Written By: Martyn Cattermole
On Date: 21/2/2006
Here are the details for our next two meetings which will both start at 7.30 for 8pm at The Midland Spinner, London Road East, Warmley, Bristol, BS30 5JB, which will take us through to the end of this winters pike season. I can guarantee that Julian next week on Wed 22nd Feb and Pete on Wed 29th March will provide entertaining and provocative talks from very different perspectives (Julian young, innovative and ambitious, and Pete enormously experienced and one of the all time great anglers in piking) which will give us insights into piking locally and further afield on a wide variety of waters. Hopefully by now you will all have caught a few more fish and maybe a biggie. Not sure who is currently leading on the Martin Brown Bristol Avon pike trophy (Paul Hughes maybe?) but I can assure you others including me are trying hard also! As an Avon virgin until recently its proving fun for me and a steep learning curve! To any of us fishing hard waters seemingly empty of pike all I can suggest is keep on trying (ie keep on banging your head against that brick wall) …….if the fish we are trying to catch are still alive (not certain when you see some of the killer rigs used by some anglers) then at least we know that by mid March they will be fat and pristine condition….if we can find them. Bring your photos along on the 29th then…. Don’t forget another trophy will be presented to whoever has caught the biggest pike this season.
MEETINGS
Wed 22nd Feb. Speaker: Julian Chidgley from Bridgwater. Background: Julian has had pike to 29 lb 15oz from Chew Valley Lake on float ledgered deadbait. The fish was the biggest of three twenties he caught that week. He is 23 and enjoys all forms of pike fishing. He started at an early age targeting local canals and drains, progressing to the large lochs and reservoirs he now mostly fishes. In the slide show he will cover piking on The Somerset Levels, Chew Valley, Scotland, boat fishing, pre-baiting, and fly fishing for pike.
Wed 29th March. Speaker: Pete Climo from Taunton will be talking and showing slides mainly about Fly Fishing for Pike on Chew Valley Lake and the many big fish to 39+ that have been caught on the fly. Some of the fish including the 39 have not been publicised, although you may know the anglers involved, so some good stories remain to be told. Pete will be showing us some innovative boat handling techniques which have increased the catch rate dramatically. Petes Background: Caught first pike in 1962 as a school boy. Personal Best 42.5 from Llandegfedd in 1988 on a spinner. The biggest pike to be caught on a lure at the time. Best pike on a bait 34.14, best pike on fly 32.8 from Chew. President of PAC from 1994 to 1997. Brought Llandegfedd to the attention of Pike anglers through an article in Coarse Fisherman in 1985 as part of a 13 year long campaign to open the Reservoir for Pike fishing. Reservoir finally opened in 1988 for 2 weeks – 4 forty pounders and 15 thirties were caught In 1989 awarded PAC ‘Pike Angler of the Year’ award jointly with Bob Jones for our work on Llandegfedd. In March 1990 invited by Welsh Water, together with Bob Jones, to lead an attempt on the British Pike Record at Llandegfedd. One of the Welsh Water guests Gareth Edwards, secured the record with a pike of 45.6. Beat the British Eel record in 1969 with a fish of 7.15. An original member of Jack Hilton’s Redmire Pool Syndicate between 1968-1974. His current angling interests include plugging for bass, stalking carp ‘off the top’ and fly fishing for pike. However his main focus remains the annual winter campaign for pike on a variety of waters. I don’t think he will be embarrassed by me saying that like many of us he is finding the piking tough in Somerset on the Levels, although the “why” is up for debate. On the 29th March as well as Petes talk he will present the trophies to the winners of our two competitions. A light buffet will be available to go with your pints!.
Please note that all pike or predator anglers in the area are welcome to come along to Bristol PAC meetings whether PAC members or not. Our aim is to make the Bristol PAC a friendly group that exists to support pike, and pike fishing, get our views across widely, and provide a way for pike/predator anglers to meet each other socially (and then go fishing).
Well that’s it, hope to see you next Wed 22nd Feb at The Midland Spinner, Warmley, to hear Julian Chidgley talk about his innovative approach to piking.
Thanks,
Martyn Cattermole
Pike Anglers Club of Great Britain