Pike attack

My dad and I caught this beautiful pike last November in a small river near us.
It was a really cold, windy and rainy day. We had to wrap up in lots of layers and wore out best rain gear but the rain got through and before too long we were soaked.

But we were determined to catch a pike that day, and so we powered on.
My dad had given me a very special pike bait by Savage Gear. It looked just like a perch and I wanted to try it out.

So I fished and fished for what seemed like a very long time. No bite.
Then we moved a good bit higher up the river because we figured by now that there was no pike hanging out here.

The whole river is full of weeds at this time of year but once a year they cut the weeds from a boat with a suspended blade. The weeds had just been cut but there were still plenty which is great for the pike because they love hanging out in the weeds.

Just after we changed spots I saw a fish jumping. I cast to where that fish was. Nothing happened.
But, with the next cast it happened. My special bait was attacked. The rod was bending down hard. Almost immediately, the fish started jumping. I felt so excited, but I was afraid I would lose him. He was fighting really hard.  It was tough to hold on to the rod.

Thankfully after a while he got stuck in weeds. Dad brought him in using his chest waders, while I held on to the rod which was really difficult to do. He was just under the size limit of 50 cm.

After gutting the fish, my dad marinates pike in a mix of lemon juice, salt and olive oil, and after a couple of hours in the fridge he barbecues it. My mum says, pike done in this way is better than salmon or trout. I disagree, but I do enjoy barbecued pike.