Another 20+ killed!!

I have just found out that my local pike water has had anothe 20 pounder killed. It weighed 26 pounds and was killed along with a double and several smaller fish by the new gamekeeper.

The old keeper had been educated into releasing the bigger fish, but this new one seems intend on killing everything. The reason....becuase the Pike eat the ducks! Thats the only reason I have been given. There is a "kill all Pike" rule on this water, and if u are caught releasing a fish, you lose your ticket.

Do any of u have any sensible suggestions on what I can do? The water is a lovely Pike water with the potential for some whoppers. I live in an area where Pike are treated as vermin, but they could make a commercial pike fishery from the place...

HELP!!!

Rob,

How about contacting the newly formed Scottish Pike Anglers Club. They have some well respected guys in there who specialise in educating people with old fashioned ideas.

Got to be worth a try.

Gary

I was going to say get in touch with the PAC, are they still going ?...I thought one of their prime directives so to speak was to educate people in matters like this.
If you think they could make money from creating a commercial venture, put some figures in front of him. Potential cash has a habit of making people change their veiws pretty quick. I for one would be quite happy to send a letter or whatever to say I was a very interested potential fee paying customer and all that.

I have tried the PAC in the past, I am afraid the attitude I got was, "Want help, then join the PAC" I was a member for 8 yeras, but never once did they lend us a hand with local issues, so i left. I must say however, that that was many years ago and i think things have changed since then.

I sent an e mail to PAAS, the Pike Anglers Allianace of Scotland, and Ralston sent back an e-mail the next day. These guys seem to be only too willing to help. Thanx.

rob
the person to contact in PAC is Dominic Moore,
01479 812126 email- nick42@btinternet.com
im sure he will help you out.

rodger

Thanx Rodger

rob
by the way dominic is the RO for the new highland section of PAC

rodger

Cheers for that...he will know my problem only too well then!

Good luck Rob, I hope you get a result. However it must be hard fighting against the game mentality. By this I don't mean "game" anglers. Any angler worthy of the name would recognize a 26lb pike, or a pike of any size for the wonderful creatures they are, and the part they play in the environment.
The mentality I mean is one that see's fish as no more than a commodity, their aim to catch fish to kill, so wouldn't think twice about killing something that "affects" "their" sport. It's the same mentality that kills birds of prey, as vermin, to protect game birds.

I'm sorry to say a similar attitude exists with some of the match men round here, but I must stress by no means all. Fish to them are simply pounds and ounces, points in a game. Pike eat fish, therefore pike = bad. They would rather fish a river full of stunted sickly fish than let nature take it's course.

As for that new half wit of a game keeper you would hope sense will prevail, and he will realise that killing the 26lb fish will let five 5lb jacks take her place.

I'll shut up now, but it's my pet hate.
Still here a thought, when you've got a predator out of hand and out of place, i.e cormorants, any thought of control gets the bunny huggers up in arms. I wonder how many pike culls it would take to get them interested? Silly question really, I doubt they give a rat's.

Davy, thanx for your support. I have now been sent a Paper that tackles the biomass issue of Pike and i will be using this as a basis of my arguement with the owners of the water.

I may go to the local paper too, but i think just now that that's maybe not a wise idea as bunny huggers are few and far between in these parts.