Esox lucius

There are two reasons for adding this to my blog, a phone call from Malcolm Murfett of Bathampton AA committee re Club Record catches and the current series of Extreme Fishing, currently being shown on Channel 5.

Take extreme fishing first. I personally think it to be an excellent programme, albeit it being over acted by Robson Green – unless he does get that exited when catching fish! The episode that I relate is the Pike fishing in a secret lake at the bottom of Sleeping Lady Mountain. They arrive there in a small plane, which lands on the frozen lake. The guide cuts a hole in the ice and erects a tent up over it to aid visibility (reduce back light) in to the deep clear water. Subsequently, by dangling a lure on a piece of string near the surface attracted the Pike. The Pike were then speared by a Trident (Neptune’s fork), but with nine prongs on the fork instead of the usual three! At the beginning the programme the guide explained that the lake was once full of Trout, Grayling and Char, but now all were extinct, except the Pike. The Pike’s population had in fact increased due to Pike eating Pike, with no other predator, other than Neptune! Why does this concern me? Well I am finding that my beloved Bristol Avon is steadily going in the same direction. Long gone are the Dace and Skimmers with the Roach fishing generally being isolated. However, there are still large shoals of big Bream, some now reaching 10lb (which the Pike appear to ignore – perhaps they find them too big to eat). I can’t go fishing on the river in the autumn and winter without a 4oz to 8oz hooked Roach being taken or attacked by Pike (incidentally Pike also ignore the 1oz to 3oz Roach). I don’t know the answer to this problem, but perhaps we can kill two “issues” with one bird (see photograph right).

Secondly Malcolm Murfett and I were talking about Bathampton AA club record catches. I told him the story of the 28lb 10oz Pike I caught on the “point peg” at Kelston in 1988 when fishing with my son Mark in the October half term. We had started the day fishing for Roach and had a few decent ones before being consistently attacked by Pike. Fed up with this, I set up one Pike rig and we took it in turns landing Pike between 5lbs and 6lbs - one after the other. We then hooked the 28 pounder. The Pike was distinguishable due to it having one gill plate missing. It was weighed and immediately returned to the water. Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me that day. Malcolm thought this might be a Bathampton AA club record.


I then remembered a huge Pike Dad caught in 1953. I was told it was 29lb 2oz (pictured  upper right – the weight is pencilled on the back of the photograph). The Pike was caught from a peg on Claverton Island. Another one over me Dad! Like me it would have been an “opportunist” catch rather than a planned Pike fishing trip.

Another notable Pike from “The Opportunist Pike Angler” (pictured right with his Cripps Pike) caught on the Cripps River in 1975. I not sure of it’s weight but certainly a “teen double”.