A Peck of Pike

Today I'm exploring a lovely but remote corner of a small Scottish loch, fishing for pike. My reward is a full shoal of pike, although no monsters appear. A couple of gear disasters liven up the day too - one annoying and the other just stupidity on my part...
Along the way we have classic sunshine and showers type autumn weather, with a gazillion rainbows brightening the forest skyline! Great fun and I'll definitely be back here.
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[@johnhorner769]

Cheers Doug, a nice relaxing video for a murky autumn afternoon in Shropshire 👍

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Thank you - it's probably equally murky up here this afternoon! With a little luck we can get a few more fine days in before the end of 2023. It makes such a difference when you're fishing very short and chilly days!

[@Lavraki]

Thanks for another enjoyable video Doug. Fine looking typical Scottish pike loch and the weather to corroborate the nationality.....

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Actually the way the weather appears is a quirk of the video. For the first 3 hours there was absolutely no action at all but calm sunny weather, then the pike suddenly switched on, followed soon after by the showers. Fish after fish for about 3 hours then everything went dead quiet again. I've seen this before with pike (a very long time ago!), both feeding to a timetable and also a bit of rain stimulating activity. There were an amazing number of rainbows though🙂

[@alantipple3684]

Just wanted to say happy Christmas and thanks for video's this year keep them coming

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Thanks Alan, and the same to yourself👍 I'm definitely hoping to get more videos out soon but my car's was off the road for a few weeks due to walloping a deer. Up and running again but now the weather looks a bit dismal! Hopefully January is a little less windy and wet!

[@aldomcgowan6561]

your videos are exceptional my friend what a fisherman

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Exceptionally good or exceptionally bad though😁😁 Making the videos at least keeps me occupied whilst I'm waiting for the next tiddler to arrive! Editing is a good way of spending a dark winter's evening too. Cheers, Doug

[@aldomcgowan6561]

@@Corkwing-DougK all the bst looking forward to the next one

[@Johnpir8978]

9 pike thats a great days fishing doug , youve made me want to take freshwater fishing back up

[@Corkwing-DougK]

I was feeling a little smug by the end, although 10 would be a nice round number🤣 Sea fishing is very much the core of my angling, but I have made an effort to try more freshwater in the last 2-3 years. Partly for variety but also because it's often the case that it can be a howling gale along the coast but pretty calm just a few miles inland. It just gives you more options. It's also easier😂😂

[@gingerbeerkid1967]

Thanks for video, something different to sea fishing, shame about reel though, you're garage must be like aladdins cave of fishing, camping, boating, kayaking stuff

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Junkyard might be a better description😁 Fishing gear is probably the least of it, as I tend to reuse the same rods and reels for different types of fishing - I'm really not a tackle shop's dream come true! Camping gear is probably my weak spot, as I'm always interested in new tents and the like. An upgrade to garage storage is definitely planned for the New Year though👍

[@Campbellero]

A fine way to spend a winter's day Doug, wonderful surroundings and plenty of pike. Post the model of spinfisher in the reply, there are Penn handles available online or Gomexus alternatives that many use as upgrades to shimano/penn/daiwa fs reels. Thanks for sharing, will look out for the next one.

[@Corkwing-DougK]

The next one might be a wee while, as my car's been off the road for the past 3 weeks😥 - although to be fair, the deer responsible is off the road permanently. Luckily for me it was just bambi sized, but I've been gnashing my teeth at missing a spell of lovely clear, calm and cold weather as a result! At least the reel is now sorted with a nice Gomexus handle - if only the car had been as easy! Cheers, Doug

[@anotherangleUK]

Nice video, I always think where there are jack pike there'll be a big one somewhere.

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Well, I'd certainly like to think so too🙂 It's fairly safe to say that I'll be back to test out the theory before too long - quite probably with a blank as my reward!

