Getting a hiding - it's now 16 - 3

Benno and I rendezvoused, at our chosen car park, and headed off into the dawn along the latest section of the RMC we have ear-marked as an area worthy of effort. Four baits were in the water before 06.15hrs - Benno in action within an hour. He uses very much heavier gear than I do, Shimano Hyper-loops and braided line - even still; this fish gave him a right test but it ended happily when he drew a fabulous pike of 19lbs (exactly!) to the landing net.

I had to use the flash to get this image. Our habit of photographing both flanks of any doubles we catch has
allowed us to spot, immediately, that it was a different fish. We could use the back of the camera to compare
it with photos on Ben's I-phone.

Feeling sure that this would be the same individual as he had taken last Sunday - we were pleasantly surprised to find that it was a new fish. It shows that our hunch has paid off, as we seek out areas of the canal where we have a reasonable chance to capture some of the bigger fish. We had to wait a further six hours before Benno had another bite - we had leap-frogged our rods some 400m along the canal by this time.

The obvious "yellow" mark on the lower shoulder could possibly be a, well healed, Cormorant "stab mark"
The damaged dorsal fin (not easily visible in this image) puts the id of this individual beyond doubt.
The markings on a pike are as individual as human finger prints.

Again he found himself attached to a, very spirited, pike which tested his tackle to the limits. As he drew it towards the waiting net, I spotted the tell-tale yellow blemish on the fish's right flank and the split dorsal fin that we'd picked up on earlier in the day, when we compared photos. This time it was the same fish - an ounce lighter at 18lbs 15oz; what a fantastic brace; taken under very trying circumstances and weather conditions.
Benno has given me a right lesson at this venue, I now trail far behind his fantastic total of 16 doubles (which includes a 15, 2 x 16's and 2 x 19lbs - three occassions) but I do have the magic "twenty" in the bag. It should mean that our March Pike Anglers Club meeting will be a lively affair.