My Pike Season 2012-2013

After last weekend at the northern angling show i was hoping to get out.Unfortunatly due to a hard week at work and my mum isnt well again ive decided to call it a draw over easter.With the temps the way they are its an extended pike season for me.Im going to pack away all my gear and just leave my canal ,small water set up out with the chance of going next weekend .Im keen now to get the coarse gear out,but maybe another session beckons next weekend.My Canal sessions turned out to catching just jacks,so my target 20 will have to wait.My small water sessions turned also into catching jacks,My resovoir campaign produced the best fish of 15.7.I had one jack on a lure and my first river pike.Baits this season were lamprey,smelt and live bait on two occasions caught me jacks.Come next october ill be better prepared with more water to explore,money has stopped me travelling far due to work.Sod,s law that has improved now and im mad busy.....................Till the Next Time ....Tight Lines

You owe me,ill be back.......................................

R.I.P Andy Z 28-3-13

Tragic news last night ,my friend Andy Zorza passed away last night leaving 2 lovely children and a loving girlfriend.Im absolutely shocked at the news and cannot believe it.Spent some happy times with Andy at  Z camp Drinking and shooting guns,and of course going fishing.You will be sadly missed mate,love ya dude.

On the river ...............................

Z Camp the place you can be 14 again...............................................

Northern Angling Show 23-3-13

Event city trafford centre was the location.Was probably first to arrive on a very cold day.Once inside it seemed to be more carp than coarse.Not sure if it was the weather that kept a few stall holders away.There was some new interesting products for the carp scene and a lot of bait.In the coarse side there wasnt really anything that caught my eye.I managed to get two bags of maryuku 131 buy one get one free.One bag of maryuku explosive ground bait for £2.After having a sausage barm and a break and a chat we headed for a second walk round,there was lots of talks going on by now.I purchased some float adapters for the pellet waggler and some medusa pole pots which were both a very good price.The pole pots id seen at another show and these had caught my eye but i didnt  purchase,glad i did this time.I picked up a couple more bits and we headed off home at about 1-30 my only gripe was why do they charge £2-50 for a coffee,it so makes me angry ,its just a bloody rip-off.In general it was a well run show and i managed a few needed things that saved me a few quid,apart from the coffee it made up for a non fishing weekend.Tight Lines......

Eddie sampling the glugs on the stickybaits stall,should have gone to specsavers,lol

Pike Drop Off Indicators 17-3-13

I like to use rear drop offs and open bail for my pike fishing.I tried the carp style bobbin when i first started but couldnt get on with them.My first indicators were the fox ones with the line gate.I had problems with the gates opening.I purchased a pair  off the Mark Houghton drop offs a couple of seasons ago.These  are designed to be fished at a 45 dergree angle ,not tight to the reel.Any way ill get back to these another time because ive modded the way you attach them to your bank stick.Last year i used my home made ones which i constructed from various materials.The only thing i wasnt happy with was how i attached them to my bankstick.I used the matrix line clip which has an o ring so you can set the tension,now ive read elsewhere these are crap,well i never had a problem with them and was happy with them.I havnt got a lathe so a friend i know drilled them for me.The only problem i had was he couldnt thread the head so i glued the clips in which if they snapped that would be a problem.Then again there only prototypes of what i was trying to achieve.The head is heavy enough to show a drop back and i attached the solar weight at the back so they would roll downwards.The weight is 30g and you can add more weight if needed.

The head with Matrix clip and carbon shaft...................

I used a cable cleat to attach to the bank stick.The wing nut is tightened and they can be left on the bankstick.The head and shaft are removeable.I used two o rings between the threaded screw so you could tension the nearest nut so you can set them as slack as you like.............. I will be making more mods to them and will be painting the heads,really pleased how they turned out......

Muddy Banks 16-3-13

I cannot believe how muddy it was today.I set the brolly shelter up and started with a ledgered herring and a pat rigged perch.After moving the baits every hour i decided to change the pat rig to a pop-up ledger rig.The day comprised of a little rain and a touch of hail,that played havoc with the delks.I changed the herring rod to a full lamprey.I was taking a leak and the lamprey rod decided to drop back,i struck and was in,felt good till it came up and was yet another jack.It was at 1pm run,hopefully time for another.Well i waited and my next run came at 3pm,a drop back and struck,nothing.I decided to pack up at 3-30,i had to be home to get ready for an 18th birthday.Tight Lines

The Jack.........................................

Just thought id post this picture of my rotten bottom for my pat rig.Already tied so you dont have to fiddle on cold days with 5 lb line........................

A day on the Res

Finally after weeks of arranging to fish with Lee,we got out today on the res.We hadnt even got walking to the swim,when lee informs me ,ive forgot the maggots.Nevermind we will have to fish deads.I set up and fished ledger on one rod and pat rig on the other.First run for me came at 8-50,unfortunately no fish and no bait.I quickly baited back up with a sardine and cast out to the same area.Lee wasnt havnt much luck. A  brew was needed,re-group and a suggestion led to getting the float rod out as it so happens lee had some worms.Not much was happening on the float.The res was quite low for march down a good 3 foot at least,a slight east wind and a few drops of rain wasnt gonna put a damper on the day,now where,s them pike i said.A quick re think and a maggot feeder was attached,chopped worm and soil added.A cheeky cast under the bridge,tightened  float tip to a slight curve and wait for a drop back,it worked we had a perch each.I put one on my pat rig and the other on my float ledger,Lee had to leave so i now had two  bonus baits.At about 2-30 another run developed on the ledger rod,wound down,im in,it was a jack.Quickly un hooked and put the little fella back.I re casted out a herring and at 3 i had a drop back,wound down to find i had a dropped run.So all round wasnt a bad day,1 pike banked,couple of perch and 2 runs.Probably 3 more sessions to go now before my pike seasons over.Tight Lines........

I took this picture as an example of what you cant see when the waters up,imagine ledgering over this.Always worth keeping an eye out when the waters down so you can see snaggy areas like this......

Lee found this today........Always worth investing in decent gear.................................

Personal Bests

My new PB Tench 6 on the dot..........................................................
Just thought id list my Personal best captures........................................

River Bream 10 lb.................................

Resovoir Pike 20.4

Barbel 8.8.......................................

Tench 4.8............................................

Perch 2 lb.............................................

Chub 4.12.............................................

6 Runs ,No Pike

I left home this morning at just before 5am,light frost on the van.As i made my way to the river there was lots of salt on the roads,must of been a cold one up here.I arrived at the river just after 5-30am.I made my way to my swim about a 400 yard walk.I was set up quick and baits cast into the misty river.After it came light,i decided to leave it an hour and chuck some lures.This didnt last long as my rod rings froze up.At about 9-30 i made my way back up river to try a new area.Baits were in,herring cast to left hand bank and a pat livey close in.Wasnt long before the first run,i struck into what felt like a good fish,only for it to come off.I quickly re-cast and within seconds it went again,struck,felt good came off. A bit later the herring rod went and that came off.That was 3 ,nothing wrong with my hooks,couldnt believe it.Not long after the pat rod went struck,connected and that came off,damn thats 4.By now there wasnt much left of the livey.I changed over the herring rod to lamprey.I cast it about 4 rod lengths .It wasnt long before a full blown take,and that was no 5.I poured a brew lit a smoke and it wasnt long before the rudd rod went,struck and no 6 didnt stay on for long,you can imagine i turned the air blue.After long thought i came up with knowing i wasnt letting the run develop more,due to being a big bait,but its always the case with pike,strike early and avoid deep hooking. A dissapointing day,but lessons learned.Tight Lines

Rod rings frozen..................................