[@TheRealColt]

nice video Doug, shame about the net and reel, mind you something similar happened with my sea fishing reel used it for a while and thought is was the bees knees then one day it broke off the rod where it joins to the reel seat , anyhow turns out its like a graphite construction and upon further looking it had multiple stress fractures on the reel body.... from now on i looks for reels with steel or aluminium bodies, so annoying cause the rest of the reel is fantastic

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Yup - it's frustrating when you find that an otherwise excellent bit of kit has a weak spot. I can forgive the net (just) as I wasn't really using it as intended and it was a lightweight beast, but the reel was just annoying. I was lucky that I had a spare with me that I could switch from spinning to deadbaiting, so it didn't affect me too much. In the end it's probably better to find out the problem with a small pike than with an angry and much larger tope, as that's more what I normally use the Spinfisher for!

[@alanmalcolm8055]

Thank you for the vid Doug,what a great remote untouched loch. 10 pike is very respectable, and nicely marked fish they were. A good days fishing, my only downside is so few people see them. But it is nice being part of a privileged few. Keep making them and i will keep on watching them. Someone put pike into Loch an dorb a few years a go, totally ruined it as a trout loch but a great plase to catch them on the fly. Biggest 18lb so far.

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Hi Alan, I'd heard about what happened to Lochindorb and it's a great shame. Much though I like pike, the idea of transplanting them around the country is a bad one - they seem to exist happily enough in enough waters anyway. I'll need to stop off at the loch some time, as I'm up that way a few times most years - my sister stays near Forres - and the B road across from Carrbridge is a great wee drive. 18lbs puts any pike I've caught to shame!!

[@patwilbourne]

And a pickled pepper.... 🙃 Excellent as usual thanks for sharing 👍

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Thanks for watching! As one of the world's less successful pikers I have to say I pretty chuffed with this session. Quantity rather than quality, but I'd definitely not complaining.

[@alantipple3684]

Great watch and some great fishing thanks keep them coming 🎣

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Only 30 fishing days left 'til Christmas, but I'll see what I can do😁 Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ashleyhoward8926]

Bravo! An excellent session, despite breakages & a good soaking. I think that net is so big, i should have proven a bit more robust. I'm sure you will get a new Penn reel handle too, I hope so, I've got 4 myself. I think the cycling is ideal & it's easier to carry heavier loads, when off road tracks allow of course. Well done & thanks for posting.

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Well the bit that doesn't come across in the video is that my son had this bike for a couple of years and, for reasons only he could describe, dropped the seat to it's lowest setting. I could barely cycle the wretched thing on any hint of a hill🤣🤣 The Penn is now sorted with a shiny new Gamatsu handle, which doesn't have the same weak spot and has a much better handle knob for playing proper fish like tope! I don't really blame the net handle for breaking - it was a lightweight setup and I did the equivalent of high sticking a fishing rod (which I'd never normally have done if I didn't have coils of braid lying at my feet, courtesy of a broken reel!)

[@Furzeparkuk]

I had to chuckle Doug, at least I'm not alone in fishing buffoonery. I wonder if the pike need thinning out in the Loch to allow them to grow on a bit? Beautiful spot, great video. Cheers.

[@Corkwing-DougK]

I've had my fair share of screw-ups over the years, but breaking two bits of kit on one measly fish is an achievement to be celebrated!! I still blame Penn for the net - of course I'd never lifted it like that if I wasn't trying to avoid coils of braid at my feet🙄🙄 Other parts of this loch are fished and I don't know whether it's ever produced sizeable pike - but I'll be trying again for sure🙂

[@richardjohnson3463]

Good session in a lovely wild isolated location. Reel quality isn't what it used to be, a lot of stuff being "made in China" despite sometimes being a (what used to be) "prestigious" brand name! Thanks for sharing your adventure 👍

[@Corkwing-DougK]

I think I was more taken aback because it was such as "lightweight" failure in an otherwise robust reel. It was under no pressure at all at the time. Anyway, I now have a shiny new Gamatsu handle for it, which actually looks a lot better than the old one and should handle bigger fish quite happily (I use the Liveliner as a tope reel, fish which it's handled quite successfully)

[@DarioFerrari23]

Hi Doug, Brilliant days fishing, is the Forest track down to that Loch still accessible by car?

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Hi Dario - the gates were open when I was there this time, but locked a few months before. Roll the dice😁😁 Looks like they are still working in the general area though, as there were machinery tracks in places.

[@DarioFerrari23]

@@Corkwing-DougK Cheers Doug