Two Kinds of Pike

Took my wife Clare out on a romantic boat trip this week, well it was Valentines day! Of course the boat trip involved catching pike - for both of us that was. Clare got her first pike, a fourteen pounder on a legered deadbait. No pics I'm afraid, it started to bleed as I removed the hooks so I decided to drop it straight back so as not to stress it too much. I took a 16lb fish later in the day and then Clare lost two fish, the hooks pulling out after a short fight. Poor Clare. She suffered rather badly from motion sickness out in the boat - that's why she's looking so green around the gills in the pic. We might have to resort to medication for her the next time.

The next day we had a walk up Rivington Pike, a beacon hill of over 1000ft close to Bolton. From the summit, the big Rivington Reservoirs can easily be seen. North West Water describe the area, their property, as "An Amenity". Well it may be an amenity for walkers, cyclists and horse riders but not for anglers, fishing is not allowed on the reservoirs. Strange that a water company should have such a downer on angling while allowing so many other pursuits on its property.

I finished the week with another day out in the boat, taking pike of 6lb+, 10lb+, two at 14lb+, a 17.08 and a 17.14. The fish took a mixture of baits and lures this time. I'm field testing some new Fox lures for Anglers's Mail and they do appear to be rather good but I hooked and lost a big pike on the lure, perhaps I should have fitted a bigger treble hook.

Two of the pike, including the largest, showed signs that they had been spawning. If that's so, it would be the earliest spawning I can ever remember!

I played cat and mouse for a while with a trout that was intent on stripping one of my baits. Constant twitching and plucking at the line told me that it was coming back again and again to chew at the sardine but the trout got away in the end. I hooked it briefly when I struck but it was off almost at once.