not catching what you go for

[baitmaster]

ok today i decided i would go zedding and as the weather was going to be overcast and raining so a session was put together to hopefully catch a zed for the species hunt 2006 on arriving i set up and fished small baits as this was all i had the weather was pants and it drizzled all day ,
after about an hour i got a twitch on my very close in rod and i slid down the bank to the rod and waited for a further inquiry from what ever was around the bait again it twitched and the bobbin lifted about two inches and i struck into a small but dogged fish when it popped on the surface i could see it was a nice perch



on weighing it it went 1lb 6oz not bad start i thought but not what i,m after ,
once again the rod was despatch back to the margin and again i sat back and just relax waiting for a take nothing happpened for about another hour so i moved up the drain a bit and sent all the baits to likely areas about 45mins past and suddenly a bobbin shot up to the rod and i quickly struck into a better fish i battle with this for a couple of minute and a small pike came to the net this looked about 9lb and was quickly reased
and again not the species i was after ,so again i moved all the rods a further 100yards up the drain and sent them out again , i sat back on my now very wet chair and i was also becoming very water logged myself another 30 minute past and i got a very gentle lift on my middle rod which had a paternoster rig on ,i again slid down to the rod and quickly struck into the fish and the rod bend over and i thought this looks good .
i battle it for a while and it gave two or three good runs before it decided to tired out and slid into the net i could see it was a very big pike and quickly took it up to the unhooking mat i could see one of the trebles were hanging loose on the outside of its mouth so i needded to chin it from the other side as i went to turn the pike over it thrashed to one side and the flying treble in bedded itself into the bottom of my thumb and forfinger so i had a barbed point in one and a barbless point in the other and now could not turn the fish as my hand was now in some pain i now had a decision to make and at this point the pike tried to turn oever and inbedding the hook even further lucky for me a had my fox trace cutters in my top pocket and some how manage to reach them with the opposit hand and promptly cut the hook off the trace i now could unhook the pike safely i quickly wieghed it at 20lb 40z

once the pics were taken i released it and it went away with out any fuss to go and sulk in the gloom and now i could deal with the hook which was still in my hand its hurt a bit but came out ok thankfully but it does show how easy things can go wrong ,
on sitting down again i thought still not caught a zed but you know when you want to catch one you can,t.
i think now to catch one for the species race might be a bit of a challenge lol
any way now more runs came and i went home to nurse my swollen hand

tightlines
baitmaster

[pingu]

unlucky on the zed bm(thought was guaranteed first points for you
but 2 lovely fish there
pity about thumb maybe a small snifter of something to ease the pain

[gullyworm]

Superb Pike.

[baitmaster]

nothing is guaranteed i bet i struggle to catch one now you watch ,
but i am confident i will get one

tightlines
baitmaster

[Norfolkboy]

Well done mate, cracking fish

[Fishing Forum Admin]

Two cracking fish and great read mate

What fish baits do you get the most takes at the moment ?

[baitmaster]

on the fen drains i have found that coarse dead baits work best not just for the zander but for the pike too and the roach dead bait is out fishing any other bait but this is not the case every where i fish, sea baits on other venue seem to out fish coase baits ,


tihgtlines
baitmaster

[FlyingFox]

Cracking fish mate and great report!!

[fishypaul]

lovely fish bm,as ever a good read and good pics.

[Portland Pirate]

Well done mate.
I am very jealous.