MEMBERS MAGAZINE WITH REVIEWS, ARTICLES AND CLUB NEWS • ISSUE 60 • DECEMBER 2015
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Inside Issue 60 December 2015
Committee Reports Branch Reports Events Update Mug Shots Responsible Angling Lure Repainting
COMMITTEE CONTACTS CHAIRMAN Steve Tapley chairman@esoxecosse.com
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GENERAL SECRETARY Stewart McMath gensec@esoxecosse.com ASSISTANT SECRETARY **Position to be Filled** MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Brian Gerrard memsec@esoxecosse.com MAGAZINE EDITOR Ciaran Wilson editor@esoxecosse.com TREASURER **Position to be Filled**
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EVENTS MANAGER **Position to be Filled** PRODUCTS MANAGER Donald Murray products@esoxecosse.com
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BRANCH CONTACTS CENTRAL central@esoxecosse.com GLASGOW glasgow@esoxecosse.com TAYSIDE tayside@esoxecosse.com
PAAS SENIOR FELLOWS
Mark Carpenter, Declan McCusker, Don McGurk, Ralston McPherson, Jim Morrice, Donald Murray, Derek Smith, Steve Tapley, Joe Toner, Ron Woods, Scott Kelly, Scott Lawrence.
CHAIRMAN'S REPORT recognition or attention. A big thank you to of course our very own Mr Ron Woods who liaises with the Scottish Federation of Coarse Anglers and so many other groups - it’s hard to wonder how he gets time to get to these meetings, answer correspondence and fish. On the fishing front I have had a very successful last 4 or 5 months fishing on many venues from the south to the north of the UK. I spent a month on the Hampshire Avon and the Dorset Stour chasing all species of fish with some cracking fun on lures for pike in the faster running waters of the southern chalk rivers. The pike weren’t big but they were very aggressive and good fun on lighter tackle and rubber lures. I enjoyed a canoeing expedition up the river at Christchurch looking and seeing some great fish in their habitat and what was really surprising was that the canoe never really frightened them…. they just swam away and settled somewhere else not far away. The river was alive with fish from Minnows to great Grey Mullet although one surprising thing was I never really saw any Pike whilst in the canoe which I found a little odd. So here we are on Issue 60 of the PAAS Magazine and quite a milestone for a bunch of Pike Anglers that would never make it, as was quoted by some in well-known pike circles of many a year ago. I am not going to pretend it has been easy because it hasn’t but has it been worthwhile, most definitely! We, as a Club have achieved so much and are respected in many of the corridors of the Scottish Government set up as being the biggest single species club in Scotland. So give yourselves all a pat on the back for being members of such a Club because without the members and the Branch set ups the club wouldn’t exist. I stated back there that it hasn’t been easy and it certainly wasn’t with issue 59, the last magazine. We had some technical difficulties and then we had the Couriers lose the first lot of magazines so we had to get them reprinted again and during this next print mistakes were made in haste and were not picked up on…the little things that are not detected. I would like to thank the production team who worked hard to get the magazine finished and to the advertisers for sticking with us and I hope you enjoyed reading the articles as I did. I am sure it was worth the wait in the end! In general I would like to think that Pike Fishing in Scotland is having a mini resurgence at the moment in that we have the focus on the Wild Fisheries Review commanding attention from all the Angling Factions in Scotland. We also have the PAAS Branches making waves at local levels with a lot of hard work and effort going into recruiting new members, especially the Glasgow Branch where membership and events are booming, so I hear, on a regular basis and well done to all there. Also, to all the others who are involved in all branch activities no matter where you are on the map. I have this year attended a few of the Tayside Branch meetings and outings and it’s good to be back in at Branch level with good friends and angling activities as this an area that is really the life blood of PAAS. I know Mike Kernan, Editor of the Fishing Page of The Sun Newspaper is always keen to give us any good PR, if we are needing a helping hand with any issues that need national
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When I came back into Scotland and the weather settled, I managed some great fishing on a few waters that I know well with quite a few fish over the magical 20 pound barrier with the biggest weighing in at 24lbs 7ozs, which is very refreshing and nice to achieve and some of this was achieved with people I enjoy fishing with which always adds to the occasion and the enjoyment of fishing in PAAS. I also managed to get out to Tayside Events and blanked ceremoniously on both occasions but the craic was good and I did bank a huge piece of tree on Loch Tay which was highly amusing for some, I might add! The tree piece must have been well over 100lbs, wet and water logged! It had to be dragged out of the water for photographing…. Lastly, I managed to get out on a very wet day on the Lake of Mentieth with very little to show for myself and my boat partners’ efforts but the company was good and we tried our heart out albeit to little avail. At least at the end of the day the weather was more palatable than the middle part of the day, whereby the heavens just opened and we got very wet to say the least! Some of our gear managed to lose its sodden look before being put back into the car for the journey back home. We are now entering some of the best months of the year for Pike fishing and I hope you manage a few good fish yourselves in the run up to Christmas and over the festive period and I hope Santa is good to you all on Christmas Day…. Slainte…….
Steve Tapley PAAS Chairman.
EDITOR'S REPORT on the events that have to date gone unreported. Certainly some were more successful than others and given the overall poor returns from our combined days on the Lake of Menteith, it would appear that as a club we may be approaching a crossroads with regards our support of future events on this venue. That is a discussion for another day, however I came across an interesting article among my archive material that documented the results from the Clubs first ever outings on the Lake. For newer members, this will put into perspective what some of the disappointment about the state of returns stems from. There was no doubt that in its heyday the Lake was the jewel in the crown of Scottish Piking and one can only hope that someday it can return to something of its former glories, as Davey Turley’s cracking fish from the recent PAC day reminded us of (see mugshots section.)
Welcome to issue 60, our festive edition of Esox Ecosse! Firstly, apologies yet again for the delays in getting issue 59 out to you. I was determined to get this issue turned around much quicker but another series of events transpired which ultimately saw those plans go up in smoke. In order to avoid any additional delays, it appears that I inadvertently rushed a proof through that had changed somewhat from the edition I had read and approved. This happened as a result of the original, approved editions going missing in transit between the printers and ourselves and the printer subsequently re-running the job with an old file, which unfortunately contained a few errors. As was quite rightly pointed out on the forum, sometimes as the editor it’s easy to become overfamiliar with a document to the point where I was guilty of scanning over certain content rather than giving it due care and attention. Please consider my wrists duly slapped – I will be sure to take advantage of the generous offers of assistance in this regard going forward! Onto a more positive note; I am pleased to announce that a new PAAS member has stepped up and offered his services in designing Esox Ecosse. Many thanks to Chris Sharp for his work in formatting this issue – Chris has some good ideas about how we can tweak the presentation and layout of the magazine going forward which will help keep our publication relevant and interesting. I think we can all agree that he’s done a cracking job – top stuff Chris! Staying on the positive news we have a new advertiser for the back inside cover in West Coast Fishing Adventures, who offer fully guided Pike Fishing trips on Loch Lomond. It’s always encouraging to get new advertisers on board and given a difficult few months at the beginning of my tenure when we lost a few, I am happy to say it seems that we have turned a corner. Of those few that did decide to step away, a frequent comment was that they would reassess their interest again in 2016 so I am hopeful that we might bring one or two back on in the not too distant future. As you read this, our last scheduled club event for 2015 will have passed. Included in this issue is a comprehensive update
So, other than our usual collection of Committee and Branch updates, what else can you expect from issue 60? I recently enjoyed an excellent days fishing on one of the Great Western Loughs of Ireland and had a chance to discuss at length the issues that Pike in these areas face with an angler who has decided to fight back against the unacceptable level of persecution his sport faces. As our results that day showed, there is still hope that the situation will slowly improve and that these once legendary waters will get the chance to return to the standards of their halcyon days of yore. Our Chairman Steve Tapley has been enjoying some great successes using a method that seems to be accounting for more and more fish every season. Not all of us will have the opportunity to pre-bait a specific water, but nevertheless this can be a devastating method and Steve gives a great insight into the possible pros & cons of doing so. As members of PAAS, it is important that we remember to uphold the good name of the club at all times. Indeed, the fact that we have taken the time and expense of joining the club shows that we individuals care about the future of our sport and the environment in which we take part. It is important therefore that we work with other interested stakeholders to ensure that our voice is heard and that we do our best to ensure that we continue to enjoy access rights in the future. Paul Barr is a Police Wildlife Crime Officer seconded on a full-time basis to The Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park. Paul has kindly composed an article highlighting some of the issues facing us as he sees them, which will hopefully prove an interesting read. So there you have it, I hope you enjoy issue 60 of Esox Ecosse. As ever, if you have any ideas or suggestions, articles, photographs or mugshots then please do not hesitate to send them to editor@ esoxecosse.com. All that is left for me is to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a fish filled New Year! Tight Lines,
Ciaran Wilson Editor
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GENERAL SECRETARY'S REPORT afield. There are other areas that are scrutinising these developments of the ban and its extension and if they see it has merits of success, these areas will start looking at applying bans to their bank sides as well. The only areas where I see other authorities might struggle right now is the offering of alternative camping sites, like they have on Loch Lomond. Recently both Ron Woods and I attended a meeting with the National Parks Authorities personnel and also people from the Forth & District Salmon Fisheries Board who are also keen to look at the camping ban and the possibilities of better control of Wild Camping in their areas, which include vast areas of Forestry Commission land. I am sure the Forestry Commission are following these developments with a keen eye.
