Any of you Guys go Pike Fishing?

[Dave Lakes]

Anyone fish these on fly and care to share some setup tips?

 

[Essexsussex]

Seen a couple come off the Tay last year - beats where I fish too, but never to my rod Been told they are delicious, missus' family is from Luxembourg, and her mum is always telling me how its considered a delicacy. (Although in Luxembourg, they do a kind of fishcake apparently with them, to get around the bones)



Think so! Although Google doesn't seem to cooperate when I try to double check. Apparently the UK record is a 46lb 13oz from Wales back in '92 and the Scottish record is 47lb 11oz from 1945 out of Lomond. Who knew Scottish independence happened back in 1945...

I keep meaning to get out to Loch Leven in Fife, as there are supposed to be some close to 30lb'ers regularly getting caught on lure/fly - and a marginally closer jaunt than Lomond for me

The bones really aren’t a problem once you work out how to deal with them.

 

[Essexsussex]

I’m getting my fish mixed up. 44lbs was Ardleigh then it was beaten by Loch Lomond fish that was 46lbs. This was nearly 40 years ago so I don’t feel too bad for not remembering!

 

[Ruby Tuesday 2]

My son fly fishes for them and I'll never admit it to him but I think its more successful than the soft rubber lures that I use. Some of my local waters are pressurised and you get a fair few followers that don't take but with the flies you can stop the retrieve and just twitch the fly and it hangs in the water whereas the lures sink into the weed. On my local canal soft lures are easier to cast safely due to the constant stream of cyclists on the tow path.

 

[stevec]

That said, pike are very good eating.

My mother used to stuff the pike with herbs and butter and bake it, fantastic, if boney.

The best pike I have had was a pike mousse in the Sologne, in a restaurant that seemingly only served pike and offal. We had a good laugh when we went to pay after a hearty meal of a calf’s throat and testicles and a bowel of mystery organs and cubes of fat and the owner and his wife were eating steak and chips in the kitchen. Was a good meal though, if very rich.

 

[FrenchieBoy]

Thanks for all of the comments! As has been said for a fish with such a fearsome reputation pike are quite delicate out of the water which is why I always de-barb my hooks to make unhooking quicker and easier and I always let them take as long as they need to fully recover before releasing them. (I only fish to a catch and release policy) I don't claim to be any sort of an expert and only started fishing for pike last autumn, and I only fish on my local reservoirs where the fishing is free and not too far for me to travel. I was always led to believe that the bigger fish were always caught on livebait or deadbaits but sitting and watching a float or a bite indicator for hours on end simply is not me. I like to keep active so only fish with lures and I have had a reasonable amount of descent fish along with loads of smaller ones - The smallest was my first pike which was just a pencil pike which was no more than 10 inches long, but even so it was a pike and the "bug had bitten". The wife hasn't got a clue how much I have spent on lures and tackle, thank heavens, but it is still a bit cheaper than when I was fly fishing for trout!
One funny side of catching this pike was when the chap that was helping me was taking some photos for me a lady walked by and noticed the fish, she actually asked if it was a shark and if it was safe to let her dog swim in the water with fish that size around - We managed to hold back out laughter till after she had left us!
Anyway, it's good to hear that so many of you also fish for the top British fresh water predator!
Tight lines Guys!

 

[Morkai]

This episode of Escape to River Cottage covers Pike.

4:54 for the Pike fishing
7:53 for the cooking and eating of the Pike

 

[VSS]

We had a good laugh when we went to pay after a hearty meal of a calf’s throat and testicles and a bowel of mystery organs and cubes of fat and the owner and his wife were eating steak and chips in the kitchen. Was a good meal though, if very rich.

Is that a typo, or not.....?

 

[Mickeydredd]

My syndicate ground has the rights on a few miles of a small D&G river which has a run of salmon at the back end. It is full of pike so I've caught quite a few jacks. One of the lads had a pike of 15lb which is pretty decent for such a small river.

 

[filzee]

Best is just over 27lb. Me and a mate caught 3 20lb+ pike in 2hrs from the Trent. We also lost 2 others. Was a crazy morning. Not been for many years

 

[chriswjx]

if it was safe to let her dog swim in the water with fish that size around

To be fair, was there not an article in a local newspaper (I want to say in Manchester or Liverpool?) where some chap was dangling his hand out of a canal boat and it got munched on by a pike? Hand was still attached if a bit roughed up...

 

[hw101]

Only when I can catch the Biggun's .
View attachment 348986

Er… that’s a crocodile

 

[Disco Stu]

My largest pike is from a tiny river in 20 years of fishing it only once have I seen another angler. Something took an estimated 3lb chub as I was preparing to land it. The following weekend we were reacquainted on more suitable tackle. 119cm long, but thin weighing in at 28lb. My next largest pike is 12lb from the local canal.

 

[Bo Diddley]

My largest pike is from a tiny river in 20 years of fishing it only once have I seen another angler. Something took an estimated 3lb chub as I was preparing to land it. The following weekend we were reacquainted on more suitable tackle. 119cm long, but thin weighing in at 28lb. My next largest pike is 12lb from the local canal.

That sounds like a special capture Stu, an unusual specimen from a small water is always a delight.

 

[Klenchblaize]

I use to fish for small edible pike on the River Cray using a large wet fly lure attached to a floating crust. The plan of campaign was:

a. Allow bread to float down stream (trotting) in the hope of a take by chubb or trout.
b. Just before crust floated out of sight, strike hard to lose the crust and then retrieve lure slowly in the hope of attracting a pike or trout.

This method proved very successful in catching all species mentioned.

K

 

[FrenchieBoy]

To be fair, was there not an article in a local newspaper (I want to say in Manchester or Liverpool?) where some chap was dangling his hand out of a canal boat and it got munched on by a pike? Hand was still attached if a bit roughed up...

Could this be the one you are thinking of?
I do have to admit that I am always rather careful when unhooking pike because I can see the size of their teeth and how close my fingers are to the teeth!

Man's fingers 'shredded' as giant pike with 'razor-sharp' teeth bites hand

Steve Lightfoot had placed his hand into Macclesfield Canal near Bosley, Cheshire, to retrieve his sunglasses after they slipped from his face

www.mirror.co.uk

 

[Bo Diddley]

I use to fish for small edible pike on the River Cray using a large wet fly lure attached to a floating crust. The plan of campaign was:

a. Allow bread to float down stream (trotting) in the hope of a take by chubb or trout.
b. Just before crust floated out of sight, strike hard to lose the crust and then retrieve lure slowly in the hope of attracting a pike or trout.

This method proved very successful in catching all species mentioned.

K

Good angling sir. I like the methodology

 

[Trickyd66]

This episode of Escape to River Cottage covers Pike.

4:54 for the Pike fishing
7:53 for the cooking and eating of the Pike

That was filmed at an outdoor activity centre near Wareham in Dorset. They electro fished one of the gravel pits that we used for water activities, then staged it to make it look like the Pike had been line caught on the river.
Would have been about 1996/7 ish.

 

[Morkai]

That was filmed at an outdoor activity centre near Wareham in Dorset. They electro fished one of the gravel pits that we used for water activities, then staged it to make it look like the Pike had been line caught on the river.
Would have been about 1996/7 ish.

I did not know that, it aired around 1999 so seems about right.

 

[Trickyd66]

I did not know that, it aired around 1999 so seems about right.

Just checked and it was around 88/89 (last year before being sold off).
Pike was removed from the lake marked with a red circle, then "landed" by the weir with the green line.