PIKE mecca Chew Valley Lake cemented its place as the No.1 predator water of all time with its biggest pike of the year at 44 lb.
In a month where the future of Somerset wonder water, Chew Valley, became a real area of concern, Dr Peter Coxhead smashed his personal best with the huge specimen.
And another unknown angler also chipped in with a 38 lb 4 oz giant from the shore as Chew Valley ended its 2017 pike sessions with a bang.
Peter, a senior technical manager for the University of Portsmouth, explained: “It is a fish of a lifetime and am still a little speechless.
“Before this my UK PB was 19 lb 15 oz from the Dorset Stour and I have been searching for a UK 20 lb fish.
“I have had a 38 lb pike from Holland on a lure but couldn’t get a 20 in the UK.
“I caught this on a herring in 11 ft of water and was using a 12 ft 2.25 lb test curve Shimano rod which made playing the fish fun but slightly harder.
“I would have struggled to land the fish without my boat partner Kevin Beer who helped clear the anchor rope, second rod and with netting the fish.
“My perch PB is 5 lb 2 oz from Holland and a 3 lb 15 oz perch topping my UK best from the Kennet and Avon Canal.
“The only other slight oddball PB was a dace of 1 lb 2 oz which I didn’t realise was such a big fish.
“My current targets are a 4 lb river perch and a 20 lb pike from the Thames,” added the 36-year-old from Southsea, Hampshire.
Peter’s fish is the biggest of 2017 from Chew Valley but neighbouring Blagdon Lake opened for the first time for fly-only pike fish and produced a 44 lb 2 oz croc to Martin Cooke.
CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the brilliant weekly Angler’s Mail print magazine.
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