Big pike are not hard to catch

[Derek Gibson]

Greeny, what Derek talks about is true because I have experienced it myself. I have cast lures out, wound them in and pulled the lure out say three foot from my rod top leaving big swirls on top of the water. If I had wound the lure in right up to the bank I would probably have got the fish as the pike are lying in the margins under your feet.

Perhaps if you weren't so eager to ''start'' fishing, you'd remember to remove the hook guards, it definately helps hook up's.

Polarized glasses help too, in fact I believe they are indispensible to the lure angler. They also help to overcome the classic lament, crikey, I didn't know there was one there.

 

[greeny1321]

I have recently picked up some polaroids and they do the business on my super clear pit but only for a couple of meters out, is this normal?:wh

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

It depends on the make to some extent. Careful when you say Polaroids as they are a brand and they are good, really good!

If talking generally then 'polarised' is the word to use, but amongst other make there are some good ones and some absolute corkers (meaning really, really, really good). Serengeti are one of the top makes, but expect to pay well over a ton for a pair. To help visibility in most conditions and to protect your eyes better from 'blue' light, choose brown/amber lenses, they really do help.

As for "my super clear pit but only for a couple of meters out" I can't really say as it depend on the depths and direction of sun which is better when it's behind you strangely.Try here if you are looking for some good bargains in glasses.

I did a review some time back on the Sea River ones.

 

[greeny1321]

Hi Jeff, The ones I have are some clip ons I picked up from work for around £12 so probably not the greatest in the world! They are amber though and I noticed on sunday when it was quite sunny that I could certainly see alot further when the sun was behind me.

 

[Derek Gibson]

I got my first pair of polarized glasses in 1964, for acahub and Barbel spotting on the Yorkshire rivers. They were made by ''David Searl'', I have never been without them since then.
The late Barrie Rickards gave me a pair by, or marketed by ''Shakespear'' many years ago, they had amber lenses, and I loved 'em. I lost them a few years ago, so reverted back to the ''Optix Cormorants''. I really don't think I could fish lures effectively without 'em on a variety of venues. So I guess I'm dependant on them, and with good reason.

 

[greeny1321]

Well well, I got home from work today and there was a decent sized cardboard box with my name on it

I am now the proud owner of some 80lb whiplash, some berkley digital scales (I dont really trust my old spring scales that measure in half pound intervals) and 8 new lures

Most of them are big and bright! I am really gaining confidence in bigger lures now I have had my two biggest pike on a 7 inch lure. So far only 1 person who has seen my lures didn't comment about how big they are but I dont care, they are (mostly) catching me fish every weekend.

Anyway, to my point...

...it is looking like I am gonna be dealing with sun again this weekend so where do I concentrate my efforts? Deep or shallow? or maybe even the canal - that is always heavily coloured I dunno if that would be an advantage in sunny conditions?

Regards, Damien.

 

[Derek Gibson]

Greeny,

I understand and appreciate your enthusiasm. Also, the excitement of recieving a box of new lures that are colourful, bright and shiny. Then ''hoping'' that in the next few outings they will become chewed and battered, strange lot aren't we. But you don't say what lures they are.

You ask, given bright conditions, Canal or Gravel Pit. Since I'm not familiar with your waters, any answer could only be speculative. Based on the knowledge you have of the pit , in as much as it does produce good fish, I personally would stick with it. Also, get to know the place intimately, ie-any structure, remnants of weed beds, bait fish, prevailing winds. But in particular ''remnants of weed beds'', especially at this time of year.

 

[flightliner]

The late Barrie Rickards gave me a pair by, or marketed by ''Shakespear'' many years ago, they had amber lenses, and I loved 'em.

Derek, I have a pair of the very ones. They are without doubt the very best I have ever owned, I treasure them dearly, a few seasons back I was walking around "that big pit" near lincoln with a friend looking for bream, I followed behind him and saw a large shoal that he had missed when wearing optix comorants. When I pulled him back to the spot I gave him mine to look thro-- he was gobsmacked and duly obtianed a pair of his own.I have looked for them recantly on the internet to no avail BUT have found some that seem almost as good, and for a tenner!

