Additional update on the Big Lake fishings

Well I have lifted the Beagle off Windermere for the time being as the pike are starting their spawning and in my opinion are best left alone at this time of year. It is also getting a bit busy out there and I don’t like fishing in crowds. I guess the final pointer to change venue was the bivied up anglers on one of the points beside a known spawning bay who had dropped bright markers out in the lake as a kind of reservation of their fishing spot. The fact they were sitting in the bivvy with a boat pulled up on shore told me all I needed to know. Come on lads, enjoy your fishing but you cannot book swims on a big lake like Windermere. No doubt some of the local hard men will also have a quiet word with them over the weekend! On a far more positive note we have been quietly doing very well with the pike and although the odd blank session is inevitable there have been enough good specimens to keep any angler smiling. Interestingly the pike seem to have shifted their feeding times and their preferred foods as well. Often it is the deeper water marks that have been producing and we have seen a number of occasions when a pack of good fish have given us some hairy moments with two on at once as a regular occurrence. Once again it highlights the importance of dealing with fish efficiently, safely (for the fish) and getting the bait back into the same depth contour as fast as possible. Once the pack has passed through all goes quiet again till the next window of opportunity. No real monsters but lots of 17 and 18 lb fish. Its getting to something when this calibre of pike become almost commonplace!! With the big boat off the water its approaching the time of year when other lakes start producing to lures and I’m looking forward to some busy days with multiple catches although I’ll miss the endless cups of tea and the shelter of the cabin. Maybe I’ll start using the Beagle on other lakes a well, once I get a few alterations completed. In between I’ll get out on the river for some of the great trout fishing we have up here. The Olives have started hatching and some big fish feeding around mid day over on the Eden. Beyond that I’m planning a few fishing adventures elsewhere as well for both this and next season and my Brother Tiny is finally running guided fishing down in Wales targetting some of the giant Mullet and Bass for which he has an enviable reputation. At the moment he’s sorting the boat and baits but expects to be up and running for June. I’ll post a link to his site as soon as its up- I for one cannot wait as the times Ive been out we have had some memorable days with mullet to 7lb and bass to 13!! On Barbel tackle its just superb.

Bennet Hogg -Twos up

Bennet Hogg -Twos up

Kev Sharples and Dad. Spot the teeth marks

Kev Sharples and Dad. Spot the teeth marks

Ken Richards and a lovely twenty pound pike

Ken Richards and a lovely twenty pound pike