Well, there certainly isn’t any peace for the wicked so the saying goes! With the lack of a PAAS General Secretary I have decided that I will fill the void until someone else eventually comes aboard and joins the Committee in these exciting times. Why do I say exciting I hear you ask? A good question and one that is easy to answer because the Club, through the Scottish Federation of Coarse Anglers, are engaged in talking to all the right people about the Wild Fisheries Review and how things will eventually change and how we have the opportunities through these corridors of power to reshape how wild fisheries management will alter, hopefully for the better, via dialogue and consultation. Ron Woods wrote a very informative article on the ins and outs of the review and why it’s important that we take part in these debates as a Club and indeed as a bigger force with the Federation and hopefully the Pike Anglers Club, because they have a new Scottish representative in Alan Armstrong. Both he and I have already had talks about the Loch Lomond debate on charging for coarse fishing and hopefully more dialogue will only improve things for the better on many subjects that affect Pike fishing ‘North of the Wall.’ Also in the melting pot are talks with the Trossachs and National Parks about the pike fishing and the camping ban that has been so skilfully slapped on us from a great height and their intentions to extend the ban further around the shores of Loch Lomond and possibly further
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So it’s important that we are involved in any possible developments that could improve our position on this matter. It was very enlightening to see and realise how many ladies are representing these Groups or Stake Holders and how they want to push on and discuss matters with Valerie Lusk, who is the Head of Marine Scotland. The meeting was a very low key, fact finding affair. The Forth & District Salmon Board representative, another lady, wants to explore the possibilities or rolling out a type of passport scheme that would identify the permit buyer when people want to fish their waters. This has alerted the Trossachs and National Parks Authorities to these possibilities as well through discussions on the various back ground forums. I believe Ron Woods was either already in contact or alerted to this meeting from the offset. To be fair this is all in its infancy but the Parks Authority are keen to explore ways of possibly getting the Pike Angler back to bivvying overnight but it, the scheme, has to have accountability for them to want to see this implemented. We can only take part in discussions and see where this will lead us but at least it is recognition that the camping ban has severely affected how we would like to fish. I will get back to you all once things start to move on but it is a chink of light at the end of the tunnel.
The Possession of Salmon Smolt’s in Scotland. This is just a kind wee reminder to those that have thought about buying and using Neville’s lovely looking Salmon Smolt’s that they are illegal to use in Scotland. The legislation that covers this is as follows;
Section S23(1) of the Salmon & Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) Act 2003, which says: Any person who— (a) Knowingly takes, injures or destroys; (b) Buys, sells, exposes for sale or is in possession of; or (c) Places any device or engine for the purpose of obstructing the passage of, any Smolt, Parr, salmon fry or alevin shall be guilty of an offence. This is as it’s written in the Act and it is also covered in Section 13 of the PAAS Code of Conduct, Fish Movements.
Loch Lomond and the LLAIA Loch Lomond and the LLAIA has reared its ugly head once again and fresh dialogue with the new PAC Representative, Alan Armstrong has reopened the debate once again. He proceeded to send us a document that looked like it had be written on a piece of scrap paper in a pub and he stated that it was clear proof that the LLAIA had written permission to charge for coarse fishing. I questioned the validity of said document and asked as to where the rest of it was? His reply to that request was…. “The rest of the document was of a delicate nature and could not be shown to those outside the LLAIA.” Rodger Hatcher then became involved, which I am very grateful for, as he knows a lot more on the water than I do and proceeded to ask exactly the same questions and he got exactly the same answers. At this point Rodger stated that the LLAIA must have something to hide if they are not willing to produce the rest of the document for others to view. Alan then said he would take all this back to the next LLAIA Committee meeting of which I have heard exactly nothing of the outcome once again. So here we are again awaiting clear evidence that the LLAIA have clear and concise permission to charge for the Coarse Fishing on the Loch. The crux of this is they, the LLAIA, do have permission from the Luss Estates if the transfer of the Salmon Rights from the Crown to the Luss Estates is legally binding. This only then entitles the Luss Estates to grant permission to the LLAIA to charge for the coarse fishing if the boat owners and anglers launch from a site or piece of land owned by the Luss Estates. The complications arise in the fact there are 2 other Riparian Owners on the Loch and as far as we can ascertain and the evidence provided to us by the LLAIA they do not have permission to charge on the behalf of the other two Riparian Owners. So effectively they do not have the sole right to charge for the Coarse Fishing. If the LLAIA were to tie the other two Riparian Owners into binding agreements then they would then
have the sole right to charge for the coarse fishing. Once, and only then, if the LLAIA can produce the permissions and agreements from the other two Riparian Owners will we be any further forward. Until then we are indeed no further forward on this subject and no closer in putting the subject to bed. Case suspended yet again! There are some in our ranks who think I am being awkward but I am merely up holding the facts on the water and that users cannot be charged until all the correct paperwork is granted to the LLAIA. I am positive the LLAIA wouldn’t pay for anything they didn’t legally have to do so why should the Coarse Angler on the Loch be any different. However, please remember and respect the Riparian Owners land you launch and fish from as you still need permission from the land owner to be there as he owns the access to the fishing from his bank side.
