Chew does another monster

[JV44]

talk on the pikers pit of a $3lb fish from there today.....43lb this time of year as long as it makes it till spawning time that has gotta be close to the record....how does that water keep churning out monsters ?? Budgie/ anyone want to cooment steve

[Ken L]

Warm water + stockie trout = big pike.

[JV44]

Warm water + stockie trout = big pike.

ken I get that bit I meant over a long period it keeps turning out lumps with plenty of back up fish and yet many trooot waters peak early and are never the same when under pressure which Chew certainly is

Longetivity isn`t something you normally get with this sort of water for constant big girl sport and in that respect Chew seems to break the mould

[Dick Dastardly]

talk on the pikers pit of a $3lb fish from there today.....43lb this time of year as long as it makes it till spawning time that has gotta be close to the record....how does that water keep churning out monsters ?? Budgie/ anyone want to cooment steve

 

I honestly don't know Steve! Its the only Trout Res EVER that has not only kept producing after the first few seasons of trials BUT actually got better and thrown up bigger fish. For some reason Chews fish seem a lot hardier than other TR's.I (and many other TR Pike specialists have long believed that most of the TR pike we catch don't survive the experience. Now Chew Pike either do or just simply keep on coming up through the ranks! Not been that involved in the scene for many years now but would be interested to know the REAL predator management policy there and info on recaptures.

[philocalist]

Big enough water, fished on only two restricted slots each year? Never fished the water, but I'm guessing that most anglers will head for the better known areas, which must leave a lot of water as sanctury to the pike? Apart from that, IF the really big pike were turning up dead after capture, I suspect we'd hear something about it (I'm unaware of any news of that type, happily) - maybe some of the bigger ones are simply repeats, and being caught once every year or so is causing them no noticable problems?

Have to confess, I can never decide whether I'm glad that Chew is at the other end of the country, or not? ... can't help thinking that if it was a local water, there lies the road to insanity ... do you join the circus / lottery for tickets each year (with the associated rumours of favouritism on distribution etc), and high probability of not getting a ticket / disappointment, or turn a blind eye and convince yourself that you're not really interested?

[Dick Dastardly]

Apart from that, IF the really big pike were turning up dead after capture, I suspect we'd hear something about it (I'm unaware of any news of that type, happily) - maybe some of the bigger ones are simply repeats, and being caught once every year or so is causing them no noticable problems?

 

Yes the management are really going to tell potential customers that pike have died! and yes pike anglers would happily admit their own actions are killing them! I THINK NOT! LOL! Im just basing what I say on EVERY other Trout Reservoir Ive pike fished and the now historical facts. Explain to me then why NONE of the big resses that have produced well in their early years have never done so subsequently?

 

However as I openly admitted Chew has bucked this trend (thankfully) and Im at a loss to offer possible reasons why. One thing I can say though that may be relevant is that unlike all the others Chew didn't producev real lumps straight away after it opened its doors. Took several seasons for it to do its first 30. Maybe this is a relevant factor? I don't know. Back in my day (because of my involvement with Bewl Water) I was privy to a lot more information on each of the resses management policies and subsequently information about what they were producing. This is no longer the case (to an extent) so my info these days is much scarcer.

[philocalist]

Yes the management are really going to tell potential customers that pike have died! and yes pike anglers would happily admit their own actions are killing them! I THINK NOT! LOL!

 

..... I never said it would be widely available public knowledge, but stuff like this tends to leak out on the grapevine, no? ... no particualr reason why I would expect to be privvy to such info, but I know one or two who almost certainly would, and in this respect, no news would (so far) appear to be good news.

Edited November 2, 2013 by philocalist

[Dick Dastardly]

And if they do die what makes you think anyone would be aware of it? Why do so many anglers assume dead fish float and are found? On the Res's Ive been involved with I know of less than a handful of fish found dead over 30 years! But I know for a fact that many have died. However you can only choose to accept or refute what I say as without sounding arrogant I seriously doubt whether there are more than a few handfuls of people who could speak on this subject with any authority born from practical experience..Having been involved heavily in this scene for many years I can assure you that the world of trout reservoir piking is indeed a very specialist one, and one that the angling media or acknowledged "expert pikers" in fact no very little about indeed. What most see (like the publicised fish ins on the likes of Chew is just the !"public face" of it and certainly not one to set any stock by.

