With recent flooding on the Dee it was time to get the fly rod out in search of Pike..
The Day started quite chilly with frost on the car, but by the time I had reached my venue the sun had come out.
I choose a 10wt fly rod with a shooting head..
For the fly a large red and white bunny Zonker...
It amazing how difficult casting distance becomes with these large flies.
I spent the first Few hours wading the margins
of a very large water I had never fished before, carefully working the margins and swapping between a wake style fly and my zonker. The hours past and my confidence in the day was beginning to falter.
Was the fly right was the color in the water making it difficult for the pike to see my Fly..
It a new venue perhaps it was now a poor reflection of what it once was reputed to be???
As I was about to give up and head for home counting my last casts the line tightened and began to pull away.
To my surprise the fish fought very hard and considering I was using a 10wt rod it didn't come in easily giving a tremendous
account of its self..



Est weight about 7lbs

Photos taken with my mobile.....

tight lines
Phil

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"The nice thing about getting old, is that you realize what a madhouse it all is. Instead of a young person's view, which is that the world must be sane, with occasional pockets of insanity, you come around to my position, in which the world seems to be a complete madhouse - with occasional pockets of sanity" (John Cleese 1988)
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Nice one , good to see someone getting their string pulled

This time of year , here anyway , I find the afternoons are the best time .

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Cheers Danny

Co-Founder of S.S.F.D 2010

Nice fish Phil. Beautiful markings.

Nice report and a nice dark marked fish.
The pike flies are indeed awful to cast especially that first draw up out of the water and the following back cast feeling like a wet sock is on the end of the line.Keep going as the rewards are great.Timmy'l tell ya.
I think the pike tend to shaol/gather up when its a wee bit chilly so maybe keep on casting around the same area to see if any more fish are lurking around,
Colin(timmy mullet) and i had 6 from under the same over hanging tree recently so theres something in that,but no doubt someone will shoot that theory out of the atmosphere.
Tight lines
Simon

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I'd rather have the bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.

well done i went out today after old piky not fly fishing though, cant do big rods anymore. no fish but such a lovely day think spring is on the way

Nice fish and well done. Hope to get out for the first time this year for them.

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"If fishing is interfering with your business, give up your business."

I will have another go in the morning....
not sure on Venue.........
Rivers are still up around here.....
So another still water.....

__________________
Knowledge is Power
www.graylinghunter.co.uk

"The nice thing about getting old, is that you realize what a madhouse it all is. Instead of a young person's view, which is that the world must be sane, with occasional pockets of insanity, you come around to my position, in which the world seems to be a complete madhouse - with occasional pockets of sanity" (John Cleese 1988)
submitting grayling reports could win you your Salmon Rod license for 2010 on the graylinghunter site.

Well done on your capture!

A quick note on flies, ones tied with natural fibres like your bunnys will hold water and therefore be very heavy to cast, one's tied with synthetics shed the water and are lighter to cast, just incase you didn't know

I love the movement given by the natural stuff like rabbit and marabou and tend to use a blend of natural and synthetic if distance is required...

Hope this helps, cheers,


Graham

---------- Post added at 07:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:09 PM ----------

This is true, but it tends to be the pike not being far from their prey rather than them shoaling up together. Find the Roach/rudd and the Pike wont be far away They're keen to feed up in the coming weeks, trying to put on weight reading for spawning

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I hate bunny bugs!

I just tie up large, bulky deceiver types now, they cast fine even on an #8 (for bass) - 8" sardine type on a 2/0 - 4/0 for the bass will still go 28 yards on the #8

Using the #10 I find my casting is not restricted at all by the big flies - tie hollow and you get the bulk in the water and total water shedding on the first backcast, I just use hackles and bucktail with a bit of DNA/Flashabou. Works well.