Pike fishing

[Bobba]

On 28/06/2021 at 09:41, Centrepin said:

Also a reason for the decline in numbers of Pike are those that take them to eat.

Gosh, memory lane. From aged 15-21 (now 78) I fished regularly with my Father and on occasions would take a pike for my grandfather to eat. He loved them. Indeed, the then rod licence used to specify what fish you could take and size by specie.

Long out of coarse fishing I somehow presumed that those days had gone. But, if I am reading things correctly, I was surprised to read that anglers are still allowed to take fish from the rivers. “Freshwater Rod Fishing Rules”  on Gov.co.uk website state that on  a daily basis anglers may take 1 pike (up to 65 cms), 2 Grayling (30-38 cms), 15 small fish (up to 20 cms). Eels must be released alive. Perhaps, to preserve stocks,  it should now be the case that all fish should be released alive.

[Yellow Bear]

1 hour ago, Bobba said:

Gosh, memory lane. From aged 15-21 (now 78) I fished regularly with my Father and on occasions would take a pike for my grandfather to eat. He loved them. Indeed, the then rod licence used to specify what fish you could take and size by specie.

Similarly, in fact on some club waters it was a rule that pike, of any size, were not to be returned to the water.

[Centrepin]

1 hour ago, Bobba said:

Gosh, memory lane. From aged 15-21 (now 78) I fished regularly with my Father and on occasions would take a pike for my grandfather to eat. He loved them. Indeed, the then rod licence used to specify what fish you could take and size by specie.

Long out of coarse fishing I somehow presumed that those days had gone. But, if I am reading things correctly, I was surprised to read that anglers are still allowed to take fish from the rivers. “Freshwater Rod Fishing Rules”  on Gov.co.uk website state that on  a daily basis anglers may take 1 pike (up to 65 cms), 2 Grayling (30-38 cms), 15 small fish (up to 20 cms). Eels must be released alive. Perhaps, to preserve stocks,  it should now be the case that all fish should be released alive.

I wouldn't begrudge anyone a feel meal if they couldn't afford food but to knowingly steal fish is another matter. Its my understanding that "most" coarse fish taste very earthy or as I think Jack Hargreaves once said, like eating a mouth full of cotton wool with pins in it. 

33 minutes ago, Yellow Bear said:

Similarly, in fact on some club waters it was a rule that pike, of any size, were not to be returned to the water.

It still is on some waters. A short sighted view as all waters need predators to remove dead, dying, and keep the water from becoming full of stunted poor quality fish. 

Some years ago fishing a guest ticket on a works pond I returned a 14lb Pike caught on a ledgered  lobworm. The onlookers were stunned and I was asked to leave, quite forcefully. I was then issued with a life ban by the works club committe. If they had no where for it to go, and no facilities to keep it alive then I saw no good reason to kill a perfectly healthy fish.

[Yellow Bear]

1 hour ago, Centrepin said:

A short sighted view as all waters need predators to remove dead, dying, and keep the water from becoming full of stunted poor quality fish.

Not necessarily so, on one water (a gravel pit) if you float fished with maggot or worm you would get say 3 little jacks and twice the  number of small perch to every other species.  There were a few good fish to be had but due to previous non fishing use small predators were in fact the main food source  for the larger as very little else survived the small stages and it was too deep to electro fish.  Got to say that small (150mm) jack pike made great bait for larger ones and live baiting was still legal then.

 

[henry d]

On 28/06/2021 at 09:41, Centrepin said:

Also a reason for the decline in numbers of Pike are those that take them to eat.

Apparently in Eastern Europe, much like Carp they are regularly eaten. Much like Chicken to us.

Not racially posted, just a simple fact of life.

Check out Mr Crabtree then as he, along with many others, did the same.

[BinaryB]

On 24/06/2021 at 20:24, Pangolin said:

 

Really enjoyed watching that. Great find thanks for posting. 

[chrisjpainter]

How did you get on @walshie? We've not heard a report...I'm hoping you weren't eaten by your catch?

[walshie]

2 hours ago, chrisjpainter said:

How did you get on @walshie? We've not heard a report...I'm hoping you weren't eaten by your catch?

Haven't been yet. Had quite a bit of stuff on my plate recently. 👍

[Dougy]

I remember back in the late 80s fishing in Ireland there would be refrigerated vans being filled with Pike going back to Germany, they said the money they got for the pike paid for the trip. 

One of the biggest i hooked and saw, but didn't manage to bank was from the Shannon just north of Lock Allen, i had put a floating dead bait out and sat in the chair and waited. I think that 8 pints of the black stuff the night before had somehow affected my sleep pattern because i nodded off. I was woke by an almighty splash, something that i can only describe as a breeze block being thrown into the river and my rod flying out of the rest and just managing to grab it. My fishing buddies ran over thinking id fell in, there was a few choice words as we all watched this monster from the deep tail walk and threw the hook and was away. 

Talk about adrenalin rush, it was a shame we didn't see it in the net, but at least i can say hand on heart it was the biggest one I've ever hooked. 

[Houseplant]

I used to love pike fishing in the UK. Towards the end of my time there, I just fished small rivers with one rod and travelled light. Got more enjoyment out of that than replicating the carp fisherman's approach of two/three rods on a rod pod with alarms, but each to their own. I was mainly lure fishing, but when using small baits under a float, I employed a single 1/0 to 3/0 circle hook and had good results. 

[Houseplant]

A couple from the archives. Float paternostered deadbaits on a 3/0 circle hook fished below a weirpool. 

 

[Konnie]

Isn't bottom pic of a zander.

[Houseplant]

53 minutes ago, Konnie said:

Isn't bottom pic of a zander.

Yes!

[oldypigeonpopper]

Hello, have you been out piking yet ?

On 15/07/2021 at 19:04, Dougy said:

I remember back in the late 80s fishing in Ireland there would be refrigerated vans being filled with Pike going back to Germany, they said the money they got for the pike paid for the trip. 

One of the biggest i hooked and saw, but didn't manage to bank was from the Shannon just north of Lock Allen, i had put a floating dead bait out and sat in the chair and waited. I think that 8 pints of the black stuff the night before had somehow affected my sleep pattern because i nodded off. I was woke by an almighty splash, something that i can only describe as a breeze block being thrown into the river and my rod flying out of the rest and just managing to grab it. My fishing buddies ran over thinking id fell in, there was a few choice words as we all watched this monster from the deep tail walk and threw the hook and was away. 

Talk about adrenalin rush, it was a shame we didn't see it in the net, but at least i can say hand on heart it was the biggest one I've ever hooked. 

Hello, I was out in Southern Ireland at that time trout fishing and heard much about the wholesale slaughter of pike, not so much different in UK now but more so carp and course fish,