The Lake of Menteith Events. Some of the membership maybe haven’t been aware of what has been written and said on the Forum of late about anchors and not being able to fish with them during the Lure Day Events. Now the Committee have approached Quintin several times over this subject and all calls have been rejected by the Management of the Lake for this to happen. So on Saturday I jumped in the car and I went down there to fish with the clear intentions to discuss this further with Quintin at the end of the day. For those of you that haven’t seen the results on the Forum or published anywhere else for that matter the catch returns were extremely disappointing. So much so that when asked by Quintin at the end of the day I said the returns for our boat were very disappointing and I viewed the fishing as rubbish. We then debated the anchor situation and he basically said nothing would change on a lure day as we have never had anchors before and sees no reason to change this. He also clearly stated to a small audience that he wasn’t happy with only 11 boats taken up and if we can’t fill the boats he will then throw the applications out to others such as PAC and others. For me he would have been better off asking how we can get our guys back out in the boats instead of just being negative about the situation and throwing out idle tantrum threats without really thinking things through. Are the new people on our angling day going to be insured like we are in case they hurt one of our member’s? Whose rules do they follow and who polices these individuals when they are out on the water with us?? How will these individuals fit in with us as it’s our day on the Lake? It would appear now that we are classed as the second class citizen on the water after all the Club has done for the fishery. That to me is a bit of a slap in the face and
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something I am not overly joyed about. There are times when the Managements stance on their water is very surprising and highlights to me that they are really only interested in the income and not the welfare of any fish. For me paying all that money just to catch jacks and trout just isn’t cost effective anymore. I love the day out with different people on the boat and I have always had great boat partners and there was always the chance of a good fish but I feel I am now wasting good time, money and effort with the water and I know there are a lot in the Club who feel the same. So my question to the membership is do we continue to support the Mentieth day out?? You can contact me personally on my Club e-mail if you wish or just pm through the Forum. This leads me nicely onto the next topic for debate….
Vacant Positions We still need to fill a few positions and are looking for Volunteers to join the Committee in the following roles; General Secretary – Temporarily being covered by Steve Tapley (not seeking Election at the AGM). Treasurer – General banking and book-keeping for the clubs accounts. Assistant Secretary – To Shadow the Gen Sec in what goes on. This would be generally easy as I am standing in as General Secretary for now and I am happy to show an eager mind the ropes Events Organiser - Events are extremely important to the health of the club as they are a big attraction for new members. This position could disappear if we lose or decide to step away from certain events. I do not see why the Current Committee are expected to double up or treble up on jobs. Ideally someone who likes going to the Events should take the great leap and join us to be guided through the organising, as it’s not difficult. Web and Facebook Organiser - Perhaps someone we know could be interested in this position. Meanwhile we will use outside resources at a cost to the Club to keep these up dated for the membership.
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So there you have it for another report and magazine issue…… Up and coming considerations will be the Half Yearly (30th January) and AGM (28th May 2016) at the King Robert Hotel, Bannockburn. All are welcome to attend. The PAAS Annual General Meeting in May 2016 once again the exact date to be confirmed. Are there any speakers you would like to listen to?? Tight Lines,
Steve Tapley Interim PAAS General Secretary
Summer 2014
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ON E AS SU SER IS EN PE OPUM B 29/05/2014
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MEMBERSHIP REPORT
PRODUCT'S REPORT
Hi guys and welcome to issue 60 of your Esox Ecosse magazine, the winter issue. I hope you enjoy your read.
The Products department has been exceptionally quiet over the last six months or so.
I will start with our current membership numbers; we are currently sitting at 152 members, a little down on last years numbers although the core members are returning year in year out. Well done guys for your continued support! On a personal level, I had a visit to the river Ebro in September and caught my first zander followed by a kitten lol! The zander wasn’t the biggest but it put a smile on my face as it was the first I had caught or even seen for that matter.
There has been an unexpected change in the way I am processing the clothing orders within the Products department. Our clothing supplier (Katya Embroidery) have relocated their business premises from Bankfoot in Perthshire, across to Easdale Island just south of Oban, on the west coast.
I would urge all members to get along to their local branches, details are as follows: Glasgow branch meet in The Iron Horse pub in Glasgow Contact - William Edgar at glasgow@esoxecosse.com Central branch meet in The Oxgangs hotel in Grangemouth Contact - Scott Miller at bigscottyfishing@yahoo.co.uk Tayside branch meet in The Old Reid park bar in Forfar Contact - Donald Murray Products Manager at tayside@ esoxecosse.com Any queries regards membership or whatever you would like to see happen with regards membership, then please get in touch at memsec@esoxecosse.com , 07713279404 or p m me at Brian Gerrard Membership Secretary or at the membership section on the forum. I will finish by wishing all our members a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year; see you all in 2016!
BRIAN GERRARD Membership Sectretary
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I picked up all the clothing orders and dealt with the postage personally, but because of the relocation, Katya will be sending out your orders direct. With this change happening with our supplier and them no longer being local to me, I can’t hand over orders at events etc, unless I have an item in stock. It is still my intention to get the Zip Hoodies and Soft Shell jackets on our website. There has been some delay with this due to some website issues. I know there are some members out there that do not have internet access. I have included an order form with this issue, if anyone would like to make a postal order. In my opinion, every member should be wearing the PAAS colours and promoting your club. So let’s pay a visit to our online shop at www.esoxecosse.com Products Contact: Tel 01738 637586 email products@ esoxecosse.com
DONALD MURRAY Product Secretary
Dave Lumb's
12 Wilson Close Tarleton Preston PR4 6DE Tel/Fax: 01772 812036 dave@dlst.co.uk
D.L. Specialist Tackle www.dlst.co.uk PARTRIDGE TREBLES
LURE RODS
BAIT RODS
Chemically sharpened points, black nickel finish, 10 Per pack.
AXIOM 7013 - £165.00 7ft, casts 28-84g Lightweight, fast action multi-purpose lure rod.
X-1 - £190.00 12ft, 3lb A stepped up version of the P-1 on a new woven blank.
AXIOM 6824 - £165.00 6ft 8in, casts 56-112g
P-1 - £185.00 12ft, 2.75lb All round predator rod with crisp progressive action.
X7 Modified Limerick bend Size 2, 4, 6 - £7.35 X6 Round Bend Size 2, 4, 6 - £8.40
AXIOM 6235 - £165.00 6ft 2in, casts 84-140g
P-2 - £180.00 11ft, 2.5lb Drain/river pike rod.
(For Fuji SiC rings please add £40)
TREBLE HOOKS Eagle Claw 974 2X straight point - 10pk Size 6 - £1.80 Size 4 - £1.80 Size 2 - £2.00 Size 1 - £2.00 Size 1/0 - £2.40 Size 2/0 - £2.60 Size 3/0 - £3.00 Size 4/0 - £3.60 Size 5/0 - £4.20
STAY-LOK POWER SNAPS £2.99 (Per 10) Size 1, Size 2 (Per 9) Size 3, Size 4 (Per 8) Size 4.5, Size 5
TOOLS AND STUFF
FOOLER - £130.00 6ft 6in, casts 28-70g - Top selling all-rounder
Long Reach pliers (straight): £7.50 Debarbing/crimping pliers: £4.95 Lazer split ring pliers: £11.50 Precision trace wire cutters: £4.95
Size 2 - £2.99 per 12 Size 3 - £2.99 per 10 Size 4 - £2.99 per 10
SLEDGE-HAMMER 66M - £145.00 6ft 6in, casts 56-112g
P-3 LOCH TAMER - £185.00 10ft, 3.5lb - Boat pike rod supreme. Nuff Said! P-4 LOCH TAMER LITE - £180.00 10ft, 2.75lb - Lighter action boat pike (and zander) rod.
SLEDGE-HAMMER 60H - £145.00 6ft, casts 70-126g. TRICKSTER H - £150.00 7ft 4in, casts 28-84g Two-piece, fast action multi-purpose lure rod. TRICKSTER L - £150.00 7ft 4in, casts 28-70g Two-piece, medium action multi-purpose lure rod.
POWER SWIVELS Size 14, 12, 10, or 8 £1.00 per 10
LUREWEAVE MESHES To fit 42” triangular or 36” round frames.
