Last week saw the start of the Pike Fishing for 2012 here at Portarra Lodge. The weather conditions were not very suitable - very cold winds blowing from the North.
Two Pike anglers from France came here to fish for big pike as they heard that Lough Corrib was famous for its large strong fighting Pike. I was available to be their guide. It was their first visit to Ireland and they were very excited and eager to try their luck.
Over their three days on the lake they boated 12 pike - 10 of which were in the "double figures" with the biggest fish just over the Meter and weighting 18 lbs. Most of the pike were caught using "dead bait" and a float and a few were caught on "deep sinking" lures as the fish were not near the surface due to the cold temperatures.
They were really delighted with their catch as any of the 12 pike (except 1) would have been a personal best for both anglers. They were so impressed both with the size and fighting ability of the pike that they are returning again this year to try and catch a few "20 pounders"
The French men had a Go Pro camera and took some excellent footage of the fishing both over & under the water. Once they have the film edited they plan to put it on Facebook. When I get the details I will forward them on to you all. (Photo shows Alexandrea Pilon with his Meter Pike)
NEWSFLASH: Two very large Pike were caught by "Trout Anglers" who decided to try their skills at "Fly Fishing for Pike". One of the pike was 24.5 lbs and the bigger one was a super specimen fish of 37.5 lbs. Good news is that both fish were released back into the lake. Good news also is that they were caught in waters close to, and frequented quite often by anglers staying at, Portarra Lodge. To date I have not received a photo of the fish - but I can say that my sourse of information is 100%.
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