What are Pike?

Pike are a predatory fish found at the very top of the freshwater food chain in British and European waters. Whether gazing over miles of natural Scottish Loch or boating on the man made Broads of Norfolk, walking along a small Yorkshire river or sailing a huge Welsh reservoir, Pike will be lurking in the shadowy depths. They spend hours, days, weeks, patiently waiting for an opportunity to strike out at their prey. A smaller fish, maybe a roach that strayed too far from the shoal, is snatched in a lightning flash of green and cream. Unable to escape the grip of hundreds of tiny white teeth, the roach is turned in the blink of an eye. Staring down the throat of Esox Lucius, its fate is sealed. It is swallowed whole.

Pike Myths

Pike capture the imagination. From the myriad of drains that form the Fens in the east of England to the Lake District of Cumbria, gravel pits and estate lakes, canals and park ponds, the mighty pike is the undisputed master of the pistcatorial world, and every venue has its pike myth. Disclose your chosen venue to any random stranger and the chances are they will tell you a tale of uncaught monsters rampaging through the resident duck, goose or swan population. Fish stocks will have been decimated by the indiscriminate killing spree of an unseen ‘Twenty’, ‘Thirty’ or even ‘Forty’ pound pike. A five foot long pike, “bit a bloke’s finger right off”, “dragged in a rottweiler”, “chased some kids out of the river”. We have heard them all. Sometimes we question the story and find that it was a friend of a friend’s relative who was overheard telling the tale in the pub. Occasionally we explain that it is not plausible for a twenty pound pike to drag a 120 pound dog into the water. The pike’s teeth are just not large enough to remove a finger. But mostly we choose to smile and ignore the harmless tale teller.

Persecution

Myths and legends repeated over centuries serve to create reputations. Facts arise from such tales and the poor pike has come to be feared and despised by rational folk. But we must not blame them. It takes a huge effort by a small number of people to start the bandwagon of change rolling. The Pike Anglers Club of Great Britain has spent thirty years trying to turn the tide of public opinion towards Pike. The battle continues unabated with Pike culls called for by well known anglers in 2007. In Ireland, match organisers use shallow barrels to hold pike before they are weighed in. Evidence suggests that culls can spark an explosion of small pike in a venue, which prove to be a greater problem to the prey fish and those wishing to catch them than leaving nature to provide a balance. When pike are culled, fewer pike big enough to feed on their smaller siblings remain. The remaining pike will still reproduce and the result is more ‘Jacks’ or young fish in the zero to five pounds weight category. With no natural predator they grow up together and logic would suggest that they will grow big together. I and many others believe that to achieve a healthy, balanced fishery then nature’s way should be allowed its want. The bigger Pike feed on the smaller Pike and clean up the sick and injured fish. This is nature’s way.

The Catch

When lucky enough to land one, we pike anglers like to weigh our catch and we always refer to the size in pounds and ounces. A ‘Twenty’ weighs at least 20lb but not more than 29lb 15oz, that would make her a ‘Thirty’ you see. A big pike that is at least a ‘Double’, more than ten pounds in weight, will be female. Smaller Pike of less than five pounds in weight are commonly called ‘Jack’s’ although some anglers refer to slightly larger fish of up to seven pounds as Jack Pike.

Twenties are very special fish and anglers feel very proud when they catch one. Thirties are the pike of a lifetime. During the pike fishing season, which starts on the first of October and finishes at the end of March, very few Thirties will be caught and the number of forty pound fish reported in the history of British pike angling only stands at around forty. The current British record pike of 46lb 13oz was caught at Llandegfedd Reservoir in 1992 by Roy Lewis on a lure.