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Sunday 29 January, Nippy Pike


AddictedToScopex

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A long time since I last got round to making a blog entry. Today saw me make a snap decision to scrap the gym session in favour of picking the spinning rod up and heading for the canal for a spot of lure fishing.

 

I headed down to my usual stretch in the hope that I could extend my knowledge about it and try and find some perch swims ready for the warmer weather. I decided to begin at the bridge where I had caught my perch on the drop shotting gear and work my way back down towards preston.

 

I decided to opt for one of my favourite lures. A large spro spinner with twin blades and a black and green stripey pattern. On it went and I began to work my way up the canal all the time looking for any sign of predator activity. The bridge unusually showed no signs of life so after 5 minutes I moved on. I stopped every 15 yards or so and made casts in a fan arrangement and retrieved at various paces trying to keep the lure near the bottom where i expected the pike to be lying up.

 

As usual when lure fishing my mind wandered as I made my way happily down the canal and I found myself making plans for the spring assualt on the perch. As I was thinking about likely swims etc I felt a sharp rap on the other end of the rod. Had something had a go as I was reeling in or had I touched some weed? I cast out again in the same place as last time and wound in again but this time a touch slower. Suddenly a hard thump on the rod and it was game on. I could feel a pike on the other end lunging for the dead reeds on the opposite bank. I was using a light 6 foot spinning rod and was surprised at how well it was coping with the heavy lunges and surging runs. Then as quickly and violently as it started then aggression stopped. The pike seemed to have just given up. I reeled in carefully knowing full well that it could shoot off again at any moment. I think the cold had gotten then better of it though and it made its way into the net looking angry that I had disturbed it. I grinned from ear to ear. My cold hands and face and slipping on the muddy banks had been rewarded with a perfect looking pike hooked squarely in the upper jaw. This was why I had sacked off the gym and picked up the rod.

 

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I unhooked the fish and slipped it back making sure it got back ok and swam off strongly. I was very pleased with the result. To be totally honest I would have been just as happy to be there and not catch as it was more of an exploration mission but I was happy with the result.

 

I continued to make my way down the canal working the lure in the same fashion and picked up another small jack and found some great looking spots for the perch campaign when the water heats up a bit more. I think I also did more than my fair share of rubbish removal with alsorts from plastic bags to metal wire being winched up on my spinner.

 

The only down side to the day was that I somehow managed to snag up on something that was too heavy to lift and my spinner broke free. The braid I was using was very frayed where it had broken so I could only assume that it had been rubbed and snapped on the snag. It is a shame as I have been unable to source another of these lures and they are very good.

 

Oh well. Still a cracking day.

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Well done! It's sometimes said that pike won't chase a spinner in cold weather, but you have proved otherwise.

Thanks tench. I have to be honest and say that I do very little dead baiting for pike. I almost exclusively lure fish for them including in winter. I think a lot are put off lure fishing in winter as they have heard that they wont catch as much but I have consistently found the opposite to be true in the case of pike, perch are a different matter though. The perch seem to vanish up here when air temps dip below double figures. I always think of it like this, deadbaiting is very static whereas with lures you can move to the pike as they wont be moving much themselves. Put enough casts in and you will find them no trouble :)

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