It was caught by Somerset based angler Nick Gahagan on what was his very first trip to the big pike haven that is Chew Valley Lake. The fish tops a remarkable few months for the venue, during which countless ‘thirties’ have been landed alongside a few fish over the forty-pound mark. Nick’s pike is just a few pounds short of Ray Lewis’ 46lb 13oz record, caught from Welsh reservoir Llandegfedd in 1992, and is the largest ever taken from Chew.

Nick said “I’m still on a high days after catching it, and every time I think about it, I get shivers down my spine. I moved to Somerset 20 years ago, with the predator fishing on the nearby Bristol Avon being a big motivation. I’ve been building up to a trip to Chew ever since, as there’s no point in going unless you’re really on your game, but to have such a result on my first visit is the stuff dreams are made of.”

Nick approached the venue in a rather unique way, introducing lots of loosefeed made up of chopped fish packed with fish-attracting oils over his spots using a spod.
“My plan was to create a feeding frenzy among Chew’s trout in the swim,” he explained. “I figured the big pike would lurk on the edges of the shoal, waiting to pick off dead or dying fish, with my deadbait hopefully proving too much to resist.” Nick certainly got the trout going and had over 70 dropped runs throughout the day.

“It’s the most exhausting day’s fishing I’ve had, and I was almost starting to give up when I caught a double-figure pike, and realised the plan was beginning to work. I’d have been happy enough with that fish, but after yet another run, I hit into a fish that truly bent my 10ft Ugly Stik round! What followed was the best fight from a big pike I’ve ever had. I thought she would spool me! But after a few devastating runs, I landed a fish that left me in shock. I’d like to thank Neil Thomas and Damian Wickham for helping with her on the bank – they’re both absolute legends.”

Well done Nick!