£24.00 Size 14, 12, 10, or 8 £4.25 per 50 Swivels size 5 £1.25 per 10
FASTACH SNAPS
SLEDGE-HAMMER 70L - £145.00 7ft 0in, casts 42-98g
Size 5 £5.25 per 50 Size 2 £2.00 per 10
To fit 36” triangular or 30” round frames.
£22.00
NEW STUFF Stainless Steel Split rings 6mm - £2.00 Stainless Steel Split rings 8mm - £2.00 Stainless Steel Split rings 10mm - £2.00 Quick Links - £2.00 All 20 per pack
P-5 - £185.00 11ft, 3lb - Multi-purpose boat/bank rod. Much recommended all round pike rod. BAIT BLASTER 1 (BB350) - £185.00 12ft, 3.5lb Big bait/long range predator rod.
RIG STUFF Popper Beads 18mm - £2.50 per 10 Popper Beads 25mm - £2.50 per 6 Rigid Boom Tube - £1.40 per 5 Deadbait Elastic - £1.00 30lb DLST Trace Wire - £2.99 per 30ft Crimps - £2.50 per 100 AFW Surfstrand 30lb - £3.95 per 30ft Twidling Stick - £2.00 each Low Temp Shrink Tube (size 1) - £1.70 Low Temp Shrink Tube (size 2) - £1.70 Low Temp Shrink Tube (size 3) - £1.70 Rubber Beads (6mm) - £0.85 per 10 Rubber Beads (8mm) - £0.85 per 10 Plastic Beads (5mm) - £1.50 per 100 Plastic Beads (8mm) - £1.50 per 100 Large Eye Swivels - £2.95 per 50
Lead making swivels per 50 - £3.00
CARRIAGE AND DELIVERY Orders under £25.00 please add £3.00 towards postage. Rods are sent by carrier at a cost of £15.00 per order. All rods built to order. Please enquire about build times—average is around four weeks. ALL OTHER UK ORDERS OVER £25.00 POST FREE Overseas carriage on rods (including Eire) by arrangement, other overseas orders please add 10% All weights and measures approximate. Prices correct as of 05/07/15. E&OE
Cheques/POs payable to D.L. Specialist Tackle please VISA/MASTERCARD and PAYPAL ORDERS WELCOME Shop On-Line @ www.dlstshop.co.uk
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The
CENTRAL branch Hello from the guys in The Central Branch, Our September outing produced fish for all in attendance, maybe not big fish for all but pike none the less. There were a few nice fish caught, including doubles for Colin and Krissy and a cracking fish just short of twenty pounds for Mikey, caught on a magnum bulldawg! Well done Mikey, a great time was had by all.
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The October meeting was attended by the usual suspects but also by three new members, a very warm welcome to you guys. Our October outing was cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances but it did not stop some of the guys catching some nice fish! Krissy, Mellors and Doreen to name but a few caught some good fish, well done guys!
The November meeting saw another couple of new members, which is good news, not only for the Central Branch but for the club as well. We decided to fish Loch Ard for our outing, unfortunately the brave souls who turned up got soaked for their efforts! (I guess they don't call it Loch Hard for nothing!) Our December meeting will be our Christmas dinner, which we all look forward to, and with our December outing, venue to be confirmed, it only leaves us to wish all fellow members a happy Christmas and a very prosperous New Year! Central Branch, sponsored by:
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The Mighty
GLASGOW branch August 2015 Branch Meeting
September 2015 Branch Meeting
Typically August doesn’t always bring out the numbers to the Branch meeting, as many are still on holiday or enjoying what little good weather we get in the West of Scotland, but this year proved different. On the night over 20 members turned out along with another 2 new members. The Mighty Glasgow Branch keeps on growing !!!
26 members were in attendance at the September Branch meeting including another 2 new members taking the tally to 40. (we’re going to need the function room at the Hilton at this rate) AWESOME STUFF GUY’S. For our September Monthly meeting, Nicolas Valentin was invited and very kindly came along to be our September Guest Speaker. For those
that don’t know him, Nicolas works full time for GAC and in his spare time is a semi professional photographer and one serious kayaking enthusiast. The theme for Nicolas’s talk was Kayak Fishing – Across 4 Seasons. And as the title suggests, it covered Nicolas’s kayaking adventures over a 12 month period, targeting both fresh water and salt water predatory species.
August 2015 Branch Outing With the summer break still in effect no official Branch outing was planned. However, our eagerly awaited Annual Summer BBQ, Boating & Social Weekend was less than 1 week away. (see separate write up)
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From well-known wild Loch’s across Scotland to some very remote fishing areas off the Isle of Skye, Nicolas certainly gets around and catches a fair amount of fish along the way.
October 2015 Branch Outing With the original venue cancelled in the week leading up to the Branch meeting (due to water quality) we opted for a local water to replace it. Between work commitments, weather conditions and holidays only a handful of member’s managed to fish the event. With the biggest fish being caught by Joe Toner and weighing in at 13lb 8oz. Earning Joe £30.00 worth of Glasgow Angling Centre vouchers. Well done Joe.
Along with his passion for fishing, Nicolas is equally passionate about photography, and some of the pictures that accompanied his talk were breath taking in their own right. On behalf of the Glasgow Branch, I’d like to thank Nicolas for taking time out and giving us an in-depth look at Kayak fishing across Scotland. And to show appreciation Nicolas was presented with a bottle of our finest Scotch Whisky. To all members reading this, if you get the chance to go along to a future talk by Nicolas, I’d certainly recommend it. It’s a real eye opener to what adventures you can have on a Kayak.
off sharp with the main topic of discussion being our 2 up and coming limited access Branch Boating Event’s. The first event threw up some cracking fish, with no less than 3 PB’s being caught on the day. However, the same couldn’t be said for the second event. This proved a little harder to crack with only a dozen or so fish being caught. But that’s fishing for you ???
PLEASE BE AWARE THERE IS NO BRANCH MEETING IN DECEMBER NEXT BRANCH MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE ON JANUARY 14th 2016. Until next time…
William Edgar Branch Secretary
A BIG THANKS to all who participated in the events.
September 2015 Branch Outing This month’s Branch outing took the members to Scotland’s largest sheet of water. But due to weather conditions, unfortunately not many member’s made the trip with the biggest fish of the weekend (12lb 8oz) being caught by myself. Earning me £30.00 worth of Glasgow Angling Centre vouchers.
October 2015 Branch Meeting With another fantastic turn out and lot’s to discuss things we kicked
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GLASGOW branch GLASGOW branch Annual BBQ GLASGOW branch Boating & Social Weekend ASGOWGLASGOW branch branch
e Mighty
The Mighty
ightyAfter positive feedback The Mighty from 2014, this
year’s Annual BBQ, Boating & Social Weekend was once again held at Torran Bay Hostel at Loch Awe on Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd August.
For Branch Member’s the entire weekend was free of charge and for members inviting a guest the cost was £15.00. Considering this covered the weekends fishing, camping costs, an “all you can eat and drink” BBQ…PLUS the chance to win one of the trophies up for grabs on the Saturday. It wasn’t too bad. (Note: this year the committee decided to add a 3rd trophy for people bank fishing…so we’ll need to come up with a new name for next year) With the weather forecast to be dry but windy come Sunday Thelunch Mighty time 25+ anglers made their way to Torran Bay to support the
weekends activities. Some of which arrived on the Friday to make the most of their weekend pass . The Weekends Agenda… Saturday 22nd * Fishing – Daylight until 18:00pm * BBQ – Starts at 18:00pm * Trophy Presentation - 20:00pm Sunday 23rd * Fishing – Daylight until Dusk (attendance and catch results going towards Claymore Trophy for Branch Members)
Although the Friday wasn’t planned as being part of the weekend, it certainly didn’t seem that way, with the beer and banter going into overdrive shortly after the bank rods and boats were in. For me, Malcolm’s “South African Stew” took center stage on the Friday with most looking for a 3rd helping never mind 2nd. And I must say, it was absolutely fantastic (Malcolm…you just need to get the cooking time to under 3 hours next year). Too bad to those that didn’t get the chance to taste it…get there earlier next time…or get Malcolm to make another pot on the 2nd night ???
