Pike a Plenty! « It started with a Perch….

Pike a Plenty!

January 9, 2007

I have recently spent two cold December days with my brother Andy, fishing the rather wonderful Cuton Lakes near Chelmsford http://www.a12lakes.co.uk/index.html.

Not really knowing what to expect I decided to drop by the Fishery to see if I could pick up any hot tips, before meeting Andy at the tackle shop in Chelmsford. The Manager at Cuton Lakes is an affable chap by the name of Neil. Fortunately when I arrived early that morning Neil was working with a companion maintaining some of the bank side willows. He informed me that both the “specimen” and “pleasure” lakes had been fishing quite well for pike recently, and that the Olympic athlete, Dean Macey had managed to catch some six fish up to 11lb as part of a feature he was doing for the Angling Times, further more a true kraken of 33lb had been caught a few years ago by a lucky lure fisherman. My enthusiasm fuelled I met up with Andy, picked up some bait and we returned to see if we could match the Olympians recent angling achievements.

I decided to start fishing a very “Pikey” looking bay in one corner of the pleasure lake and with the 33 pounder in mind, casted out a couple of popped up dead baits. Andy with similar aspirations opted for his favoured approach of lure fishing. It took all of five minutes for my left hand alarm to give a single bleep as it registered the start of a slow drop back (Something most Pike anglers will know only so well) the bobbin then begin to slowly rise and the alarm started sounding repeatedly as the fish moved off with my bait. I think for me it is precisely the moment just before striking that makes fishing such an addictive pass time. I lifted the rod and felt that reassuring resistance of a fish on the other end, and after a very brief but spirited fight, a small jack of about 4lbs was in the landing net. Following this promising start it took all of another five minutes for Andy who was fishing just along the bank to hook into another feisty little devil, but a loud “*#*#*” resounded as it got the better of him at the jaws of the landing net. So with two fish (Or one and a half to be fair) in ten minutes, the day was looking good.

A quiet hour prompted me to move to a swim opposite some reed beds where Dean had apparently done so well a few weeks previously. Another half hour or so past before my left hand alarm bleeped into life again, but this time my strike was met with only a brief resistance and I was rewarded by nothing but my half mackerel returned, still fully intact. Andy at this time was still busy “plugging” away; now almost opposite my new swim. No sooner had I recast a smaller smelt in favour of the rejected larger bait, when I looked up to see him getting to grips with another little snapper. Then just like
London buses my left hand alarm registered an almost carp like one toner as another fish must have been literally waiting beneath my recast bait. This time my strike met with good solid resistance, and a better fish was on but with just one small snag.. Andy was still unhooking a 5lb jack in our only landing net some 100 yards away on the other side of the lake. I politely communicated the situation to him in my best queens english whilst a very large crocodile like head peered up from the water some fifteen feet in front of me. It was one of those weird tadpole like pike with the head of a twenty pounder (I’d imagine having not ever caught a fish this large myself) and the body of a low double. Andy soon appeared with the landing net having unhooked and returned his fish to scoop this patient “Mekon” from the margins. We didn’t weigh the fish (Pictured from its good side) but guess it was probably a low double, unfortunately it had a badly dislocated jaw on one side, likely caused by a less respectful fisherman some time ago. This probably accounted for its unusually small body as this disfigurement would undoubtedly have inhibited its feeding. I realise that pike can be a real bastard to unhook some times, but this is no excuse and people shouldn’t fish for these beautiful predators without appropriate equipment to unhook them. Urmm people should also always have an adequate landing net readily to hand (Another lesson learnt!). We notched up another three fish between us that day, all Jacks in the 3-6lb bracket but excellent entertainment. I have also attached some pictures from our return trip to Cuton lakes just before Christmas where we had an equally enjoyable day. This time the highlights were another low double for me from the specimen lake and a mad five minute spell where Andy and I notched up 3 consecutive fish between us, a feat witnessed by Fishery Manager Neil.