 

[Derek Gibson]

Flightliner,

Can you let me have the source of those magic bins mate. I've looked everywhere for some and just about given up. However you wish, on here or via PM.

 

[greeny1321]

Hi Derek, I got some nice bright savage gear 4plays to compliment the natural patterns I have - one is a nice deep orange colour the other is firetiger. I got a SG Alien Eel - a bit like a bull dawg, also orange/yellow. I got a Salmo slider in natural perch, and a couple of the salmo crankbaits - one fire tiger one natural roach. And I got one more Deviator in "golden Ambulance" which is basically hot orange and yellow with black "perch stripes"

I think they look the business - I'll need to wait til saturday to see what the pike think! But I am gonna slow down my lure collecting antics now, I have somewhee in the region of 60 now all bought since january, a decent selection I think!

---------- Post added at 13:26 ---------- Previous post was at 13:20 ----------

You ask, given bright conditions, Canal or Gravel Pit. Since I'm not familiar with your waters, any answer could only be speculative. Based on the knowledge you have of the pit , in as much as it does produce good fish, I personally would stick with it. Also, get to know the place intimately, ie-any structure, remnants of weed beds, bait fish, prevailing winds. But in particular ''remnants of weed beds'', especially at this time of year.

I have a couple of ideas on where they will be heading to spawn - there are two particular areas that are shallow and weedy, one of those places is also very quiet not too many people can be bothered doing the assault course to get there!

 

[Derek Gibson]

Greeny,

So tomorrow you're out with the jerkbaiting gear? Should be a fun day whatever the outcome. Providing you avoid the dreaded ''birdies''.

Quiet places are good, keep us posted.

By the way, do any of the swims you have in mind involve long casting, just out of curiosity.

 

[greeny1321]

Yes Derek a couple do, which is why I am thinking about taking along my own rod too, or just passing those spots by. None of the swims that I suspect are spawning grounds need a long cast. I have already had a cast around with the jerkbait setup with a 2oz lead and I aint had a birds nest yet, the guy who it belongs to showed me how to set the braking systems and stuff so I should be ok.

I need to walk along about a mile of canal to get to the pit so that'll give me a chance to get used to it a bit.

I'll let you know how I get on mate

Regards, Damien.

 

[greeny1321]

Arghhhhh another blank for me

I had some follows early this morning but the buggers just wouldn't take it, then the sun came out at dinnertime and killed it dead.

Anyway on the bright side I got to give myself a good go at the jerkbait outfit and I am gonna need to buy a jerkbait rod and a multiplier.

I had 3 overruns in the morning but soon adjusted to it and fished from 12-dark without another birdsnest. Also I had no problem getting the same distance as I do with a fixed spool?!?! Maybe I just picked it up quick

 

[Derek Gibson]

Arghhhhh another blank for me

I had some follows early this morning but the buggers just wouldn't take it, then the sun came out at dinnertime and killed it dead.

Anyway on the bright side I got to give myself a good go at the jerkbait outfit and I am gonna need to buy a jerkbait rod and a multiplier.

I had 3 overruns in the morning but soon adjusted to it and fished from 12-dark without another birdsnest. Also I had no problem getting the same distance as I do with a fixed spool?!?! Maybe I just picked it up quick

Oh dear,
A jerkbait outfit on the horizon now is it? More outlay with a new arrival expected any time soon.
Batton down the hatches. It's going to be a stormy passage. :j

 

[greeny1321]

The mrs says "if you are gonna buy it buy it soon" sounds like a deal to me!
The rod I was using is only a £50 job by savage gear (no they dont pay me to say thier name lol) and it did everything right for me so I dont see a reason to go for anything else since I am happy with it, I'l just need to be really quick cos only a few people have stock left and they dont make em anymore.

The reel is a different matter it is an abu ambassadeur "record" and they need to be imported from the states (weird since the reel has "made in sweeden" etched into it) and they go for about £130 but I suppose thats the price I gotta pay for the right tools.

