River really getting low now. Would need to be at the lower beats at present assuming there are a few fish.  No reports of anyone seeing much so far anyway.

                                                                 PIKE.

Having been an avid coarse fisherman from the age of 7 or 8, hell over 70 years ago now, I always
continued the practice despite later involvement in all the other game species.   One of my best achievements was in relation to pike and a 20lb pike was as much of a prize to me as a 20lb salmon.

Anyway it was an Autumn day many years ago and I was living at Moccas at the time and working at Sportfish. .  Wye was just a short distance away and I joined the Aston Fields AC who had fishing at the top of Garnons on the opposite bank to the Red Lion water below the bridge. 

I liked sometimes to fish a float fished dead bait as it was more mobile than dead baiting and as good as sink and draw and you could manoeuvre the bait in places the other methods couldn't. It was a fine day with the river in good trim and I quickly  had had one small fish when I came to a small wooded are with a short section between two sunken willow trees.  I dropped the bait in and after a short drift away the float went and a strike connected with a good fish.   It didn't try and run to the open water but made for the sunken willows, first one then the other with considerable force and no little grating of the line amongst the branches.   Thanks Maxima again!!  After a real struggle at close range I eventually got the fish towards the net.   Luckily I had a big net that Fred Whitlock had made for me just for this moment and I really needed it.   Got the fish into it then struggled up the usual steep Wye bank..     I put the fish on the grass and thought sxxt thats big, certainly bigger than my previous best which was 24lbs.   The fish tipped the scales at 30-1/4lbs and it was in magnificent condition.    I sat down  and poured a coffee and debated whether to go home or not but before I did I put on another bait and put it out below the last of the willows in a more open section.

Before I had finished my coffee the bait was away again and this time the fish ran for the open river
and actually breached out of the water  Once again I thought sxxt, that's big.  After a more dashing and acrobatic fight again I got the fish in and netted it.   It looked as big as the last but tipped the scales at 29-1/2lbs and another pike in magnificent condition.  Perhaps I should have carried on but that was enough for me.

Is it, was it, the best brace of pike ever caught from the Wye in a single session -under half an hour in fact. I don't know but I suspect it might be.   Certainly never came close to it again though a friend had a fish over 30lb this autumn from the river below Hereford.   It certainly hold some huge fish that's for sure.  Have the photo's somewhere and when I get my own computer back I will post them..


More on the elvers from The Field  Sorry its difficult to read.   Earn £52,000 in an hour -at least until they destroyed it through sheer greed, assisted by the EA