Fluke captures.

Derek Gibson · Aug 14, 2017

The sort that take you by surprise, not your intended species but of a size that stops you in your tracks.

One that stands out for me was a Chub taken from the Trent whilst Pike fishing. Ironic really considering that for years I'd fished the Yorkshire rivers in the hope of a Chub of five pounds. And yet despite catching hundreds of Chub during those years including many four pounders the nearest I ever came was a fish of four pound twelve.

Imagine my surprise twenty odd years later than of the Chub I referred to which was over six pounds. At the time I was a little miffed, not because I was using a lure which was a Spinner bait actually. but because of the gear I was using. I recall a number of similar examples with other species.

How would you regard such captures?

terry m · Aug 14, 2017

Hi Derek, I would welcome captures such as that, as a welcome bonus.

Strangely for me I have had many chub captures whilst piking, including a 5lb 6oz chub on a Arbogast Jitterbug on Saturday. But the most surprising was a chub of ~4lb on a whole joey mackerel, lip hooked fair and square.

I once witnessed a 20+ carp capture on legered eel section!!

mikench · Aug 14, 2017

It could be said that all my captures are "flukes" Derek but the 24lb common i caught almost under my feet on a kernel of corn, 14 hook and 6lb line stand out!

It took me 40 minutes to land and i broke the quick release adaptor on my landing net pole in doing so. I was out of my depth and no pun intended!

I surprised myself and my fellow anglers that day and no mistake!

tigger · Aug 14, 2017

It sort of happened to me only a few weeks back when I caught my new float caught PB barbel. I think the fact that I wasn't expecting it made it better than if i'd been able to see it and knew it was there. I know it doesn't really mean anything catching larger fish but it was a very nice surprise!

ian g · Aug 14, 2017

My two are both when targeting chub using large pieces of bread flake , first was a blank saving pike on the last day of the season a few years back on the Severn , funny as I'd been chatting to a guy who was telling me about catching Chub on pike dead baits. The other was a salmon around 7 lb on the Severn again ,went like a tank this stretch is slow and deep most unsalmon like but a mate told me that they were quite often caught when the other bank was regularly match fished.

flightliner · Aug 14, 2017

I once caught a gudgeon on a bare hook as a boy angler when testing the depth at a pond behind a working men's club near Sheffield . Never ever fluked anything before or since--- honest!
Signed ,
Golden - - - - s :wh

Derek Gibson · Aug 14, 2017

I find this topic fascinating guys, many such examples must occur.

Here's another one that stands out for me, on this occasion my old friend the late Dave Kelbrick had joined me on a Lincolnshire drain which had produced a number of big Pike in recent weeks. To cut a long story short, halfway through the afternoon Dave called me to bring the net, on joining him he commented that this fish was ''fighting weird''. We soon discovered why, the fish turned out to be a Bream of over nine pounds. Such a fish is huge for a Linc's drain, and on a seven inch lure, plus the drain was running off like a train.

And incidently it's not an unusual occurance to catch Bream on lures. My son Scott and I have done it on several occasions, In fact my mate Gus had a five plus Bream on of all things one of my nine inch Creek Chub Pikies. And all these fish were fairly hooked in the mouth too.

And what about Roach on a fly spoon, no perhaps another time.

Alan Tyler · Aug 14, 2017

My two biggest perch - not a species I pursue - both 2 1/4 lb. One on a hempseed (Hampstead Heath) and one from the Colne on a tare.

Less surprising, but more of a shock, a tare nabbed by a 13 1/2 lb Colne carp.

Sweetest shock: I was fishing a canalised bit of the Lea near a tackle shop, doing very little on hemp or bread, so I wandered over and bought some maggots.
Thirty minutes later, I'm back in the shop.
"You know those maggots you sold me?" (Best straight face on)
"Yes?" (slightly worried)
"Look at this" - handed over my camera - "Nine and a half pounds, biggest bream I've ever seen. Those maggots really work!"

sam vimes · Aug 14, 2017

I'm not entirely convinced by the whole concept of flukes in fishing. I suspect they are part and parcel of the increasingly specialized angler. Many captures may be unintentional, but that isn't necessarily the same as a fluke.

I'd agree that a non-predatory species on an out and out predator method could be considered flukey. Pike on a boilie or anything on a bare hook would be up there. Catching something previously unheard of from a given water might qualify. When it comes to folks intending to catch a certain species, but getting another, on a water known to hold them, I don't see that as a fluke, unintended perhaps, but no real fluke.

tigger · Aug 14, 2017

sam vimes said:
I'm not entirely convinced by the whole concept of flukes in fishing. I suspect they are part and parcel of the increasingly specialized angler. Many captures may be unintentional, but that isn't necessarily the same as a fluke.

