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Pike Fishing Moratorium?


marshman

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I have put this in the general area as I am sure others may have a view, but I just thought I would have my say.

I don't often fish these days, primarily because the licence has become a little expensive, relative to the little I do, but I do watch what fishermen do  and generally take an interest.

We have not even got to the time when people used to be out fishing for pike, yet already we are seeing a proliferation of pike rods and floats - here we are one week into September and already today I counted around 20 rods between Wroxham and the Ferry at Horning - and that will be only the beginning! Yet fishermen tell me, and indeed I read about it on here, that the pike seems to be in overall decline, for a variety of reasons. I suspect they are plenty(?) of jacks around but surely it cannot go on like this before it impacts other areas and associated issues?

To me, it would seem to make sense to introduce a moratorium whilst pike restore their levels and thereby allowing the bigger fish to survive until they are older - all seems a bit obvious to an outsider but I guess fishermen generally will certainly not agree with that at all!

Do others have a view?? Or will we see the pike virtually fished out?? 

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I have long thought the same thing.  

I fish but not as regularly as I used to.  These days I think more about fish welfare and no longer use trebles or dead baits which In my opinion must lead to many injured or dead pike in wrong hands.  I now prefer lures being in direct contact with the the tackle at all times ensures no gear is swallowed.  I haven't seen any pike myself for a few years but the last year I fished for them much of those I caught showed evidence of damage.

In some areas they are absolutely hammered.  A moratorium would certainly be welcomed by me.

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33 minutes ago, rightsaidfred said:

Marshman as someone who has fished for 60 + years I largely agree with you regarding Jacks and low doubles but at the risk of alienating many on here the biggest threat to the big ladies are without doubt Otters.

Fred

Firstly I agree one hundred percent with Marshman on this one. Beyond that the biggest risk to the big old ladies, in my opinion and experience, is anglers themselves. 

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I remember many years ago when I was in my early teens, I came across these boys in their late teens pike fishing in a park lake. They had caught this approx 4lb pike that had swallowed his hook aswell as the bait, and then they proceeded to cut open the pike solely so they could get their hooks. 

It's one of those things that you see young in life and never forget and can't believe the mentality in these kids. I just hope this was a one off and fish are caught, treated with respect and returned.

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22 minutes ago, KaptinKev said:

I just hope this was a one off and fish are caught, treated with respect and returned.

Regretfully many people consider that they do treat pike with respect and that it swam off when returned to the water thus it must have been treated well. They go home well contented, a while later I find the once healthy fish, now bloated and in the margins or floating on my slipway. I do despair at the angling skill, or lack thereof, of quite a few of my fellow anglers. 

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A couple of weeks ago a gentleman on the boat beside us was fishing and unexpectantly caught which to me looked a massive pike , he later stated it was about 12 to 14 pounds , in seconds he had freed the hook and lowered it into the water holding it for a good couple of minutes whilst it played possum till it finally with a trash of its tail swam away , I commented at the time how pleasant it was to see a fisherman with respect for the fish 

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On ‎10‎/‎09‎/‎2019 at 23:32, CambridgeCabby said:

A couple of weeks ago a gentleman on the boat beside us was fishing and unexpectantly caught which to me looked a massive pike , he later stated it was about 12 to 14 pounds , in seconds he had freed the hook and lowered it into the water holding it for a good couple of minutes whilst it played possum till it finally with a trash of its tail swam away , I commented at the time how pleasant it was to see a fisherman with respect for the fish 

It wasn't Matt Hayes by any chance? :default_biggrin: Although sometimes with a few of these fishing programmes and I may be looking into it a bit much, when I think they may be having problems with getting the hook out, the filming stops!

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A few years ago there was a known high twenty on Oulton Broad that a number of us had caught and inevitably her presence became known to several TV personalities. Sadly she was caught on camera,  but what was not shown was the forty minutes that she was out of the water being weighed, unhooked and photographed. She was never to be caught again, we can only assume that she didn't survive her fifteen minutes of fame.

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