'60lb' Pike Found Dead !

[Peter Waller]

ajp:

It probably choked to death on a 6 lb Roach.      

Naaaaa, it was hooked on a dead sea-fish bait, a four pound cuckoo wrasse.

 

Roach don't run to quite that big on the Broads, not far off though.

 

Bream, thats why our pike are big, and have big heads, run to a good size, although not to the size of the nuisance fish that carp anglers so readily dispise!

 

[ 28. September 2002, 09:15 AM: Message edited by: Peter Waller ]

[Leon Roskilly]

Rob Ward:

Some people suggest that Pike fight too hard and exhaust themselves during summer and that summer weed growth also endangers the fish during the fight.

Added to which the oxygen levels are generally much lower when the weather is warm.

 

So the fish fights exceptionally hard, and it's ability to recover when returned to water with reduced oxygen content is compromised.

 

An experienced piker will use beefed up tackle, and ensure striking at the very first indication during the summer, so that the fish can be bullied in quickly. Quickly unhooked, and returned to the water even more quickly.

 

Many prefer to use lures during the summer, much, much less chance of deep hooking.

 

The problem comes about when someone fishing inadequate tackle wanders down the bank to chat with his mate, then gets a run.

 

In the winter they are more likely to get away with it. The fish isn't so exhausted, the water is well-oxygenated. A bit of extra stress time spent out of water whilst they fiddle about trying to sort out the deep hooking, is less likely to prove critical.

 

So, no reason why an experienced and caring pike angler should forgo the pleasure of battling a hard-fighting summer pike, espcially exciting when taken on a top water lure.

 

Except where I fish, there's plenty of kids and inexperienced adults who gather around when they see the bend in the rod.

 

Then not long after the pike floats, and lures are flying out

 

So, I now spend the summer mullet fishing instead, with just the occasional lure fishing expedition thrown in.

 

Tight Lines - leon

[Peter Waller]

Spot on Leon. Instead of mullet I go for bream and bass.

 

Meldrew time. I would also add that the fiddle- faddling around that accompanies the need for a photograph of even quite small pike can, and does, sometimes considerably extend the time that the pike is out of the water. Sometimes to the extent that the poor buggers are evolving with lungs, or so some people seem to think. There is an almost lemming like desire to take a pike out of the water during the summer and go through the pre-programmed ritual of photography and weighing. Why weigh every pike caught anyway? You can surely see that it is only small, or not very big or whatever. Blazing hot day, poor things go back in, gasping for breath and suffering from severe sun-stroke by the time some people have finished their antics. Try lure fishing rather than deadbaiting, it catches more in the summer anyway, the fish is most likely to be lip hooked when using lures. Use barbless, or squeezed barbs, roll the hooks out of the pike WHILST its in the water, off it goes, probably untouched by human hand. Whinge over, Meldrew head off.

[anglerusmaximus]

well said pete me old goose, pike deserve to be treated in a repectable manner, isnt that right everyone? :confused:

[Paul_D]

Before we go too far down this road let's remind ourselves of the original statement. We were advised not to FISH for Pike in the Summer. Now we seem to be backtracking somewhat from that don't we?....let's just be carefull with our, well intentioned, advice.

 

Nearly time to get the deadbaits out....Yes!!

[Peter Waller]

Whats the problem Tinca?

[Paul_D]

No problem Peter, don't mind me. Maybe I misinterpreted the original post but I read it as though it was not on to fish for Pike in the Summer although I guess he was trying to say no to deadbaits. Now I thought that Summer spinning was one of the fastest growth areas in the sport. I, for one, thoroughly enjoy a couple of hours with a lure rod after work on those balmy evenings. BTW did we ever get to the low oxygen level state? We didn't seem to get much of a hot Summer around here with lashings of rain oxygenating the waters nicely.

 

Tight lines.

[anglerusmaximus]

good choice of posts here ppl!

 

+ u chesters!!

[Sporting Jester]

I never knew any of this! I've never done Pike Fishing before, but for when i do i'll keep all this in mind. Cheers

[dreamer]

The problem with the Broads in the Summer is that there are thousands of pleasure boat anglers who have no idea regarding pike fishing and who leave unattended (and usually inadequate) tackle in the water for long periods of time. This is a problem that I'm sure is not confined to the Broads, but is one that is particularly accentuated because of the huge summer tourist industry there.

 

There is also no effective bailiffing which further aggrevates the problem. Last weekend, in a two hour boat trip around Wroxham I counted nine sets of unattended tackle (not people down the bank chatting; tackle in the water with the anglers in their bungalows or left over the back of boats).

 

This is why summer piking should be re-considered on the Broads. If something is not done to protect the fish from these idiots then with the ever growing tourist numbers the future of pike fishing on the Broads must be seriously in doubt.