Roly Byrne and his angling buddy Frank had a few hours free yesterday morning, so they decided on a quick piking session on the River Barrow. With not much time to fish they headed straight for one of Roly’s favourite swims. It’s not a banker by any means, but the variety of habitat and in the river means that you can use nearly every method to good effect – if the fish are biting. The winter sun could barely penetrate the thick fog and so the river resembled a scene from some 1950’s B movie.

The pair set themselves up to fish – Roly with two popped up dead baits and Frank with half a mackerel tail and a feeder rod. After about an hour Frank’s dead bait rod showed a gentle pick up which became a positive take and Frank struck into a good fish. The pike seemed unfazed by this development initially, but then burst into life and gave Frank quite tussle which included the spectacle of a double figure fish tail walking through the misty air.

Frank's first double figure pike tipped the scales at 13lb
Frank's first double figure pike tipped the scales at 13lb
A lovely, bright pike of 13lb from the River Barrow
A lovely, bright pike of 13lb from the River Barrow.

The fish proved to be only one of the morning, but at 13lb it makes it the biggest pike Franks has caught to date and his first “double”.  Here’s to Many more!

Find out more

Roly Byrne writes the excellent blog at riverbarrowpiker.blogspot.ie which this report was based on, with his kind permission Visit the site to read more about his adventures on the River Barrow.