Well, he's...he's, ah...probably pining for the fjords.

Back in 1969 Michael Palin and John Cleese performed the Dead Parrot Sketch as part of a Monty Python TV show. What on earth has that to do with piking? The link is tenuous to say the least! Read on...

I took the opportunity to have a couple of hours on my secret venue last night just as the light was fading... as I approached the venue I passed a car on the unmade road and we both opened our windows I asked how it was fishing. The response was that yesterday it wasn't so good BUT today it was excellent! T'other chap asked me what I was after and I said that I was after pike, on the fly. "Oh you're the bloke that had two last week" was the reply... notoriety... at last!

In contrast there were few carp fishing albeit conditions were better... apparently. I had a chat to a couple of chaps sitting fishing for roach and they told me that one of them had had a 5lb pike on a roach as he was retrieving the silver fish... good news indeed.

I spent 40 minutes working my way up the swims until I met a group of lads going home and they commented that pike had be chasing the roach in their swim a couple of pegs up fom where I was. OK... give it a go.

The large peg was littered with the ends of bait and I saw from the bank a small shoal of roach hanging around in the shallows. Mmmm... promising. A few casts parallel to the bank retrieving one long and two short with a pause of varying lengths and bang I was into a fish!

After a short fight the jack yielded... I was ready today with the handle of the net close at hand and slipped it under the fish... there was no escape for young Esox today. The first hook of the tandem had caught him fair and square a centimetre or so back from his bottom jaw... those Ad Swier hooks are so easy to remove... a large treble there and I would have had to have used a pair of snips to take the point and barb off. I didn't bother weighing the fish but gave myself 3 - 4 lbs based on the length of the fish... approximate length judged by the width of the bottom of my net... I actually don't care about the weight... it's just all about catching pike!

Hooks extracted (in the net) my quarry wanted to return to the murky depths of the lake... what an utterly fantastic sight these fish are... I feel a certain honour that I have found the secret in catching them... and to see them swim off unharmed and with vigour... fantastic!

I'm looking forward to Monday night and to test driving a Harrison 9ft 9 weight blank... a rod in the making!

Oh I almost forgot... the parrot... in the still balmy air I heard one of the two anglers after the roach comment, "must be like casting a dead parrot on that rod" My retort across the water was that it was the mother-in-law's budgie! There was a ripple of laughter and sniggers that echoed around the lake as night fell.

Elated!

What a hard fought campaign I've had!

I decided today to pop down to the river again... not quite as bad as the August foray but with all that rain there was too much of a flow to make it worthwile. However, as I was there I fished it... true to form losing a lure to the river gods who continually seek to punish my impudence!

Anyway there were a number of conversations along the way with fellow fishermen and passers by that made the day enjoyable... apart from the annoying comments that some folk make, for example... "there was a chap last week who caught a massive pike over there!" I bite my lip and scream inwardly... "do I look bovvered!" I know they mean well.

Unlike me but I decided that I'd do the secret stillwater before dinner. After a quick cup of tea I drifted off to "the venue". There were quite a few carp anglers in attendance but fortunately all on the pegs I knew wouldn't produce pike... believe that, and you'll believe anything! Now I think in the ways of the Pike Angler's Club of Great Britain (of which I'm a member) I will leave out the location and the fly I used at "the venue"... it's a sort of unwritten rule you see... just in case another chap comes and fishes its socks off. It seems odd that a society whose aim is to preserve the pike are worried about its own members "raping and pillaging" waters... maybe I can understand it though. I like fishing, not politics and I have digressed. Where were we? Ah, yes!

Near enough ninety minutes of fly fishing as the sun dipped toward the horizon...

"Mark A" is on a straight bank lined with reeds, probably 9 feet out drops considerably, in the 9 feet zone it ranges from 6 inches to 4 foot deep. The first fly I had on although stood out in the murk of a carp water didn't have a massive volume about it, so I changed it for a fly of considerable substance... gaudy to excess as well. I had about half a dozen casts parallel with the bank and on one of the pauses it felt as if I'd hit a snag BUT instinctively I knew this was a fish and struck... the water boiled immediately with a pike on the end of my line... bullying him quickly to submit I got him to the net (thanks to a carper waiting in the wings). There isn't a photo of this 6.5lb pike... Why? Well I decided to put it on the unhooking mat... wrong move... must have spotted the water and made a dive for it! Darn it!!!

