How about this for only your second ever pike hooked? Well that is exactly what happened for Calum Lonsdale who only started pike fishing at the back end of last season!

He told us “I’m relatively new to pike fishing, In fact the first time I ever targeted pike was the final day of the season on 15/03/2020 with my friend Roy who invited me on one of his pike trips on the Norfolk Broads, but unfortunately that day I pulled a blank. However, I was still hooked but due to covid it was a long time before I could get out again piking. Both myself and Roy went on another guided trip with Predator People on the Norfolk Broads! (Can’t recommend them enough) and thankfully this time I landed my first pike. It was no monster, but I was still over the moon to have caught one.

Now back home in Derbyshire, I was itching to go and catch some more. We heard about a local water that had previously held some big fish and thought we’d give it a try but the first couple of trips were unsuccessful. On my most recent session I was bring my lure back in and suddenly felt a big hit, It felt big but I had no idea of what was actually on the end of my rod. Due to it being the second pike I’d ever hook my heart was racing, the first rime it surfaced we saw its back and I couldn’t believe what I had hooked into! We finally managed to net the fish and I was over the moon, I was so excited but still couldn’t quite believe what I’d done.

We got the pike unhooked and put her on the scales, watching it settle at 33lb 11oz I was ecstatic! It took a few days for it to really sink in how awesome that fish was. It was a slow days fishing with only one fish caught the whole day but for it to be such a monster makes it all worth while.”