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Fly angler banks pike so huge it can’t be weighed

by Aidan Bordiuk |

Updated on22nd January 2026 at 3.42pm

The beauty of fishing is that no matter how good you become, or how much you think you know, you’re ultimately pitting yourself against a wild animal, and sometimes the extraordinary happens.

Not knowing exactly what you’ll catch, or what might unfold from one session to the next, is what makes fishing so exciting and when the unexpected does occur, it can leave even the most experienced anglers in complete shock.

On a recent trip Wayne Gildart was fly fishing on a local water, and while he enjoyed some success, landing a couple of trout, he was left utterly stunned when this monster pike took a liking to his tiny fly pattern.

HEAD TO ONE OF THESE WATERS TO CATCH A HUGE PIKE LIKE WAYNE'S.

The 3inch fly the huge pike couldn't resist!

“The session was going pretty well, but having avoided the blank with an brace of early fish, things went a little quiet, so I moved along the bank in the hope of a change of fortune,” Wayne told us.

“It paid off as after making a few casts, I felt that unmistakable pull as I was stripping the line through my fingers, although whatever it was dragged me straight into a snag,” he added.

“I assumed it was a big trout, and after some manoeuvring, I managed to tease the fish out before it powered off into deeper water.”

Wayne soon began to question what he had hooked, as the fish felt much heavier and moved far more slowly than a trout normally would. Wary of his light 6lb leader, he remained patient, and after around ten minutes his suspicions were confirmed when a monster pike surfaced.

“I couldn’t believe the size of it, it was massive and certainly had me shaking once the adrenaline kicked in! Despite using a mono leader, I managed to tire the pike relatively quickly, and thankfully a mate was on hand to help net the fish, which he did expertly,” Wayne recalled.

LEARN HOW TO HANDLE PIKE SAFELY ON THE BANK...

A fish of a lifetime for Wayne

“We were staring at it in awe, trying to take in what had happened. While it wasn’t the longest pike, it had a huge belly, and when I lifted it out of the water it was ridiculously heavy.”

“I didn’t have any scales with me at the time, but I managed to borrow some from the clubhouse that weighed up to 25lb. When we hoisted the pike onto them, they immediately bottomed out, so we’ll never know just how big it really was, but I believe it was certainly 30lb plus."

“It was the fish of a lifetime, and I’m still in shock to be honest. It was such an exciting capture, and one I’ll never forget!”

WE HAVE SOME GREAT TIPS ON WEIGHING FISH SAFELY AND ACCURATELY HERE...

A pike so big, it scared Wayne's dog!

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