Any of you Guys go Pike Fishing?

[NoIDeer]

Watched pike hunting in in a local flooded quarry used for scuba diving. **** me they're quick, a flick of the tail, flash of silver and a roach is gone.

Saw a wierd sight there someone fished a dead pike out with a smaller pike in its mouth and that pike had a smaller one again in its mouth.

Caught a few small ones as a youth on spinners they were great sport.

That is an absolute beauty FB.

 

[hw101]

I used to pike fish a lot, I’ve been away from it for 15 years but getting back into it as the kids are bigger!

Lure fishing is my favourite! Had piles of 20s over the years upto 36lb nearly all on lures.

Another crocodile. Congratulations!

 

[Bowland blades]

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?

with full respect and a lot of experience its a good double likely around the lower 20s high teens. I fished with many of the big names of the 80s , 90s up into the early 2000 all over the UK . Wrote a bit , did a few talks and pioneered fly fishing for pike
Had a few big old ones die on me and now i only fish for things i intend to take a very selective harvest from . Not criticising others who catch and release 100% .
Today its sea fishing mainly and salmon and seatrout but no place near the frequency i used to . I have a Doomsday book of mammoth pike gifted to me and signed by Fred Buller , its a treasured thing .
Have you fished Hollingworth lake ? its not that far from you and has in the past produced some big girls . Pike dont take well to pressure and catch and release though so fishing where is regularly fished tends to be barren of the big females . Windermere , Bassenthwaite have both produced 30 lb and over , Loch Lomand in scotland was a favourite but you really do need a boat McFarland Boat yard used to hire them out . Loch Awe was also one of my favourites again other than a bit at the lower end its tough to fish from the bank , there is also the big Ferox trout taken via trolling lures / deadbaits in deep water .
Good doubles are a big prize in areas with lots of anglers you have worked hard to get that one for sure

 

[FrenchieBoy]

with full respect and a lot of experience its a good double likely around the lower 20s high teens. I fished with many of the big names of the 80s , 90s up into the early 2000 all over the UK . Wrote a bit , did a few talks and pioneered fly fishing for pike
Had a few big old ones die on me and now i only fish for things i intend to take a very selective harvest from . Not criticising others who catch and release 100% .
Today its sea fishing mainly and salmon and seatrout but no place near the frequency i used to . I have a Doomsday book of mammoth pike gifted to me and signed by Fred Buller , its a treasured thing .
Have you fished Hollingworth lake ? its not that far from you and has in the past produced some big girls . Pike dont take well to pressure and catch and release though so fishing where is regularly fished tends to be barren of the big females . Windermere , Bassenthwaite have both produced 30 lb and over , Loch Lomand in scotland was a favourite but you really do need a boat McFarland Boat yard used to hire them out . Loch Awe was also one of my favourites again other than a bit at the lower end its tough to fish from the bank , there is also the big Ferox trout taken via trolling lures / deadbaits in deep water .
Good doubles are a big prize in areas with lots of anglers you have worked hard to get that one for sure

I haven't fished Hollingworth for pike yet but as it is only a couple of miles away from me I do intend to. At the moment I haven't been pike fishing since March as I do not want to chance catching any hen fish and stressing them out during their spawning, that could (IMHO) possibly damage our sport in years to come even though there is no "closed season" there!

 

[Bowland blades]

I haven't fished Hollingworth for pike yet but as it is only a couple of miles away from me I do intend to. At the moment I haven't been pike fishing since March as I do not want to chance catching any hen fish and stressing them out during their spawning, that could (IMHO) possibly damage our sport in years to come even though there is no "closed season" there!

Well said , Pike are very, very easy to die in warmer weather or when full of spawn . I am not current but i can maybe give you a few leads on various waters . especially the NW and Scotland

 

[willie_gunn]

Have only fished for them the once - on a fly on a stretch of the Dever just above Dever Springs. It was a great stretch of river, with huge escapees from the trout lakes as well as some consequently very large pike.

I only caught one comparative tiddler, which was exciting enough, but the friend I fished with and his son used to catch large pike that they sold to a taxidermist who stuffed them for display in pubs that were being refurbished!

 

[south-nofolk-stalker]

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?

That’s a cracker!

I used to pike fish many many moons ago, I am now a carp angler, or Bivvy hippy and travel 125 miles to the colne valley from Norfolk for my fishing to catch some of the oldest carp in the land.

 

[Cyres]

Bowland blades.
Do you know Loz Harrop then?
I have a selection of his wonderful jerk baits. The first time I used his Darter on Axbridge I had 5 big doubles.
D

 

[starr shot]

Another crocodile. Congratulations!

A Caimen croc was actually caught at Chew Valley reservoir & The UK Record Pike was caught there in February,Weighing in at over 47lbs.

 

[Plummer]

My only claim to fame Pike fishing was, I caught the first ever recorded Pike out of Chew Valley Reservoir.. 33 years ago!

 

[sich1]

My only claim to fame Pike fishing was, I caught the first ever recorded Pike out of Chew Valley Reservoir.. 33 years ago!

View attachment 366888

nice one, could of used it for bait but its a bit small. nice to claim the first though
did it take a fly or lure ?

 

[Bowland blades]

Bowland blades.
Do you know Loz Harrop then?
I have a selection of his wonderful jerk baits. The first time I used his Darter on Axbridge I had 5 big doubles.
D

yep , he no longer makes them hasn't for some time now .

 

[Cyres]

Yes and they are now quite collectable.
Now I see he makes very nice knives so brother in trade to you.
D

 

[Bowland blades]

Yes and they are now quite collectable.
Now I see he makes very nice knives so brother in trade to you.
D

Yeah , He is by original trade a wood carver a very good one