I thought my predator season was over but when we went to visit the in-laws down south for Mother’s Day I thought there was the chance to sneak one more trip in..
Hiding some short 6ft rods in amongst the luggage, dog crate and presents, meant I was able to get out for a short session on Saturday afternoon after a three hour drive down there.
An urban stretch of the Grand Union Canal was the target, but one I was told held very few pike, if any at all, and I had never seen an angler on there.
I had spent hours and hours prepping rigs the day before to make everything as quick as possible. After dodging dog walkers and cyclists I soon had three rods spread along the far side boats, all with small roach hookbaits.
About 90 minutes after casting out, the furthest left float slid away and I was attached to something that felt truly massive!
The fish fought hard and the crowd grew bigger and bigger until I slid the net under this absolutely pristine pike and a huge cheer went up.
We hoisted her onto the bank and got some epic photos. This pike has most likely never been caught before and it’s colours were incredible.
An absolutely amazing experience and an incredible fish, one of my all time angling highlights!
Gear used was 6ft Spinflex rods, 20lb Soft Strand, 5g Piker floats and size 6 Esox trebles.