Pike Culls

[Dick Dastardly]

I used to fish a water where the pike were culled every year.The fishing (pike wise) certainly went in a cycle because of this.Without going into to much detail and boring you,the year after the last "good" year was always followed by a glut of jacks.Over a five year cycle though we would have a gradual improvement in the fishing ie size of fish caught.The last year would see an average days fishing bringing a couple of big fish to the boat and enough good doubles to give great sport.At all times there was a chance of a real biggie but I honestly believe the only reason it was harder to catch these some years was the shear glut of jacks.

 

Out of interest I compared our pike catchs over a period of 8 years (this included two "highs" of the cycle) with the trout returns/stockings for the same period.There apeared to be no evidence that the different years "class" of pike made any difference to the trout fishing.Be it a few good ones or loads of jacks.Now I know this goes against all standard teachings (and Im sure facts) of the predator/prey ratio (ie the culling of the pike will result in a boom in jacks ie more individual fish for the same bio mass) but in the very artificial conditions of a trout reservoir (ie culled every year and also stocked with trout every year) didnt add up the same.

 

There will come a time when the culling stops (Im afraid Icant give the reasons why) and I cant wait to see what the outcome is! Great piking for sure but will it affect the trouting or not? only time will tell.

 

I bet a few of you are quite suprised that a keen piker like myself isnt leaping around condeming any form of culls! Well on any natural water I would be.However the years Ive been involved with piking on trout reservoirs (ie unatural managed waters) have changed my veiws.

 

Its a crying shame to see a monster monster pike dead/dying in a gill net and an even sadder one to see it if it has been transfered to another water.But I dont think we (as anglers) have any right to tell a trout res management team how to run their trout water.They run it in a way they see fit to give the best trout sport.Let us also remember that these massive pike wouldnt be there in the first place if the waters werent run as sucsessfull trout waters.

 

Also before us pikers get on our high horses about killing big trout water pike I will let you into a little secret.....I reckon we kill nearly as many of these big fish as any culling policy does when we are allowed to fish for them.Simple fact as anyone who has fished these waters over the years and is realistic will be able to tell you.

 

Lets let the trout res's do their thing and channel our efforts into stopping the culling of pike on natural waters.......where it does matter.

[Steve Walker]

I bet a few of you are quite suprised that a keen piker like myself isnt leaping around condeming any form of culls! Well on any natural water I would be.However the years Ive been involved with piking on trout reservoirs (ie unatural managed waters) have changed my veiws.

 

It's the difference between culling wolves in the wild and letting them live on your sheep farm.

 

whats special about trout anyway that we have to cull other species that prey on them?

 

It's just economics. The people with the money fished for the trout, and the fisheries were managed (well or badly) with their interests foremost.

[Kappa]

Here is a topic I posted recently which has some proper research into the effect of removing pike from Lake Windermere.

 

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/science-t79826.html

 

Rich

[gozzer]

The only personal experience I have of pike culling, is on a small river in N Yorks.

It was between 15-20ft wide for most of the length, but had a pool that widened out to 3-4 times that width, and was about 100-120 ft long.

The main stretch had a an abundance of roach, chub, perch, dace, and the odd barbel, trout, grayling and pike in it. The pool had all the usual fish but loads of small pike up to about 6lb.

Talking to the owner (who let us fish for free), we decided to cull the small pike, so all those caught under 4lb were dispatched. In each season we took about 15-20 jacks out, (remember, this was a very small water).

Over a period of 5-6 seasons, we found that the average size of the pike in the pool rose, as did the perch, (I assume they took over the predator role of the small pike). Strangely enough the average size of the roach and dace rose too, (but that could have been a 'good fry survival year' thing).

Sadly the ownership changed and we lost the right to fish, so I don't know how the place is now.

I would love to know how the river would have fared over a longer period doing this.

 

John.