Warwickshire Avon - Whappers and Westminster Weddings

I arrived at sunrise at this predator haven of the Warwickshire Avon. Where pike are in numbers, and the bait fish ready to be plundered. There are some nice Perch here as well so the plan was to fish for Pike first and then move on to the Perch for the second half of the session.

I've been outgunned by Pike before so I invested in a 3lb TC rod with a big reel with a decent drag. I find Pike give you a good doing over for the first initial two or three runs and then they come to the net in the end rather than doing a Barbus and giving it everything.

Smelt is a default bait for me where Zander and Pike are concerned, and as the water had been in the fields a week before as the water now dropping out a medium smelt offering on a single hook would be offered out.

As I was setting up and Otter was meandering down the river without a care in the world till it saw me and then it submerged and popped its head out just downstream of me.

They are everywhere now it seems, not that long ago there were only 10 or 12 in Warwickshire and yet now I'd love to know who many of them are around, as I see them literally in every water I fish. Probably ten times now I'm sure.

From canals to small rivers and streams, they don't appear to be scared of being sited either, most of them I see are in broad daylight.

I suppose we have to put up with it despite being an apex predator taking whatever it seems fit.

I prefer float fishing for Pike and Zander because there is nothing more visual when fishing when watching a float bob and move and then head under the surface.

It didn't take long either a Jack hovering up the smelt within minute of putting the float out. With that returned I could use the same smelt and in the same spot again, within 15 minutes or so the float goes again. This time it was giving me a decent fight so a proper'un this time, 7lb 8oz.

The same smelt offering was again put out and they were on it this morning as the float had some interest not long after putting the fish back, this time though it came off, I assume the fish pulled from its mouth. Pike are not the most intelligent of species though so out went the bait again and this time the bite was more confident and I tightened up in to a decent fish.

It gave me a bit of a run around to be honest and gave two powerful runs that I could just hold on and let it take some line. I eventually netted it though and looked not far off a PB and yeap I was right. 11lb 10oz it was a PB Pike. I don't fish for Pike that often to not a monster but looking at the size of its head I'm sure it's got plenty of growing to do. That net is a 30" Barbel  Latex Spool, so a long fish as well.

On to the second half of the session, the Perch, well less said about that the better, a follow from a large Perch hovered up the bait but it spat it out and returned to the depths of where it came from.

Another 7lb Pike was caught so a cracking session really. A rove around the more secluded and sheltered swims sadly didn't bring any perch out to investigate but there is plenty to go at here and I've not really explored it properly apart from fishing certain swims that scream Pike.

Oddly the Zander don't seem to like it here, I'm sure it's because the amount of Pike here which might put them off. An enjoyable session all the same though, I'll be back, maybe in the depths of winter when they are even hungrier, if that is possible.