Ray Roberts
Well-known member
A couple of weeks ago I bought a copy of the Angler's Mail. One of the articles on pike fishingwritten byMark Barrett advocated fishing the shallower areas of waters at this time of year as he saidthe fish were moving into them in order to spawn, so not only were they there in numbers they would also be easier to catch.
I don't make a habit of writing to magazines but I sent an e mail to the letters page as I was incensed that the fishes welfare was not only being put at risk by the angler in question but he was also encouraging others to follow his example. This is thee mailI wrote to the Angler's Mail:
What on earth was Angler's Mail thinking of when it published the
article by Mark Barrett last week?
Advocating the catching pike that have moved onto their spawning
grounds is irresponsible to say the least, but coming from the General
Secretary of the PAC, it is unforgivable.
Surely the second paragraph of the article says it all: “A female pike
will lay thousands of eggs during spawning and it’s said that for
every million eggs laid only a dozen or so pike will grow to
maturity”.
If Mark truly believes this to be the case, then why is he pursuing
them and encouraging others to do the same when the fish are gravid
and at their most vulnerable? Does the welfare of the fish and their
successful breeding not take precedence over another trophy shot?
Well fellow anglers, what do you think?
I don't make a habit of writing to magazines but I sent an e mail to the letters page as I was incensed that the fishes welfare was not only being put at risk by the angler in question but he was also encouraging others to follow his example. This is thee mailI wrote to the Angler's Mail:
What on earth was Angler's Mail thinking of when it published the
article by Mark Barrett last week?
Advocating the catching pike that have moved onto their spawning
grounds is irresponsible to say the least, but coming from the General
Secretary of the PAC, it is unforgivable.
Surely the second paragraph of the article says it all: “A female pike
will lay thousands of eggs during spawning and it’s said that for
every million eggs laid only a dozen or so pike will grow to
maturity”.
If Mark truly believes this to be the case, then why is he pursuing
them and encouraging others to do the same when the fish are gravid
and at their most vulnerable? Does the welfare of the fish and their
successful breeding not take precedence over another trophy shot?
Well fellow anglers, what do you think?