Big Pike - Preparation

Llyn Brenig Pike Festival

I've fished this festival on the well known trout reservoir a few times over the years.

Unlike many of the other fish I'm targetting, I've done quite a bit of pike fishing over the years and in recent years have landed over 1000lbs of them at an average of about 7.5lbs. Brenig has always been quite hard work though, coming late in the year and invariably with stinking weather and a bit of a scrum to get to the better spots - ridiculous really given that it is 920 acres!

I normally fish it with my brother for the whole week and have tried trolling deads; static deads and lures. We have never had a run on a static or a trolled fishbait, though some of the other lads have had success on statics by waiting it out all day in quiet backwaters away from the 2-4 foot waves.

Best fish to date is only 10lbs and a rubbish one a day to the boat is the norm, so different tactics this year - out and out lures - much easier in the car and the boat and must be a better bet for fish used to snapping up naive stockies as they get released and hover in the upper layers looking for pellets...

Doing only two days this year so non stop casting and plenty of moves is the masterplan.

Mr Fish