Summer surface fun

I didn't get chance to get out for a long session, but with Saturday night TV booked by the family, and me not being interested one bit in Ant n Dick or Britain's got No Brains, I was only ever going to do one thing. I headed for the river to fish a new swim only to find it was up a few feet, really coloured and debris floating down. I had twenty minutes but it didn't feel right so I moved off, I'll go back another day. Stuck for options late in the day I decided on a small pond I used to fish as a kid. I figured it would be weedy and not very fish-able but wanted to see what it was like anyway, A walk around here for an hour or so in the fantastic evening sun was better than going home to TV.

The pond was weedy and a few casts in I already knew there was only one option left and that was a bit of surface fishing. I didn't really have the right gear with me, I would have preferred some slightly lighter line than my 30lb power pro. I stuck on a small popper and it wasn't long before I had a follow and a missed hit. It was only a small pike but it brought all the memories back as I saw the bow wave coming up behind the lure. This is where I spent my time as a kid chasing pike and this is all I did. I only ever used a surface popper and the fun I had was fantastic. You didn't always get the biggest fish, but a few jacks crashing in to your lures was right good fun. I only ever caught one double on the small popper though. A pb 27lb fish which i've still not managed to beat to this day. Imagine the look on my face that day as a kid, used to catching jacks and then a massive beast crashes out from the depths! That was some fish.

No beasts today but I didn't care it was all good fun. There was the sign of the odd larger fish about but none really seemed interested in the surface baits. It was a bit warm anyway for anything too big from a shallow still water. I only managed a couple of fish but did manage to capture a bit of action on film for your amusement. Check out the short video for a couple of missed fish and a pike which isn't quite going to beat my pb lure caught record, not for a few years anyway. Summer surface lure fishing is great entertainment, go have a try if you've never done it before.

 

2012 pike tally 
Doubles 28
Total 163

Largest 22.5lb
Twenties - 2
Bonus Perch 7