Do Pike eat crayfish?

[Peter M]

I was wondering about how people say that the improved growth in perch chub and barbel are down to them eating signal crayfish in our rivers. If this is true do Pike eat them also and if they do why haven’t the average growth rates of pike also gone up?

[Newt]

Pike do eat crayfish. Think highly of them in fact.

 

Try fishing a large soft plastic that resembles a signal and maybe some cray scented oil on it.

 

And while I would never suggest that any UK pike angler use a signal with claws removed and attached to a hook via rubber band around the thorax and the hook, I strongly suspect any who did would get some action. Shame it's not allowed.

 

Might not suit though since you are almost equally likely to get a screaming run from a large carp with that rig. I've never had a tentative take on it from any species.

 

Can't help you with the growth/no growth part.

 

[ 14. October 2003, 08:05 PM: Message edited by: Newt ]

[Dick Dastardly]

Never seen any evidence of it myself.Then again only three of the waters that I Pike fish have Ronnies and Reggies in.The Catfish in the Saonne certainly eat them.Terrible smell when they regurgitate a load of them when you unhook them.

[Ed Matysiak]

I think a pike will take anyhting mouthfull size that moves quickly along the bottom. Im sure they will eat crayfish. On the other hand, the chub, barbel and perch in my part of the Wye are bigger than ever and there is no crayfish in there. I think its the weather.

 

[ 14. October 2003, 08:46 PM: Message edited by: Koi Carp ]

[argyll]

Yes they certainly eat them on the Thames. Ive had jacks regurgitate bits of them on several occasions. I would not agree that average pike sizes are dropping, on the contrary I believe them to be rising. I would agree that in certain locations due to pressure they are disappearing but thats a different argument.

[Dick Dastardly]

I would put my money on Eddies theory about the weather being more of a contributing factor.

[argyll]

How does the weather directly contribute to an increase in the size of a species? Surely the major contributing factor to the size of a species is the amount of available food in the water and the competition for that food whether that be crayfish, baitfish, insect-life or vegetation. The last two years have seen quite phenominal amounts of fry, baitfish, plague proportions of crayfish, increased numbers of insects reported from just about everywhere from the Scottish lochs to southern rivers and everywhere in between. That might account for the growth of the predatory species in the Wye as well as the Thames, Norfolk Broads and some of the waters that I fish in Suffolk. I dont fish for barbel but might it be safe to assume that the same favourable conditions that have contributed to the explosion of fish life might also promote the growth of insect life , vegetation and other natural foods that other species such as barbel will thrive on. The weather(were that the only factor), and certainly the hot summer that we've just experienced, must have a debilitating effect on fish growth. High water temperatures usually means low oxygen levels and fish are less apt to feed. Pike fishing from the beginning of the season has been particularly poor.It probably balances out over the year and the baitfish are still around in large numbers and the vegitation is taking longer to die down which leave plenty of food in the water for most species to catch up on.

[Dick Dastardly]

"How does the weather directly contribute to an increase in the size of a species? Surely the major contributing factor to the size of a species is the amount of available food in the water and the competition for that food whether that be crayfish, baitfish, insect-life or vegetation"

Youve answered your question in the same paragraph that you asked it.Most of the food forms you describe are very dependant on light to reproduce and thrive.Too say that greater volumes of food are responsible for the higher average weights is an obvious statement.It is surely why is there more food that is the question? DO levels in water are affected by a lot of things temperature being only one.Has this increase in size been gradual over the last 30 years or so or has there been any sudden spurt?Blowed if I can tell.Think it should be looked into though.I have looked a lot into Pike weights and dont think there has been any change there.(I dont include weights from newly available Trout Res's) Nor eels, Roach,Rudd,Grayling,Dace(?)etc.But Bream,Tench,Barbell and Perch in both running and still waters definately.I know the Ouse,s growth rates have been put down to Crays but most of the still waters aint got any.Are modern chemicals that strong that they can affect even land locked waters once they get into the water system?

[argyll]

Of course it was obvious Budgie, it just needed someone to say it. Merely blaming it on the weather would have no doubt left a number of less experienced anglers scratching their heads trying to make the connection. With regard to pike weights, certainly over the last two years (with the exception of the first four months of the 2003 season) on the waters that I mentioned (cant speak for the Wye)the average size if not the numbers have quite definitely risen. The same sems to be happening for those anglers who regularly fish the northen waters and report on th forums. Less fish, but bigger. I leave waters like Chew and Blithfield out of the equation, they are recent phenomenons.

[Dick Dastardly]

Ah point taken.Have you noticed any differences in the other species I have mentioned? In the South I would tend to say that the average size of Pike has fallen if anything over the last couple of decades.I would also guess that they are fished for less than they were back then.This should have helped?