Huge pike from Pitsford goes 32lb
32lb 14oz Pitsford giant takes lure and fights for 20 minutes
ITHOUGHT I was snagged until this incredible fish stripped 50 yards of line off my reel!”
Those were the words of Dane Wood as he recounted the capture of this 32lb 14oz pike – from a kayak!
The pristine specimen put in an appearance while the 31-year-old from Northampton was aboard his Old Town Predator PDL kayak on his local Pitsford Reservoir.
A Rapala crankbait prompted the huge esox to strike after Dane expertly worked the lure along the margins of the Anglian Water-controlled trout fishery.
“I really did think I’d got snagged, but then the fish just took off like a steam train and there was nothing I could do,” said Dane.
“After that initial run it was about 20 minutes before I got my first glimpse of the fish… and what a sight it was!
“A kayak really allows you freedom and gives you the chance to search out and work areas that you wouldn’t be able to access from the bank.
“It’s such a rewarding and enjoyable way to fish, and to catch a pike like this while doing it was a real buzz. More anglers should give kayak fishing a try.”
Dane is the organiser of an event known as the Pitsford Kayak Grand Slam in conjunction with the Ocean Kayak UK fishing team.
This year’s two-day lure-only event will be held on August 5/6.
Competitors are set the task of catching and measuring a perch, a pike and a trout. The combined length of the three species then decides the winner of the contest.