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Should I/we fish for pike full stop


Tony 1

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Steve, your posting appears a little contradictary. You oppose a ban on summer pike fishing, yet don't allow pike fishing except at your discretion on your own water, for fear of harming pike stocks??

I trust I'm reading you wrong, Steve, and that your sympathy for pike stocks extends to all waters and not just your own?

Personally, I'd be very happy with a return to the old October 1-March 14 pike season. And a general June 16-March 14 season for other coarse fish.

And THAT would be a very positive thing to do, which I would imagine would again be seeing as putting our own house in order and be great ammunition against the antis.

The abolition of the close season on stillwaters, and the push to get it extended to rivers, is the work of those with a vested interest... those who make their living from fishing, whether they are in the tackle trade, sponsored by tackle firms, or in the angling media.

The vast majority of ordinary anglers would welcome a close season.

I'm a pike angler who predominantly fishes with lures, but I'd be very happy to wait until October 1 (like I used to when I was a kid).

Fenboy

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Interesting points made, particularly with respect to "education". Perhaps the PAC should be more proactive and get sponsorship from Fox, etc, to include brochures on basic pike rigs/striking/handling with all pike rigs, hooks, trace material, etc.

 

In France, all public waters have a predator (pike, perch and zander) ban from January 31st until middle of May. Perhaps the PAC should lobby fisheries, Clubs and associations with pike waters to consider similar. French angling organisations also have pike nurseries set aside to enable jacks to grow on with no fishing pressure.

 

 

Brian

Please help conserve the European Freshwater eel

- return all eels alive to the water.

- Join the European Eel Anglers Association

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Brian, I think the French do it because most of them still fish for the table. Which is why we had such a protective pike season (March 15-September 30 inclusive) in most regions of the UK until the 1970s.

But although we don't deliberately kill them any more, modern angling pressure means that a lot of pike are inadvertantly killed. So a return to an extended close season is desirable.

Voluntary restraint via clubs and fishery owners would be a start, but I'd like to see an overall national close season. I wonder if it's possible?

Perhaps a forward-thinking tackle company like Fox would make the right noises here. I get the impression they are rather more progressive than the old school of manufacturers (pile 'em high, sell 'em off and get rid of that bloody close season...).

Incidentally, Brian, and changing the subject ever so slightly, are eels even more vulnerable than pike? I can remember reading, or being told, that big eels are never caught twice. Is this because they die after capture, or because they're clever enough to elarn from the experience? I really do wish I knew more about eels.

Fenboy

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fenboy:

Incidentally, Brian, and changing the subject ever so slightly, are eels even more vulnerable than pike? I can remember reading, or being told, that big eels are never caught twice. Is this because they die after capture, or because they're clever enough to elarn from the experience? I really do wish I knew more about eels.

Yes they are, their vital organs are just behind the gills so any hook penetrating this area usually kills the eel. If you see blood coming out of an eel's gills. It will not survive and should be swiftly killed by cutting off the head.

 

Paradoxically, all very deep hooked eels survive, provided the hook has gone well past the vital organs. Both myself and John Sidley experienced deep hooked eels passing the hook out of their body at a later date (we both kept them in tanks or garden ponds). Therefore, if an eel is deep-hooked and no blood coming from the gills, just cut off the trace and return eel to the water.

 

It is a matter of fact that there is little evidence of repeat captures of eels. Three Gate Pit in Shropshire was one exception as illustrated in my book "Fishing For Big Eels".

 

I guess eels must be the most intelligent of our fish species.

 

The 11lb 2oz record eel, caught by a 16 year old carp angler, died shortly after capture. However, this may have been because of all the handling it suffered and the long time out of water on a warm day.

 

If you wish to spend the rest of your life reading about eels just put "freshwater+eels" into your search engine and you could have over 35000 responses!

 

Interesting AT had two pieces in last week about the eel facing extinction when 30 years ago they were publishing several articles by Dick Walker & Co. about all eels should be killed!

 

Brian

Please help conserve the European Freshwater eel

- return all eels alive to the water.

- Join the European Eel Anglers Association

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fenboy:

Steve, your posting appears a little contradictary. You oppose a ban on summer pike fishing, yet don't allow pike fishing except at your discretion on your own water, for fear of harming pike stocks??

I trust I'm reading you wrong, Steve, and that your sympathy for pike stocks extends to all waters and not just your own?

As I posted, I oppose a national ban on summer pike fishing. Instead, I believe it should be up to the local fishery manager. I choose at Wingham according to what I think is best for my own fishery. However, I don't presume to tell others how to run their own waters.

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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At the risk of upsetting very fishery owner in the land, Stve, I have to say that very few are as intelligent as yourself.

In the fact the "managers" ON MOST FISHERIES are either ill-informed club committe men or commercial owners who believe in piling in anything they can get their hands on, regardless of origin, as long as they are carp.

