Little Jack Under the Bridge

The blustery and showery weather continues and I've been seized by the desire to go spinning for pike and perch on the canal. It's been a couple of years since I last did this but my enthusiasm for this is suddenly back again. I like the wandering, roving nature of this type of fishing which frankly becomes more appealing as the temperature drops. It's also a great way to practice some watercraft. Can you think like a pike or a perch? Where would you be if you were the top predators in the canal?
Of course this being the 21st Century you can find the answers to all these questions and more on the internet and even watch a short film giving you all the hints and tips you need to make your trip a success.
However, it's much more fun to just head out armed with a small rod, a net and a selection of lures and use your instincts. I tackled up at the car and briskly walked the three quarters of a mile to bridge 129A. I thought I would start here and slowly work my way back to the car over the next couple of hours.
Conventional wisdom suggests that you should cover the area in front of you with a series of maybe six to eight casts and then move on. I like to try different lures and so tend to linger much longer in one spot. I started with three inch long plastic plug that does a good impression of a wounded fish as you retrieve it. After maybe 20 minutes a cyclist came along and at the precise moment he asked me had I caught anything a pike hit the lure. I gave an expert performance and promptly lost the fish as it leapt out of the water two yards in front of me. It was a small jack of maybe a pound or so. Although I failed to land the fish it at least gave me a taste of the excitement of a take.

I switched to a different lure and moved out from under the bridge. My next take was from a perch that was only marginally bigger than the lure it took. You have to admire their predatory instincts but he definitely bit off more than he could chew. Back under the bridge and I tried casting around 20 yards to my left and then retrieving the lure parallel to the towpath. Low and behold this worked and I got a savage take on my third cast. A quick spirited fight and I had the pike on the bank.

Saucy Jack...

This fine specimen was pushing half a pound and believe it or not this is not the smallest pike I've ever caught. Last year I took one that was around four ounces on a float fished worm. Irrespective of size they are still great fun to catch. ( Please note the blood on the towel is mine not the pike's - I cut my finger the night before and it chose this moment to start bleeding again ).
I'll be back for more soon as I really enjoyed this trip and maybe I'll find a bigger much scarier specimen.