NIGHT FISHING     FOR PIKE

 

For those who dare, late sessions can provide sinister kicks by lamplight, proving a big hit with pike. Meet me by the quay with a head torch, a baseball bat and a bag of herrings...

 

It’s already getting dim by the time we near the water. Street lights flicker on above the bridge, the sun is gone and in no time the day fizzles out with all the subtlety of a power cut. The idle flow of the river runs black beneath us. Dead leaves drift and the natives are restlessly heading home or filing into the pubs on the Quay. And here we sit, thawing out herrings and thinking of pike.

  “Oi mate, what are you doing?” comes the call from a random observer. The fishing rods should make it obvious, but it’s a question I’ve already asked myself. Pike fishing is a sport for frosty mornings, surely? But you already know the score: most of us are in no position to nip to the river whenever the mood takes us. That four letter word, work, has other designs for most anglers.

    Nevertheless, evening sessions that run right into the black of the night can be a decent time to target pike. They don’t simply disappear in the dark. On the contrary, you might find the predators on your patch surprisingly active. A healthy sized lure or potent smelling dead bait is still easily located by a lurking pike. In any case, it certainly beats sitting through another episode of Eastenders, and I much prefer my weekly dose of aggro to be of the pike variety.

   Provided you’re well prepared, the experience can be a highly enjoyable one. There’s something about the darkness that makes the exercise even more charged with sinister mystery than before. Even the waters of a humdrum urban river seem loaded with veiled menace as it gets properly dark.

   Night piking is no operation to be approached casually however. Everything becomes twice as awkward in the dark and you simply cannot go about the task without a measure of careful planning. Besides warm clothing you need sensitive bite indication that will work in pitch-black conditions. Glowing floats or indicators and bite alarms are sensible steps. Equally imperative is a head torch, not only to find your way around, but also to leave you with both hands free to handle and unhook pike safely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Into the Black

The orange glow of a bobbing night float is a delightful sight on dark waters. Accompanied by Rob Darby, we drop float-legered baits into a deep hole in the river. Experience from roach fishing days tells me that this little corner, on a slight bend in the river, has no shortage of prey. But where are the pike?

   The stretch is not noted for specimens and poaching has been a worrying recent trend. Few club members seem to fish here, but perhaps on those grounds it’s time we reclaimed the stretch and let those dodgy types know we’re here? In spite of the occasional set line or fish theft however, I’m not deterred. The fish are still here, there are simply too many shady holes and hidden corners for it to be any other way.

  An hour gone and the only interest has been from a group of lads on their way to the pub. As with the local football team, it seems even the most casual observer always has a self-proclaimed expertise when it comes to fishing. Seeing as there are half a dozen of them and they all have haircuts shorter than Cliff Richard’s criminal record, I don’t feel like arguing. Yes Sirs, I will probably catch nothing- you are right, you are clearly experts and what tasteful tattoos you have.

   The evening draws on and falls into a languid state approaching peace. Rob Darby suddenly remembers that he hasn’t had any tea. I watch his rod and ten minutes later he returns with a tin of cider and a packet of crisps. Meanwhile, we’re accosted by an old upper crust gent walking his dog; he recalls tales of fishing from Scotland to Africa using even worse language than the young hoodlums who came by earlier.

 

Curiosity Knocks

  It’s turning into a curious evening out, but still no fish. As well as freshening up my bait, I like chop the old ones into pieces and throw these in. If nothing else, it keeps my hopes up. The bait has only been back in the water for five minutes when Rob announces- “I think your float just moved.” I study the orange tip again, which continues to sway gently in the flow. I’m about to put the claim down to cider and poor lighting, when the thing creeps ominously away from us across the flow. I hit it hard and feel an eerie, lumbering presence on the line.

   The pike stays deep and lazy, only shaking with more violence as the pressure is increased. Slowly but surely I manage to guide her upwards until the beam of the head torch captures a gaping, angular head. The few last seconds are like slow motion, waiting for a last thrash that never quite arrives. I’m relieved to be in good company as Rob sinks the net well under her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The pike is magnificently long and fiercely marked. It feels weird holding her up for a picture in the glow of one of the streetlights behind, an unhooking mat protecting the fish from a concrete path. Some passers by have already come for a look, but this is no time to oblige curiosity and she’s carried safely back to the river in the mat for a quick return.

   No further runs develop, but I sit contented on my perch beside the railings. I’ve taken pike before by staying an hour or so into darkness, but the practice of dedicated night fishing is one I intend to pursue more often in future. It seems a sensible option not only to escape the rigors of the working week, but a good strategy to try on pressured waters. But beyond all talk of tactics, it is the promise of that spine-tingling moment of connection with something sinister and unseen which really stirs the blood. Night fishing may bring its own set of challenges, but when a plan comes together it can be phenomenally exciting. Give it a try, I dare you!

  

 

NIGHT PIKING TIPS

1. Have your unhooking tools to hand at all times and always take a head torch- this leaves both hands free to handle a lively pike. If you’re new to the water, do take a friend.

2. Pike are harder to bank and unhook in the night. Opt for the largest landing net and unhooking mat at your disposal.

3. Select baits and lures that are easily located by predators. Fresh herring is my favourite dead bait, whilst spinner baits and bold, rattling plugs are also worth a cast.

4. A night float is excellent fun to watch and avoids missed bites in the dark. You could convert your own with an isotope, but my favourite is the purpose made Greys LED Nite Float.

5. Pick areas you are already familiar with- or at least have a recce in daylight hours. You don’t want to discover a nasty snag when it’s too late, in the black of the night!