When Saturday came

      Saturday morning and quick couple of hours pike and perch fishing in the middle of the day before the late afternoon seasonal trip to the local butcher to collect the festive fare for next weekend.
      All the time I'm fishing I keep checking my mobile phone to see how Middlesbrough are doing playing away at unbeaten Brighton and Hove Albion in their twelve thirty kick-off.
     Not maximum concentration then.

     Some pike and perch are moving and striking at the bait fish and the Boro strikers are moving too, scoring three away goals and conceding none. Perfect.
     Despite the constant distraction of the checking up on the score on the mobile a lot of lovely perch, the biggest perch being the pin-up at the top, came to the net and five feisty pike too. Looking into the mouth of the pike above I bet they don't lose many of their prey fish, unlike anglers. The roach, rudd, bream and small pike and perch don't stand much chance with those teeth.

      I don't know what the largest fish weighed but it was one of those pike with a 'Concorde' nose, a strong but long and lean fish that will now begin piling weight on in preparation for spawning in the Spring. These pike with the strange nose do turn up occasionally and they tend to be females, why they have a different profile I do not know.
      A splendid way to end a short and productive two and a half hour session.