Ouch! Part one.

Part One......penultimate session before I hang up my pike gear till next season. What a session it turns out to be!

It's 2C and blowing hard so swim choice is a no brainer...somewhere out of the wind! First chuck and I'm in...9lb 12oz. Not bad, I hadn't even got my second rod out! No more bites in that swim though. I had previously decided to move swims if I go 60 minutes without a bite, so an hour later I'm settled into a nice new, well-featured swim, perfectly sheltered and facing the strengthening spring sun. Toasty!

I can see exactly where I'd like to fish but intervening trees make the perfect cast difficult. As my cast flies through the air, I can see its going to land too far to the right... Inexplicably, the sardine's flightpath suddenly alters and it land's exactly where I want it! Surely there's a pike under those tree roots......

Ten minutes later and there's a pike in the net that I am praying will be a twenty. It looks big anyway! The next five minutes resemble a scene from Casualty.....

The pike takes a liking to my hand and clamps both jaws firmly on my thumb and fingers as I try to unhook it. Blood everywhere and I mean everywhere! New unhooking mat, camera, rod, net, and especially the handles on my unhooking pliers which are now blood red instead of the familiar Fox green!

One mean pike 17lb 8 oz and my new PB!

It wasn't a twenty....but it was a new PB at 17lb 8oz. I am sure it would have still been a PB even without the 'extra' bits from my thumb and two fingers! Luckily, I have a good first aid kit with me and make emergency repairs to hand and settle down for a brew...

You'll have to read Part Two to see what happens in the rest of the session!