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Should I/we fish for pike full stop


Tony 1

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This may sound like I am trying to be controversial I am not it's just how I feel at this moment in time :( , First off I love pike fishing and have fished for them for some 32yrs I am also pro live baiting I love lure fishing, but I am starting to feel should I fish for pike at all. the main thrust of my post is we are all aware Pike are a very fragile creatures and don't fair to well from angling pressure at any time but more so during the summer months, also each year we have concerns raised of deep hooked pike, pike gassing up, multi rod use, live bait use, pike matches, my point is should there be a clear defined season for pike fishing say from October to March, I know this wont sit well with the summer lure angler, or should we have a total self imposed abstention out of respect and for the welfare of these magnificent fish, I know this is extreme but this is how I feel at this time, I am not trying to grab the moral high ground and be holier than thou , I will be the first to hold my hand up to the bad practice/handling of pike in my early days, and yes this may be playing into the antis hands, but yesterday I caught 19lb.8oz fish only to find the scissor of it's jaw had been ripped of at some stage of it's life it may not have been due to an angler but as I held that beautiful creature I couldn't help wonder if I was doing her any favours knowing how fragile she is:(

 

Sorry if this sound to down beat

Regards Tony.

 

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."

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Tony

 

I guess many of us have the same thoughts from time to time. Worse still, is to watch other anglers mis-handle pike and to have a strong word with them. Ignorance is a terrible thing. Many anglers mistakenly think that because pike look fierce, and are fierce to their prey, then that means that they are tough as old boots and can be handled accordingly ..WRONG!

 

Pike are delicate, but then again, so are all fish to one degree or another.

 

Provided you are a caring and careful angler, which you obviously are, all you can do is to try to educate and encourage others to fish the same way.

 

It seems to me that piking with a single rod, either sink'n'draw or lure fishing is a good way to avoid deep-hooking etc.

 

No, I'd say you, in particular, should fish for pike ..it's some of the others that shouldn't .. those with crap tackle, weak knots, rusty old hooks etc etc, and without decent nets, no unhooking mat, no long-nosed pliers, side-cutters or forceps etc etc

 

DG

 

[ 18. January 2004, 02:24 PM: Message edited by: The Diamond Geezer ]

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Hi

 

I am have just joined this Forum, but one thing that your posting always makes me think about.

 

I have learnt all my angling skills from my father, and friends. As I am sure a lot of people do. As I get older I get more oppotunity to read about angling etc and thats where I hear about bad technique.

 

Now I really do hope my technique is good, but unless people are willing to give constructive critisim, in an acceptable way. then how will I and others know what we are doing is wrong?

 

Maybe there is already places that offer us pleasure anglers, the oppotunity to brush up and improve our skills, but I have never heard of any.

 

In conclusion, Education Education and more Education is what we all need.

 

Thanks.

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Firstly welcome back D.G,welcome Steve.

Thanks for your words of encouragement,I agree you go through fazes, it's strange I am having one of my best seasons ever I think that may have something to do with it, as I said it just makes me wonder?

Regards Tony.

 

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."

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Guys,

the aspects stated in this initial post are not pike specific. It applies to carp with malformed mouths due to mis treatment or also scars from braid use. It applies to every small perch that gobbles the maggot right back. No species deserves and special consideration (unless extinction threatens) when thoughts like this occur it is a sign that perhaps an individual has fished all the rod days they initially had in them. The answer is to keep educating and improving angling and treat all species with the maximum care and respect. I trust we do not have any undercover anti's who can cut and paste this thread into some document or website.

 

When personal questions arise such as the one articulated here then decision is the anglers, i would anticipate and hope that question can only but anticipate but one response from this forum, so why ask it ! . Have the debate internally, make your decision, don't put anti ammo on a fishing web site.

 

Malcolm

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Mal on one hand it is a personal question on the other it's a question to all who fish for pike I/we, you have to admit pike are one of, if not the most fragile of fish, much is posted on here regarding pike welfare I am just asking the ultimate question, ok it's playing into the antis hands but the problems are there, others have posted regarding how many pike expire after capture isn't that playing into the antis hands any issue surrounding fish welfare will be playing into the anti's hands. whilst we should not under estimate this small minority you can start seeing them round every corner.bring on the look whats happening to fox hunting brigade, exactly they are having enough trouble securing a ban on that.

One final point there a few years in this rod yet

 

[ 18. January 2004, 08:21 PM: Message edited by: Tony C ]

Regards Tony.

 

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."

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What a depressing selection of posts! I feel sort of responsible for starting this debate, though not this particular thread, through earlier posts. I'd just like to say that the four pike I've caught this year are all, to my knowledge, still alive. None were deep-hooked, and my concern was that the small pike I caught kept re-hooking itself through having two treble hooks inside its mouth, and I could only unhook one at a time. I've since bought two new pairs of forceps, so that I can take the advice of leaving one clipped to the first treble, while I deal with the second, in the confined space of the pike's mouth. I'm not a novice, killing pike through ignorance, but an improving pike angler who wishes to further minimise the chances of harming such fine fish. I'd like to thank Pete and Budgie, in particular, for their insight and experience. Let's not have a downer on all pike-fishing, eh?

You meet all kinds of animal on the riverbank.

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Tony C:

.....should there be a clear defined season for pike fishing say from October to March, I know this wont sit well with the summer lure angler, or should we have a total self imposed abstention out of respect and for the welfare of these magnificent fish......

This is what I wrote in a piece in the articles section:

 

"Having said that, there may be a case for banning summer piking, not because the pike are out of condition but because they're then so fit they fight too hard! If the pike takes long to unhook when it's exhausted from a prolonged fight and when oxygen levels are low, it is somewhat less likely to survive. The solution is, of course, education in unhooking pike, but on some fisheries there may be a case for restricting summer piking to lures, which can quickly be removed in nearly every case. In any event, if you do fish for pike in summer, do make doubly sure you return any pike as quickly as possible with the minimum of photographs."

 

However I'd stress that I believe it's only on some waters that I think summer piking should be restricted.

 

In particular, I'd be totally against a national ban on bait fishing for pike in summer. I very much believe that the decision should be left to local fishery managers.

 

As to whether to decide to stop pike fishing, that's a decision that only you can make, Tony. Personally I think that's going way too far, and I agree with what DG posted.

 

At Wingham, I don't allow my members or guests to fish for pike at any time of the year, except by invitation. This is only given on the odd occasion and is very much a privelege.

 

Not only does this protect the pike themselves, but it also protects the predator/prey balance. If that gets out of kilter and there are too few pike, it'll have an adverse effect on the growth rates of the other species, and it's these I'm trying to maximise. Limited pike fishing allows me to monitor the condition of the pike and check all is well, as it currently is.

 

In other words, overfishing of pike, especially by uneducated pikers, can also have a knock-on effect on other species, and thus in turn the whole ecosystem.

Wingham Specimen Coarse & Carp Syndicates www.winghamfisheries.co.uk Beautiful, peaceful, little fished gravel pit syndicates in Kent with very big fish. 2017 Forum Fish-In Sat May 6 to Mon May 8. Articles http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/steveburke.htm Index of all my articles on Angler's Net

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Steve, an interesting post, it's nice to see a fishery owner with a realisation of the benefits of having a predatory balance.

as for me giving up piking I don't think it will really come to that, but I think it pays to reflect and be aware as you are as to the vulnerability of pike. I very rarely these days disclose any of my captures due to the fact the pressure which can be put on a small number of big fish.

Regards Tony.

 

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."

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