"Mark B" was an absolute gift from the last person I spoke to at the lake... he suggested the bay opposite to him... out of respect for his float I hadn't fished it and the platform on the opposite side of the bay was a difficult cast. I had visions of tying up the fly in a tree. 2nd or 3rd cast in and "bang" we were fish on again. The photo above is from my phone on the camera... so quality isn't good! BUT it is a photo of the 2nd pike I caught on a fly(albeit smaller at 3lbs)... 2 pike in one session on the fly... fantastic...

I have reflected on today and have to say that I feel that I earned those fish... I feel elated!

As a post script there are folk that worry that pike on the fly isn't good for the fish. Well both fish were landed quickly and were returned quickly as well! The big difference for me is the hook. Partridge Ad Swier pike hooks, they just drop out... no nasty trebles. It has me re-thinking trebles!

Fishes & Loaves....

Rather than camping with the boys and having the remnants of a miserable August impose its wrath on us under canvas we opted for a friend's cottage on Anglesey!

With the car loaded up last Wednesday we set off with all but the kitchen sink... "Grandma Margaret's" cottage has to be one of the most idyllic retreats on earth and the setting is fantastic. Such is the impact of the place on me, that returning to reality is hard!

I decided in addition to the usual armoury of fishing rods to pack the bikes for the boys, giving them their own transport to "cruise the strip" as it might be termed in a built up beach side resort such as Cannes! This back of beyond boasts a church, pub, cafe and renowned sea food restaurant... oh and an original cottage set up as a museum!

The weather was good to us and during Wednesday afternoon we stopped off at the fishing tackle shop in Amlwch... Telboy Tackle is run by Terry Thomas and is situated between the the Dinorben Arms and the Premier Stores. A veritable Aladdin's cave for the angler whether sea, coarse or game fishing. He can arrange sea fishing trips on Tuesday and Thursday each week. Well worth a visit to stock up on fresh bait.

Will and I tried our luck on the Thursday night at ledgering for plaice and bass and after a couple of hours we both retired empty handed... nothing new there!

Having set a challenge of "Catch, Kill, Clean, Cook & Eat" I thought it best to ensure that we did catch something... else we'd go hungry! So off to Moelfre and the rocks behind the lifeboat station. Two things about this mark, the first is, it is a tackle grave yard BUT second you will catch here more often than not. I decided to put both boys on the cheap carp rods with feathers and a 2 ounce weight... with the advice "as soon as it hits the water, wind the handle!". Both managed to attach themselves to the bottom so I switched both to spinners.

I initially went onto a Dexter wedge hoping for bass but soon decided to switch to a line of foil feathers with a two ounce lead. The Harrison designed Veal's 4 Sure Spin 9ft rod certainly had the weight ripping the feathers out into the distance and on the third retrieve I felt that we were on a home run. Cranking the handle I was overjoyed to see three excellent sized mackerel beneath the surface. All fish were dispatched quickly and popped into the bag.

Not being greedy I let William take my rod and the mark, a few casts later he was in! I watched him excitedly bring two mackerel home and on landing them... well, maybe I won't write what he said... somewhat overcome by emotion his inhibitions were laid bare to the world! Enough said!

Sam took over the rod but linked with a fast falling tide and a chap, who by now was insisting that his float should come across Sam's line of fire meant that Sam lost the terminal tackle and went home empty handed. To compound his misery I put a line of pink shrimps on one of the carp rods and pulled in a solo mackerel! I did feel for him.

With six in the bag we went off home... rather satisfied and a degree of smugness that can only come with catching fish! Back at the cottage I showed the boys how to gut and clean the fish... I have to say that both of them performed the task without complaint and did it to a higher standard than the fish counter at our local supermarket! I was proud of both of them.

