UP TO THE OWNERS WHETHER THEY ALLOW SUMMER PIKING
On balance, I don’t think it has too much effect on the fish
SHOULD pike fishing ne allowed in the warmer months of summer?
Water authorities, including Thames and Anglian, had a closed season for pike from March 14 to October 1 in the old days of regional licences, and I know that some fisheries and clubs impose their own closures even now.
So, as suggested on this week’s letters page, should a national closed season for pike until October now be in place?
Well, has pike fishing deteriorated in the past 25 years? I don’t think so. Has fly fishing for pike on many of the big reservoirs resulted in lots of dead fish? No.
The next thing is practicality. With anglers such Sam Edmonds and his father Gary lure fishing for all manner of species on all types of water, pike must be an inevitable bycatch on both soft and hard lures.
Similarly, fly fishing for perch and zander on Pitsford and Grafham has no way of avoiding pike, so I suppose all lure fishing would have to be suspended to fit the pike fishing calendar.
In my opinion, a new national closed season cannot be justified, but as virtually every stillwater is owned by someone, those owners can impose their own rules based on commercial considerations.
Big pike are very valuable and scarce commodities, virtually irreplaceable, so if owners thought their future was in jeopardy they would be at perfect liberty to prevent pike – and all lure – fishing at their discretion.