Pike have a mythical reputation for eating everything from small fish to children and dogs. While the latter is certainly an exaggeration, they do occasionally get caught on unusual baits and methods. One angler who can attest to this is Steve Wolstenholme, who, while fishing maggots on the pole for silverfish, had the shock of his life when a 20lb 10oz monster pike decided to take the bait instead.
This wasn’t the only unusual fish Steve had caught from the lake; just the week before, he managed to land a large sturgeon while fishing meat on the bomb. Despite this, he wasn’t aware of any pike in the lake, let alone a fish of that calibre—one that any predator angler would be thrilled to land.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO FISH THE POLE, HERE ARE SOME GREAT TIPS FROM STEVE RINGER.
"I had gone out for the day with the intention of catching silverfish, heading to the Speci Lake at Aston Park Fisheries," Steve revealed.
"Fishing with maggots, I was having a great day, catching mainly small chub, roach, and ide, which this lake is full of," he added
After receiving regular bites, the activity in Steve's swim suddenly ceased. Believing there was a carp in his peg, he sat there patiently, and before long, he had a bite out of the blue that sent elastic streaming out of the end of his pole.
"As I was fishing for silverfish, I only had a 2lb hooklength on and a 5-7 elastic. I'm not even sure the fish realised it was hooked at first," Steve recalled.
"I tried to apply as much pressure as I could, but the fish was just plodding around on the bottom, so I presumed it was one of the large carp present in the lake."
"Thankfully, an angler next door, who was fishing for carp, noticed the commotion and came over to help me land the fish with his bigger net."
Due to the light setup, the fish was well down the swim, so the other angler followed it down the bank with his net. It was then that he saw it and shouted to Steve that he was playing a giant pike!
"I couldn't believe it when he told me, and neither could he, for that matter. Before long, we managed to bundle it into the net. It was massive—far bigger than any pike I have ever seen," he said.
"The fish was hooked right in the centre of the top lip, and somehow the 2lb line and size 18 hook held strong."
"I didn't even know there were any pike in the lake, and using maggots, it was the last thing I ever expected to catch that day."
"It is a capture I will never forget, and I doubt I will ever see a pike that big again—certainly not on the pole," he concluded.
IF YOU INTEND ON CATCHING LARGE FISH ON THE POLE, YOU NEED ONE OF THE BEST MARGIN POLES.
