Turquoise Pike

[Acuspell 329]

A friend has told me the lakeland pike are "blue" and I wanted to see it for myself....... I camped an dit was a noisy night, blowing a hoolley and lashing with rain/hail so I was up at 05.00 and wandered down to the water with Snowbee Raptor outfit (4-12g rod and 2000 reel). Line was some 20lb braid that I can't remember which one I put on! A couple of feet of 15lb fluorcarbon straight to a silver/blue 6g Abu Droppen, I couldn't find my copper one and I lost the black fury a week or two ago! I was hoping for a brown trout for breakfast. I worked my way around a rocky shore, keepinglow and well back, or behind a rock, or with something solid behind me, to keep me off the skyline. I fished a nnarrow channel between an island and a spur of rocks - a good fish slashed at the lure right at my feet - I needed another foot or two of spinner travel and I would have hooked it! It was a bright silver flash, so I think I it was a rainbow trout, I don't really know but there was no hint of yellow.

I carried on round into a small bay where I suddenly had a fish take almost as soon as I started winding - it turned out to be a small pike about 2lbs. Neatly hooked just in the lip, luckily because I hadn't put a trace on as I didn't expect pike to go for a tiny trout spinner. Anyway, he was unhooked,and released quickly, but not before I had gazed on his magnificent turquoise flanks. He really was bright turquoise. Quite amazing and I was suddenly awake. A cuckoo called in the distance and I sat and contemplated a moment at my surroundings.It was still breezy but the rain had given way to some blue sky and pinky coloured clouds as the sun started to haul itself up into the sky.

I retied the spinner and cast again. i hadn't wound more than a few feet and the rod hooped around, to yet another pike. Again it was onl;y just lip hooked and easily sent on his way, he too was a bright turquoise along his flanks and gill covers. I got five in total, no scales or tape measure to size them, but two around the 2lb mark, two in the 4lb - 5lb bracket and one of 32" (laid her along the rod and she went from the end of the butt to the first ring foot, so measured it back at camp) - I guessed at 8lb-9lb but on that length might have been a bit more. It doesn't really matter, on that little outfit it was great fun and the rod stood up to the task with aplomb - the reel didn't fare quite so well and makes a graunchy noise now. i am not sure if the shaft has bent or the gears have been strained, yet I can't have put more than a few pounds of pressure on......not a cheap and nasty reel either. Something to consider if looking!

Anyway, no trout for breakfast but I had seen the "blue" pike and they are indeed magnificent. I packed up the camp and had somme breakfast, then headed to the boat rental to fly fish the lake for the day. We had some glorious weather and some "less than favourable!" We fished all around, but it was early evening before we had so much as a take.

Soon after starting, the weather was wonderful, windy but pleasant. Fishing the next bay round from where I got those fish on the little spinning outfit:

 

 

My friend, Peter, had the first fish on fly. Again a little jack, after we changed to smaller flies from our normal pike offerings of 6" ish on 4/0 or 6/0 hooks. This one was only 4" on a 2/0. The fish was about 2lbs, but again that glorious turquoise sheen.

 

 

 

 

 

The weather wasn't like that all day though - as I poured a beer for lunch the clouds rolled in ominously.

 

 

And with 10 minutes we were faced with this....our waterproofs were no match for the conditions and we were drenched in minutes, to the point where my wellies were filling up from the water running down my trousers inside the waterproofs! Not cheap waterproofs either......

 

 

 

The sun broke out again and we carried on, coming out from our shelter under the hawthorn trees! It took the sting out of the hail that the rain turned into. There was an inch thick layer of hail and 2" of water in the bottom boards when we returned to the boat! My beer was nice and cold though....protected from the worst by hiding it under the thwart and behind my bag!

We fished that shallow bay again and get a couple of small fish, again with that turquoise sheen to them....and this slammed my little fly. Not a monster or a specimen hunter's thought of a decent fish, but a nice fish by my standards and another taken on the fly. A small (2") red/white deceiver style fly did the damage and I caught a couple from this bay in almost successive casts - fan casting,not all on the same spot. She was over 11lbs but not 12lbs. I forgot to measure her. The others were smaller.

 

 

 

 

All in all a very memorable day, not for magnificent fishing, but for sheer enjoyment and experience. I will go back again one day, despite the 450 mile round trip!

Edited May 12, 2013 by Acuspell

[youcanthide...BANG 1,051]

cracking fish and pics

[forest of dean redneck 11,707]

That is one stunning fish!

[gazjon5 854]

Great post and amazing looking pike!

[bwfc 164]

Lovely pictures,looks like an enjoyable day. The colour of a Pike can vary from water to water depending on Habitat,i havent seen one that colour before it looks lovely.

Ive seen very pale coloured pike to very deep green,one water i know of the Pikes main source of food is Frogs.Every year the water looks like a carpet of tadpoles all over,and the Pike feed openly and often on them.

Ive also seen an Albino pike and a black one too,so there are a few variations that crop up,

Heres a black one.....

 

 

This fellow caught an Albino on a day trip to Coniston....

Edited May 13, 2013 by bwfc

[brickie 76]

Some nice fish and a good write up ,tidy pic's

[jamesmc 582]

Very nice mate....atb...

[billybaltic 308]

Great looking fish mate, never seen them that colour before.

[whippet 99 2,613]

stunning colours and what a lovely wild place to be........

[air gun ant 1,666]

great write up mate which of the lakes were you fishing mate? ive had a few that colour before but im lucky enough to live here looks like you got the typical lakes weather tho, we need to keep em topped up lol

Edited May 13, 2013 by air gun ant

[northern lad 2,292]

Fantastic pics /write up enjoyed that...caught thousands of pike over the years and never seen a turquoise one or heard of one,the albino one bwfc put up was a belter too round here the pike go a lot paler when the temp is really low (caught them through ice holes many times)or when the water is heavily coloured,either way loved the write up ,sounds like you had a ball ATB Dave

[Nik_B 3,790]

Some cracking Pics there mate

[fatasafool 216]

Stunning fish boys , thanks for sharing

[BOLSTER 808]

Cracking write up and pictures, iv had a few pike like that out the River Severn.......

[NEWKID 27,379]

Really enjoyed that write up mate, and what cracking looking fish... Never seen a pike coloured like that before..