With some 35 years fishing experience under my belt I'm not noob to the sport but I haven't been Pike fishing for the last 30 so I'm after some reassurance when it comes to dates that I can go-a-Piking lol


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Edit Note:
I modified your title a tiny bit. I suspect it was unintentional but it did contain an insult.
pedunkle is a pejorative slang term used in the United Kingdom. The term, a contraction of the word "turnpike", was originally used to denote Irish Travellers, but in recent years the definition has become looser and is sometimes used to refer to a wide section of the (generally urban) underclass of the country, particularly those on whom the lower middle classes look down. ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/pedunkle

Newt

[ 04. October 2005, 10:27 PM: Message edited by: Newt ]

usually oct 1st is the most common but you can pikefish all year round .
our club says oct ist is the official time for using fish baits whether live or dead.
Farnham AS also has a mandatory pike handling course where handling and unhooking methods are demonstrated ,your pike gear is inspected and without the red stamp in your permit showing youve attended one you cannot fish for pike ,a good thing that should be used in all clubs

maybe your club has a different set of byelaws.
lots of things have changed for the best regarding pike over the last 30 years and customs have finally come round to the fact that pike are one of the most coverted fish and easily mistreated not the cat food of days gone by and treated as such so get an unhooking mat and large landing net and treat it like a baby err not that i put babies on unhooking mats etc i find shallow graves in the woods covered in leaves far better for them

[ 04. October 2005, 08:40 PM: Message edited by: chesters1 ]

october the 1st is the recommended start of the official pike season, or atleast for bait fishing, i never put a deadbait in the water until this date. however pike can be targeted for the full season using lures if you fancy a change from the usual summer species.

Officially, in many parts of the country, the pike season is June 16th to March 14th. On some private waters it is 365 days of the year. Traditionally it's October 1st to March 14th.

Click on http://www.pacgb.com for good advice.

There's no official season anymore. You can fish for em whenever you like. Even during the old close season..... i.e while they're spawning!

At least you can in the Anglian region, but I think it's a countrywide thing.

I started a week earlier than normal this year (Sept 24th) as I was offered a day out on a boat in Peter W's back garden.....

'Officially, in many parts of the country, the pike season is June 16th to March 14th.'

Is it Peter? Didn't realise that.

'Fraid so, Slodger, 'fraid so.

Not a bad thing if so Peter.

You never said!! That was quite a good week-end, in the end. You weren't float trolling were you?

Certainly on the Broads, and, I believe, on all tidal waters in England.