ACCIDENTS HAPPEN!

Imagine this. Sid the carp angler has a run in the night. Lands a bream of about 16lb. Unhooks it and chucks it back without weighing it or taking a photograph. The fish of a lifetime for most people. Luckily most pike anglers are not like this. When they catch something that is not a pike they generally say. “Thank you God”!  The fact that you are fishing with fish baits or lures that resemble fish means that you are going to accidentally catch fish other than pike. My attitude is that even though I may have failed to catch what I’m really after I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Early season our most likely encounter will be an eel. Sometimes they can be 3 to 4lbs which to my mind is a welcome bonus fish. Small ones will tend to tangle things up so you have to get your scissors and cut the trace and line to liberate the eel before unhooking and returning it. Zander are much better behaved. I was out in the boat the other week on the Trent and conditions were finally spot on. A bit of colour in the water and a sunny morning. First run was a 19lb pike. A good start. One rod had a large smelt on the hooks. Pleasingly the float trundled off. Expecting a decent pike I was soon wondering what I’d actually hooked. Vicious jagging and a huge boil on the surface and up popped a zander. It weighed 15-01 and was the most welcome bonus fish ever. I recast another smelt and had a repeat performance with a 9-06 zed.

Chub can actually be a nuisance when fishing lamprey in the winter. My best day for accidental chub got me a brace of fives. Other people have fluked sixes and even sevens.  Barbel are not immune to lamprey either. I don’t think I will get an award from The Barbel Society for two in a week on size 4 trebles to wire 14-06 and 12-08. Luckily that was the only time I caught barbel while pike fishing. Interestingly to show how things have changed a 14-06 barbel beat my 41-06 pike for an annual award in 1985.

Perch