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Suffolk Stour Pike Fishing


Badger100

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Hello All, and a happy new year to all. I am trying to get back in to my winter pike fishing. I would like to try my local River Stour. Does anybody know if good pike are still caught here. Everyone I talk to say their are no good pike left as they have all been illegally taken. I hope this is not true, and there is still a chance of taking a good double now and again. I only fish a few sessions during the winter, and being retired do not want to pay £100 plus for the privilege. Are there any free stretches where I can fish. I have looked at a few club websites, and cannot find any clubs controlling the Dedham to Flatford section. Unless anyone can tell me otherwise. I do not want to poach. Are there any other free stretches where I might put a deadbait ?. Any help/advice would be much appreciated.

 

Rayman

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I can't comment on the Suffolk Stour, but the pike population on the Middle Severn has been decimated due to illegal poaching. Sadly, nobody seems prepared to do anything about it or prosecute those involved so long as it's mainly the predators that are being taken for the pot.

Species caught in 2020: Barbel. European Eel. Bleak. Perch. Pike.

Species caught in 2019: Pike. Bream. Tench. Chub. Common Carp. European Eel. Barbel. Bleak. Dace.

Species caught in 2018: Perch. Bream. Rainbow Trout. Brown Trout. Chub. Roach. Carp. European Eel.

Species caught in 2017: Siamese carp. Striped catfish. Rohu. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Black Minnow Shark. Perch. Chub. Brown Trout. Pike. Bream. Roach. Rudd. Bleak. Common Carp.

Species caught in 2016: Siamese carp. Jullien's golden carp. Striped catfish. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Alligator gar. Rohu. Black Minnow Shark. Roach, Bream, Perch, Ballan Wrasse. Rudd. Common Carp. Pike. Zander. Chub. Bleak.

Species caught in 2015: Brown Trout. Roach. Bream. Terrapin. Eel. Barbel. Pike. Chub.

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My B-i-l lives in Ipswich and he's said in the past they've had a lot of problems with fish being removed.

 

Not just Pike pretty much anything with fins.

 

It's not very far from there to Dedham/Flatford.

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I take many of the 'I've seen EEs take loads of big pike' stories, with a pinch of salt.

 

The river Aire in Leeds now contains fish, and has done for a number of years. Prior to this it was like an open sewer in Leeds centre. About 10 years ago, I heard a report of fish being taken from the river, and asked a guy who regularly fished it, if he'd heard the same thing. Now bear in mind that this guy had been fishing for at least 20 years to my knowledge, so I would assume he was pretty clued up on angling in general. He said that he had not only heard it, but witnessed it. A Transit van piled up with mainly pike, up to 40lb​! He estimated that there was in the region of 300 lb of fish in the van. When I asked if he'd reported it, I got the usual, 'No point mate, they won't do anything'. Now I know the stretch in question pretty well myself, and for there to have been around 200lb of pike in that short stretch, would take some believing, but for there to be any remotely approaching 40lb, well, that's deep into the realms of fantasy!

I did some investigating into another story about large numbers of fish being taken from a stretch of the Leeds& Liverpool canal on the outskirts of Leeds. When the story reached me, and the couple of friends who were also looking into it, it mentioned several large pike and perch. After asking around, we finally found someone who was there, it was the father of one of the young lads who had threatened the Polish guy involved. The 'several large pike' was in fact One 4lber, and the 'several large perch' were both just on the size limit, and legal. The father of the lad had told his son to get home and not be so stupid, but it didn't stop the 'Chinese whispers from spreading the exaggerated story.

I'm not saying that it doesn't happen, but I believe that many of the stories at exaggerated, either through malice, or just through some anglers stereotypical inclination to exaggerate.

I need more than just word of mouth, or I have to know the source very well, before I make a judgement on any cases I hear about.

 

John.

Angling is more than just catching fish, if it wasn't it would just be called 'catching'......... John

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I work in Leeds & go over the river bridge everyday to the bus station. I knew and worked with a guy who fished it almost every Friday afternoon. He never mentioned any problems with taking fish, & anyway - the fish are there but it rarely fishes all that well, which suggests the population of prey fish species are almost certainly not sufficient to support or grow Pike of 40 Lb or anywhere near to that.

Fishin' - "Best Fun Ya' can 'ave wi' Ya' Clothes On"!!

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I work in Leeds & go over the river bridge everyday to the bus station. I knew and worked with a guy who fished it almost every Friday afternoon. He never mentioned any problems with taking fish, & anyway - the fish are there but it rarely fishes all that well, which suggests the population of prey fish species are almost certainly not sufficient to support or grow Pike of 40 Lb or anywhere near to that.

 

When you catch it right, it can fish pretty well Martin. I've had several mixed bags of around 20lb, with roach, bream, rudd, gudgeon, perch, chub, and of course the usual bloody carp! I've seen a quite few pike in there, but only a couple that might just have made double figures.

It'd harder to fish the swims I used to, because of the building developments on there. Above and below Crownpoint Bridge, (the one you probably go over), used to be good, as did the dock next to the Armouries. I suppose the fish are still there, but getting access is much more difficult now. They are building the new flood defences as well, so what the fishing will be like when they've done, is anyones guess.

 

John.

Edited by gozzer

Angling is more than just catching fish, if it wasn't it would just be called 'catching'......... John

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Generally bad anglers blame others for not catching!

If johny foreigner can empty a river overnight using 6ft rods and £3 reels we should be learning from them!

Otters ,then mink ,then cormerants now 'eastern europeans' theres always an excuse for a blank day

 

I am sure if it happens concerned anglers could deal out enough pain to dissuade return visits and on club stretches wheres the bailiffs?

 

Most i have met bailiffing have been very nice ,proplem with some but only the language barrier .a chap called Luc even did some vids on stockbridge (pond not place) ,theres good and bad in all ,your eastern europeans could be brits ,germans,moslems ,jews or christians poaching fish to sell now someone other than jews buy the things ,the trade will have jumped up a great deal now we seem to be the place to be in

 

Then ofcourse theres greed ,some sellers of fish by day could be putting them in for money then netting them out at night for more!

 

If fishings down i would look to the water not those above it ,cleaning sewerage today is little more than removing the lumps the chemicals within it are never removed !

 

A simple law (simple enough for everyone so no excuses ) would be "any water entering another water system must be cleaner than the system its entering" and clean would mean chemicals as well as solids ,no chemicals except Hydrogen and two Oxygens !

Edited by chesters1

Believe NOTHING anyones says or writes unless you witness it yourself and even then your eyes can deceive you

None of this "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" crap it just means i have at least two enemies!

 

There is only one opinion i listen to ,its mine and its ALWAYS right even when its wrong

 

Its far easier to curse the darkness than light one candle

 

Mathew 4:19

Grangers law : anything i say will  turn out the opposite or not happen at all!

Life insurance? you wont enjoy a penny!

"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical." Thomas Jefferson

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