Any of you Guys go Pike Fishing?

[FrenchieBoy]

Just out of interest do any of you guys go pi9ke fishing? I took it up last Autumn after Marlene came out of hospital just to get the odd couple of hours now and then out in the open air for some exercise. I only fish at a couple of local reservoirs where it is free fishing but I thoroughly enjoy myself when I am out with a rod in hand. I only fish with lures as it is just not my thing to sit and watch a bite detector or float for hours on end and in my opinion it means that it is me pitting my brains against the top British freshwater predator. I have landed plenty of small "jacks" up to around the 6 pound mark and I have had a few good "doubles". However today was a bit different - The weather was reasonable and Marlene suggested that I went out and took advantage of the reasonable weather and did a bit of fishing = That was an offer I could not refuse!
I went to my local reservoir, set up my heavy lure rod and on just my second cast I latched into this big girl! She measured 113cm in length and had a very large girth on her. Another Pike angler came and helped take a few photos and estimated her as "pushing well into the 30lb mark! I am sheet at estimating the weight of fish so I will just take his word for it = Even so whatever the weight she was well worth catching!
So what's your PB?

 

[Bo Diddley]

Only when I can catch the Biggun's .

 

[Morkai]

Pathetic, chaps.

Check this one I caught.

 

[Morkai]

Only when I can catch the Biggun's .
View attachment 348986

'Tis fat, isn't it.

Well fed.

 

[stevec]

I loved pike fishing as a boy, still like it now, just don’t get chance to go often.

Anyone done much fly fishing for pike? I have tried but not successfully .

 

[palmer_mike]

I caught this one 17 years ago on a trout deadbait. It weighed 20lb 4oz

 

[HallyButt]

Just out of interest do any of you guys go pi9ke fishing? I took it up last Autumn after Marlene came out of hospital just to get the odd couple of hours now and then out in the open air for some exercise. I only fish at a couple of local reservoirs where it is free fishing but I thoroughly enjoy myself when I am out with a rod in hand. I only fish with lures as it is just not my thing to sit and watch a bite detector or float for hours on end and in my opinion it means that it is me pitting my brains against the top British freshwater predator. I have landed plenty of small "jacks" up to around the 6 pound mark and I have had a few good "doubles". However today was a bit different - The weather was reasonable and Marlene suggested that I went out and took advantage of the reasonable weather and did a bit of fishing = That was an offer I could not refuse!
I went to my local reservoir, set up my heavy lure rod and on just my second cast I latched into this big girl! She measured 113cm in length and had a very large girth on her. Another Pike angler came and helped take a few photos and estimated her as "pushing well into the 30lb mark! I am sheet at estimating the weight of fish so I will just take his word for it = Even so whatever the weight she was well worth catching!
So what's your PB?

What an absolutely stunning fish, regardless of weight, great effort! I only lure or fish now for sport fishing, I lost I really nice pike about 10 years ago as it inhaled the dead bait and all hooks and just couldn’t keep it alive, such a horrible feeling that I don’t want again.

 

[Bo Diddley]

'Tis fat, isn't it.

Well fed.

Yes, caught from a big Cambridgeshire pit stuffed full of Rudd, and stocked with a few Rainbows for the chaps that are members of the shooting syndicate, they don't seem to be able to ever catch many trout though, I wonder why .....
Edit; This was a mid December capture.. so by mid March she would have been even bigger

 

[Bo Diddley]

What an absolutely stunning fish, regardless of weight, great effort! I only lure or fish now for sport fishing, I lost I really nice pike about 10 years ago as it inhaled the dead bait and all hooks and just couldn’t keep it alive, such a horrible feeling that I don’t want again.

Sad when such things happen.
I only lure fish for pike, and always with large barbless single hooks, most pike I unhook in the water and make sure they are recovered enough before I let them go.

 

[Essexsussex]

Used to love it as a kid on the Suffolk stour

Catch rate one per hundred visits

My friends who were more local had it nailed and could catch them just like that

Went back a few years ago. The river seems to have got much smaller…

 

[Essexsussex]

Stunning pike there. That’s how a pike should look…

 

[Tom270]

10 lb is my best in Coniston 53 years back from a boat on a bright red and yellow lure I made from a bit of broom handle.
That's a great fish FB and very glad you are getting out.