 

However your missing the point. I have said quite clearly that Chew seems to be an exception. If you think not then show me ANY other res that has continued to produce fish yet alone actually improve since their initial opening seasons? How many of these have you/do you fish regularly (or your friends)?

 

Best "grapevine" information on these waters comes from the people who work on them every working day not the visiting "guest" anglers who get a few trips in each year. And the "grapevine" to be on then is certainly not the "angling" one but the "fishery management" one. TR's keep stum about what goes on with their pike etc for two good reasons....first they don't want to deter potential customers (both their trout and pike ones) and secondly don't want to incur criticism from non trout anglers re the often unpalatable (to non trout anglers) means of predator management. Its a very political world.

[Dick Dastardly]

You also mention "repeat captures"... other than repeat captures during the same season (often within a few days of each other) its very rare for this to happen in fact Im struggling to think of any well documented examples. Im not sure of your stance on the whole issue of TR piking though as one moment you appear to be championing it and defending it then next branding it as a "circus" ? Im interested in your thoughts on this?

[philocalist]

Not really sure where this is leading to, but you seem as though you are contradicting yourself somewhat:

 

And if they do die what makes you think anyone would be aware of it? Why do so many anglers assume dead fish float and are found? On the Res's Ive been involved with I know of less than a handful of fish found dead over 30 years! But I know for a fact that many have died.

 

That said, I wouldn't disagree at all when you said:

 

Best "grapevine" information on these waters comes from the people who work on them every working day not the visiting "guest" anglers who get a few trips in each year. And the "grapevine" to be on then is certainly not the "angling" one but the "fishery management" one.

 

...... though within your own posts you admit that your personal experience was primarily at Bewl, and you've

 

Not been that involved in the scene for many years now .....

 

... thing is (and I'm certainly not being arrogant, just honest) I AM plugged into precisely the right sort of grapevine ... a VERY nice guy from Norfolk married my daughter a few years back (and they made me a grandad about six weeks ago! ) - I'd always known that they had family interests in fishing - it's subsequently become clear that they either own, or have access to, half of the prime fishing in Norfolk - and his old man? Well, lets just say he's no stranger to the management of Chew.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but maybe someone IS in a better place than you to give opinions - not me, you understand, but people who will talk to me very openly while I'm sat bankside with them.

Oh - for the record - like you, I was involved with fishery management for a long time (since the very early '80's!) before leaving that part of life behind professionaly about 7 years ago) - never a trout fishery, true, but with enough of them to know with absolute certainty that no two were ever alike, regardless of the degree to which they were 'managed'.

 

Incidentally, I don't think I ever challenged your opinions on Chew, just made my own comments, as requested by the O/P - and as I already intimated, I've very mixed feelings about fishing these waters personally, regardless of where in the country they happen to be.

 

Oops - missed your lastest bit

 

You also mention "repeat captures"... other than repeat captures during the same season (often within a few days of each other) its very rare for this to happen in fact Im struggling to think of any well documented examples. Im not sure of your stance on the whole issue of TR piking though as one moment you appear to be championing it and defending it then next branding it as a "circus" ? Im interested in your thoughts on this?

Repeat captures? Pure speculation - that's why I said 'maybe some of the bigger ones are simply repeats, and being caught once every year or so is causing them no noticable problems?'

 

My stance on TR piking? Ambivalent is probably the best description I could give.

The prospect of catching large specimens of any species is always appealing to me, far more so than sticking 100lb of clones into a net on a commercial - but not at any cost.

I fish for myself, not to impress anyone else, and TR piking, specifically at Chew (which is the venue under discussion by the O/P) has, year on year, attracted negative comment; NOT about the quality of the fish that are resident there, but about the behaviour of anglers (some of them 'household names') whilst actually fishing - and consistent rumours and complaints (which may be no more than sour grapes, agreed) about the allocation of tickets - it HAS, on occasion, been made to sound like a bit of a 'circus' - in the (specialist) angling press, as well as throught the (more specialised) forums.

Would I rather bank pike in the high 20's / low 30's from wild, natural waters where I've found them myself, or catch something a bit bigger from Chew? Hmmm - difficult to call

 

Thinking on Dick, whilst I seem to have your attention, is there any chance of you sharing with the rest of us, as per the post here:

 

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/5243451-using-cheap-braid-any-thoughts/page-3

 

... if you actually have the information, as you implied, I can't help but think that it would be not only polite, but extremely helpful to all the other contributors too, no?

Edited November 2, 2013 by philocalist