A DAY’S fishing on fly-only Hury reservoir took an unusual turn for a dale angler.
At first, Shane Jackson simply thought he had hooked something on the bottom – but then his line started to move and after a 30-minute fight landed a pike, much to his amazement.
While coarse fish have previously been present in Hury neither he, nor other anglers, have come across a pike being hooked.
Mr Jackson, of Barnard Castle, headed up to Hury on Friday, June 4.
He said: “I’d had a quiet morning. I only had two rainbow trout between 8am and 11am – one was about 2lb and one was about 3lb.
“Then, about 11am, I thought I’d caught the bottom as I hooked something but it wasn’t moving.
“I kept the line tight and it started to move. It felt as if I’d caught some line on the bottom. I could see my other two dropper flies but not my main fly which was a bright yellow dancer.”
He added: “Then I saw a black torpedo-type fish had my fly and realised I’d caught hold of a pike.
“I’d never heard of any pike being caught in Hury but knew it had been used for coarse fish before. I took my time as I knew it could slice through my line with its razor sharp teeth.
“After a half hour fight I got it to the net and on the bank. As I was using a catch and release ticket, I quickly took a photo. It was about two feet long and about 5-6lb.
“I released it safely back and carried on fishing until about 4pm catching another four rainbow trout to 4lb.”
Mercury fishing columnist Andrew Wilkinson said he had never heard of a pike being caught on Hury.
But he added: “Pike find their way into a lot of reservoirs. Their eggs can be carried on water birds – or anglers’ gear.”
Frank Harrison, secretary of Barnard Castle Angling Club, also said it was the first time he had come across a pike being caught on Hury.
“There have been other coarse fish caught up there, such as perch and roach, but I have never heard of a pike.”
Meanwhile, members of the angling club are enjoying some success on the river.
Mr Harrison said angler Neil Mitchell had landed a 3.5lb brown trout while fishing above the Silver Bridge.
