Lough Mask, March 2000
The 49 inch long, 40lb 5oz pike in the picture, a fish of a lifetime by anyone’s standard, was not caught on rod and line. Had this been the case, it would have been a new Irish record! The current Irish record pike was from Lough Key in 1993, at 39lb 6oz. 
Nice for the visiting angler to be aware that it is likely Ireland’s record pike (or trout?) stand more chance of perishing in a gill net, than being caught on rod and line!
The sad fact is that as a direct consequence of the environmental vandalism continually being carried out on Lough Mask, this pike had become trapped in one of their infernal and totally unselective ‘catch and kill’, anything that swims or dives, gill nets. The angler concerned was passing and saw it’s massive tail thrashing about on the surface. The angler, being of the opinion that the pike had only just become caught up in the net, said, ‘I leant over the side of the boat and took the pike by the wrist of it’s huge tail and pulled. The pike then thrashed violently, releasing itself from the net, it not having become irrevocably trapped in its murderous mesh.’
The pike was given time to recover, weighed, photographed and released.
This pike was saved from certain death at the hands of those charged with the management of the Western Lough’s of Ireland, a management policy that has no credibility, being seen by informed opinion as both illogical and incompetent! There is none so deaf as those who REFUSE to hear!
This beautiful product of Mother Nature swam away to survive another day – but for how long?
News item taken from the PAC web site’s ‘Breaking News’ feature.
Click here to visit the PAC web site.