GLASGOW branch GLASGOW branch 14
The Mighty
The Mighty
Over the weekend the bulk of the angler’s bivvied up in Torran Bay itself, with others opting to book one of the Hostel rooms that were made available at a discounted rate for the Branch Weekend.
everyone having a great time and getting their fill of SUPER TASTY food and refreshments on the night (which went well into the wee hours for some)
With 3 trophies now up for grabs on the Saturday…
day. So a big well done to those that did) First up was Jonathan “The Big Yin” Maxwell. The Big Yin managed to catch a nice 16lb from the bank, earning him the Bank Trophy for 2015/16. (well done Johnny)
* Boat – Biggest Lure Caught Pike * Boat – Biggest Dead Bait Caught Pike * Bank – Biggest Dead Bait or Lure Caught Pike …anglers were up and out fishing first thing Come 18:00pm the troops started to gather at the BBQ area in search of some well-earned refreshments and food. And under the careful watch from our very own Branch chef, Rory Fitzpatrick, the BBQ was fired up and the cooking commenced. And not before long, people were tucking into Burgers, Chicken, Ribs….and SWEETCORN (LOL)
Trophy Presentation
Next up was Scott “Scooby” Kelly. With everyone fed and partially Scooby was the only angler to watered, it was time to announce catch on a lure from the boat catch returns and present trophies. (which he himself called a micro jack), earning him the Boat Lure I’m sure I speak for everyone when (If the truth be told, there weren’t Trophy 2015/16. (well done Scott) I say, it was a great success with many fish caught throughout the And last but not least Tony “The Housewives Choice” McTaggart. The Housewives Choice ended the day with the biggest pike caught using dead bait from the boat. Weighting in at 14lb 8oz. (well done Tony) Several took the opportunity to fish as much of the Sunday as possible, unlike myself who made a halfhearted attempt to fish, with others choosing to relax and use the hostel facilities until it was time to head home. Biggest fish caught on the Sunday
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was 15lb 12oz and caught by Will Gallacher from the bank. (well done Will)
BBQ weekend, please get in touch with a member of the Glasgow Branch Committee ASAP.
I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say, it was a great weekend and well worth making the journey up to Loch Awe. Roll on next year !!!
Special Thanks…
Looking Forward to 2016… Come January, the committee will start to make plans for the 2016 BBQ weekend. Should anyone have any suggestions / ideas towards next year’s
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* Rory Fitzpatrick for his support with the food preparation and cooking. * Malcom Paterson for his stew making and DJ skills. * Mark Carpenter & Johnny Maxwell for making the long trip up to support the event.
* David Hendry, Graeme Arnott and Tony McTaggart for their help in organizing the weekend.
Brolly.
From the first meeting with Joachim to discuss our requirements, to thanking him * To the Mortimer’s for eating as I left on the Sunday, he was an most of that Sweetcorn. absolute pleasure to deal with. For anyone wanting to go and * Finally…to all the guy’s that came stay in the hostel, I would HIGHLY along and made the weekend RECOMMEND IT… what it was…really appreciated (see you all next year) * The Hostel itself is spotless throughout. Torran Bay Hostel * The common kitchen area has I just want to take a moment to great facilities and is ideal for mention the Torran Bay Hostel various levels of personal or group and it’s the proprietor Mr Joachim cooking.
* Eating and lounge areas are comfortable and spacious. * Fisherman friendly amenities. * Ideally positioned to some of the best fishing areas on Loch Awe. * Quality boat hires. * Easily accessible boat launching slip for those wishing to take and launch their won boat. (9/10 in my book)
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Glasgow Branch Membership Announcement
Although our membership year runs from the start of April to the end of March, I would like to remind all non Glasgow Branch Members that it’s still not too late to join The Mighty Glasgow Branch in 2015. As a Branch we offer the following to all members… 1. The opportunity to interact with experienced members of all disciplines. All of whom, are more than willing to help and support those new to the sport or those already in the sport that just need a little advice… 2. Busy well co-ordinated Monthly Meetings... 3. Our own Limited Access Events... 4. A Member’s Only Facebook page... 5. Quarterly Branch Meeting Guest Speakers… 6. The opportunity to fish for 9 Trophies throughout the year... 7. Well co-ordinated Monthly Branch outings with a gift voucher going to the angler with the heaviest fish caught... 8. A FOC “AMAZING” Annual BBQ, Boating & Social weekend... 9. End of Year Angling Night (that includes a Big Name Guest Speaker / Buffet / Mega Raffle/ etc...etc…). As you see, there is lot's going on throughout the year for our existing members but we're always looking to add to our membership in order to keep moving forward. The time to join is now. And in doing so, you’ll be in a great position to take full advantage of all 2016 activities. Monthly Meetings are held in the Iron Horse Bar - 115 West Nile Street, Glasgow, G1 2SB. With our next Branch meeting taking place on Thursday 14th January 2016 @ 19:30pm Why not come along and see for yourself what goes on at The Mighty Glasgow Branch. Should you have any questions about joining – Please contact our Membership Secretary Mr Graeme Arnott using one of the follow methods: • Email – arnottgraeme@hotmail.com • Text or Phone – 07799 890 490 • Main Club Forum Private Message
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PAAS PRODUCTS
OFFICIAL PIKE ANGLERS ALLIANCE FOR SCOTLAND MERCHANDICE
CLOTHING
PAAS Hoodie £26.00
Add Extra Ecosse Logo £5.00 Red amd Yellow Logos Available
HATS
£15.00
Bronx Beanie Peaked Beanie Standered Beanie Cloth PAAS Badge £3.50 Cloth badge for sewing onto clothing Baseball Cap Pewter Keyring 1 £2.50
£18.00
Pewter Keyring 2
PAAS Fleece
£30.00
Pike pin 1
£2.50
For personalisation of your contact Donald Murry for prices.
High quality pewter badge woth solid pins
Pike pin 2
£2.50
PAAS Zip Hoodie
£27.00
High quality pewter badge woth solid pins
double thickness fleese lined material and full length zipper and a big hood
Pike pin 3
£2.50
PAAS Light weight Softshell
PAAS Logo Keyring
£2.50
Double thickness fleece lined with a huge front pocket and a big hood
PAAS Sweatshirt
£23.00
Double thickness fleece lined
PAAS T-Shirt 100% cotten in seceral colours
PAAS Polo Shirt 100% cotten in seceral colours
£32.00
PAAS Heavy weight softshell £46.00
BADGES
High quality pewter, beautifully crafted.
£2.50
High quality pewter, beautifully crafted.
High quality pewter badge woth solid pins Keyring showing the PAAS Badge
PAAS Enamel Bange
£2.50
PAAS enamel badge with solid pin
PAAS Car Sticker
£12.50 £12.50 £12.50 £14.00
PAAS PENNANTS PAAS Triangle Pennant PAAS Banner Pannant
£7.50 £7.50
TO PLACE AN ORDER OR IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE CONTACT DONALD MURRY: TEL. 01738 637586 EMAIL. products@esoxecosse.com
£1.50
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The
TAYSIDE Branch
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Tayside Branch Report
Outing 8th November.
