THE fishing gods were certainly smiling down on James Moore as he celebrated his birthday with his first ever pike fishing session and banked a huge brace of specimens tipping the scales at 28lb 7oz and 27lb 12oz.
James (25), from Waltham Abbey in Essex, visited a local gravel pit with his friend Adam Raby and, after spending a few fruitless hours fishing with spinners, decided to move to the other side of the lake and try floatfishing smelt deadbaits.
The decision paid dividends, and within an hour James had banked both fish - believed to be the two biggest in the lake - with the help of 15lb mainline.
“I love carp fishing, but this session was something else and I’ve already booked some more holiday to have another go,” James told Angling Times.
“Adam was really pleased for me, but he was also gutted because I just turned up and caught the lake’s two biggest fish”