Monster Tours Northern Ireland
February Update
Mission complete the magic metric ton barrier was once again broken in style during December 2011 – January 2012 the monster crew would like to thank first of all our customers (aka the disciples) along with our sponsors including; Eddie turner specialist pike tackle, Jackson lures.com and Bait box premier pike baits!
Usually December and January would see us concentrating on our bank fishing with a tidy semi permanent camp set up. Campers tucked in under the brollys and bivvies keeping warm, swapping stories and drinking tea. We would normally be sitting back, relaxing and fishing the super swims of our emerald isle, with colder conditions routinely pushing the elusive pike and their prey to seek refuge in the deeper warmer water areas of our lakes/Lough's and rivers.
However due to the unusually milder weather we have witnessed so far this season! We have found ourselves best served to keep the brollys/bivvies and bed chairs packed away. Get the cuddy's re-attached and get back out hunting vast waters in the monster machines (i.e. boats). And whilst I love all aspects of my piking and guiding, boat fishing in my opinion is by far the hardest work for the true skipper/guide if you should find yourself in the company of a difficult or inattentive
customer. However it is also by far the most productive style of predator fishing for those customers prepared to listen and learn.
So luckily I found myself so far this season in the company of my regular listeners and learners (aka the disciples) and whilst December and January were still very hard graft, and without a doubt as old esox was not reading the monster script and were still spread to the four winds around all waters. We did what monster tours do best rethink the tactics 'adapt'. We hit the boats and targeted them as if it was September – October time and eventually we found them hanging around in the shallows, playing in mid water and occasionally frequenting the deep areas.
I shall not for one minute claim it was easy, in all my years' predator fishing this year tops the lot for trying to pinpoint the cunning old pike down to a certain area, but we did it! So with my
customers/disciples enjoying the boat fishing and covering vast amounts of water and features we kept our high standards of fishing and catch rates up. Most importantly was for the customers to go home happy with more than a fair few PB's busted on yet another trip with the monster crew.
Admittedly and amazingly the crew and I were over the moon to actually have achieved getting every customer (old and new) we had out in December and/or January going home with new PBs. Yes every last one! With the results speaking for them making the monster crew's job fantastically satisfying, driving us and motivating us onward and upward toward assisting and achieving even more ball busting PB's for our returning and new customers in the future.
As it has turned this season, the majority of proper monsters were being boated, and not banked as is usual for this time of year. This in turn has added massively to the excitement, pleasure and experience of the overall customer accomplishments.
The most productive tactic over the last 6 weeks was without a doubt trolling big baits over features and up shelves in the mid water areas producing the highest account of doubles to date for any January in years, with three of the regular customers joining the old esox ton up club i.e. over 100lb of pike in a 6 hour boat session with the highest accounting for 156lb of pure hard fighting Irish pike in a 6 hour period.
What are the plans for the rest of the 2012 season, well with the magic month of February now upon us and we can't hold our excitement back. We aim to again smash the metric ton barrier and we are confident that in that a three to four week period and with a bit of lady luck, good targeting and decent weather we shall achieve exactly that. Then as March comes rapidly upon us we shall leave old esox to enjoy the shallows and rolling about in the reeds with its loved ones hopefully producing millions more little lean green fighting machines that will tighten our lines in the future .
By end of February – early March it's time to think of Spain and get the catfish tackle sorted and boats all up and ready for all our heat seeking and sun loving disciples that just love getting their arms wrenched from their sockets by our pet cats on the mighty Ebro. And as for our aspirations into 2012, we aim to deliver the first 200lb cat from the lower Ebro after missing out by a measly 2lb last season with cats up to 198lb
Tight lines
Dee
Monster Tours
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