New British Record Pike?

Possible New British Record Pike

British Pike Record? 47 lb 5 ounces

Congratulations to Lloyd Watson on the capture of his enormous pike from Chew Valley Lake – a possible new British Record Pike.

According to reports, the pike weighed 47 pounds and 5 ounces and was caught on 13th February, 2024.

It is not yet possible to confirm the record’s status until the British Record Fish Committee has filed and approved it.

However, the pike was weighed on several sets of scales and witnessed, photographed and videoed by many anglers.

What a magnificent pike!

Photographs are courtesy of the Angling Trust Facebook page.

What Rig and Bait was used to Catch the Record Pike?

Reportedly, the giant pike was caught on a running ledger rig using smelt as hook bait, and chopped herring as feed.

Congratulations, Lloyd Watson the Potential New Record Holder!

According to the Angling Times, Lloyd has been fishing for pike for 30 years, and this was his first-ever trip to Chew Valley Lake. His previous pike P.B. was 24 lbs.

Current British Rod Caught Record Pike (1992)

PIKE (Esox lucius)
46 lb 13 oz 1992 Roy Lewis, Llandegfedd, Wales

In 1989, Gareth Edwards caught a 45lb 6oz fish from Llandegfedd, Wales that set a new British record. A few years later, Roy Lewis caught a 46lb 13oz pike that beat it.

Chew Valley Lake

Chew Valley Lake is a reservoir in Chew Stoke, Chew Valley, Somerset, England. It is the fifth-largest artificial lake in the United Kingdom, with an area of 1,200 acres (4.9 km²). The lake, created in the early 1950s, was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1956

Pike Fishing at Chew Valley Lake

Chew Valley Lake is home to monster pike, with the previous lake record sitting at 44lb 7oz caught by Nick Gahagan in February 2023.

Day tickets and season tickets are available. You can find information about pike fishing at Chew Valley Lake on their website:

https://www.bristolwaterfisheries.com/pike-fishing

Update: British Pike Record Accepted!

The British Record (rod-caught) Fish Committee has inspected the claim paperwork together with supporting photographic and video records and has now announced that they have accepted the claim at a weight of 47lb 5oz. This capture will now be recorded in the British Record listing.

A 53lb Pike was Found Dead in 2021

A massive pike, which may have been the largest in British history, was discovered dead after fishermen returned to a lake in North Yorkshire following a lockdown.

The enormous fish, reportedly weighing a whopping 53 lbs. 2 oz., had recently died at a fishery due to natural causes.

There is debate as to whether the fish would have weighed the same if it were alive because its tissues and organs could have taken on water after it died.

The owner of the fishery, Brian Morland, discovered the pike while taking his dog on a walk along the banks of his Bellflask Fishery near Ripon.

Mr. Morland thought the fish had succumbed to spawning stress.

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