A LURE fishing ace has enjoyed a fantastic month for the big three coarse predators – perch, zander and pike.
Robbie Northman, a 29-year-old bar manager, kicked off his fine run with a 4 lb 2 oz stripy.
Then other trips in his home county produced an 11 lb 10 oz zander and a pike of 24 lb 3 oz.
Robbie, from St Faiths, Norfolk, explained: “As I said in the John Bailey column (in Angler’s Mail magazine) recently, I’ve been obsessed with catching a big perch for a couple of years.
“I’ve come very close to 4 lb on numerous times, so I was overjoyed when it hit the net.”
Lure Robbie Northman admires his impressive zander.
Zander gave just a delicate tap
Robbie continued: “My next target was zander, and having banked a reservoir double earlier in the season, I set my sights on achieving the same goal on the Fens.
“I spent a few sessions searching lots of sections of river and drain, fishing for half an hour before moving on, searching for fish. I managed to catch a few small ones, but was set to return.
“On the next session I set out mid-morning. I was jigging with an 8 cm Savage Gear Cannibal Shad, and on my sixth spot of the day, a delicate tap lead to hooking up with something heavy.
“The fish hugged deep and took line on my light 3-15 g set-up.
“After a tough fight, I slipped the net under a beautiful, dark zander that measured 82 cm.
Robbie Northman displays his big lure-caught pike.
Pike followed ‘wasps’
Robbie added: “Then a beautiful mid-20s pug-nosed pike was the next highlight, and I was very lucky with this one.
“I decided to head out for a quick evening after perch during a storm, and after
20 minutes or so with no indication of fish, I decided to cover more ground.
“I clipped a 9 cm Savage Gear Herring Shad onto my trace, hopeful that I could search around quickly and bag a pike or perch before dusk.
“After a couple of ‘wasps’ (tiny perch), I got a small indication that lead to a heavy weight on the end of my line.
“The pike barely knew it was hooked on the light rod, and once it realised, it was under the rod tip.
“Everything erupted into a couple of drag-stripping runs, and I quickly gained control, netting my prize,” added a delighted Robbie.
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