PETER Standing was victorious when Harwich Angling Club held their Bob Page Pike Trophy match on the C section of Dock River.

On a windy, chilly yet bright, cloudy day, the river had good colour and everyone was hopeful of catches.

The signs looked good, as pike had been reported during recent pleasure trips from club members and day-ticket anglers.

This was a four-hour club match, along the river between pegs C1 to C49.

Anglers knew that choosing their method to fish with either dead baits, a spoon, a jelly, a lure or a plug would be an important factor.

When the whistle blew to end the match and the results came in, it proved a difficult contest.

Just one competitor caught and landed pike, while two others had pike takes but failed to land them.

All the other anglers failed to interest any.

Standing, fishing along the straight at a middle section C peg, got his tactics just right and had the best rewards, winning the match quite convincingly.

Alternating between using a dead bait and a lure in his swim, it wasn’t long before he had an enquirer and landed a 3lb 8oz pike.

During the rest of the match, Standing had three more takes, landing two more pike – one of 4lb 0oz and one of 5lb 4oz.

He also lost one at the net of a similar size.

All his pike were in very good condition and returned safely straight back into the river.

The Valentines match is the next club competition, on Sunday, February 15.

It will be held on the B pegs section of Dock River.

All fish count and hopefully members will put some fish in their nets before the close season for rivers starts from mid-March to mid-June.