It's a Family Affair

Had a good week this week. On Tuesday I gave a slide show to the Glossop region of the Pike Angler's Club. Glossop are regarded as the crazy gang of pike fishing - they're a rum bunch. The show seemed to go allright even though it clashed with a big football match which was on the telly but the Glossop regional organiser, the renowned "Kosh" was drunk as a lord by the end of the evening.

Saturday was a day I had been looking towards for many months. I went with my wife Clare to fish for pike at Scotland's only lake, the Lake of Menteith, a fabulous pike fishery where both I and my son Joe have had thirty pound plus fish. I was really hoping Clare was going to get a biggun too but it wasn't to be, although she did catch.

We started the day trolling lures in an effort to locate a pod of fish. We trolled super shad raps for several hours in a strong wind but never had a touch. Slowly the wind abated and we made the decision to go back in to shore and collect our electric trolling motor, with the intention of trolling deadbaits. Clare wasn't feeling too good so I left her dozing in the car while I went back out float-trolling mackerel. The difference this change of tactic made was remarkable and I had two smallish fish in the boat within twenty minutes. After an hour or so I went and collected Clare again and we were off trolling mackerel, one rod apiece. Clare picked up a nice fish of around 12lbs as we dropped over a shelf that went from 12ft to 16ft and knowing that the Menteith fish hang around in packs, I suggested that we troll back over the same spot. Sure enough as we did so, we got another take. My turn this time, as a very nice fish of exactly 22lbs came to the boat. I turned the boat around once more and trolled over the same spot and again my bait was taken but though I hooked this fish, after a few kicks it was off so I'll never know how big it was.

It was getting late in the day now and we had to be off the water by 5.30 so we opted to anchor in this spot and fish static deadbaits and lures. This produced another pike for me, a sixteen pounder which took a whole mackerel.

All too soon the day was over and we headed for the lodge. When we arrived back we discovered that a huge fish had been caught by 32 year old Lynn Baker. At 39lbs 8oz this fish was a lake record and the biggest pike ever to be caught by a woman in the UK. What a monster!