On that subject, when I was first reading this thread and saw people saying that a jerkbait rod and a multiplier are the right tools for big lures I thought "well whats so wrong with a fixed spool and a decent rod?" and I gotta say for my bigger lures the multiplier setup made far easier work of the job. I couldn't quite put my finger on why but it was effortless with even my lures that are 3oz + where as casting those big boys on my fixed spool setup quickly becomes a chore.

Anyway things are looking ok in the old bank account later on this week so I might be able to get it in time for next week or the week after, or even try to convince my mate that selling his gear to me is a good plan

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

The reel is a different matter it is an abu ambassadeur "record" and they need to be imported from the states (weird since the reel has "made in sweeden" etched into it) and they go for about £130 but I suppose thats the price I gotta pay for the right tools.

I have 4 Abu Ambassadeurs and none of them cost anything like £130! They'll do the job for you, they do it for me. This one for example is just like one of mine, or heres another. If this is the one you mean, I don't think it will buy you anything extra, but nice if you can afford it.

You might also look at Shimano Calcuttas or Shimano Cardiff

Quite a wide choice when you get looking!

 

[greeny1321]

I have 4 Abu Ambassadeurs and none of them cost anything like £130! They'll do the job for you, they do it for me. This one for example is just like one of mine, or heres another. If this is the one you mean, I don't think it will buy you anything extra, but nice if you can afford it.

You might also look at Shimano Calcuttas or Shimano Cardiff

Quite a wide choice when you get looking!

Ah Jeff, the abu I have on loan is a "record" according to a review of it I read it is by a fair margin the best casting of the abu multis and I had no problems hitting the same distance with it that I usually hit with my fixed spool setup, and yesterday was my first time using a multiplier for casting so I'm tempted to just go with it as I already know it does everything I need it to and I'm comfortable with it. For those reasons I dont mind paying the £40 extra over a c3. I should also mention that the guy who owns it says it is the best of his abus and he has a few.

I'll have a look at those links anyway and see if any of them can change my mind!

Regards, Damien.

---------- Post added at 16:11 ---------- Previous post was at 16:05 ----------

I just had a look at those links Jeff and they all look good especially the shimano calcutta that looks really nice, I'm not convinced though I can afford £130 for a reel but I cant afford it twice and I dont want to spend it on the shimano and end up wishing I'd gone with the record.

 

[Derek Gibson]

Greeny,

Sounds like you have decided that it's the Abu for you mate? If you have used one and were happy, that's all the justification you need.

I have been a confirmed Shimano user for many years now, but I have tried many makes at intervals including Abu, which to be totally honest they didn't impress me that much. That is, until a few months ago I was ''gifted'' an Abu Revo STX-L, which despite negative reviews on U-Tube turns out to be ''up to now at least'' on par with my Shimano's. Super smooth drag system, a real pleasure, and goes some way to restoring my faith in Abu.

 

[greeny1321]

I have very little experience of multipliers to base my decision on Derek, but I know I had a good day with the abu, it was effortless after a couple of hours adjusting to it so I think I'm just gonna go for it and buy the exact same setup!

I'm waiting to hear back from one online shop who say they have the rod and theres a shop on ebay that sells the reel for about £125 delivered so its just a matter of letting the mrs decimate the bank account with her "essentials" like decorating and pink things for babys, then if theres enough left I can buy both this week, if not I'll just get the rod this week and the reel next. either way the guy at work said I could keep hold of his setup for another week or two as he's mostly on the deads at the minute.

I heard a few whispers of big pike on a certain strech of the local canal from some guys in the shop too so I think a change of venue may be in order this week - two straight blanks is no fun when you can only get out 1 day a week

 

[madmatz]

wow after reading that i feel like my head has been tipped upside down. dek you must be so proud of not only what you have achieved in pike fishing but also the fact that you are willing to help when many others would refuse well done mate. also well done pat i bet your fingers are like stone