summer pike fishing good or bad

Andy Macfarlane wrote:To answer the original question, I dont see a problem with Summer pike fishing if the water in question can sustain suitable oxygen levels, like large glacial waters and reservoirs etc. Even at that, you can shorten the time you have a pike out of water by travelling well prepared for the worst, in order to get the fish back in the water ASAP.

I think it's the ill prepared angler or the bad angler who isn't prepared for unhooking fish properly or the types that must take 12 pictures from every possible angle, whilst mishandling the fish that are the threat.

It all sounds like yet another blanket ban affecting everyone because of the few....again!

...Andy...

Blimey!.................Andy Macfarlane, long time no see...........how the devil are you?
Great to see you back again..

When i was perhaps 16, i caught a Plaice from the Southport Marine lake on course tackle & lobworm. It is a shallow man made saltwater boating lake, which Paddy P will know.. I used to fish near the sluice gate near the coastal road, Paddy.
There were loads of little Dabs which were too small but the Plaice were table sized. I banged it on its head & put it in my step dads Rover car boot. It was a 70's 3500 V8, the low down model before the SD1 came out, Police used them a lot. We had a short drive to Rufford Rd in Crossens (104!) where my Grandma lived. When we got back the fish was nowhere to be seen!
It had slithered under the back seat! We found it, hit it on the head again & put it in a washing up bowl in her kitchen. Later there was a scream.... she was chasing it around the floor, it had jumped out of the bowl. My step dad chopped its head off then, if my memory serves me correctly...

There is still the odd Plaice coming out even to this day Bazz, And there are loads of flatties, Strangest thing is the sluice gate has not been in use for a lot of years, So the fish must be breedin in the lake, The other thing we used to catch there was Eels, But i have not heard of anyone catching them lately, Seems they are in decline

They used to open them at high tide.

My dad was born & raised in Southport & as a lad, he used to lay lines out from the Pier struts, multi-hooked with say 10 spaced out hooks with beach dug Ragworms on. Leave overnight & come back 1st light. He used to catch decent Flatties that way. Bet Sefton BC, Police etc.. would have a fit if you tried that now! We are talking late 1930's when he did that. Used to shoot on the Marshes too, Pink Footed Goose mainly....

Bazz wrote:They used to open them at high tide.

My dad was born & raised in Southport & as a lad, he used to lay lines out from the Pier struts, multi-hooked with say 10 spaced out hooks with beach dug Ragworms on. Leave overnight & come back 1st light. He used to catch decent Flatties that way. Bet Sefton BC, Police etc.. would have a fit if you tried that now! We are talking late 1930's when he did that. Used to shoot on the Marshes too, Pink Footed Goose mainly....

Well were you spoke about earlyer, Rufford Road, That is were we are hoping to move to very soon, You are still allowed to use "Long Lines" for sea fishing, But you have to put your name and address with your set up, Just a note in a plastic pop bottle, There have been some decent Bass and cod caught in these waters, The flatties are knick named "Tea Bags" as the majority of them look like tea bags hanging off your hook, There is still a shoot on the marshes, But for how long is any body's guese, I still dig worm off the beach if i am going sea fishing, A lot easyer than in the 60s with a chopped down spade, Have the use of an alvi narrow pump, But there will be a lot of changes in the next couple of years, As southport could be a no take zone soon,

i would only fish rivers or glacial lochs for pike in summer and unhook them in the water and release asap

Bazz wrote:
Blimey!.................Andy Macfarlane, long time no see...........how the devil are you?
Great to see you back again..

I'm very good mate. My old comp wasn't working and it was getting to the point where I couldn't be arsed trying to get it working properly and a new comp was required....which I now have.

I was also going through a little bout of depression. No particular reason behind it. I just wasn't myself for a wee while. Perhaps the 5 months of snow had something to do with it.

Well I cheered myself up 2 weeks ago with a 7.5lb common, which is a PB for me so that was a good omen for the 1st session of the year. Now I'm gagging to get back out again. It's tench this weekend. I'm hoping to bag up on a secret water.

Thanks for asking Bazz. How's you BTW?

....Andy....

Andy, great to see you back, I have been wondering were you were, I thought you may have been mauled by a man eating Haggis Glad to hear your well.

Thanks Steve...

Steve French wrote: I thought you may have been mauled by a man eating Haggis Glad to hear your well.

