Pike Fishing Results

[scorpio]

Shepperton is going well or was, had 12 fish in one day on wobbled sprats and lures, nothing over 12lb though

[Smarts]

I had a 9 1/2lb'er on popped up smelt from the Yateley Horseshoe and my mate took one slightly smaller on a trout deadbait..(which he stole off me...cheeky sod!).

Last week I saw a small one come out...but the three guys blanked this time out.

Not a knock on lures,but a wobbled smelt got some interest.All the pike missed it...doh!..........

Ian,..do you blind the pike first before dropping them into the Horseshoe or are they just bad shots?!

cheers!


Smarts

[rhornegold]

Just a few thoughts on the decline in Pike fishing, this has to be linked to the general decline in angling.
Like it or not this is a world of instant gratification we live in, hence the popularity of hole in the ground carp fisheries.
Traditionally the Pike season starts in October (other than lure fishing), may be the Pike season should start in August, this might tempt the fine weather angler to try Pike fishing in better weather conditions.
Live baiting is another method of the traditional Pike angler that many fishermen feel unwilling to use in these uncertain times of the anti angling groups.
Personally most of my large Pike have come to dead baits and I do not feel penalised by not live baiting for Pike any more.
Cormorants as already mentioned have caused decimation amongst the prey fish, which has lead to a general decline in Pike weights.
My only answer too this is to find waters with plenty of cover for the fry and shoal fish, lots of trees overhanging the banks,bridges, tunnels and plenty of weed in the summer.
As Ian said; for him Pike now take a back seat to Barbel, but for me Pike will always be a big part of my fishing year from January to March they will be my main target species.

Bob Hornegold

Specimen Hunter

[rhornegold]

Paul,
The pits are always going to throw up some good pike, try around the Hooks March car park end,it always does a twenty. Another place is just past the Bittern hide in the deep water swims, I use big dead baits popped up off the bottom.
I have not fished the river for a number of years, but in the past there were some very good Pike taken from around the green foot bridge swims, try spinning or plugging the releif if you want a good days sport, the pike average 8to10lbs but it can do upper doubles.
Hope this helps


Bob Hornegold

[RATTY46]

personally im not that bothered about piking being popular or not,i like quite waters http://www.rmcangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif,its probably down to anglers being ethier scared of them etc or most choose to fish for very popular easy to find fish such as carp,it isnt hard to find a water with 30lb plus carp in,(altho they arent esy to catch!) u find a water with a 30lb plus pike and u cant even tell ya mother!its hard work but the results when they come are fantastic,ive struggled this winter ive bagged a 20 but little else,ive yet to fish rmc waters for pike,as soon as i get some transport,its on for fishers green,id like to fish the river for pike ,im a big fan of river pike ,tremendous fighters,them big pits look inviting too!cormarants...lots of discussin on p+p forum on this one ill leave it there......if anything the bigger pike will get more cannabalistic as other food sources,ie small fish dry up...survival of the biggest....???

[Ashman]

We've fished Yateley match/ nursery and split for pike, and have very rarely come across fellow pike anglers there...
Mixed results to be honest, with a lot of single figure pike, but no doubles this year...
I'm estimating 80% caught on deadbaits (herring/ mackerel/ sardines/ sprats), and 20% on live baits... I'm yet to catch on a lure...

last year we had some nice pike out of Yately South lake, which seemed to be bigger (on average) than those in the split.

imho the general size of pike in catfish pits seems to be lower...having said that tyke reckons he lost a low 20 from split the other w/e, and he's had high doubles before... http://www.rmcangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Pike fishing still seems very popular on Burghfield as well, this is the place were I've actually met fellow pike anglers on the bank (having said that I haven't fished it too much due to all the cr£p in the swims http://www.rmcangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/frown.gif

[daygo]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
imho the general size of pike in catfish pits seems to be lower

[/ QUOTE ]
May well be true of some waters, but not all http://www.rmcangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif http://www.rmcangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[QUIXOTE]

Just caught up with this thread after a few months away. My most successful 'pike fishing' in the 70 acre at the Green this past year has been accidental: five doubles on lobworms whilst tench fishing - both popped-up and taken on the retrieve (and there was only one repeat capture). None of the fish were deep hooked as I struck immediately, and luckily snakeskin is tough stuff; but I was lucky to leave no hooks in the fish. I only managed smaller fish on lures and wobbled baits while properly pike fishing last autumn. I meant to try jigged plastic worms but never got round to it.

