Summer Piking

[The Flying Tench]

I've found this a very helpful thread. I'm an occasional pike angler, but most of the pike I've caught have been small (4-7lbs) in an oxygenated river in the summer, and I've never had any problems. But I caught a 14 pounder a few weeks ago in a kind of mill pool. I got him in quite quickly on strong line, and he was out of the water a very short time. I lowered him back in down a steep bank in a landing net, but was puzzled that he couldn't get his balance for ages. He just lay on his side floating for about 10 minutes, then eventually swam off, and someone saw him a few days later and he was fine, thankfully.

 

But was it OK to let him lie on his side? It would be difficult to support him in the water for long if one didn't have waders on - though I suppose I'd get wet if i had to!

[Russell Fitzpatrick]

john,dont take offence mate but i get wet a fair bit making sure they go back properly,mainly with barbel i end up getting wet!always try to support them,could you not have moved a little downstream to release her(yes her males rarely go over 10>lady esox! aka jill).

[Leon Roskilly]

johnclarke:

But was it OK to let him lie on his side? It would be difficult to support him in the water for long if one didn't have waders on - though I suppose I'd get wet if i had to!

The gills are the organs that transfer any oxygen in the water to a fish's bloodstream.

 

To recover, a fish needs to have water moving over their gills.

 

Fish really need to be supported upright and facing into the current until they can swim off strongly under their own power.

 

In still water, or a weak flow, gently moving the fish backwards and forwards can help to move water over their gills.

 

One of the worst things you can do is to allow an unrecovered fish to swim off weakly to die on the top some distance out, or disappear into a weed bed.

 

That can happen if the fish is not supported and held by you at the wrist of the tail, until it can really kick to go.

 

If a fish is taking a considerable time to recover, then in an emergency some anglers construct a 'cage', made by four banksticks in shallow water, which can help to keep the fish upright, or place it in a pike tube.

 

Personally I would stay with the fish for as long as it takes.

 

Getting wet can sometimes be the price of setting out to hook such a creature.

 

Though I'd caution against going into deep water to retrieve a fish released too early, and which becomes distressed some way out.

 

Tight Lines - leon

[Peter Waller]

Some years ago I developed an unhooking trough. Basically nothing more than a piece of water-mains pipe, discarded by the people installing new water mains, and cut along the middle so it resembled oversize guttering. It serves many purposes. One being a place to lay a pike on its back, so it is restricted and can't struggle, whilst I remove other folks rigs :mad: , secondly it can lay in the trough whilst recovering. I fish from a boat and the trough can be tied to the boat's side with the trough just beneath the surface, leaving the fish laying in it & facing the current. I do not want an athletic pike in a boat and the trough helps restrain a fish. It is absolutely smooth and when wet does not remove slime. It takes up far less room in a boat than an unhooking mat. It can be used as a paddle when the engine refuses to start!

 

I took the idea to fox. Even painted the prototype a suitable green! Mick Brown could see the sense in it but no one else at Fox could. So I left it at that but I have yet to find a better system in a boat for handling fish that need attention.

[The Flying Tench]

Thanks - all helpful stuff

[Dick Dastardly]

No John,thank you for caring enough to ask such questions.If more people bothered to get it right then there wouldnt be so much fuss made over issues like this.

 

It aint people like you who cause the most harm to pike but the people who either think they know (and sadly dont) or just dont care any way. :mad:

[The Flying Tench]

I've still got a question! When pike fishing now I'll make sure I have waders on so I can hold the fish as required. But I was grayling fishing today and there was a high bank with reeds and bank foliage and it would have been difficult to get down to the water. I caught a half pound fish and lowered him into the water in my landing net. To my surprise he lay upside down. I was puzzled 'cos it was oxygenated water; I'd wound him in straight away, and he hadn't been out of the water very long. Still, I moved him so he was facing upstream, but I didn't know if it was doing him any good as he was upside down. I (probably wrongly) gave him a prod and he swam away.

My question is: 'Is it absolutely vital that they are upright?' Won't the water flow across their gills even if they're the wrong way up? I realise, of course that they should be upright before they swim off. My problem today was that I wasn't sure if I was helping or hindering by holding him the wrong way up.

I guess there's a general question about grayling here, too. I instinctively feel that they are a bit sensitive to being handled - I don't know if I've heard that somewhere, or if it's just that you have to grip them rather firmly to get the hooks out. I know most people fish for them in winter, and I wonder if that's a wise policy for their general health?

[Russell Fitzpatrick]

john

 

i have heard that grayling are like barbel in a way,they fight hard for there size and need a little help recovering apparently apparently im no grayling fisherman tho!

 

always put em back upright mate all fish regardless of species,its how they breathe naturally isnt it,would you be happy if someone put you on ya head n left you there!joking aside upright is the way,carry the fish in a sling/net to an accessible bank it only takes a few minutes.