Winter pike fishing is never easy, and sub zero temperatures, rain, winds, hail and sleet all conspire to prevent us from going fishing. Sometimes the thoughts of the weather alone is enough to put us off venturing out. But when we do decide to brave the elements we can be surprised at what can turn up. On Wednesday 7th December angling guide Peadar O’Brien and David Byrne Inland Fisheries Ireland spent a few hours fishing in the Castleblayney area. They had all of the weather conditions mentioned above and it was evident that trollling and spinning were not going to work on the day. Two float rods were set up and fishing dead baits at about 10ft the floats drifted at a nice speed in the stiff cold breeze. It wasn’t too long before Davids float dipped subtly under the surface. There was no savage take, the float siddled under and then back up, third dip and David struck. The rod bent and then the line went slack immediately as the fish ran towards the boat. Catching up with the fish and boating a nice beautifully marked fish. Peadar followed soon afterwards with a couple of nice fish. These takes were much better with fish hitting the baits harder. As the afternoon drew in and the weather worsened the lads called it a day. A bitterly cold day was made all the more palatable with three nice winter pike.
If you fancy a days pike angling with Peadar he can be contacted at [email protected]
