It wasn't quite the pike of my dreams but, as the final one of the 2013 - 14 season, a fish of 11 lbs 12 oz was only bite of the session. and just my second "double" of the campaign - so it was a very welcome visitor to my landing net. Taken on 1/2 a flavoured & dyed Mackerel; the bite was extremely tentative and I had to wait for nearly a minute (not something that I, or the PAC, would promote for anyone but very experienced pike anglers!) before I was sure that it was a pike, and not an eel - even after this delay, the hooks were only in the scissors.
I was using braided line on a Duncan Kay 1 lb 10 oz TC/Matt Hayes "Limited Edition" centre pin combo - yet even with this gear the fight was a dour affair of grudging, yet unspectacular, resistance. The sun was shining brightly in a cloudless sky. It was a good to be alive sort of day. Benno and Luke turned up and I got my photos; the fish being retained in an ET Pike Tube - so never in any danger.
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As with all our RMC "doubles" we recorded both its sides for our files
Although not particularly obvious, this fish did appear to have some very recent reddening
of the flanks - spawning marks being our best guess.
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Three Common Buzzards were sparring above the adjacent woodland and, on arrival back home, I recorded my first Comma (2) and Peacock (3) butterflies of the year. A very enjoyable day indeed.
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A Comma - enjoying the warmth in our garden.
The setting is on the buddleia debris which remains after the Winter gales. |
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