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Cheers Mum - Andy Flint
It’s been a difficult few weeks since I lost my mum, Thelma, very suddenly last month. Mum was always linked to my visits to Chew as I used to sit round hers for a couple of days each year, trying to book tickets when the phone lines opened. She'd make tea all day and we would put the world to rights while I waited for ring back to work its magic.
It was no different this year when my recent trip was booked in January. I was not thinking of Chew, though, when we arranged my mum’s funeral for Thursday 17th of November. It was only when I got home and checked my calendar that I realised I was due to fish the 15th and 16th. It could easily have been arranged for either of these dates and the trip would not have taken place. I think fate plays a hand in most things.
I have been travelling to Bristol from Norfolk for the last six years in pursuit of the Chew pike with Richard Bedder. Both of us have been fortunate enough to land fish over the magical 30lb from there during that time. We generally prefer the bank fishing as, apart from Chew, most of our pike fishing is done from boats. We usually travel down the day before for a recce. It's a four to five hour drive from Norwich and on arrival we went straight to the Walley bank for a chat with Nathan and Tony, friends and customers of mine who were already fishing. We were with them for a couple of hours and even managed to witness Nathan make a cup of coffee, something that doesn't occur very often – according to Tony.
We drove to our B ‘n’ B in Chew Stoke around 4pm, at which point they had not troubled the scorer. Nathan, however, possesses golden trouser fillers that he takes to Chew! On arrival back at the same B ‘n’ B he informed us of the capture of his third and biggest 30 from the venue at 32lb. Not bad when you consider he's only caught six pike in total from there; 32, 31, 30, 27, 26 and not forgetting a jack. Unlucky with that last one really! That night we celebrated his capture with a few pints and a curry in the Stoke Inn.
The next morning we decided on the Walley bank for the day, somewhere we have fished a fair bit on our visits. It also happens to be where we both caught our Chew 30s previously. Nathan and Tony went to Woodford and we kept in contact via the phone. The Walley was busy with maybe dozen or so spread along it. Richard managed a 17lber and I had a jack but we didn't see a lot else caught. On Woodford, Tony managed an 18lber but poor old Nathan blanked! There was I believe a 30 from Woodford that day though.
We really didn't know where we were heading next day but we rarely fish the same bank for two days running. As we left the B ‘n’ B I asked Richard where he fancied.
‘Let's go and have a look at Woodford,’ was his reply. On arrival there were two other anglers waiting, after a quick chat they informed us they wanted the two swims furthest to the left, up by the boat jetty. We decided on the middle of the grass area, where it cuts back slightly. Two more anglers arrived and went to our right, so the grass at Woodford was now full.
Richard, as always, had his baits out first and chose to go to the left while I faffed about as usual and went right. We cast baits in the dark and two smelts were my choice for the first chuck. As it got light we repositioned the baits with the aid of the baitboat and this time two blueys were positioned further out in deeper water. We sat back drinking tea and eating bacon rolls while the day drifted by.
Mid morning, a take one of my rods saw me doing battle with what turned out to be a stunning 10lb+ brown trout. I knew it was a trout from the moment I hooked it, coming to the surface immediately and giving a tremendous scrap on the heavy pike gear we use. We repositioned the baits again and changed to whole mini mackerel on both rods. The line was pulled out of the clip a few times by trout, which you can feel playing with the baits if you tighten down and feel the braid.
Around 3pm I asked Richard if he minded using the boat again as I fancied one more roll of the dice and fresh baits. Back to a couple of large smelt. As he took the bait out he asked what depth I was looking for?
‘14ft,’ came my reply and on reaching that depth at around 80yds he tried to drop the bait. The boat had different ideas though and refused to drop.
‘Shall I wind the boat back mate?’ I enquired, as I didn't want him to get it stuck with no power out in the middle of 1200 acres.
‘No, let me keep trying,’ he replied. And after five or six more goes the bait eventually went down.
Back came the boat and we loaded up the second bait and headed back out. 20 yards from the bank the batteries died. This time I did wind it back and recast that bait to 40-50yds. While we were doing this the skies were darkening and suddenly we were caught in the middle of a downpour with no brolly up. We just both stood there moaning (which we do a lot) about the weather and all our nicely dried out gear being soaked again. Afterwards, I told Richard at that point I was on the verge of saying ‘come on let's get going home’ and he told me he was waiting for me to do so! But all the gear was soaked and I didn't fancy travelling through Bristol in rush hour.
We sat it out and packed as much gear away as we could, putting most of it in the car ready for a quick getaway with just a net, the unhooking mat, and rods still out. Darkness arrived and, although I have caught plenty last knockings on other waters, we had never had a run this late at Chew. We were now in the last chance saloon. The drop off alarm sounded on my left rod at around 4.40pm and, as I wandered down to check it, Richard was taking his net down.
‘Just hold on with that net mate,’ I commented as I picked the rod up to feel for the inevitable trout. No line was coming off so I tightened down and felt the line. Tell tale knockings told me something was playing with the bait. It then started to move away with the bait and, unlike the trout, the run was very positive and moving at speed.
‘I think it's a pike Richard,’ I said as I closed the bail arm and waited for the line to tighten.
A firm strike met with some resistance but at no point during what could only be described as an unspectacular fight did I suspect what I was attached to. Richard enquired as to whether it was another trout and I assured him it was a pike but I couldn't really tell the size. It kited in to the left and on reaching shallower water, turned and charged to the right. It did move a fair amount of water at this point as it waddled along the surface and it felt as if it was growing in size as I played it. The gillie steadied himself with the net and, as it appeared in his torch light, announced that it may be a bit bigger than he thought and possibly a 20. I lead it towards the waiting mesh, it turned and took some line, but back she came and safely netted at the first attempt.
On peering into the landing net Richard announced it as 20 plus, then looked a bit more and said ‘I think you have a 30’.
I waded forward and took a quick look and said ‘Richard, that's closer to 40lb, just look at the depth and width of it!’
We unclipped the trace and I waited with it in the water while he readied the weighing gear. Onto the unhooking mat, the unhooking quickly done and we popped it onto the scales. We struggled to keep the scales steady but it was obvious it was enormous. I grabbed the landing net pole and we steadied the Reuben's. We settled on 39lb 8oz, she was maybe a fraction more but that will do for me.
I'm not one for extended photography sessions and my first priority is always the safety of the fish. Richard is good with a camera but I have never found anything so difficult to hold. It was a nice problem to have though and I am more than happy with the results, despite my face in most of the pictures!
We headed home and the next day I attended my mum’s funeral. It was certainly an up and down week emotionally. I honestly believe she was with me and even before I went down I thought that I'd like to catch one for her. I think she was watching the Chew roulette wheel spin and may just have put the ball on my number when no one was watching. It will always mean more to me because of the circumstances surrounding the capture and it will always remind me of Thelma Mary Flint.
Cheers Mum xxx
