I took Glenn out barbelling on the Kennet - Tuesday evening - for a session he'll not forget in a hurry

He started the session with a zoo creature of 16lb 4oz And we spent the next ½hour texting and winding up our mates as although the fish was caught on Halibut pellet - it was a Pike!! (Which of course we didn't let on till later!) And a PB one for Glenn at that!

An hour later and Glenn's Speedia Centrepin starts complaining again as something takes off with his bait. The fight is a long one with the fishing hanging deep in the water - 'could be a double says I' as I eventually slip the net under a plump barbel. The scales come up 6ounces shy - but at 9lb 10oz it's Glenn's 2nd PB of the evening.

Well done mate!


C.

nice fishing Glenn...

Pike on a halibut pellet?...caught one on maggots before but pellets....this happened to anyone else?

Up to that point we'd had a lot of trouble with crayfish - we both speculated whether or not the Pike had snaffled one that was worrying the pellet at the time.... :confused:


C.

I had an suicidal Gudgeon on an 18mm Pop up halibut pellet

And they're always hooked in the lip too :confused: Had a few on 18mm source

Over the last three years I've had several gudgeon, countless dace and one perch on a pair of 12mm halibut pellets when barbeling on the Great Ouse, so anything's possible. A pike's a little suprising, but IIRC one of 10lb was caught at the Wingham fish-in in 2004 on a tuti-frutti boilie which was much less likely than a halibut pellet.

Will

more than liely chris,they do like the old crays mate.

nice fish tho!and the barbel...

I see no reason why a Pike wouldn't eat a pellet. I think to many folk have fallen into the trap of believing that Pike only eat fish.
Pike are probably more opportunistic than any other fish when it comes to diet and they have the senses to match that willingness to try anything once.
Pike are caught on corn, powerbait, maggots, hot dogs, flies, meat, chunks of sea fish and I've even been led to believe they sometimes take lures. The last one I'm not at all sure about myself.
Pike have been about for more than 80 million years. That's an awful long to have existed, without having sampled almost everything nature has dropped on the water at least once or twice.
If something smells like food, it probably is.
Last but not least, well done Glenn on your 2 PB's.