I have no interest in catching accidental fish out of season. I did learn, however, to always carry pike unhooking gear when worm-fishing - wirecutters, long-nose pliers, a good thick rubber gardening glove.

Adrian

[daygo]

Seeing as this post is 3 and a half years old, do you still subscribe to this view Ian? I've noticed a huge increase in carpers taking up piking over the last couple of years, indeed I covered this very subject in a recent predatorial for P+P magazine. This winter has seen a simply unbelievable number of big pike from 'natural' venues, I think we've had fish to 39lb from drains, 37lb from canals,38lb from stillwaters and 35lb from rivers. A few years ago any one of those fish would have been the fish of the season from a non trout venue. Has everyone been ignoring pike and they've thrived on the neglect?

[Elvislookalike]

May be old but is still an interesting thread.

I've fished almost exclusively for Pike since October and only in RMC waters (Chertsey, Theale 1 and Burghfield primarily) - although we did manage a weekend on Chew in November. I've not seen many other pikers at all on RMC venues (apart from the odd one at each of these Venues) - I put this down to my lack of experience (Possibly Fishing the wrong venues)

Still feeling my way around RMC waters as it's my first year and also the first time I've pike fished for about 20 years.

I've had plenty of jacks and low doubles mostly on lures and floatlegered Sea baits (depending on venue) up to a beautifully marked 17-10 from Chertsey back end of 2003 (if anyone wants a photo, let me know) but also have blanked more times than I can remember this year.

Still trying to crack that 20 from one of these waters and desparate for inside track on these waters plus any others in the area which may hold a big Esox. Keen on trying Wraysbury 2, Frimley and others next year too.

I know most of you pikers are secret squirrel but I'm willing to trade what I know via PM's in order to get a headstart on next season.

E

[daz]

me and a mate went spinning on the stock and banjo at stanstead abbotts last season, he had them to 5lb+ out the stock and i had them to just over 2lb and he had a 12lb out of the banjo

[curly_wull]

although i agree with daygo that there has been a large number of carp anglers switching to piking i really must add that there do seem to be less pikers around overall. this winter on my favourite river i only saw one other angler.the best natural and most obvious hotspot usually has a well trodden bank, this winter it was fully grassed,which shows that few are bothering.
the positive is that pike thrive on neglect. i only caught one pike this winter that showed signs of having been caught previously and that was down to me !

[markbarrett]

less pikers around? guys you have got to be kidding. there are hundreds of pike/ zander anglers around my way. the last week of the season i drove along the ouse and the middle level and there were loads of people out.
however having read some of the posts on this subject could it not be that the piking in your area is not very good and that the pike anglers have gone elsewhere?

if you look at the facts, in the last five years there has been a national magazine launched aimed soley at prdator anglers which is doing very well. fox went into the pike tacke market and now nash and the ilk are following suit. would these companies really bemoving into a failing market? i seriously doubt it.

[daygo]

Curls, the rivers down this way are a different story thank God- a little bit of effort and people can't be bothered, especially ex carpers! However the stillwaters are definitely busier,and overall I see more people piking than ever before- P+P circulation has been put at around 6,000. I don't know if that's pie in the sky, but it wouldn't surprise me.Anyway as you know, it's pikers switching to carping you want to watch out for!

[Longjohns]

Went to Chertsey on the 29 feb had a 19lb pike from bottom corner at 1300hrs,used live bait(roach the size of me hand)caught from lake b4 hand!!! Only been out for half hour,been fishing the same spot from 8 in morning wit sprats and didnt even get a sniff!!!

[RATTY46]

http://www.rmcangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/crazy.gif http://www.rmcangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.rmcangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/blush.gif i didnt even notice the dates doh!