A look back at 2014. The Final Chapter. In pursuit of Pike

Hello again. We have now reached the final chapter in looking back at our fishing memories from 2014. As you can tell by the previous posts we had a very busy and very enjoyable year. When winter arrived however as always the amount of time we were spending on the bank began to filter down into shorter and shorter sessions. It is at this time of year when most anglers attentions switch from species such as Carp and Barbel to the more obliging winter species such as Chub and Pike. My first winter target was going to be a Pb Pike with my pb at the time being 21 lb from the river Exe in Exeter (Pictured below).

21 LB River Exe Pike

The Exe is a fast flowing tidal river with a good head of all coarse and game species. The Pike in the Exe are much sought after and heavily fished for fish though. This can at times make it much harder to catch them as they can sometimes only be located in certain key areas of the river. These known "Hotspots" then become the main focus of all the anglers in the area. As most Pike anglers will know this then has a knock on affect as the one thing big Pike do not like is angling pressure and consistent handling.  Bearing all this in mind it is therefore important to get on the areas the Pike will be holding up early so you can be the first person to catch them that season. The areas I look for when targeting the Pike are deep slacks off the main flow, snags and back channels off the main river.
Our first Pike fishing trip of the season wasn't in search of that monster Croc at all though. It was in fact a walk back in time and a real adventure. Myself and my good angling friend Kevin Dobson set out to fish a river Culm weir pool. The weir pool itself can only be reached by walking across two fields and then through a hilly wooded area. Never the less I convinced Kev that the effort would be worth it and we would definitely catch a Pike.
After clambering down steep banks and trying our best not to fall flat on our faces, we arrived at the stunning weir pool. The session would involve fishing float fished dead baits in the slacks just off the main weir. Straight away it became obvious there were Pike in the area as Kev missed a jolt of a take on his rod. Shortly after my float was then away and I landed the first Pike of the season a very small but very beautiful Jack.

River Culm Jack Pike

It was a nice start and is always better to start the season off small and then build up to that monster I find. The next cast was met with another ferocious take and I struck into what felt like a much better fish. The fish pulled all over the pool and I had forgotten the power these river Pike have. When landed it turned out the fish wasn't that big at all at just a little over 7lb. All good fun though.

River Culm Pike

Almost immediately after I returned the fish though, Kevs rod was away. A small Jack again but another lovely example of this awesome predator and I think Kev was happy with it.

River Culm Jack Pike

We then struggled to get another bite for about half an hour or so and it seemed like we had spooked the fish out of the swim. So we packed up and set off back down the river to try for the Pike in other areas. Although we tried a lot of swims and missed a couple of slow takes in one particular spot we were ultimately unsuccessful and didn't catch another Pike. I did however manage to land an absolute stunning Culm Roach on a float fished maggot. A real surprise and a real bonus. 

Big Culm Roach

With the Culm session over my plans for the next session was to target the Exe and its much larger Pike. I returned to the spot I had caught my personal best from a couple years before. John Jackson would be fishing with me and we were both hopeful of a personal best Pike. The tactics were identical to those myself and Kev had used on the Culm. Float fished dead baits fished hard on the bottom. The area we were targeting was a channel off the main river which when the river is high holds a lot of water and fish. John targeted the area on the entrance to the channel were he could fish along the main flow. I was fishing in the slacker water inside the channel. About an hour into the session we had our first bit of action with John landing a fish of about 8lb shortly after dropping a bait in his right hand margin. River Pike are often quick to oblige and not difficult to catch when located. If you can drop a bait right on top of a Pike that is lying up takes can be almost instant. 

After we returned Johns fish John couldn't wait to recast in the same area. The light was now fading and it looked perfect conditions for the Pike. Johns eagerness wasn't a bad thing either as almost immediately after re-casting he had another take. This fish was much bigger and stronger though and unfortunately went straight out into the main flow and ditched Johns treble hooks. Gutted we both sighed and looked to cast out another bait. Before getting a chance to re-cast Johns rod however my float shot under. I bent into a very powerful fish that shot straight into our own bank. As I got the fish up to the surface and towards the net John shouted "That's a big fish that". It was at that moment I began to shake. Could this really be another Exe monster on my first trip of the season? John slid the net under the fish first time and we looked down into it at a very long Pike. We pulled the fish up onto the bank astonished by its length. John was certain it was a twenty pounder and the biggest Pike he had ever seen. Myself on the other hand had my doubts as although it was the longest Pike I had ever seen it was very lean. I was proved wrong however as the scales shot round to 22lb 12oz. What a fish and what a result!! The Pb Pike had been achieved in the first session on thee Exe that year. We took a few pictures of the fish before I returned the amazing creature back into the depths of the Exe.

22lb 12oz River Exe Pike

PB Pike River Exe 22lb 12oz

As you can tell by the photos the light had completely gone but we didn't mind. The target had been achieved for me and I think John was now inspired to keep pursing the Pike on a river that holds even bigger specimens closer to his home. A drive home to a reward of a KFC after a great days fishing, absolute luxury. The quest for a big river Exe Pike had got off to an absolute flyer and for 2014 was over. What will 2015 bring??

Tight Lines!!