Anglers and the Environment

[John Aston]

Season and location is all where pike are concerned , possibly more so than any other species. I had a river 25lb pike many years ago , from some slow deep water in mid winter on a grayling dead bait . It was landed in a couple of minutes , as it just banged around under the rod top a bit and lost interest . But I fish another river for pike on lure in early October and the fish , typically 6-12 lbs , try to pull my arms off - tail walking , long runs, headshaking - the full house.

(Some may raise an eyebrow at my using grayling , and so , to pre-empt any flak , I'd mention that the river was full of them and they were by far the commonest prey species . They were , I'm sure , the pike's primary food source and they are a fantastic bait . If I still pike dead baited I'd use them again in waters where they are common - but I think I'd have to check EA rules about it first ....)

 

[Badgerale]

In my opinion the most overrated fish for a fight, Pike. Sometimes you get a good one that is up for a scrap, some of them just sulk and kite in. Pound for pound even a Bream would give them a run for their money. In my opinion of corse.

The problem with pike is that it's recommended to use far heavier tackle than they warrant.

The fear of leaving trebles in fish or snags and the need to chuck out a heavy deadbait means people use really heavy gear for a relatively light fighting fish.

 

[nottskev]

That rings true. On a river winter roach hotspot I fish you often get attached to pike, some of them very big indeed, that have taken roach, If they don't bite the line or drop the roach, it's not that hard to play them to a standstill. They're generally lost, in that case, because when you try to put the net under them there's an equal length of pike either side of the net.

 

[dorsetsteve]

The problem with pike is that it's recommended to use far heavier tackle than they warrant.

The fear of leaving trebles in fish or snags and the need to chuck out a heavy deadbait means people use really heavy gear for a relatively light fighting fish.

Whilst I appreciate that I’ve caught plenty of them on light spinning gear intended for Perch.

 

[steve2]

Trouble with pike is that most anglers fish for them at the wrong time of the year owing to out of date rules, and no one where those rules came from. Hook summer pike on lures and they fight, hook the same pike on a cold winters day in cold water on heavy dead baiting gear heavy dead baiting gear and like most fish they don't put up the same fight.

 

[Badgerale]

Trouble with pike is that most anglers fish for them at the wrong time of the year owing to out of date rules, and no one where those rules came from. Hook summer pike on lures and they fight, hook the same pike on a cold winters day in cold water on heavy dead baiting gear heavy dead baiting gear and like most fish they don't put up the same fight.

Yeah, I don't tend to use crazy strong gear either. I'm just saying that if you google what you're 'supposed' to use, then it'll tell you to get a 3lbtc rod and 30lb line - not surprising they don't fight much on that.

 

[108831]

6lb mono with a trace is heavy enough for fish into double figures,its when you have chances of big fish a little more disgression is needed...

 

[steve2]

When you consider that the average pike is far smaller than the average carp why do we use, apart from when casting heavy baits, such strong gear for pike fishing. You have far more chance of catching 20,30,40 or even 50lb carp than a 20lb pike. Most don't use 3lb tc rods and 30lb line for carp but saying they most probably now do.

 

[sam vimes]

Test curve ratings should never be equated to the size of fish you may (or may not) catch on them. A higher test curve is only required if you are casting heavier weights and/or greater distances. Yes, it's undoubtedly a pretty poor experience catching a relatively small fish on heavy gear. If people are using overly heavy gear without good reason (big weights/big baits/long ranges), they have only got themselves to blame.

 

[Philip]

I dont know if there is a correlation but thinking back Pike I have had from clear waters have tended to give a much better fight than ones from muddy waters. Two that I can clearly remember gave brilliant accounts of themselves were one fish from a very clear gravel pit and the other was a fish from the Wye.....I cant remeber the exact weights but they were both doubles...the one from the Wye just wouldnt give up and was made all the more memorable as it was evening on a flat calm oily river, I hooked it at distance in a deep pool and it gave several tail walking jumps breaking the calm surface as the sun set.....brilliant memory.
On the other hand I can remember catching some much bigger ones that gave up without much fight at all...on one particular water which was a muddy clay pit they never put up much of a scrap. ..very shallow lake as well so you would expect them to tear off but they just didnt.

