crap tackle

[madpiker]

i met a young lad piking on one of our local waters.he was lure fishing with a light spinning rod and 10lb bs line,the trace on the end was no longer than 6 inches long,about 15lb bs and fitted with a snap link so weak that i wouldn`t even use it as a lead clip!!!!!!!!!he also had a gag and some sort of forked disgorger for hook removal.apparently,he went to a local tackle shop and asked for advice on spinning for pike and was sold this lot!!!!i ended up making him some decent traces,loaded his reel with 28lb line and gave him some long handled ,longnosed pliers.isn`t it about time that tackle manufacturers stopped making crap and shops stopped selling it?i confronted the dealer in question and he has stopped selling the short traces.i also printed off a minimum tackle requirement sheet for him to give advice from.however,he still sells gags,as,"people still ask for them and it is better than using their foot to open pikes mouth"!!i told him that there are moves to ban gags and gave him some old pac leaflets with unhooking instructions on them to hand out.i ask all of you to visit your local tackle dealers and inspect the piking gear on sale.i feel that many dealers are match\pleasure orientated and know little about pike tackle.oh and i forgot,the landing net was a small pan net suitable for commercial pasty catching waters.

 

[PTnymph]

You are not the only one! I got quite a few tackle shop in my area where I go to, are still selling forked disgorger and some very large gags.

Most of the tackle dealers are only intrested in one thing - making money!

 

[Chris Bishop]

Education's the thing, especially these days when virtually everyone's online and the information is readily available.

Having said this, the best advice I ever had came from fishing with other anglers, I fished with a mate and learned a lot yesterday.

Why not give the bloke a bell and have a sesh somewhere..?

I've taken new people out and got a real buzz when they caught something, better still a year or two on when they're fishing on their own and get a good fish.

There's no point slagging off the trade or people who believe all they read - why not devote a day or two to taking them out.

 

[jonathan warrener]

I think just about every tackle shop ive been in recently - especially the larger ones - still have one or two pike gags on display in some corner somewhere. But at least now people aren't being advised to use em anymore; i remember reading articles as a kid in which they always used to say wrap insulation tape or stick a cork on the end of a gag's prongs! Back then that was considered being pike-friendly!

 

[PTnymph]

"why not devote a day or two to taking them out".

Chris I have all ready done that! Taking a few friends in the past and shown them the basic of catching a pike, handling and returning. In fact I am still doing it everytime when I go piking. (no wonder I still can't catch a pike these days)lol

What annoy me is this I know there is no point slagging off the trade or people who believe all they read. So what else can the pikers can do? Let them (trade & newbies) carry on doing it? Results, more injurys and maybe death to the fish?

It still happens and will contiue to do so.

 

[Budgie Burgess]

Great idea from MP about giving the local shop some information sheets to give to beginers.Something the PAC would be better doing than spending money on trying to "educate" trout fishery managers?

 

[madpiker]

here in somerset,the local pac region has run education days over the years,with great success,most of the beginners we have taught have gone on to become decent caring pikers.unfortunately we always have the muppets that can`t be bothered to seek help,then go out and damage pike through ignorance and crap tackle\methods and of course,leave their rubbish everywhere.
happy christmas and tightlines in 2005 to all real anglers.
ps i took this lad out and showed him the ropes,he now knows how to unhook pike without a gag eyc and how delicate pike are.on the day,he had 3 pike up to 11lbs.

 

[madpiker]

EYC,SHOULD HAVE READ ETC!!!!!!!!

 

[Peter Waller]

I don't think that it is down to the tackle shops. Yes, my local one still sells the obligatory crap traces and pocket money lures that are useless. But in fairness many know next to nothing about piking.

The PAC has considered leaflet drops to shops but it was thought that most shops would not co-operate as there would be no money in it for them. Having tried in my local area, at my expense, I can only agree with that.

Nev Fickling does put advice on his deadbait packets but 50% of deadbait users seemingly can't read! Whoops, thats bound to offend someone!

The PAC has persuaded the major suppliers to drop gags & that appears to have worked in all but the grunt & knuckle grazing sector.

It is down to education, educating the wholesalers.

By the way, been darn good piking this week. Seems the fish have read the weather forcast and had a right binge!! Wednesday was a right red letter day!

 

[jon cotton]

No money in selling decent gear to anglers?? HOGWASH!! Tackle dealers do perfectly well out of selling top class kit to match anglers and carp anglers, so why not pike anglers? As for 50% of deadbaiters being unable to read, I pick up plenty of discarded lure packets amongst all the other crap that brainless anglers discard, so it would appear that this isn't just an affliction suffered by anglers who choose to pursue pike in their chosen way, whether it be with baits or lures.

 

[jason fisher]

i never used a gag,








couldn't wor out how.

 

[jason fisher]

that and they hurt my teeth.

 

[PTnymph]

Jason how come they hurt your teeth?

 

[jason fisher]

well you're supposed to put em in the mouth aren't you?

 

[jon cotton]

I used a gag once....



On the ex!!



Worked a treat, peace and quiet for days!!





Took her that long to figure out how to untie it

 

[Richard Baker 4]

I agree that the use of a gag is completely unnecessary, and that a 6 inch trace is far too short. However for spinning I see no problem with 10lb line.

28lb line sounds hugely excessive! I fish a lot of rock marks in and around the cornish coast where 25-30lb line is considered the standand for using 6 ounce leads over snaggy abrasive ground.


It just seems a lot for freshwater fishing for Pike with lures.

 

[Ron Troversial Clay]

I use a fish filleting glove and a Hook-Out for unhooking pike. Best two bits of kit I have ever found.

My local tackle shop in Rothers has top class pike gear. Drennan, Fox and several other makes. Not a gag to be found.

 

[madpiker]

well richard,the idea is to get pike to the net fast,without playing it to exhaustion,especially in warmer weather,also some lure types need to have big hooks to match their size,it wouldn`t be fair to risk leaving a lure in a pike due to light line snapping on a snag or heavy weed.plus of course,lures can be quite expensive.my post should have read 18lb line,but when using braid and big lures,i always use at least 50lb bs,to be kinder to the pike and save losing lures.

 

[Mark Davenport]

As a new comer to pike fishing, could someone explain to me why gags are not to be used anymore ? Is there much difference between using a gag and shoving your fingers up the pikes gill covers to get the mouth open ? The problem being that I have just purchased one after seeing my uncle ( who has 30 years of pike fishing experience ) use a gag on a pike that he caught. I thought "Blimey, thats a good idea", went and bought one and the local dealer never flinched when i asked for one. Should I now throw it as I am concerned for fish welfare as much as anyone else.

 

[mark knowles]

Hi Mark I think the fact that the tackle dealer didn't flinch says something about the reason this thread started. There are not to be honest that many tackle shops I would trust to give good advice. The majority speacialize in carp or match, there are few I can think of with the depth of experience in predators. Gags can dislocate jaws of fish too small for them and a big fish may be able to hold them shut. The fingers under the chin method has superseeded their use it's so simple and easy to do. less messing about, so the sooner the fish gets wet again, infact in a lot of cases you can use it without taking the fish out of the water something you can't do with a gag.