20lb pike

[Andy_1984]

With much thanks to Andy Macfarlane.

 

 

I was meant to go in to work on the Sunday and im sooo glad I didn’t.

 

In a loch, filled with water, somewhere in Scotland under some clouds Andy MacFarlane text me asking if I was going fishing on the Sunday, so I replied, nah man I really need to do some work.

 

I kept thinking “Should I go or should I work” then andy sends another text “Chris has caught 3 20’s ” not that he was trying to twist my arm or anything but I responded quickly with “what time do you want me to pick you up”

 

Andy, Andy and Chris, yes that’s 2 Andy’s decided that on the Saturday they would just stay the night so they asked for some sandwiches and something to drink, much to their surprise I brought a huge box of sandwiches, crisps, chocolate and tea ‘n coffee

 

By the time I arrived Chris had gone home so now its Andy, Andy & Andy (me) it did get a little confusing who was talking to who. Andy MacFarlane just got called Andy, the other Andy got called big Andy and I got called wee Andy because big Andy is about 6ft something.

 

So I setup my dead baiting gear with just a simple ledger and running weight with joey mackerel propped up beach caster style on the bite alarm because I left my butt grip bank stick in the middle of helensborough as a marker for the tide when I got the 4x4 stuck.

 

So im sat there for about 7 hours total with 2 Rottweiler bitches, 1 devouring a 16ft log and the other attempting to hump me when ever I moved. Great dogs though every time I go fishing with them they change my misconceptions about them all the time. There are no bad dogs just bad owners.

 

Within the first 3 hours of fishing I had a run but because I had been coarse fishing all year for roach and perch my strike was a little off well ok really really off. When the pike took the bait it left a really nice little oil spill in the water so I blasted my bait back in to it.

 

4 hours later my line goes screaming of the spool. Never have I seen a run like it. I wound up the slack, stepped back and struck into my biggest pike.

 

20lb of muscle

 

I struggled with it for about 5 minutes and trying to tame this beast, it just wanted to take me for a swim. it eventually came to the surface to make its self be known and took another screaming run stripping about 7ft of line off the spool cruising through the water like a torpedo. Another couple of minutes later it was in at the bank where thankfully Mr. MacFarlane kindly unhooked and showed me how to handle large pike. And was returned no worse for wear.

 

So there it is my first official double figure pike.

 

Its strange now that as I write this im more excited than I was when actually playing the pike.

[Andy Macfarlane]

I don't know who's happier....him or me....

[Anderoo]

Fantastic stuff, congratulations. A 20lb pike is a fairly rare beast, especially these days. I've been lucky enough to catch some big fish of many species, but a 20lb pike still eludes me. In fact I seem to get further and further from catching one each season!

[Neil G]

Good work, agree with the above, pretty flippin' rare these days, even more so in rivers

[IanBass]

Great fish mate, well done, work can wait. How come no smile on the photo?

[peterpikefisher]

nice one Andy good job of hiding the secret venue with all them swirls kind of takes me back to top of the pops 1970s

[Neil G]

nice one Andy good job of hiding the secret venue with all them swirls kind of takes me back to top of the pops 1970s

 

 

lol

 

I still recognise that swim though, be over there tomorrow to bag up

[Andy_1984]

Great fish mate, well done, work can wait. How come no smile on the photo?

 

i did try to smile i was just too knackered.

[ooarr_not_a_maggot]

Congratulations on your first 20lb'er. Between yourself and Andy Macfarlane, there were some pretty impressive fish landed over the weekend.

 

It must be a good time of year to fish in a loch, filled with water, somewhere in Scotland under some clouds. Although I struggled to break double figures yesterday, I caught 14 fish, between 4-10lb, in under 2hrs. My best session so far this season and all on lures.

[Neil G]

Congratulations on your first 20lb'er. Between yourself and Andy Macfarlane, there were some pretty impressive fish landed over the weekend.

 

It must be a good time of year to fish in a loch, filled with water, somewhere in Scotland under some clouds. Although I struggled to break double figures yesterday, I caught 14 fish, between 4-10lb, in under 2hrs. My best session so far this season and all on lures.

 

That's flippin' good sport, loads of fish in such a short space of time