On a roll

Hot on the heels of Friday’s pike bonanza I went back to the Dee again today to try my luck once more. Arriving before sunrise I was greeted by a frosty landscape, the wind increased throughout the day and brought persistent rain which turned the banks in to a quagmire. With high tides and few signs of fish, it had all the hallmarks of being ‘one of those days’. However seconds after the maggot feeder touched the bottom of the river, the first livebait of the day was secured, a plump dace. This was followed by another five in as many casts, normally it takes a few chucks of the feeder before the fish switch on. My optimism was further increased as a pb grayling well over a pound took a liking to the double red maggot.

Unfortunately the pike sport wasn’t as prolific, in fact I spent all day shivering under my brolly as the rain fell, with my enthusiasm for the session ebbing away. So much so I began packing away around 5pm, with all but the rods left, suddenly the line pulled out of the indicator clip. After having given up hope I was shocked but delighted to have a run and immediately struck the rod.

It felt small so I quickly gained line, then as it approached the net it woke up and off it went! Eventually it came in tipping the scales to a respectable 17lbs and a couple of ounces. This last two sessions has really seen my pike fishing take off and caught me by surprise as I’ve really struggled on the Dee this last few years, so to be banking fish like this is amazing and it is all down to the change of tactics I reckon, which I described in the last post. Which just goes to show if things aren’t working don’t be afraid to change it about until you find something that does.