Boredom.......

I am still out of the country working until the 7th of December, so I'm still waiting on my first pike session this season!

Reading through the online weather reports it doesn't look as if I would be getting out much anyway. I've been told that my local river has been up to 6ft higher than normal in places, which is quite something when the river level is maintained by a barrage. Hopefully the weather will improve over the next week or so as I will be climbing the walls of the house (or painting them if the other half gets her way!) if the rain continues to fall.

I have planned a good few sessions (weather dependant) for my month off a couple with the Porta Bote on the river, a guided trip with Gary Palmer which I am really looking forward to, and possibly a trip to the Lake District.... hopefully I will have something decent to report on from these trips.

To relieve a bit of the boredom/cabin fever I have been catching up with the excellent Esox World and the recent release of Nev Ficklings Mammoth Pike update. Both are ebooks/emagazines available online only from Steve Rowleys online publication company Portfolio Collection. Esox World is a free monthly magazine with Esox articles from around the world, the quality of these articles are of a very high standard. They often from well known anglers and the overall standard of the 'emagazine' is comparable to a printed version but with the added bonus of being free ! - direct link to Esox World.

The Mammoth Pike update cost's a fiver, well £4.99 but it is well worth it, I haven't read Neville's original Mammoth Pike (yet) but I have read Fred Bullers Doomsday Book of Mammoth Pike and the update is in a similar format. Whilst the update doesn't go into the same depth of detail as Fred Bullers original it does provide an excellent overview of the most recent captures of 35lb+ pike, with pictures backing up the majority of these. It is an excellent read, but I wont go into any detail here as I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone, the only thing I will say is that it is very surprising how many captures of these 'Mammoth Pike' there has been over the last 8 years.

My only minor grumble is that the ebook is only available as a 'online read'. The book could have been made a lot more user friendly if it was available as a download for offline viewing on the Ipad etc.... This would of been ideal for my plane journey back to the UK, but I have the latest version of Esox World to keep me occupied.

Hopefully the Mammoth Pike update is a success and inspires Nev/Steve to produce another update in a few years time.

Start of North East Piker blog

Having spent many hours reading other anglers blogs, Ive decided that it is about time to start one of my own. This will mainly used as a personal online diary of my catches and blanks, but if the diary helps others as well even better.

I took up fishing seriously again in 2010 after a break of a few years, and for some reason pike fishing seemed to appeal to me more than ever. Previously I had mainly fished commercials (with the odd open match) or pleasure fished the local rivers. My pike fishing experience was just the odd session with spinners during the summer.

I am a currently member of the Pike Anglers Club, The Lure Anglers Society and the National Anguilla Club, these all been a valuable resource while I've been getting back into the swing of things and I would imagine I will stay a member of all 3 for the foreseeable future. Currently 99% of my fishing sessions are for pike, but I have plans to try for some decent eels should I get time during the summer. My fishing time is very limited due to both family and work commitments. I work abroad for long periods of time which means I average around 15 sessions a year if I'm lucky. When I do get the opportunity to go fishing I mainly fish a large northeastern river in pursuit of a 20lb Pike, I use most methods but mainly concentrate on deadbaits throughout the winter and lures in late autumn/early spring.

I have a Portabote which I think is excellent, but again the amount of time I get to use it is very limited, hopefully I will be able to get a few sessions afloat this winter. I have use bought myself an early Christmas present, a Angling Technics Standard bait boat with a graphical fish finder, hopefully this will help me make the most of my bank sessions and give me an edge this winter to help me bank a few more pike in the limited sessions I will get this December.

Below a few random photos from the last couple of years -

Largest pike so far 13lb 12oz  Caught on a 8 inch Replicant

Mid river low double - Lamprey

Smallest pike so far !...... Caught on a 4 inch Mann's Shad