Fenland Pike

By Mark Barrett and Denis Moules

When it comes to Fenland predator angling, Mark Barrett and Denis Moules are amongst the first names that spring to mind to the predator angler. When the book "Fenland Pike" was announced to the public, it caused predator anglers to sit up and take notice. A lot of the predator anglers thought that the authors were going to be giving away all the predator hot spots on the Fenland drain system which a lot of anglers have worked hard for many years to keep secret, but this was not the case.

Fenland Pike is a more than just a book on predator angling. The opening chapters explain the history of the drainage systems that were dug into the fens to drain water away from the land allowing agriculture to thrive as well as minimising flooding in the flattest area of the country.

Mark and Denis also lift the lid on the tactics that they use to catch the pike on the fen drains and rivers along with breaking down the different drain systems into sections so that the angler can go to the drain that they are looking to fish. As previously mentioned, neither Mark or Denis give away the locations that they have had their best sessions on, but details are not sparse.

Also included in the book are interviews with two of the biggest names in fenland anglins; Dr Barrie Rickards and Bill Chillingworth. These chapters alone cover the price of the book and give a superb insight into the beginning of fenland predator angling.

The book itself runs for 263 pages and amongst the informative text are some good illustrations by Mark Barrett and some fantastic photogrpahs of pike to over 30lb in weight.

Fenland Pike has a RRP of £30 and can be purchased from any good tackle shop or from Mark Barrett directly ( please email Mark at wit6372@aol.com for details).

All in all, after growing up around the fens, I found this book to be a fantastic read from both an angling and historical perspective. I though I knew a lot about the history of the drains, but I found out that I had barely scratched the surface in my past research. If you fish the fen drains or are about to, then I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Fenland Pike DVD

With Mark Barrett

To accompany the Fenland Pike book, Mark Barrett has also made a DVD on fishing on the Fens. Joined by Korum backed, Chris Ponsford, Mark and Chris fish the Fen drain system and explain tactics and techniques for successful angling on these man made waterways. As you would expect from a DVD with Mark, there are plenty of fish caught including a couple of Fenland twenty pounders. Towards the end of the DVD, Mark discovers from a number of missed calls to his mobile, that his co-author of the book, Denis Moules has broken a milestone in his angling, with the capture of a 30lb pike from one of the fen drains. Unfortunately their is no video footage of this fish, but the photographs are fantastic.

Aside from the angling action, Mark also explains in brief the history of the fen drain system.

As with the Fenland Pike book, the DVD is informative on both an angling and historical front, and is a worthwhile addition to any predator anglers collection.

The DVD can be purchased for around the £15 price bracket from all good tackle shops or from Mark Barrett directly ( please email Mark at wit6372@aol.com for details)