February 07 -
Kingsmead
We hadn't been fishing since October of last
year. The weather had been dreary and uncooperative on the days we had
available to us. Steve came in from work and, since this was
his Tuesday "evening off" day, asked me if I would like to go
fishing. The sky was relatively clear and it wasn't that cold, or so
I thought, and I said "yes".
Chucking on the old fishing clothes, we tossed the rods and a
few bits of gear in the car. Since we'd only have a couple of hours of
daylight, we didn't take the whole lot with us. After a quick run to the
bait shop we headed to Kingsmead. It's a great venue and close to
home.
I suggested we fish on the Helipad, if it was available, as it
is always a good spot for pike... and pike is what we were after. The
'pad' was open and as we unloaded our gear in the carpark Steve asked a couple
of nearby anglers how the fishing was. Not much doing was their response,
things were slow. Oh well, we know that feeling, don't we? But hope
springs eternal for the angler; that's the lovely thing about fishing.
All set up; Steve has put mackerel out, one line in the little
bay by the bridge and one out into the main lake. We settle down to
wait. A brisk wind is picking up and I'm starting to get cold, the sun
is in and out of the clouds. Up goes the brolly, angled to act
as a windbreak... that's better.
There are loads of birds on the lake this
day. Coots, several pairs of Great Crested Grebe, Swans, Mallards,
Black-headed Gulls, Kingfisher, Grey Heron and even a single Ring-necked
Parakeet. Unfortunately none close enough to get a decent photo of in the
less than perfect light.
After another 10 minutes or so Steve notices that the float on
the line in the main lake has moved a bit. It appears to be drifting, ever
so slowly; must be the wind. He decides to recast and starts to reel
in. To our surprise the line goes taut and Steve finds himself with what
feels like a really good fish on the other end. As he plays the fish in
close I get the net. Comes that perfect moment in pike fishing when you
see your fish, those enormous jaws first and then the eyes. This one looks
BIG, but they all do at that point. Then she ducks and rolls; we see
a broad back, deep body and realize we have VERY BIG fish. Possibly
our biggest fish ever. Steve hands me the rod saying "we need the big net"
and scrambles off to set it up. I play the pike, trying to keep her
in close. She makes one more run, and I am amazed as the line buzzes off
the reel. It doesn't last long, though. Pike don't have the stamina
for a sustained fight like carp do. Net in hand, Steve comes back. I
coax the pike in close, over the net and we have her.
On the mat we realize that she is, indeed, a big
critter. Not the biggest in Kingsmead, but close to or better than our all
time personal best, a mirror carp of 24 lbs 8 oz.
Gathered up in the net she tips the scales at exactly 23
lbs.
Take off one pound for the net and we've got a 22 lb
pike. A personal best for the species.
Steve lifts her up for the obligatory "look what we caught"
photo...
We waste no time in getting her back into the water.
Wow !! Pike are my favorite
fish. They are so primordial looking with that big head, toothy jaw and
fierce eye. While carp are wonderful to catch, they seem somehow tame.
In stocked lakes they are man-made, bred specifically from wild carp. Pike are all
natural, wild and wonderful.
We settle ourselves. The line goes back out in the main
lake. The one in the little bay is recast as well. After a few
minutes Steve decides he doesn't like the position on the line in the bay
so he reels it in only to find, once again, there is a fish on the other
end. These pike today seem to be taking the bait and just sitting quietly
with it. He hands the rod over to me. My turn. It gives me a
bit of a run and tries to get in amongst the snags; I manage to keep it out and
land it. After our previous beauty this looks mighty titchy... a little 8
lb jack pike.
But we don't mind the size. After all,
we've been here less than two hours and have two pike to our credit. Not
bad at all considering that the water has been slow recently. The little
jack is returned to the bay and we sit down for a bit longer.
The sun is low behind us and the breeze turns markedly
colder. Time to pack in for the day. Definitely a day that won't
soon be forgotten.