Wotdunnit?

[GrahamM]

Anyone seen anything like this before? Or has anyone any ideas as to what could have attacked this pike causing such injuries?

 

[Alan Roe]

Me I recon that it was the results of testing that Dalek death ray device that Paul williams has attached to his head in his pic!!
Cheers
Alan

 

[Philip Inzani]

I would say it was an Otter. They are more than capable of taking 30 pound plus Carp and I do not see why it would not have a go at a Pike that size.

 

[Paul Williams]

I think i would go along with the otter theory but they are strange injuries to say the least, another explanation is that a lot of old machinery has been left in some pits and as it corrodes it leaves razor sharp edges....we have all pulled fish past "snags", is that a possibility Chris?.

 

[Alan Roe]

Oi wheres me pic gone???
Paul what have you been up to now??

 

[Alan Roe]

I used to be a face on here you know!!! and now it's though I never existed (sob)!!!

 

[Chris Bishop]

Prevailing view among mates etc seems to be it was an otter. The Wensum, which contains otters, runs a few yards from where the pics were taken.

The fish wasn't dragged through any snags. I didn't even feel the line grating on any bars or anything and I've never had a fish comne in looking like this in more than 20 years of it.

It had similar gashes on both flanks, someone told me otters attack with both forepaws, get a grip on the fish and swim ashore with them if they're too big to kill straight away.

Does anyone know if this is the case..?

 

[Ron Clay]

Possibly a power boat. I have seen damage similar to this on carp and catfish in South Africa. But a fast high power boat moving through the shallows during the spawning period was responsible.

 

[Birds Nest]

Braid ?

 

[Mike Blinko]

Otters? No way, an otter would have left much deeper woulds as they tend to eat the fish without skinning it first! I think it's more likely to have been another pike, same size or a bit bigger. We've all seen the pictures of pike trying to swallow a similar sized relative. I think this is the result this the two fish either becoming separated on their own, or more likely a helpful angler rescued them.

 

[martin BATEY]

someone's had a boat out.

 

[GrahamM]

I still like the trapped in a snag theory best. Maybe somebody dragged it through a snag not long before Chris caught it.

 

[Nick Elliott]

Could some angler be useing uptrace which has caused the damage during a strong fight.

 

[Mike Heylin]

I think it was an otter. I have seen photos of similar damage to carp when otters have skinned one whole flank, with claw marks in the opposing flank.

I think what they do is grasp the prey fish with their front claws and then strip the skin with their teeth. When carp first were subject to attack by otters the damage was very similar to this photograph and it was some time before otters were found to be the cause.

Mike

 

[Chris Bishop]

The marks were almost identical on both sides and I've since discovered the nearby River Wensum has a healthy (?) otter population.

 

[andrew jackson]

Unfortunatly I was unable to view the pictures,is that you or me? Recent articles in Carpworld leave me in no doubt, that an Otter could cause serious damage to a fish many times larger than the one in question. There is no doubt that they can catch and kill large carp. A pike with its smaller girth should in theory, be potential pray. Otters have been reintroduced into our river systems, that no longer have the biomass of fish to sustain them. This has led to otters raiding still waters for their fish, which have no defence against such an efficient preditor. And we thought Cormarants were a problem!