Our fifth league outing of 2015 took place on Sunday 8th November. I don’t normally name our outing venues for obvious reasons, but the amount of rubbish Away Cup Outing. I had to clear up on the banks of Loch Venachar was absolutely disgusting. This does not really put me in Our annual Away Cup outing was fished on the good stead for a return visit to be honest. weekend of the 28th, 29th and 30th August 2015. Issue 60.
We arrived on a very wet Friday night, taking a good soaking before we even started fishing. Some good results were had with John Phizacklea banking a superb specimen of 20lb 10oz.
Originally, we had eight members signed up for the day but only four hardy souls ventured out in the end. John and Paul Phizacklea, Arran and myself braved the elements but eventually gave in by 1pm due to torrential rain and only one missed run for our efforts.
Results.
Looking Forward.
1st Donald Murray 3 fish 23lb 2oz.
Looking into December we should have our Annual Quiz Night, hosted by our very own Jim Morrice, for which a date and venue is still to be confirmed.
2nd John Phizacklea 20lb 10oz. 3rd Arran Murray 2 fish 10lb 2oz. 4th Paul Phizacklea 2lb 12oz. 5th Steve Tapley Blank.
Our Christmas Cup is usually fished for over the holiday period, again a venue and date to be confirmed. I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all the PAAS members a very happy Christmas, and all the very best for 2016.
Thanks go out to all the members who made the effort to attend this outing. That’s all from Tayside… Branch Outing 3rd & 4th October.
By Donald Murray. Products Manager
Our fourth outing of our 2015 league took place on the weekend of the 3rd & 4th October. Water levels were very low for the month of October, but a few fish were caught by the Branch members regardless. Results. 1st Jim Morrice 2 fish 14lb 13oz.
Tayside Branch, sponsored by:
2nd Andy Elliott 5lb 8oz. 3rd John Phizacklea. 3lb 8oz. Donald Murray, Arran Murray, Paul Phizacklea and Steve Tapley all blanked. Again a thank you to all the members who attended this event.
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EVENTS The more eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that we have not had an event report in a while, despite a few events having taken place lately. With the vacancy in the Event Organiser role, it has been hard to collect accurate catch returns and pictures to allow a decent account of those events that have gone ahead to be given. This is not an excuse but it is the reality when the remaining committee members are being spread ever more thinly, ensuring that our members can still fish the events that many signed up to do so. So in chronological order, the following is an update of returns from our unreported events for the year‌ I think it would be fair to say that all of the
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guys who applied to fish the lake of Menteith lure events were really looking forward to it, especially the early dawn start event, and I also think it fair to say that after fishing the events there may not be a stampede to fish them again! Here’s the story‌
Lake of Menteith, Monday 25th May 29 members attended the Monday night event which had the best results out of the three events. In total 66 jack pike were caught, seven double figure fish and two over the magical twenty pounds mark. The evening turned out to be special for two anglers who managed to catch twenties, James Garvie & Michael Mellors. It was James’s very first PAAS event after he won a year’s free membership only weeks before and for Michael it was his first twenty pound fish on a lure, congratulations to you both!
Lake of Menteith, Saturday 27th June – This event was probably the most anticipated event for some time, with the very early start having everyone looking forward with an added enthusiasm and as we set out on a beautiful sat morning with the water bubbling with rising trout and roach, hopes of a successful day were high. Alas it was not to be for the thirty two anglers who attended with only sixty nine jack pike and five double figure fish caught - an average of only 2.3 fish per angler, figures I’m sure many would agree that hardly set the heather on fire!
Lake of Menteith, Monday 6th July Our final summer lure event saw eighteen members take to the lake and once again come away bitterly disappointed. Conditions were not ideal with the water coloured due to a fair amount of algae and coupled with squally showers, some heavy at times, made it not too enjoyable an evening for most of us. And so the results proved, with only thirty four jack pike and only two double figure fish caught - probably the worst results ever for the lake. Following the disappointing results from the Lake of Menteith Lure events, expectations were high for better returns on our more traditional, full day events where the option of using deadbaits would hopefully sort out the better fish for those attending….
Butterstone, Sunday 20th September – A total of 9 boats attended a Bait and Lure day on Butterstone Loch in Perthshire, which ceased existence as an active trout fishery earlier in the year. 2 members were fortunate enough to bag twenties on the day with Alan Wilson upping his PB with a cracker of 25.11 and Stefan Jensen marking his first event with PAAS in style with a fine 21.06 fish on a small sardine. Fishing alone, Stefan was grateful of some assistance from Alan and his boat partner, Bryan Pollock, who kindly helped him photograph this memorable day – good teamwork lads! Elsewhere, a further 2 doubles were caught, both weighing in around 13 pounds and there were 6 high singles and a handful of smaller jacks caught too, so overall a decent return.
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Harelaw, Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th October A combination of bank anglers and boat anglers fished this 2 day bait and lure event on Harelaw Reservoir, Neilston. The best fish reported fell to the rods of Ryan Binnie who landed a nice fish of 16.02 pounds, while there was one other scraper double at 11.00, 3 high singles and 26 jacks that kept many of the attendees busy throughout the weekend. Also of note and following on from his success at the Butterstone event, Stefan Jensen nearly made it 2 big fish in 2 events when he connected with something big from the dam wall, but alas this fish proved to be the “one that got away.”
Lake of Menteith, Saturday 7th November Our final event for the calendar year 2015 saw 27 Anglers back on the lake of Menteith for a lure only day. As a result of the relatively poor returns experienced on the last few lure only sessions, permission had been granted by the Lake Management to allow those attending the event to fish a bait in conjunction with their lures, albeit that we would not be permitted to anchor up while doing so. Conditions were not great with a lot of rain in the few days preceding the event and indeed, the morning saw even more rain fall, albeit that the strong winds forecast earlier in the week did not materialize. As with so many of our recent lure events, the bigger fish just did not play ball but there were plenty of jacks willing to add some form of excitement to those in attendance, many of which came to trolling tactics – both lures and baits. The rain clouds even lifted in the afternoon, adding a little bit of brightness to proceedings but without doubt this was another disappointing day for all concerned with a venue that was once the undisputed jewel in the Scottish Pike Fishing Crown. Final scores on the doors were two double figure fish at 11lbs and a few ounces under 14lbs, backed up by 93 jacks and a few trout thrown in for good measure. Finally, the committee would like to thank all the members who attended these events and made them hassle free and on the whole, enjoyable and would like to extend firm congratulations to those anglers who managed to catch landmark fish. Events are a great opportunity to meet up with new members as well as catching up with old friends from other branches. There is no doubt that successful events are a vital part of the club’s attraction and it is for that reason that we desperately need someone to step up and take responsibility for managing these going forward.
Harelaw
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Landscapes
Menteith Sunrise June
Mich ael M el
ne
Irvi y d n A
lors
on s l i W Ciaran 25
There have been in the past, in various Pike related magazines debates as to whether this method works in attracting and catching bigger pike? For some time now I have used the pre baiting system on a lot of lochs that I have fished, whether I am in a boat or just fishing from the bank. My attention was bought to this method in an article written and explained many years ago. Armed with this information I decided to give it a try myself on a few local waters
PIKE FEEDER SYSTEM
Tried and Tested
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At first I found it very hard to differentiate whether the catch returns were as a result of throwing medium quantities of chopped up dead fish into the water and where the fish were obviously holding up or just the fact that the fish were ravenous on that very day. In order to draw up better conclusions I decided to extend the test period and where I would use it. I also decided, that to the dead bait mush that I prepared I would add extra oils to help spread the smell about. However in winter most of this oil would just migrate to the surface because the water was so cold and the added oils were so insoluble. Yet in summer the smell would dissolve a lot quicker because of the water being a good few degrees warmer thus helping the oil to defuse through the water levels. The only way to make the oils mix better in winter was to add an emulsifier; this would then help the oils dissipate better during winter months in a lot colder water, thus hopefully covering more ground and area. After various successes I decided to go one further and fish one rod with a large home-made feeder full of fish mush and added oils. The best mush came out of tins of pilchards mixed up with ground bait. I fished this home-
made feeder on a paternoster style rig so that the feeder wasn’t directly attached to the reel line in case a fish picked up the feeder instead of the intended deadbait. As the experiment wore on and after several feeders had been savaged by the pike actually picking up the feeder, I fitted them with a wire trace length just in case ol’Esox wouldn’t let go of the damn feeder. I started to fill the feeders with all sorts of fish bits and to help them break up I would add an alka-seltzer tablet to the mush to help the process along. In deep water the results were devastating as the bubbles that surfaced made it appear as if there were a diver in the water, as the water was blowing out like a diver would breathe out air from his tanks. The fish certainly homed in on the scent as the results were very rewarding with many doubles being banked and the odd 20 coming to the method, very encouraging!