The water tempreture, summer / winter point I think is relevant too.

 

[mikench]

Yesterday on the beach it was very noticable by its absence- rubbish of all kinds. People here use the plentiful bins provided or take it home. The bins are square metal supports on stands with plastic bags inserted. They are emptied daily and , in busy spots twice a day. Its habit forming and i would feel guilty if i discarded any litter. We could learn a lot from our continental friends even now.


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[John Aston]

I raise an eyebrow at the use of 6lb mono for pike. What is the point in risking losing fish when you gain no advantage in presentation as a trace is used ? I catch plenty of late summer/autumn pike when perch fishing and , put it this way , the number would be reduced if I were fishing 6lb mono on my snaggy , stony , pacy rivers. I'd also lose a hell of a lot more lures !

As for 'out of date rules' , until about 15 years ago people fished for pike when they wanted and dismissed the traditional October start date for pike as a quaint hangover from Victorian times . You'd do that at your peril now as some of the more humourless PAC crew regard summer piking in the same way as the Taliban treat live music . It's all virtue signalling tosh and while my preferred time for pike is September -November if I catch some in July or August I don't hang my head in shame, and I've never had a pike go back in any distress .

Clear water - I agree it is a huge factor in how hard pike fight. Shallow , clear water, especially on a river means fireworks , and I've had some epic scraps with pike caught in the tails of pools . But a pike from deep , coloured , cold and slow water in January is unlikely to trouble the adrenal gland for long.

Rod strengths - it has become an arms race among some carpers about the test curve rod used . I've often seen 3.5 TC and a big pit reel for 3 acre ponds with low doubles , easily catchable on a 1.5 TC rod . Fly fishing has made me realise that big fish can be caught comfortably on much softer , through action rods than some coarse anglers are used to .

 

[steve2]

The PAC crew are the same ones that fish Pike spawning areas in order to catch the spawn filled females to boost their big fish tally. Then the same ones that say it's wrong to catch fit pike in the warmer months.
My own club put a ban on all lure fishing on waters with pike in case you hooked one out of the so called season. The only fish with a 6 month close saeson or depending on the weather even longer.

 

[108831]

Mainly Grayson as they dont fight and I dont lose them,as light a coated trace as is available,the sporting side of pike is low imo,along with the lack of challenge catching one on waters that have normal populations of them,a 5ft kiddies spinning rod and a small fixed spool loaded with 6lb line gives the greatest pleasure imv,unless your fishing for big ones,say upwards of 12/14lbs...

 

[John Aston]

All I can say is that your experience is very different to mine - spate river pike are extremely hard fighting but you obviously fish different habitat to me .

 

[no-one in particular]

I am no expert but I imagine if the water is clear at least the Pike can see where it is going and likely fight harder than in murky water. I have had a couple of small ones tail walk but that was only in a very shallow stream/river, about 2ft deep.

 

[108831]

But tail walking doesnt mean you are hoing to get broke on 6lb line,blimey,trout leap all over the place and you dont expect to be broken....also would I be expected to use say 10lb line for a 6lb jack,on any river,overgunned at best...

 

[John Aston]

You'd be amazed what a big wild trout can do then...I am lucky to fish a river with wild trout to over 5lbs and it;s not the leaping that is the problem , but the fact that a big wildie can move astonishingly quickly, and invariably to the nearest snag . I use up to 8lb bs and have still been humiliated - but doubtless you'd tame it on a garden stick and a bent pin

 

[108831]

Obviously not,but I am capable of landing big fish on light gear,I landed two different 12lb pike on roach gear that took double maggot on an 18 hook on the same day,never in doubt landing them apart from the possibility of their teggies cutting me off...I trot the small river several of us fish on FM with 3-4lb line,get an awful lot of barbel,thats in spite if the BS saying you must fish 10lb line minimum,luckily there isnt a fishing constabulary forcing people to fish in a more unsporting manner...

 

[bullet]

That's interesting.
How do you stop a decent one that's going for the snags with 3lb line?