Steve Rowley netted himself an impressive 25lb 4oz pike on the opening day at Chew in October.

“It rained virtually all day long, with gusty winds. The lake didn’t fish particularly well to Chew standards. I found myself blanking until 3.30am in the afternoon, when I had a small fish of around 6lb. My boat partner Steve Marshall had already had four fish to just under 17lb.”

“Just 15 minutes later the fish took my Sardine bait. For the first few seconds the fish didn’t feel big at all. Then it started to pull back, and as it tried to run under the boat towards the anchor rope I realised I had hooked something decent. My E-Sox Piker Bait rod and 60lb E-Sox Piker Braided Reel Line were both up to the challenge, and I managed to turn the fish and guide it towards the waiting net.”