In conclusion the system works very well in areas you know there are fish but there is one down fall which can be very hard to solve and that is the fact that after pre baiting so long the fish no longer want to move off with your bait and deep hook themselves because they gorge the baits on the spot. Even when clipped up tight with a bolt rig and 4 ounces of lead to keep the line tight, the fish managed to swallow the bait before making a break for it on the Loch bottom. However, the incidents became less if the amount of bait
thrown in was reduced considerably as obviously the competition factor came into effect once more as fish had to compete for the food with other hungry Pike. Runs started to develop again and deep hooking vanished once again. I have had some bumper days with this type of attractant and I can safely say it can be down to the pre baiting and the feeder system, so why not give it a try and see for yourselves?
The next stage was to fish the method from a boat and just tie the feeder off with some power gum and every now and again pick up the rod and give the end tackle a tug up and let it go back down to the bottom and all the oil and fish would fill the water with new scent. I did this because too many pike were actually picking up the feeder instead of the bait and seeing a big twenty swimming past the boat with just the feeder in its mouth and the bait with the hooks well outside its mouth was most disconcerting at the time I can assure you. Once the big fish finally got irritated with the situation and let go I could breathe a sigh of relief.
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Still WILD out WEST I
’ve been travelling to see my good friend Kenny Sloan in County Mayo for quite a few years now and along with some great fishing, I have always enjoyed the fantastic scenery, the Pike fishing history and of course the great craic we have chatting about all things Pikey, whilst waiting for a few fish to show.
Those of you who are active on the Piker’s Pit or Facebook may well be familiar with the effort Kenny has been putting in lately to get the Pike in his area a fair deal. Various forums and magazine articles are often awash with horror stories as to the extent of gill netting and more recently, electro fishing on the once great western Loughs of Ireland. Old habits certainly die hard in these
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regions where the Trout is king and the various fishery boards are staffed entirely by game anglers, a breed of individual who almost certainly will blame anything but themselves for any perceived decline in their fishing returns. Despite official statements from IFI that all large Pike would be returned alive, the reality is that it is left entirely to the discretion of the individual nets man as to
whether anything that ends up in one goes back alive or not. If only the Tourist Boards, the B&B’s & the Pubs realised how much travelling anglers would pay to catch Pike of the size that these guys will unashamedly chap on the head. In a region still suffering the ravages of an economic recession, it really does beggar belief just how many people can be so incredibly naïve as to the real value of the Pike in
However, this article is most certainly not a tale of doom and gloom and will hopefully offer a bit of positivity in a region that has been grossly mistreated in recent times. Unprepared to just sit by and watch his fishing and ultimately his livelihood being so openly abused Kenny has been fighting the cause of Pike in his region. Through his hard work and dedication, things may be starting to slowly head in the right direction. It’s easy to think that the great western loughs of Ireland aren’t worth fishing these days but there are still some brilliant fish to be had, on waters where you will rarely if ever see another Pike angler, as a recent visit I made to the region confirmed….. Following a quick phone call on the Sunday night, Kenny confirmed that conditions the following day looked good, with the weather due to slowly deteriorate throughout the week. The Lough was calm and fog free as we launched on a beautiful autumnal morning and discussed
the areas that were to be targeted during the session. Methods were to be trolled baits and lures, to find a few fish then drifting and casting to cover those areas that produced more thoroughly. The first reef trolled produced little of note, with one bang on a Magnum Super D all we had to show so it was off further down the lough to the next swim, a nice point
which dropped away into deeper water. Before we had all the rods back in, my Mag Super D fished under the planer board was away and a heavy presence on the end told me it was a decent fish. After a somewhat unspectacular fight a long, lean 17 pounder was in the net – a good start to the day! By this stage we were stationary as Kenny had slipped the engine into neutral, so our float trolled deadbaits were suspending around mid-depth. While posing for a quick photo with the first fish, I noticed my float bob once before a decent fish breached out of the water with my mackerel in its mouth. Fish number one was quickly slipped back and a few minutes later a chunky low double was sent back to where she came likewise; 5 minutes in a new swim and 2 doubles, not a bad start! We trolled on along the edge of the drop off but other than a jack, no further fish were forthcoming
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so it was on to swim number 3, where Kenny had a feeling there would be a few fish lying up. This is an area that he usually likes to troll but today we would be targeting the shallower area, at the top of the drop off where rocks and weeds provided perfect ambush cover for a hungry Pike. Half a dozen casts later a jack hit my Hell Puppy before, on the following cast something much larger chomped down on it. This fish was heavy and refused to budge initially but slowly she came to the boat and after a few headshakes I was happily unhooking a cracking fish of 18.04, which was a new Mayo PB for me……but that wouldn’t be for long!
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Still buzzing from landing such a great fish, I was remarking to Kenny that although I love catching good Pike on any method, casting lures was definitely my favourite way when, with perfect timing something hit my lure and everything went very solid. By this stage I was using a Cobbs Jerkbait that I wasn’t entirely convinced I liked the action of? The retrieve was no more than a few taps long when the fish hit so it had a fairly long way to come to the boat but the fish just wouldn’t surface. Repeatedly she dived under the boat and stripped line off a tight clutch; nevertheless she was well hooked in the scissors so I was confident that she wouldn’t drop
off. I am not sure how many times I’d made the trip to Mayo over the years but by this stage I was sure that this was the fish that I had kept coming back for and indeed when Kenny got his first look at her, he confirmed that was the case – “Well well over a metre long!”
Finally she was ready to come aboard and the scales slid round to 24.00 exactly, confirming not only a venue PB, but an Irish PB and most satisfactorily, a new lure PB – yee haa! We fished on for a further hour or
so in this area but despite Kenny returned to the midday hotspot to see if the rest had done it any good but the wind was pushing us at a slightly different angle than before. This time we were more or less drifting right along the drop off, where 8/9 feet slopped gradually down to 20 feet. Back on the Hell Puppy, another jack was quickly followed by something much better which again took right on the limit of the retrieve. Another cracking fish was quickly brought aboard and weighed in at 16.08 and my day had pretty much gone from the sublime to By late afternoon the sun had the ridiculous; a day’s lure fishing broken through albeit the westerly that I was never likely to forget! wind had also picked up a notch or two, however not enough to affect Time was pushing on and with our ability to fish effectively. We a long drive home ahead of me, losing a decent fish that shook the hooks, nothing else materialised so we decided to rest that particular swim and try somewhere new. Something which I’ve noted over the years on this Lough is that fish definitely switch on and off. It is not uncommon to enjoy a hectic hour’s sport before everything goes very quiet, only for it to pick up later in the day again. And so it proved to be the case as the early part of the afternoon saw us trolling and casting a few different areas with no success.
