Final Pike Syndicate Session

With my winter permit coming to an end, on the 31st, I managed to get one last trip in on Friday. Unlike last time, when the weather was nice, there was only a couple of anglers there when I arrived. This gave me a better selection of swims, I plumped for a swim at the same end of the lake as last time. This swim has plenty of features, over-hanging tress to the left, a small bay to the right, deep holes, and raised bars in front.

Tactics were to be, float fished sardine under the trees, float fished smelt to the right, and a legered popped up lamprey section in front.  But first I spent an hour or so flinging lures about in a few swims to no avail. I dropped the baits in and settled down with a cuppa. First sip of tea and the left hand float shot away at great speed. A dinky little jack  was quickly swung in and the bait back in the same position.

For the next few hours nothing else happened. I had a spot of lure fishing. Moved the baits about the swim, until the left hand float started bobbing about. It wasn't a huge fish judging by the way it was careering about the swim. A rather nice fish of 7lb 8oz. An hour passed by before the right hand float moved away slowly. The rod hooped over before I could strike then went slack. I retrieved a rather chewed smelt.

It was another hour before a latched on to something a bit heavier, back on the left hand rod.  Keeping the rod tip under the water to stop anything snagging on the trailing branches. I eventually managed to net a very powerful 14lb 6oz beastie, with the hooks dropping out as I lifted the net. Confusingly, as I placed it on the mat for a photo, there was a trace hanging out of it's mouth. I thought at first my line had snapped rather than the hooks coming adrift, but this clearly wasn't my trace. Thankfully only the lower hook was out of sight. I managed to remove both, barbless, hooks and left the fish in the sack for 15 mins before releasing it.

 

























I sat for another few hours, well into dark with out any more action. Not a bad end to the season on the lake. Time to get the fly rods out me thinks.