Knowing Christian he will almost certainly tell the full tale of this fish in a future feature but for now we are delighted to bring first hand news of the Prof’s capture as he reported it:
“I couldn’t help but chuckle! I landed this new PB pike from the River Gipping the other night and on cheese paste of all things!
It was weighed accurately by a former PAC Essex area rep, and good friend, Eddie Barrett who lives in the village and he kindly came out and took the photos. It weighed 21lb exactly after deducting the net and came from the same stretch I took a 19lb 4oz pike last season (caught by design on herring dead bait). It is definitely a different fish to the previous one as the markings are significantly different and the ’19’ had a piece of its gill cover missing.
It was caught fair and square in the jaw and the line caught across its mouth and under the gill plate on the opposite side. I do fish heavy for chub when upstreaming as you get a better ‘drop back’ effect – so 12lb line and a size 2 hook certainly helped but I admit that it was jammy to get it in as the line was badly scored.
I have had five pike after dark this season, but mostly they strike at a moving bait. To my knowledge I have never heard of anyone lure fishing for pike at night – Mark Barrett would perhaps know? But this is a good angle for investigation!”
