Hello from Kent

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jameswrx
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Joined: Fri Mar 05 2021 13:20

Hello from Kent

Post by jameswrx »

Hi, just joined up. Looking forward to having a browse and gain some extra knowledge.

My main fishing interest is pike. I think it comes from the mystique of them when I was a kid. I fished a lot from a young age and can always remember stories of pike lurking in club waters between us youngsters. I didn’t actually start pike fishing until a few years ago when I started fishing regularly again (44yrs old now) and went on the hunt for them. I’ve had some decent fish (prob low doubles) in some tiny places (I solely river/stream/canal/dyke/ditch/sewer fish due to loving the unknown factor). I’ve never weighed them as I don’t really see the point unless it was something huge but I weighed my mate’s first pike (over 9lb) the other day as he was interested and I guessed it was 7/8 so I’d say I should be in the doubles (for what that’s even worth!)

My quest is a big dyke/river pike and the lure of one keeps me going.

I pretty much solely lure fish, I know I’m unlikely to catch a monster in the U.K. like it but I love this type of fishing. For me it’s almost as much about the walk with my dog and the other wildlife/scenery. I have dead baited mackerel with success but roving to hard to get places and the excitement of lure fishing is my thing.

I’m lucky enough to have a tiny stream next to my house which I sometimes fish in. I often get people laughing and asking what I think I’m going to catch but I’ve had Chubb/roach and even pike out of it. Sadly house building, motorway junction & industrial estate building up stream has killed the life off a lot, 20 years ago I used to see big roach and lots of Chubb and it’d be crystal clear. Now it often flows with that foamy cement pollution and I hardly see any fish. What a waste of time contacting EA was over that. Sent pics etc and just got back rubbish about it being normal. I think I know it well seeing as I’ve lived next to it 20 years and viewed it multiple times a day but nothing stops progress.

Interestingly I used to see a pike in there at exactly the same spot for a long time, not sure on their living arrangements but I’d make visits to an awkward spot just to see it and it’d always be sat in the same place. I guess it’d be trapped there come summer due to how low it gets and it’d sit in some roots of a deep pool (by deep I mean 2/3ft)

As another anecdote (sorry if I’m waffling) some may find interesting... a place I go shooting out in the sticks has a large man made lake, it has a constant flow of water into it from a stream and out the other side. This stream (no more than a ditch) heads off to a sewer (dries up in summer) and that off to a canal and on to a river over maybe 10 miles. I’ve seen pike in the lake (at night shining a high power torch) which will no doubt have got to the lake over many years via river, dykes, ditches over miles of ground. Reason I know this is because I know of the original builder and it was dug around 30 years ago. I think people would be amazed how our native species can get around. I’d love to have a fish there one day as the place is teeming with fish and there must be some decent size pike in there. Never been fished as far as I know either!
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Happy Hayes
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Location: Essex

Re: Hello from Kent

Post by Happy Hayes »

Hello James
Welcome to the pit :handshake:
Nice introduction
Regards
Tom
Will Smith
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Location: Snods Edge, Northumberland

Re: Hello from Kent

Post by Will Smith »

Welcome to the pit James.
From another lure nut.

Will.
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John Milford
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Re: Hello from Kent

Post by John Milford »

Good to have you on board James! :thumbs:
"He's some sort of lure savant. Or just has an unhealthy addiction to old lures. We are not quite sure . . . . . "
jameswrx
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Joined: Fri Mar 05 2021 13:20

Re: Hello from Kent

Post by jameswrx »

Thanks chaps. Lost my PB yesterday afternoon! Be dreaming about that for a while :(

Opened her mouth wide and shook her had spitting the lure. I hardly ever lose fish when on (even using barbless hooks) so think she must have just been clamped on Ricky the roach & not hooked.

My heart was pounding as new it was my biggest fish looking at the huge head. Gutted.

Back out today but must have seen 10 people fishing, guess people are cramming before end of season.
John66
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Joined: Fri Nov 13 2020 22:01
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Re: Hello from Kent

Post by John66 »

:thumbs: Welcome James
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Mike J
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Re: Hello from Kent

Post by Mike J »

Welcome aboard :handshake:

Dont worry about waffling, its what has kept us all going over the past twelve months.

.
'No Man Ever Fishes The Same River Twice, .... For It Is Not The Same River, .... And He Is Not The Same Man' Heraclitus of Ephesus
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Nick McGeorge
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Joined: Wed Oct 19 2011 05:00
Location: Kent

Re: Hello from Kent

Post by Nick McGeorge »

Hi James,

Fellow Piker from Kent here..! Where are you based ...? I was looking to do some piking in a couple of sewers that are part of a club I'm in but, never managed it over the winter due to lockdown and them not being absolutely 'local'. I'm up in Kings Hill near West Malling, drop me PM if you fancy catching up and we could maybe help each other in our pursuits..!

Cheers,

Nick
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