A bit of a Haul (1990)

During 1990, when the mood struck and before I really got into Pike fishing, I took a spinning rig to Theale lagoon one cold day (RDAA water) on a day ticket.

This is a huge expanse of water, and on this trip I headed South from the car park, and after an expanse of shore about 100 yards long, there is a small inlet with trees around it. Having had no luck with my Droppen and others up to this point, I stood an the end of the inlet and cast hopefully down the narrow channel. No result. I moved around to the far side at the end, and first cast got a 3lb pike, which hit the lure almost as it landed.

Result. This is one more than I usually got. Further casts yielded nothing, and moving onto the next swim, a patch of gravely shore, cast out. and got a 2lb pike. My head span (no pun intended). I returned it and cast out. And got another.

And returned it and cast out and got another. And so on. In 10 minutes I banked seven more pike all 2-3lb. Then the takes went - maybe I'd caught them all. Either way that was my lot for the day. I never caught another pike from either of those 2 swims. Come to think of it I never caught another pike in Theale lagoon either, although I saw a few. Oh well.

I'm pretty sure that I haven't caught that many pike (8) on lures in the rest of my fishing life, never mind on one day...