Monday, November 12, 2007

I'm only half a pound behind my dad now

Dick Culpin reached the ripe old age of 40 before he caught his first 20lbs pike.

His son Jack's just managed it in style at the age of 13, with this cracking 28lbs Menteith monster.

Father and son made the 400-mile trip from their home in Cambridgeshire to fish Saturday's PAC event on the Lake of Dreams.

Jack had already upped his lure-caught PB to 14lbs, when something twice the size took a shine to his mackerel deadbait.

"It fought like stink, my arms were aching," he said. "I was fighting it for nearly 15 minutes, I just couldn't get its head up.

"I kept getting the float up out of the water but it just kept diving - it was an amazing pike."

The Culpins have a bit of a thing for Menteith. Dad Dick caught his PB of 28lbs 8oz on the lake in March. "I'm catching my old man up now," said Jack, whose pevious PB was 16lbs 4oz.

Dick said: "It took me years to catch my first twenty, I was 40 before I managed it."

A thirty, 16 other twenties, more than 40 doubles and around 150 single-figure fish were caught during Saturday's PAC event.

Places have already been drawn for a return visit in March. But the club has a growing callender of events on waters stretching from Surrey to Scotland between now and the end of the season.

Two thirties, topped by a 39lbs 8oz pike, along with almost 40 other 20lbs-plus pike have been caught on PAC events in 2007. Any member can apply to fish them.

For more information, click here.