PAC FURY OVER NUDD'S CALL FOR PIKE CULL

[Peter Waller]

Bob, I drifted down a certain match length the other Saturday and saw a number of match anglers unhooking in that way. Shame, but it is a fact, not a predudice.

[The Flying Tench]

A good post by Leon, and a very helpful article by Bruno. But I'm puzzled by one thing. If a pike just eats up to twice its own body weight in a year, and I've read elsewhere that a preferred size for a quarry is a third of it's own weight, that means it only has between 3 and 6 meals a year! Of course, banqueting on other pike will provide some extra, but it still seems a very surprising statistic.

 

Not that I doubt his overall conclusions. The evidence seems strong.

[Bob Bradford]

Seems wisest to let Bob Nudd confirm his position before going off half cocked on it. I will say Bob (Bradford) that your question

 

indicates that you haven't read the articles... unless I was missing sarcasm or something.

 

I kind of wish these kind of discussion or comments could remain within the angling press. As someone was indicating we all look idiots if half of us are (wrongly in my opinion) moaning about immigrants stealing fish to eat, whilst another chunk are advocating killing fish just to improve their sport.

 

Explain to me why anyone reading Mr Nudd's comments wouldn't feel entirely justified in eating whatever he felt like catching.

 

Mr Matthew, An alleged comment by one individual (Bob Nudd) printed in the News of the world does not constitute " A large chunk" of match anglers. True.... I have not purchased and read the N.O.W but I have read the link provided on here reporting what Bob was supposed to have said, the notion that match anglers are going to start murdering Pike because of it is nothing short of ridiculous and on a parallel with some of the stupid ,ill informed comments made by some on this thread and only serves to illustrate the low regard Match anglers are held with on this forum, some of the posters on here are prejudiced and hypocrites of the highest order.

[mark barrett]

Mr Matthew, An alleged comment by one individual (Bob Nudd) printed in the News of the world does not constitute " A large chunk" of match anglers. True.... I have not purchased and read the N.O.W but I have read the link provided on here reporting what Bob was supposed to have said, the notion that match anglers are going to start murdering Pike because of it is nothing short of ridiculous and on a parallel with some of the stupid ,ill informed comments made by some on this thread and only serves to illustrate the low regard Match anglers are held with on this forum, some of the posters on here are prejudiced and hypocrites of the highest order.

 

in the bad old days i used to see plenty of pike and zander being thrown up the banks by match/ pleasure anglers. in all honesty i havent seen this for many a year. in fact most of the guys local to me these days wouldnt dream of dong so.

 

however for someone as high profile as bob nudd to do so is at best ill informede, at worst downright stupidity.

[medwaygreen]

For the record I have NEVER KILLED A PIKE and contrary to popular belief on here, most Match anglers do not either.

 

This i do believe. I have contacted Mr Nudd and ask for his comments.

[Leon Roskilly]

I wonder if Bob Nudd knows that female pike go on a feeding spree in October, as their ovaries begin to develop in preparation for a Spring spawning?

 

Anyone not understanding this could easily mistake the increased level of pike interest in their catch as it's being reeled in, as an increase in pike numbers, rather than an increase in the amount of predation by pike normally resident that will soon subside (there is a similar post spawning spree by female pike in March).

 

The problem is that a few pike chucked up the bank by the numbskulls will soon be replaced by a greater number of smaller individuals, feeding hard to grow big quick and become the replacement survivor, until the normal pike/prey ratio is restored.

 

And that simply leads to further frustration upon anglers having their catch 'stolen'

 

And an ensuing vicious circle of pike removal, and generation of even more hungry jacks as the cullers and nature battle it out, each trying to impose their own design on how many pike should be in that water.

 

Nature isn't something I'd lightly take on, without a lot of continuing investment and the real probability that nature will always have her own way in the end.

Edited October 16, 2006 by Leon Roskilly

[Steve Walker]

If Mr Nudd did indeed say what's being alleged then it was unwise of him. I do feel an element of "so what?" though; he's famous because he's a superb angler. That doesn't make him an expert on fisheries management or fish population dynamics, and it doesn't make him a spokesman for match fishing in general. If people want to take him as an authority on this, they're obviously a bit hard of thinking themselves.

 

I've never understood uncritical admiration of sporting heroes outside of their immediate experience. So many of them turn out to have feet of clay, and why should we expect them not to?

[ColinW]

I don't get too excited by this stuff. Matchmen, salmon anglers and even fishery biologists have been trying to eradicate pike from waters near me for years and years. They have failed and so will Bob Nudd. I've always held the belief that to be very successful at something requires an extreme degree of single mindedness (and I can think of other less flattering ways of describing that particular mental attitude!)

[Leon Roskilly]

They almost certainly will fail to eliminate pike.

 

In fact they will probably succeed in stimulating nature into generating even more smaller and hungrier individual pike.

 

What will be the great pity for the serious pike angler is that as an official/unoffical cull progresses it will be he larger specimens that gradually disappear from the water, to be replaced by hordes of competing jacks

 

Not good for anyone!

[gozzer]

They almost certainly will fail to eliminate pike.

 

In fact they will probably succeed in stimulating nature into generating even more smaller and hungrier individual pike.

 

What will be the great pity for the serious pike angler is that as an official/unoffical cull progresses it will be he larger specimens that gradually disappear from the water, to be replaced by hordes of competing jacks

 

Not good for anyone!

The only practical experience I have on this, is on a small water many years ago. It was a small river, with a large pool that opened up behind a bridge. The size of the pike was small, relative to the water I suppose, mostly 2-4lb. The other stocks were mainly, roach, perch, dace, chub and gudgeon with a few ruffe, grayling and trout and the odd barbel. We were asked by the owner to remove any small pike we caught, we decided on 3lb as the cut-off point, anything over was put back. Over several seasons we took many pike under that size, and found that the size of the roach, and in particular the perch and chub, increased, along with the average size of the pike. The gudgeon all but disappeared, and the over all size of fish increased, although their numbers seemed to decrease slightly. I would like to see the water today, just to see how it compares after some thirty years, but sadly the ownership changed hands after 5-6yrs and fishing was stopped.