I went fishing on the Bristol Avon on Sunday, was havign a decent day trotting and doing a bit of feeder fishing.  

Went a bit slow mid afternoon, but then on my maggot feeder with a bunch of red and white maggots on I had a wrap around bite, that I assumed could only be one fish, the Barbel I have been trying for so far all season!

I was however very wrong, and I was gutted a a 6lb jack pike came to the surface.

Did the pike mean to eat my bunch of maggots, it was hooked fair and square in the scissors?  Will pike eat any baits or is this a pretty uncommon occurrence?  Did it just try and eat some silver fish that were around the feeder and get hooked by accident?

I guess I cant be too upset at it not being a Barbel as it is my first pike but obviously not quite the same as I was not fishing for it.  So next time you get a wrap around bite beware things might not be as they first appear!

Any thoughts greatly received!

A confused river angler.

Sometimes Pike will take the maggots by mistake, other times they are attacking small prey fish that are feeding around your hook.

I've had a few Pike while twitching Worms when Perch fishing.

On the Severn, Pike take Luncheon meat while its been retrieved.

Its happened to me loads of times.

They will also snap at feeders are they are been wound in.

I've even had them strike at my wireless remote on my fish/feature finder, which is why I always use it with a wire trace now.

Anything that forms a disturbance can cause them to strike out.

Steve

www.caravanonthesevern.co.uk

www.midlandriveranglers.yuku.com

i've seen pike take.

maggot, pinkie, worm, and fishmeal boilie. fishes static.

and feeders, bombs and a nice fluorescent orange smartcast transducer while they were being retrieved.

Once had a pike of 16-4 on maggot and flake cocktail and have had carp on deadbaits

a friend of mine was fishing an open match at patsull park on the feeder about 18-20 years ago,a savage bite led to him being attached to a huge fish this was landed after an epic battle on very light tackle if my memory is correct the monster    a pike wieghed 32lb and at the time was the heaviest fish caught in a match in the uk ,alan tildesley was his name and he got the full back page of angling times , alans tiny hook had caught the eye of a swivel attached to a feeder which was hanging out of the pikes mouth on landing it alan was unable to continue fishing and just sat in shock for the remainder of the match.

I have caught two this year (11lb & 4lb) when fishing small boilies on a method feeder. I do wonder if they picked up the feeder and the hooklink pulled across their mouth when the line goes tight, as both were hooked in the scissor part of the mouth.

OK, me and the misses went for a quick session the other weekend....the misses actually caught a fairly decent sized pike also.......on red sweetcorn.........alas came off just as I put the niet in to grab him!!!

 Oh well