Aww youve got to watch out for them, a well aimed bankstick is required......."stick it up 'em, Mr. Mainwaring", as Cpl Jones used to say


I'm good, Andy, thank you..
Still come on & off here, from time to time

I've fished for Pike in the Summer months both in this country and abroad for over 30 years now and can honestly say that I've never had a problem in doing so. Ensure that the fish is returned quickly and safely, even it means holding the fish in the water to recover and there should never be a problem. Most of the problems, and there's not many, I see on the Broads in the warmer months are from people catching small fish and just throwing them back in especially from the back of a holiday cruiser, not the way to treat fish any time of the year but especially not when the fish has fought hard and oxygen levels are low with the warmer water. As in a lot of things it's not the method but unfortunatly the people who cause most damage and there always the ones who people see!

i think fishery owners should step up to the mark when it comes to pike fishing full stop, i have lost count of how many times i have had to help people out who clearly dont know what they are doing when it comes to pike fishing my last encounter was in sudbury not that long ago i found a bunch of kids spinning no wire trace nothing to unhook a fish no mat and a landing net that would have had trouble holding a 2lb fish.
one of my local still waters have the right idea they inspect your tackle and you have to provide id with a home address anything goes wrong your banned never to return.
i still see pike anglers who get a run and make a cup of tea before they strike into a fish.
summer pike fishing is awesome sport for those of us who know what we are doing why should it be banned.

i will be the first to admit in my early years i had a problem with a very deep hooked 25lb fish on a river at night i had that fish in a net in the water for about 30 minutes after a few tries at unhooking it i put my hand down to its gullet with a pair of pliers and cut away as much of the hooks and trace as possible i kept it in a holding net for an hour to fully revive the fish before letting it go, to this day it makes me sad to think it may not have lived but i learned a lot from that and touch wood to this day i have never had a problem with pike handling or fish care and all fish have been returned healthy during the summer or winter.
it has happend to us all at some point education is the key.

hi there lee i think it depends on the water some waters are of poor quality some shallow waters have prolific algae blooms but they are still getting fished even in the height of summer with dire results but not all waters are the same.

i know that usually the season starts in october,but why? thats a traditionalists view from days gone by when people would catagorise species to months of the years,tench = june 16th etc,if treated and fished for correctly and handled right on the bank,then why would a close season benefit pike angling.im sure im not the only one who thinks this way.i am not a carp angler who turns his attentions to pike in colder wheather,but a dedicated pike angler 365 24/7, when i can get out...seperation etc has stopped me for 3 yrs tho...help.....but the principal remains

I too also fish for pike all year round.

However, in the warmer months I only lure fish and on either large deep venues or running water.

I do all I can to keep the pike out of the water for too long and always use a wet unhooking mat.

I think of it this way - how long could I hold my breath whilst struggling and being blinded by bright light whilst laying on a hot dry surface?

Hi just returned to fishing after a 10 year break,and have been fishing my local lake which has a good head of pike.When i fished 10 years ago i fished for pike all year round there never seemed any issues back.I've been searching the internet to try and bring myself up to date ,lots of things have changed the pike's wellfare being the best one as well as tackle etc...I would like to carry on fishing for pike all year round .The water i fish only allows single barbless hooks. The original post is over 2 years old so what are everyones feeling now on the subject of fishing in summer for pike.

Nothing changed from my perspective.

Listen, it's all about how quickly you can deal with a pike that matters. I carry 3 different sizes of locking forceps, wire-cutters and a pair of 12" curved, long-nose pliers.

I've dealt with pike that had 5-6 traces in them and they've gone back alive AND been recaught in far better condition a short time afterwards.

I would also suggest that for every minute you have a pike out of water, it should go back for a breather for a minute in the water. When you have a pike that needs as much working on as the fish described, you could be at it for some time.

Patience is also required. If you have a fiddly hookup or a load of traces to cope with, sack the fish, take a breather yourself and make sure your unhooking setup is ready to go with everything at hand.

Thx for the reply,and advice Andy , as i was starting from scratch after 10 years away from fishing i've had to buy most things new ,so i read this forum ,and other sources on the net so i've got everything covered. The club water i fish has single barbless hook only rule after a bit of trial and error i've got used to it ( always used trebles before ) unhooking is so easy ,and much quicker . anyway thx again