With all the rain we had yesterday and last night, the river is well in flood. So I have gone on the lake this afternoon and evening.
I am going to try a few spots around the lake today. I have one rod set up for ledgering and the other rod on a float and we will see what we pick up. Other than me, I have never seen anyone Pike fishing on here. I have had a 17lb + Pike some years ago and there is a good head of silver fish, so there is Pike in here with a good chance of a large one.
My first Pike was a 10 lb one on the ledger rod with a sardine on.
My second Pike was about half this size, this did go to prove that the Pike are breeding and there is a good chance of a big fat Pike out there somewhere.
This time, I recast further down the margin shelf, in the hope that the big fish may just be sitting there.
With the light going, it was time to start packing away. I tend to stay 30/45 minutes after dark (just in case).
Dispite the sizes of the Pike, I was very happy as this had proved there were breeding fish with the probability of a large fish
I would like to give a brief snap shot of my life and introduce myself;
My name is Richard Handel and was born in 1965 in Suffolk. I have worked as a UK Operation & Intermodule Manager for a shipping company. I live in Hampshire now and am married with 2 young children, both girls so I am a bit outnumbered even the cat is a girl!
I have been fishing since I was about 7 years old. I started on small local rivers in Suffolk, then moved onto gravel pits and then carp fishing. My personal best is a 39.08 mirror, over recent years I have started river fishing again, on the Hampshire Avon, this is a nice break from the carp lakes.
My life has turned a big corner this year, the company I was working for relocated their Operation centre to Estonia. I was offered a job at the head office in London. This would have meant a 5 day commute and working in Stratford. As a family, we did not fancy this, as I would hardly spend any time with the children (and the Mrs). So after 22.5 years, I was given a nice redundancy package and with my wife is working full time. I became the house husband.
This has meant a complete turn around in my fishing, as I can pick and choose when I go. I have found a splendid new syndicate to fish this year, which includes 5 lakes and some 8 miles of river with only 150 members. It's an amazing change to the way I am able to fish.
I am now trying to start my own tackle business and make a bit of a name for myself in the world of fishing, as I have retired from real work.
Richard
UK Carp & Coarse Fishing 