January will welcome Geoff Parkinson to talk about Pike and Catfish. February; Paul Horton & martin Salisbury-Specialist and catfish. March - Nev fickling and April a night with James Holgate.

That is some winter of entertainment..................................

As well as these evenings the Region organises fun on the bank with regular fish-ins at venues across the region. Last year's events included Bala in North wales, a popular Yorkshire drain and many more.

The club also has a boat available for members.

I urge you to join this region. You won't regret it.

I would Like to take this opportuntiy to congratulate Jon on his Windermere Record Pike of over 35lbs which you all must have seen in the angling press. Jon has worked hard for this fish and deserved it.

The 'Nige Williams Livebait Trophy'

Summer came around and we had to catch something else. Bungs were put away and Boilies and hair rigs were brought out for what gulper refers to as 'Ratfish'. Womble organised a great day on a private lake on the Wirral only for Mrs Gulper to come and steal the trophy.

Gulper's Spanish Adventures

Steve 'Gulper' Lewis is rapidly becoming one of the North West's leading Pike Anglers and as well as catching some superb English and Scottish fish over recent years he has had some great fish in Ireland and in Spain.

Also Mrs 'Gulper' can catch a fish or two as can be seen from the above photos. She is also the reigning champion of the 'Nige Williams' livebait trophy ran this summer to replace the boredom waiting for the winter's Piking to begin again.

When he first ventured to Spain in pursuit of Pike I was initially astounded. Everything i had read previously had said that Esox Lucius was a fish of the Northern Hemisphere but here are some fish to disprove this myth.

Geat fish from the past few years

Just a few fish from previous years to whet the appetite...............

Fishing is Fun!

Sadly sometimes these days in 'Pike Fishing' i feel that some anglers obsession seems to diminish their enjoyment. Have they forgotten the enjoyment they once felt as children catching small Rudd and Crucians on local ponds in the summer holidays and dreaming of huge fish that always seem to evade their capture.

My good friend Jon-Paul Neafcy captured the Lake Windermere record this year with a super fish of 35lb + only to be attacked from people who's envy was clear but their reaction was very disappointing.

In recent years since setting up the Chester Predator Groups i am glad to say i have fished with a group of like-minded gentlemen who share the joy of any individual within the group who manages to capture a memorable esox and have shared lots of laughter on days when the fish were feeding and on those many days when we blanked.

Womble's Winners

Last winter i had the great pleasure of fishing with Stu 'The Womble' Maddocks; a great angler and a finer gentleman youwould struggle to meet on the banks of British waters. Stu was responsible for inspiring me to invest the hours back on the Dee having had some super fish himself over recent years. He guided me on some of his favourite pegs and i owe him immense gratitude for helping me fulfill a lifetime ambition.

But Stu has had some great success of his own this season with some very nice fish from stillwaters and runnig water.

Last Season's highlights

Last season wasn't as spectacular for me personally; only adding one 20lb plus fish to my tally but i guess that's 'Pike Fishing'. I did land over a 100 doubles with many superb fighting upper doubles. The one 20 that i did land was a lifetime ambition fulfilled; namely a River Dee 20...24lb 12oz to be precise. I managed a fish of 19lb 12oz fish off the Groves when i was 18 yrs old and since then i have not manged to beat it until one day in february this year when i decided after finishing nights to just have a few hours before dark. First cast i caught a plump double of 15lb 8oz and after that little beauty had been landed, weighed and photographed my second rod's bung dipped and slowly moved out into the middle of the river. After a tremendous scrap during which the fish never surfaced; staying down deep until eventually it leapt from the river, angry flaring it's gills in one last attempt to shake the hooks but it was all in vane and my dream fish surrendered. i was awestruck as i looked upon this huge fat Dee Lady. A course angler on the next peg came and acted as witness and photographer but managed to take 3 awful photos; 1st capturing the strap of the camera, 2nd the fish was out of focus and the 3rd i had my eyes shut. Ireturned the fish immediately and was reassured the photos were super but upon reviewing them later i realised they were awful. But who cares the memeory of such a fish will never leave my mind. I immediately phoned 'Womble' who dashed out of his house with 2 glasses and a half bottle of champagne to celebrate. Stu; as a Cestrian who loves the river understood what that fish meant to me. i have 2 30's to my name and over 40 20's but all these fish put together never meant as much to me as this Dee 20. Also pictured above as well as my long-awaited 20 is a selection of other nice doubles caught during the season.

The Pike season is drawing closer

Welcome to the new site for Chester predator anglers. I have switched to this Blog because my internet server Orange has closed down it's old website facility and i am not happy with the alternative website creator which is both complicated and limited.

Anyway before i start ranting about the frustration of losing my old website i will hurriedly move on.

I guess you can all feel that nip in the air as Autumn approaches and the new pike season grows close for the traditionalist who wait for the cold snap before digging out the trebles and the bungs.

I personally can't wait and the anticipation and excitement is bubbling inside of me.

Bring it on!