We had put the White Eagle at Rhoscolyn as the banker for Friday night... great gastro pub/restaurant... food was good BUT just have a main and a dessert unless you are greedy! Overfaced or what...

Saturday we had the mackerel for tea... I dislike throw away BBQs but when the devil drives sometimes that is all there is to hand. We headed and tailed the fish and just managed to squeeze the six on one BBQ on the beach! A sheet of foil over the top retains both heat and moisture... 12 minutes later they were being wrapped in foil and put in a Thermos bag and back off to the cottage where Janet was preparing the rest of the meal.

Freshly cooked fish with a hint of smoke, a squeeze of lemon and rocket from our own garden... what more could you ask for... apart from a glass of sauvignon blanc to wash it down!

So we met the challenge and succeeded!

Please not we were responsible with the BBQ, we doused it with water from a rock pool and when sure all flame/heat was out placed it in a bin!

Old man river...

Alarm went at 4am yesterday... well I stopped it going off 2 minutes before to ensure I remained high in the popularity stakes! A couple of pieces of toast into the car and off to the river.

I had deliberated long and hard as to stillwater or river fishing and decided on the latter! I knew that there had been a high tide and that would hold up the water BUT what I hadn't banked on was the reduction in clarity due to the run off high in the mountains of North Wales.

The colour was a passable tea colour at 6am but by early afternoon it was like fishing in chocolate! It was a nice day for a walk but it left me thinking maybe that stillwater would have been better! The ultimate poke in the eye was a cormorant taking a perch in front of me... c'est la vie.

Courtesy of a couple of old chaps, one fishing and one yabbering, a pole and a maggot... here is the only fish of the day... apologies for the quality of the photo, it was taken with my phone. But it did have me thinking of livebaiting for the pike!

Talking of photos... doesn't the river look invitingly blue? The wonders of photoshop!

Isaac Walton wrote the Compleat Angler... I feel somewhat the Incompleat Fisherman... I really need to catch!

Luck of the draw... on the fly!

Back from the river... almost gin clear, just a touch of colour. I was there at 6am and there was already one other lure fishing. We introduced ourselves and we then set about covering the water, leap frogging the swims. I had taken two rods... both spinning and fly. Peter, the other piker had a 7ft spinning rod and what would turn out to be the catching combination of the day, a Mepps Aglia in yellow/red combination, amongst others.

The leap frogging resulted in a bit of a blank day for me but yielded 3 jacks for Peter... I was close having a take on the fly BUT I'm yet to perfect setting the hook! Interestingly Peter has also had trouble catching on this stretch of river and had blanked since September... I'd blanked from September to June so I was about 6 weeks ahead of him.

The fly casting is coming on a treat though... so by the time the autumn comes and the pike start really going on the feed I should be able to cast reasonably well.

One of the pleasures of fishing the river is the frequent sightings of the kingfishers, the electric blue flashes zipping about the river. One even took a half glance at my fly!!

The photo is from mid November last year...

Water, water everywhere and not a drop... to fish in!

Locating pike waters in the UK is interesting to say the least... It isn't unusual for folk to be possesive about their best fishing hole or any fishing hole for that matter! I suspect as there are perhaps more anglers per square mile than other countries the fish get pressured unless the location is kept secret.

I can understand it to a point but as a reborn fisherman and tyro piker it is difficult to see why, especially when you want to target the species with a degree of success. Just about a year on I have gathered little gems along the way as to where the pike may lie... I've also gone back to using my hunting skills to seek out the "water wolf" and tempt them from their watery lair.

One source of useful information has been Malcolm my barber... it brings a whole new meaning to the old stock in trade saying of "and something for the weekend sir?". I know when the ladies go to the hair dresser it is all talk about Posh'n'Becks, the Colleen and Wayne wedding and Jordan's reductions (she does look better for it mind!). In comparison my chats have been about a local water attached to a minor stately home that I knew when I used to hunt. Very often hounds would tear through his Lordship's garden and "Lordy" would be on the terrace cheering us on. Twice around the lake and back across the fields was the usual run. I'd often stop and pass the time of day with the anglers and then be on my way.

