Reeling in a record-breaker
For some, the end of the game shooting season can induce a bout of melancholy so complete that only the poet WH Auden could be more wretched. I am of a more positive persuasion. Therefore, rather than displaying my angst by stopping clocks or cutting off the telephone, I simply went to my shed.
“To take on toothy aquatic leviathans, I require meatier equipment than I currently possess”
Among the array of hazel rods, mole traps and camouflage nets hangs my fishing tackle. My salve to allay any end-of-season blues was to try my hand at pike fishing. I undertook a stocktake of my current kit. This revealed I own three fly, two saltwater rusty ringed spinning, and one float rod.
To takereaders. To achieve this, I placed a pitiful request for help on social media. This resulted in the generous loan of a 10ft Hardy’s fibralite spinning rod and KP Morritt Intrepid reel — both circa 1972 — by Calum McRoberts, the head gillie from the Meikleour fishery on the Tay. Another kind soul, Peter Lowth from Somerset, posted me a bundle of vintage pike plugs. I added to these some eBay purchases — decrepit lures and cork floats — and I was ready.
