Lamprey for pike

[StuMac]

At certauin times of the year (spring) there used to be literally thousands of lampreys in the River Wear at Durham during the early eighties. Every depression on the river bed would have great knots of about 50 all strugling to spawn, almost every bolder would 2 or 3 hanging on by their suckers and they'd be all over gravel runs. I'd often see one or two attached to my waders when fly fishing.

 

Interesting animals but definately weird things!!They were all about a foot long and seemed to die after spawing. They'd be around for a week or two and then gone. Don't know if they still appear in the same numbers, but anyone with a landing net could have collected enough for a years pike fishing in about 5 mins back then!

[BIGMAN]

Well iv'e finally found out!!!

the wife's a ruddy lamprey.

[corydoras]

'Orrible, disgusting looking things, and considered a real pest, vermin even in some parts of the world. Click on these links if you want a quick butcher's

 

http://www.psmfc.org/habitat/ images/lamprey.jpg

 

http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/world/ images/lamprey.jpg

 

http://www.protectyourwaters.net/hitchhikers/ fish_sea_lamprey.php

[corydoras]

'Orrible, disgusting looking things, and considered a real pest, vermin even in some parts of the world. Click on these links if you want a quick butcher's

 

http://www.psmfc.org/habitat/images/lamprey.jpg

 

http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/world/images/lamprey.jpg

 

http://www.protectyourwaters.net/hitchhike...sea_lamprey.php

 

Sorry, cocked up the links last post.

[peter mccue]

Koi,

 

most of the river Lampreys I've seen have been small, usually less than 10" long & not very thick in the body.

 

The ones used for Pike fishing are I think sea Lampreys.

[dave e]

I regularly use lamprey as pike bait, one day taking 6 pike on one section of lamprey, I am a bit of a tight wad, try to get the most out of a bait, and they are not cheap.

The skin is a bit tough, rather like an eel, so I take a frozen one, slit it up the belly, and holding it in a cloth, gripping the skin with another cloth, skin it, which usualy come off in pieces, but the advantage is the hooks come out easy on the strike, and the bait held on the line by the loop of nylon line method.

A great bait, even if they look peculiar,

dave e

[The Diamond Geezer]

Eel & lamprey are the biz for pike, no question

Smelt are probably my third choice

DG