Despite the slow start to a trip to the River Wye, Steve Parsons had a session to remember after a tactical change saw him latch into this stunning pike.
“My alarm woke me at 4am, and I quickly got dressed, downed a coffee, and jumped in the car."
"The River Wye was my destination, where I’d be targeting pike. It’s a long trip from my home in Wiltshire but is always worth the effort, regardless of the outcome."
"After pulling into the car park, where I was greeted by some very loud owls, I made the short walk to the spot and, after watching a stunning sunrise, cast out a pilchard on a float rig, fished 4ft deep."
"I allowed it to drift lazily downstream and, after around 10 drifts, it vanished from view. I struck, and connected with a lively pike that put up a good fight. At around 15lb, it was a good start to the day."
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"For the next hour, things remained quiet, so I decided to rig up a running paternoster, baited with a big mackerel, in the hope that it would bring a change in my fortunes."
"I got weird looks from a few dog walkers as I cast out a half-pound mackerel, just short of the main flow in what felt like 6ft of water. I put the rod on the rest and clicked the Baitrunner on. After 20 minutes, the tip flicked once. A few moments later, it did so again, before line slowly started to pull from the spool."
"I struck into a solid mass that stayed deep and felt big. The fish swam in circles, shaking its head, before going on a long run against a tight clutch. After I’d pulled it back to the slacker water, the fish surfaced with a massive splash, and a couple passing by on a two-man kayak jumped out of their skins!"
"The pike made a few short runs before I was able to land it, and I was shaking with adrenaline when I saw the width of it! It weighed 27lb 5oz, and was a beautiful fish that left me staring at it in awe. It’s my new PB, and after carefully unhooking it and resting it in the margins, the pike swam off strongly."
"What a fight, what a fish, and what a river the Wye is!”
