After seemingly endless days of either savage overnight frosts or snow we are currently having a little taste of something slightly milder. Admittedly it is still pretty chilly but at least I can go fishing without wearing so many layers I can hardly cast! Many of our local waters are still frozen and temperatures are still way down so I guess things will be a bit on the slow side for a while yet. At least the pike have been feeding with some grand specimens from that favourite winter venue south of Ambleside.. Visits in recent weeks have seen a few twenty pounders like this one coming off and that man Bennet Hogg had his revenge after a blank day with a four fish session all coming to deadbaits in deep water. No real monsters but all stunningly good looking fish in the mid to upper doubles bracket. It is a real lottery on there and can be hard going but when the float twitches and sails away, it just might be a really big pike. And for that reason alone that moment is worth any amount of waiting However, with the pike coming up to spawning very soon, I shall be leaving them alone for a while and concentrating on the trout fishing. Bob Day and I had a look up at a newish beat on the Annan the other day and Bob had eight grayling to just under two pounds which warmed up up more than the early spring sunshine. Hopefully this slight increase in temperature will see some large dark olives hatching off over on the Eden and we can have a shot at some proper trout fishing. Looking ahead there’s lots of stuff up and coming – Loch Awe is looming again although it is still frozen in the bays so we hope for real warm weather to bring a few pike inshore, The boats are all sorted and ready to go, and we look forwards to another successful season of great fishing on our Cumbrian lakes and rivers.

Classic trophy shot of a March 23lb pike

Bob Day and a sixteen pounder after a long wait

That man Hogg does it again!