Should we really leave this sort of decision to plonkers of that calibre?

Fenboy

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Steve Burke:

Steve Burke:

Steve, your posting appears a little contradictary. You oppose a ban on summer pike fishing, yet don't allow pike fishing except at your discretion on your own water, for fear of harming pike stocks??

I trust I'm reading you wrong, Steve, and that your sympathy for pike stocks extends to all waters and not just your own?

As I posted, I oppose a national ban on summer pike fishing. Instead, I believe it should be up to the local fishery manager. I choose at Wingham according to what I think is best for my own fishery. However, I don't presume to tell others how to run their own waters.
What is so often forgotten is the poor old pike who lives in public waters with no local fishery manager.
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I agree that a close season is a good idea.But maybe that is because I was brought up with them.Once again the real issue is education.It will never happen unfortunately but I would love to see a Predator Licence which was issued only after a level of competence reached.

 

Brian, I can see the point you are trying to make but please dont mention French and predator conservation again in the same sentence! a bit like the Pope and condoms or myself and tact!

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

 

[ 18. January 2004, 10:51 PM: Message edited by: BUDGIE ]

And thats my "non indicative opinion"!

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Budgie, I've just disagreed with you strongly on another thread on this forum, but I totally agreewith you on this one.

 

I hate modern Britain where everything is becoming increasingly policed and regulated, but a predator competence licence is a cracking idea.

 

That's not an elitist sentiment. Who said I'd even pass the test? I'm just a simple country lad. But I'd be willing to take my chance.

 

As for the French, I won't knock them. Their culture is to slaughter wildlife, whether fish in the river or songbirds in the fields. It's their country, their choice.

 

Britain is my country and I feel I have a choice - a choice to get involved and make my opinions known. And my opinion is that many fishermen who hold a rod don't have the right to call themselves anglers.

 

This isn't a knock at beginners. Far from it. Most beginners just want to get it right. ANd if that means avoiding deep hooking, they'll be striking quicker than me. The last thing they want is the headache of working out how to unhook a deeply-hooked pike. Just talk to pike fishing newcomers - it's a subject they're scared of.

 

No, the problem is more experienced anglers who deliberately leave runs and don't care if the pike they catch are deeply-hooked. They'd rather that than risk catching one pike less.

 

If anyone reading this is offended, then I'm glad. Hopefully, I've offended you enough to persuade you to take up a pursuit other than pike fishing, because we need you like we need a hole in the head.

Fenboy

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BUDGIE:

I agree that a close season is a good idea.But maybe that is because I was brought up with them.Once again the real issue is education.It will never happen unfortunately but I would love to see a Predator Licence which was issued only after a level of competence reached.

 

Brian, I can see the point you are trying to make but please dont mention French and predator conservation again in the same sentence! a bit like the Pope and condoms or myself and tact!

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Actually Budgie, after living in France for 5 years, owning property there for 10 and reading lots of their publications and talking to lots of their anglers, it is my opinion that the French do far more for predator preservation than in the UK, even if most predators that are caught, are only caught once! At least they have a four month plus close season and are positive in protecting young predators to ensure future populations - just what is done in the UK?

 

The angling pressure for predators is far, far less in France. From first hand I know, as most times I went piking I had miles of river or large lakes all to myself. This is coupled with that in my opinion, predator fishing by the French in general leaves a lot to be desired in terms of tackle and techniques (a bit like mine). I also night fished many waters in Brittany for eels and never saw another angler.(could be my after shave!)

 

It is the total opposite in the UK. High numbers of predator anglers, easy access to lots of information on where and how to catch predators, numerous and varied predator clubs, lots of financial incentives to be successul in a predator culture where big is best, national weekly angling press giving information on where to catch the biggest/most predators, etc.

 

On the contrary, Budgie, predator conservation and angling in the UK is like black and white. Uk predator anglers are doing for predators what the swimbladder parasite is doing for the freshwater eel!

 

It is time the PAC, zander and perch anglers, etc., and all caring predator anglers took the initiative, become proactive, collaberate together to ensure all angling clubs, all fishery owners, anyone with a financial interest in predator fishing, including the tackle trade, take responsibility to ensure that facilities are available via posters, leaflets, brochures, instruction classes, etc., etc., etc., to educate, educate, educate everyone who wished to go fishing for predators. Clubs and predator fisheries should be presurised to introduce close seasons and introduce specific rules to ensure correct tackle and methods used.

 

You will never stop the abuse of predators such as deep-hooking, while there are financial and status incentives encouraging it, but at least we can try to go someway to minimising it in the long term, instead of casting in red herrings on these threads on predator angling.

 

Brian

Please help conserve the European Freshwater eel

- return all eels alive to the water.

- Join the European Eel Anglers Association

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