 

[FISH BOY]

Cracking fish - well done.

For such an awesome predator in water they are extremely fragile out of water.

Used to love predator fishing and I must admit I’m slightly surprised that you caught such an impressive fish on a lure. Fished for years for them and only ever had low doubles on a lure, with the big boys all on dead or live baits.

I was led to believe that as they get older/bigger their eyesight deteriorates, so use their sense of smell as their primary sense. You must have set the lure right over its nose.

Used to go to France for them in the carp off season as a cheap weekend away - grow massive over there and caught plenty of 20s, but the elusive 30lber+ always evaded me.

Had some crackers from the Fenns - UK PB is 27lb.

 

[Pine Marten]

What an absolutely stunning fish, regardless of weight, great effort! I only lure or fish now for sport fishing, I lost I really nice pike about 10 years ago as it inhaled the dead bait and all hooks and just couldn’t keep it alive, such a horrible feeling that I don’t want again.

That said, pike are very good eating.

 

[chriswjx]

Only had a few outings, but most memorably with a guide who takes people out onto Loch Lomond.

Sadly too gusty for the fly (I almost took my eye out...) but managed to bump these two beauties with a big soft lure.

Didn't weigh, but measured at 105 and 107cm - estimated low-mid twenties.

Really need to book a day with that guide again! Total of 5 to the boat (other 3 were jacks, although my missus missed a bite from one which followed the lure all the way back to the boat and looked of a similar size to these ones - the bites were very gentle! Especially considering the size of them!)

 

[Essexsussex]

That said, pike are very good eating.

The couple of times I’ve caught small pike on salmon rivers and knocked them (as instructed) I’ve eaten them. As long as the fillets are split along the lateral line to get those y shaped pin bones out.
Fed on a diet of salmon parr and small trout, in a fast flowing river they were excellent.

 

[Essexsussex]

Only had a few outings, but most memorably with a guide who takes people out onto Loch Lomond.

Sadly too gusty for the fly (I almost took my eye out...) but managed to bump these two beauties with a big soft lure.

Didn't weigh, but measured at 105 and 107cm - estimated low-mid twenties.

Really need to book a day with that guide again! Total of 5 to the boat (other 3 were jacks, although my missus missed a bite from one which followed the lure all the way back to the boat and looked of a similar size to these ones - the bites were very gentle! Especially considering the size of them!)

View attachment 348994View attachment 348995

Wasn’t the uk record from Loch Lomond? Back in the day anyway. I seem to remember anglers weekly photos reporting 44-46lbs or so. Clonker.

 

[devon deer stalker]

Never intentionally fished for them, but when I was fishing Lough Mayo it was getting dark and I skated a sedge across the surface, wallop, 6lb ish pike, the other time I was guiding a lady on the river Exe for Salmon, she caught one around 15lb, we returned it, when the owner of the beat found out he wasn't that happy we put it back!

 

[chriswjx]

The couple of times I’ve caught small pike on salmon rivers and knocked them (as instructed) I’ve eaten them. As long as the fillets are split along the lateral line to get those y shaped pin bones out.
Fed on a diet of salmon parr and small trout, in a fast flowing river they were excellent.

Seen a couple come off the Tay last year - beats where I fish too, but never to my rod Been told they are delicious, missus' family is from Luxembourg, and her mum is always telling me how its considered a delicacy. (Although in Luxembourg, they do a kind of fishcake apparently with them, to get around the bones)

Wasn’t the uk record from Loch Lomond? Back in the day anyway. I seem to remember anglers weekly photos reporting 44-46lbs or so. Clonker.

Think so! Although Google doesn't seem to cooperate when I try to double check. Apparently the UK record is a 46lb 13oz from Wales back in '92 and the Scottish record is 47lb 11oz from 1945 out of Lomond. Who knew Scottish independence happened back in 1945...

I keep meaning to get out to Loch Leven in Fife, as there are supposed to be some close to 30lb'ers regularly getting caught on lure/fly - and a marginally closer jaunt than Lomond for me

 

[Klenchblaize]

The barbel that never was! I simply showed the wee thing my knees:

K