I'd agree that a non-predatory species on an out and out predator method could be considered flukey. Pike on a boilie or anything on a bare hook would be up there. Catching something previously unheard of from a given water might qualify. When it comes to folks intending to catch a certain species, but getting another, on a water known to hold them, I don't see that as a fluke, unintended perhaps, but no real fluke.

I'd say your right Chris, in my case I mentioned earlier in the thread it wasn't really a fluke, but a stroke of luck especially as I was targetting chub and barbel anyway.

As you say a fluke is something like casting out and hooking a bird as it flys past etc.

mikench · Aug 14, 2017

A couple of weeks back a hapless angler caught a Canada Goose! He wished he hadn't!

pratty117 · Aug 14, 2017

Well timed thread! My PB carp came last week in exactly fluke fashion! Was far too windy for the pellet waggler so switched to feeding pellets in the margin with banded pellet under a normal waggler. I overcast the feed area by a fair way with a view to drawing the bait back over the exact spot. I must of landed the hookbait right under the nose of a patrolling mirror!. The line tightened and it screamed off!! After 10 minutes I had a PB carp in the net. Scales tipped a shade under 10lb. The double quest continues! Who knows,might get lucky again!!

The bad one · Aug 14, 2017

Don't agree with Woodsy or Sam..... anything I catch at the moment is a bl00dy fluke I can assure both of you.

tigger · Aug 14, 2017

The bad one said:
Don't agree with Woodsy or Sam..... anything I catch at the moment is a bl00dy fluke I can assure both of you.

I nearly disliked that just to try out the dislike button :w:w

.

Things been quiet Phil ?

bracket · Aug 14, 2017

Feeder fishing the Trent one day, I think is was when Charlie got wed, I caught a boot. Not just any old boot, but your achy-typical cartoonists' image of a boot complete with half the sole hanging off, as in their common portrayal of anglers catches. I definitely was not fishing for boots, so can certainly claim this as a genuine fluke. Unfortunately I was not allowed to weight it in. Pete.

trotter2 · Aug 14, 2017

Maybe my best one which comes too mind was a 20lb pike when stick float fishing for dace with 1.1/2 lb line. Single caster on a size 20.
I would have got it in but me net was not big enough.

tigger · Aug 14, 2017

I've just thought of a very enjoyable fluke that happened to me a few years ago.
I was catching small chub and dace, removing the hook and then very lightly re-hooking them just under their skin in a hope that they would have a chance of survival after being struck off....reason being I was using them to live bait for perch and was catching some very nice perch in the process. I was able to watch the perch take the live baits and strike the 14's animal out of the live bait and into them. On one occasion I used a small perch as the bait and it was quickly sucked in by a perch what appeared to be about a pound and a half to two pound. Anyhow as soon as I struck out of the live and hooked the perch it bolted away as expected but as it tried to escape a pike shot out of the weed bed and snatched it, I could see it all happen clearly as the water had good clarity. I automatically struck and hooked the pike which went berserk and bolted for a large weed bed. I just held on tight letting the stretch of the 6lb sensor and the bend of the normark avenger stop it from reaching the weed bed. It didn't take long to net the pike which if I remember rightly was about 11lb summot, I did weigh it but i've forgot the exact weight now. I had a pic of it also but my computer was stolen and I lost them.

barbelboi · Aug 14, 2017

That's reminded me trotter, I took this one a few years ago trotting caster on an 18 to 3lb line. The hook was neatly lodged in the scissors - luckily my fishing buddy had a slightly bigger net than mine handy at the time - still a squeeze though............

theartist · Aug 14, 2017

barbelboi said:
That's reminded me trotter, I took this one a few years ago trotting caster on an 18 to 3lb line. The hook was neatly lodged in the scissors - luckily my fishing buddy had a slightly bigger net than mine handy at the time - still a squeeze though............

Almost had the identical scenario as you BB when trotting for Grayling on the Kennet for the first time - it's still my PB and a total fluke

theartist-albums-my-gallery-2nd-attempt-picture4708-r-kennet-pike-20lb-2oz-3-a.jpg

barbelboi · Aug 14, 2017

theartist said:
Almost had the identical scenario as you BB when trotting for Grayling on the Kennet for the first time - it's still my PB and a total fluke

Would that have been Barton Court - there's some large girls there.........

Fluke captures.

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