"Lordy" passed away and the house and grounds changed hands a couple of times. An opportunity presented itself at the beginning of the year to fish the lake, I had hoped for it to be more than it was BUT all it ever was going to be was a once in a lifetime shot. I visited the lake one lunchtime just to have a look over it. I was taken aback somewhat, the neatly manicured lawn on one section of the lake had been lost to suckers and saplings, the boat house had been torn down and the plunge pool full of weed. Nevertheless I was going to fish it!

It was either the end of January or early February that Malcolm and I met to fish the lake. We armed ourselves with lures and one deadbait rod. Malcolm had the advantage that he'd fished the lake in "Lordy's" time and a couple of marks later he hit into the first pike of the day. My error that day was fishing lures that were perhaps too big for the venue... or were they? I perhaps wasn't thinking "pike like" enough... who knows BUT Malcolm had four fish and had bid me goodbye before I struck on my pike of the day. A lightly hooked jack of 2 or 3lbs only to see it roll off the hook as I brought it across a narrow channel in the lake system.

Try as I might I cannot get the owner of the lake to allow me to fish it further. We didn't impact on the lake, I even offered to tidy elements of it up in exchange for the ability to fish it. Sadly the lake is suffering from silting and encroaching reeds and I guess that with a few warm summers the lake will be a puddle and the fish no more. Sad to think that 100 years ago the lake was dug by the estate under the watchful eye of the philanthropic owner for the benefit of all. Another bit of heritage potentially lost.

Perhaps it and many other waters will be lost because they are kept secret?

My new water is not a secret in the true sense of the word but pike aren't the main target species so I won't be enlightening readers of the blog as to its whereabouts just yet!

A cast of thousands... the deerhunter

My fishing forays have been reduced recently due to other calls on my time... work is the usual one but a more than worthwhile visit to the Royal Horticultural Society show at Tatton Park was the other. The visit, just over a week ago had me girding my loins and getting on with terracing the bottom of the garden with the old railway sleepers bought a few months ago. Two days of non stop work has finally finished off that part of the garden. Now to plant it up!

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, as they say... so back to fishing!

A few trials and tribulations to start the week. My wallet went through the washer... the £20 note survived but all my fishing licences ended up as a soggy mass. Like a forensic scientist each piece of paper was carefully pulled away from the next and dried... I've applied for a replacement rod licence but the remains of this one has been put in a laminator so that the evidence is there for the Environment Agency folks if they should ask for it in the interim!

The week had been busy and I decided to take a couple of hours out on Thursday evening to fly fish on my new water. I noticed that the water had coloured up over the last few weeks and the sinkers weren't quite as visible. Not deterred I used a combination of black and white Zonker, orange and chartreuse Zonker style and an Eric Hope magic fly in a perch pattern... someone was in my favourite mark BUT I was to worried as the wind was blowing up to the top end of the lake. A quick wander up to the top mark and "blast" spooked a jack! Plenty of swirls but no takers. A quick phone call home to say I'd be back soon(ish) then I saw a very large pike exit the water and crash down on her side. Quickly up to a snaggy mark and fluffed the cast. I snagged the bottom and lost a magic fly.

Went home with a bitter sweet taste in my mouth!

Nothing until last night... too much other stuff! Taking the eldest to get a new BMX bike tore up Saturday but I enjoyed it as well as having a ride on his new machine... I could never understand the desire to ride a bike with knees under the chin!

Anyway last night's fly fishing... no fish, no follows and no takers. BUT I have to say I was extremely pleased with my casting ability... practice makes perfect! I must have cast well over a thousand times now!

Just got to join up the fish and the casting!

A post script to the blog is thanks again to Eric Hope who has (unwittingly) become my long distance piking mentor... Everyone should go and fish with Eric... fantastic chap. Can't wait for the magic fly supply to arrive!