COLD SHOTS

Hello to all

Our country is turning whiter by the day, no the bnp has not had its way, I'm talking about all the snow that is covering old Blighty. Such cold conditions can make for tough fishing, (especially when you cant reach your chosen venue because of all the snow) however lots of great snow shots are popping up on the net and the weekly's which is nice to see. No snow shot for me tho; more like soggy cold shots but I must not complain as to get a shot you must first catch a fish.Talking of shots I watched Everton take on Southampton tutha night,our so called star striker Jelavic looked like he had never played before.The man couldn't hit a cows arse with a banjo these days, Moyes needs to sort out his team selection and start dropping these floppers to the bench. I mean whats the idea behind starting that useless slug Naysmith week in week out? In fact what does he do for Moyes to get on that team sheet?... he certainly cant play football.

Back to the fishing now folks, as you know Pike are my number one target and really one of the only species that is viably worth targeting in such cold condition.I know a man who ignores such theory's and puts him self in some pretty un inhabitable cold places searching for winter Carp and Bream.Neil did a spot of river night fishing on his lonesome during sub zero temperatures, Such exploits arnt for the faint hearted and the fact that he doesn't use a bed chair makes the whole ordeal sound a bit savage to me?.Neils madness payed dividends as he landed a Bream of 10lb 7oz and a Common Carp of 24lb 5oz.

 Crackin bit of fishing from Neil there, I have landed some lovely Pike this week. Sport has,nt been easy to come by but a bit of venue knowledge, and the will to stand in the cold whilst its pissing down, has earnt me a few bites. It is always a good idea to try a variaty of methods to see what the Pike are really going for on the day.My last few sessions have really proved the importance of this,on a cold and genrally misrable day I was sat behind two dead bait rods genrally feeling pretty confident of them being munched.After trying a number of spots that I fancied a fish from I was fish less.Lure fishing was also proving to be a waste of time but I did have the option of catching a few livebaits.After snatching a few dace I returned to fish the swim I started the morning in,the first dunk on a free roving float rig got smashed in a matter of seconds,a plump low double being the culprit.The next unlucky dace took slightly longer to meet its maker but again the float buried as the livey was enthusieasticlly lapped up.

Pike can be fickle creatures,of course you will get days when every method scores but other times they are very fussy in what they eat and how it is presented to them.taking time to catch the bait can often be harder than catching the Pike them selves, not to disrespect the Pike but i'm sure alot of experienced Pike anglers would agree with me on that one.

I made myself some more luck on another trip, it was a mild morning of -1, I had all the options available in that I had already caught some live baits from the venue and had a nice selection of fresh deads at my disposal.again I felt confident that a dead would suffice and bring me some action from ol Esox,but it proved that the Pike wanted a moving bait on the day if this lump is anything to go by.

I thnk the picture says it all really?

one very happy Pike angler indeed, go out and make your self some luck this season.

Til next time

Tight lines

PIKE IN PICS

Hello to all

First of all may I wish all my readers and fishing friends a very happy and productive new year!. I apologise for the serious lack of posts, of late I have been very busy both on and off the bank.On a fishing note apart from a still water perch trip which turned out to be about as productive as Everton midfeilder Steven Naysmith,all my angling adventures have been in pursuit of my ever loved Esox. I have fished quite a few sessions since my last blog post so I will keep things brief and have a bit of a catch up.

You may have already heard of a fishery called Emperor lakes? if your into specimen fishing and live in the south west its pretty much a given that you will be fimilier with such a place,if not....then shame on you!. Deep in the valleys of lucky little Loddiswell nestles two beautifully mature lakes,Beneath the Vail of the surface water swim some very special fish.Carp and Catfish of huge sizes are the main attraction for most visiting anglers but me and my crew had our heads filled with hopes of something a damn site toothier!.Owner Dave Lidstone had given me the go ahead to put together a crack team of keen Pike anglers to explore the potential of the complex.

Action started from the off within the first twenty minutes of fishing Jules had landed a trio of mid doubles from a deep spot on the dam wall,else where on the lake strings were being pulled frequently.I had a bit of a slow start so I changed both my hook baits over to lamprey sections and fed some chop with the idea of drawing them in with a bloody scent trail.the plan had worked as I had 7 pike over 2 hours,no monsters but allot of fun none the less.Russ Hilton took the biggest of the day with a stunning upper double which was a pb for Russ so happy days pal.

 

 

I must thank Dave and Jo for making the day possible,The standard of the fishing and beautiful surroundings are a real reflection of their passionate and positive attitude's.Work never stops for Dave and Jo as they are constantly grafting to maintain what I would call the best day ticket fishery in the south west by a long shot.

I have also been busy fishing a variety of other Pike haunts including reservoir's, river's, pits and canals.

 

                               

 

 

 

Pike are truly incredible creatures that deserve our upmost respect,being confident in handling and unhooking is vital.For anyone that is unsure of this and looking at getting into pike angling I would advise going with someone who can show you how to care for these fish for a few sessions before going it alone.Correct tackle must also be employed!, over the years I have removed a scary amount of lost rigs due to people not using heavy enough line to cope with the fight of a large Pike. basically if your fishing for Pike make sure you come correct with confidence and the right equipment to get the job done properly.

Til next time

Good luck