Aspö, Furusund; 4th-6th May 2008

3lb 8oz. Pike (Apologies for the frightening backdrop...)
Arrived on the island at around 13.00 with Rafal and Souso, as well as Karl after a short drive north from Stockholm. Aspö is a small island in the Norrtalje archipelago and after a short walk to the summer house there we started to fish immedediatly in the bay in front of the house, a really beautiful area it is too. Sun shone strongly as Karl hooked his first Pike of the trip, a 3lb. 8oz. fish that took a Mepps spinner, a single point for the league table. Karl then had another point when he took a small jack Pike on the mepps a short distance away, also had another fish follow his lure and turn away. Rafal then hooked a fish of about 6lb and was really unlucky to have a hook snap off on his mepps to allow the fish to slip away at the last minute before it could be banked and weighed.
We fished on for the rest of the day, catching Rudd, Bream, Rudd/Bream hybrids and Perch, though some nice fish were taken, none were big enough to gain any further points.

9lb. 13oz. Pike

9lb 13oz. Pike

Day two began in a similar fashion, with plenty of fish coming to the worm, among them Bleak and Loi, adding to the species tally. Then Karl twitched his Perch livebait at 13.30 and all hell broke lose. A really good scrap ensued as the Pike made run after run, peeling line off the reel time and time again. After about ten minutes or so I managed to land the fish for him, a really fabulous Pike that went to 9lb 13oz and gave us all a great deal of enthusiasm and Karl 2 more points. This fish fell right on the Moon Low Point trigger time, with another trigger due at 15.30 and the area in front of the house going quiet we decided to move to another section of the bay ...

11lb. 13oz. Pike

11lb. 13oz. Pike

11lb 13oz. Pike

After moving to the bay we cast out some livebaits and waited. Karl immediatly had a take on the Mepps, a fish that escaped... Then he had a small Pike take a large Bream bait, refusing to let go as he brought it back towards him. We watched this fish below us at it sulked around, gripping the Bream, before it turned it and moved awayas we looked on. The fish was not hooked however, so still we waited. At 15.30, right on the trigger time, the water exploded aroung my float as a Pike launched itself at my bait. It gave a great account of itself before I landed it, a long, lean fish weighing 11lb 130z., a 6 point fish on the league table. This fish had just spawned and would be considerably heavier in good condition...

12lb. Pike

12lb. Pike

12lb. Pike

Just moments after recasting a new bait in, my float slid away! I struck, amazed by yet another solid fish that fought me all the way to the bank. It earned me 6 points more, just minutes after the last fish I now found myself holding a really nicely marked 12lb Pike, simply amazing fishing! After a few photos it was returned safely to the water...

9lb 8oz. Pike

9lb 8oz. Pike

Twenty minutes passed, my small roach bait was taken and another good fish was landed. At 9lb 8oz. still a very good Pike, 2 points for the league, and completing a really memorable half an hour! This feeding spell was brief, coinciding with another trigger time, afterwards the water went rather quiet. I was so happy I fell into the water soon afterwards and soaked myself right up to the waist!

1lb. 4oz. Ide

1lb. 4oz. Ide

At 1530, a final surprise. After a lot of Bream, Hybrids and Rudd I struck a powerful fish on the legered worm, my first Ide ever was duly landed and weighed at 1lb 4oz., a 4 point fish. Delighted to catch this species, really wrapped up a wonderful day. Headed back to the house a short while later to enjoy a BBQ in stunning sunny weather...