“I recently landed my PB pike of 31lb from Chew Valley Lake, and it left me feeling ecstatic after 11 years of sheer devotion to the cause.
“I arrived on a wet and windy day but, as soon as conditions eased, I started to get among the fish. When I hooked the big girl, I soon realised it was far larger than anything I’d connected with before on my fly rod, as it ran downwind and took me into the reel’s backing.
“It felt as though I’d tied my line to a small car which was driving away slowly! But after that initial surge, the fish was subdued fairly quickly.
“I caught it on an 8ins perch pattern fly, and followed it up with a 23-pounder on the next cast.”
<strong>Alex Mason – 31lb pike</strong>