Sad to report but the five days I spent in Ireland recently, being filmed in pursuit of a monster pike, were not a blazing success. There were compensations. Steve Fox from Bristol, my boat partner, was a delight to fish with. It was also enjoyable to meet up with old friends, Mark Corps from the Irish Fishery Board, and Terry Jackson, the renowned Irish specimen hunter, who, along with Marcus Muller, a pike fly-fishing guide from Germany, joined us at the start of the trip.

We all caught fish but in a tally of more than 70 pike, only a couple crept in to double figures. It felt as if my calendar was running fast. The weed growth and bird life were at least two weeks behind schedule. The first two days were blisteringly hot followed by an instant return to winter. The ‘Secret Lough’ had warmed a little after the long harsh winter but hadn’t reached a high enough temperature to kick start the big, female pikes’ metabolisms. Whether we were just handicapped by the conditions or there has been a fundamental change in the pike population, only time will tell.

I have fished the lough for several years and will visit it again soon to keep tabs on developments.

Back in Blighty, I refocused my attentions on Chew. The results were consistently good without being startling. My guiding clients and I caught lots of good, double figure fish. Jonathan Simmons (who was pictured in a recent issue of the magazine with a 13lb brownie) had his biggest ever pike at 19lb and David Edis had his largest at 17lb. I managed a 20lb-er which obligingly hit my fly during a filming session. I also had a 22lber with David Edis which was part of a splendid haul including pike of 16lb, 17lb and 18lb.

I was disappointed not to land a real heavyweight to compare with last year’s results. That said, to land 46 doubles and a couple of twenties in a few days’ fishing meant that it have been somewhat churlish of me to complain.

The most productive fly was a substantial 9in three-dimensional streamer, tied to suggest a stockie rainbow.

My last fish, the 22lb pike, took rather too long to revive. High water temperatures, combined with low oxygen levels, mean that I will put my local pike fishing efforts on hold for a while.

I am studying the tide tables and will be off in pursuit of silvery, jet propelled bass for the next couple of weeks. Rather than just fishing marks where I have been successful in the past, I will be exploring new places.

I’ll keep you posted.