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we decided to head back towards the launch site. On our way in, we passed another really likely looking spot where rocks and weeds in about 8 feet would provide a good location for ambushing predators to sit. Unable to rest a few “last casts” Kenny quickly commented that there was a big fish following his lure. At the side of the boat it decided it wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to hit his sweeper and after a great fight, where the fish tried to tail walk on a couple of occasions, a superb fish of just over 23 pounds was the definite
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icing on the cake of an excellent days fishing! A quick flick through Mammoth Pike shows just how good some of the waters in the West of Ireland were at producing massive Pike, albeit it that most of these fish came many years back. Pike fishing can be many different things to many different people and personally, I just love sitting somewhere with such prodigious history, where you literally have no idea just how big the next fish could be. I find that element of
the unknown both inspirational and motivational and it has certainly encouraged me to return time and again in search of that special day. The average stamp of fish is still very good with mid to upper doubles the norm and for the lure angler, there is the added attraction that practically none of these fish will have ever seen a lure before, so hits are often confident and aggressive – oh, and they don’t half pull back a bit when hooked!!
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MUGSHOTS 1
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R
ESPONSIBLE ANGLING & OUTDOOR ACCESS
For the last six years I have had the pleasure
of being seconded on a full-time basis to Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. This is the only such secondment to a UK National Park, so I am very fortunate indeed.
outdoor access, wildlife crime and keeping residents and visitors alike safe.
so much coarse fishing nowadays but did manage to land a huge Pike by mistake, (estimate 30lbs) on a fly rod from a boat at Gartmorn Dam. This fish was safely returned to the water and I will always remember the fright I got when I caught a glimpse of the size of her.
We are really lucky in Scotland to have such a great variety of fishing available in beautiful surroundings. We are all custodians of this and it is of vital importance that we all work together to preserve and enhance the environment for future generations. In this article I hope to outline how we can achieve this goal and prevent issues from arising.
My job within Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park is to I am also an angler and grew up provide the link between the staff catching Perch and Pike on the there and the police with a view Forth and Clyde Canal. I don’t do to resolving problems related to
Access Rights – Access Rights in Scotland are laid out in The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 and are simplified in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. This code provides
I have been a Police Wildlife Crime Officer for most of my 18 years service. I was selected for this role due to my previous employment before joining the police where I was a fish farmer, fishery manager and water bailiff. I know that some of the PAAS members were customers of mine on the fishery where I worked way back then.
36
information on the responsibilities of those taking access and also of the obligations of landowners and statutory authorities. Within the Act there are three activities listed where rights of access are not provided. These are hunting, shooting and fishing. What this means is that you should ensure that you have permission to be on the land where you are fishing from. This could be by means of permission granted by the owner or by the purchase of a permit, such as those offered by the Loch Lomond Angling Improvement Association or Forestry Commission etc. Angling Law – The main piece of legislation used in Scotland is the Salmon & Freshwater Fisheries, (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003 and The Aquaculture and Fisheries (Scotland) Act 2007. These Acts’s consolidated a number of other pieces of statute law, some of which dated back to the 1600’s. Interestingly enough, early legislation from that time made mention of a fish called a Pykiss, an early reference of Esox lucius, an important table fish back then.
S5a – Anglers cannot use Pike gags or keepnets with knotted or metallic mesh. S11 - Fishing without legal right or written permission on a stank or proper loch. A stank is an enclosed body of water with no sealed inlets and outlets to prevent access and egress of fish. This could be a reservoir or man-made loch. A proper loch can be a natural loch where the fishing rights are in the ownership of one person or company. Litter Litter is an ever present complaint in Scotland. There is no excuse for this and anglers should always ensure that their litter is disposed of correctly. Monofilament line if discarded can present danger to wildlife for years and there have been instances where dogs have ingested treble hooks on a wire trace. Other litter such as deadbait packets can also be easily attributed to Pike anglers and the actions of a minority can paint the majority in a bad light.
of American Signal Crayfish from Loch Ken in Dumfries and Galloway to other areas. It is important for anglers to ensure that any nets, weigh sacks or boats etc., are cleaned and dried between outings to prevent the spread. More guidance on this can be found at; http://www.nonnativespecies. org/checkcleandry/biosecurityfor-anglers.cfm It is an offence to stock a body of water with fish without a licence from the Scottish Government or to transport fish with the intention of putting them into another water. Do not be tempted to move Pike from water to water as this can spread disease and interfere with the ecosystem of that water. Camping and Alcohol Byelaws– A corridor of land on the East side of Loch Lomond is covered by 2 sets of byelaws. One deals with a prohibition on the public consumption of alcohol. This is effective all year round within the zone.
Invasive Non-Native Species There are many species of nonnative fish, mammals, plants and invertebrates that are spreading throughout the U.K. and these The offences that could affect Pike can have a damaging effect on anglers in are: the natural flora and fauna. Once these have spread they can be S3 – Anglers cannot use landing impossible to eradicate so the best nets with knotted or metallic policy is to prevent the spread in mesh. the first place. S 3a – Anglers fishing for freshwater fish that are not salmonids who Anglers are in the front line of are not fishing from a boat must this fight as they may be fishing not use more than 4 rods for that in different areas of the country purpose at any one time. and could inadvertently spread S4 – Anglers may not use live species between bodies of water, vertebrates as bait. for example a potential spread
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The other is the East Loch Lomond Camping Byelaws 2011. This piece of legislation was brought in to tackle problems of antisocial behaviour and habitat degradation in a zone of land between Drymen to the north of Rowardennan on East Loch Lomond. The byelaw makes it an offence to camp within the restricted zone or to sleep outside or in a vehicle between 1900-0700hrs each day from 1st March to 31st October. This also means that bivvies cannot be used within the zone. More information can be found at; www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/ visiting Safety – Statistically speaking angling is a dangerous activity with a number of fatalities recorded each year amongst anglers. There are a number of things that we can do to reduce the risk. Always check the weather forecast and amend plans if severe weather is forecast. This could relate to boat fishing in high winds or to being in areas prone to flooding. I remember one night in Balmaha where a couple of anglers had been camping in the winter near to the Endrick Bank when they suddenly woke up to find that their tent was floating. Luckily, they managed to escape with the help of the emergency services.
by fishing close to overhead power lines as carbon fibre fishing rods are excellent conductors of electricity. If thunder and lightning starts cease fishing until the storm passes over. No fish is worth endangering your life for. More information on angling in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park can be found at; www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/visiting If any readers witness any crime occurring when they are fishing they should contact the police on the 101 non-emergency number or 999 if it is an emergency.
Anyone fishing from a boat should wear a lifejacket and ensure that it is correctly fitted and maintained. These are not expensive and modern lifejackets are not cumbersome and could save Tight lines, your life. This is the single most important piece of equipment PC Paul Barr that you can buy. Be aware of the dangers posed
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JAMES HOLGATE
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THE INCOMPLEAT PIKER The Incompleat Piker is a brand new book from Dr Steve Rogowski and his first book for the Little Egret Press. Comprising over 270 pages and packed full of more than 170 full colour photographs it is a magnificent and comprehensive book which is sure to be well received by Pike anglers of all ages and experience. With a foreword from Neville Fickling and contributions from a host of anglers including Steve Ormrod it is definitely going to be a welcome addition to pike fishing literature and a book not to be missed. Only 500 numbered limited edition hardback copies are available
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THE LAKE OF
DREAMS Archive Articles
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5oz; Gord Burton and Fudgey McFadyen 8 fish to 27lbs; Iain Watkins and Neilson Baxter 10 fish to 19lbs 8oz; Alan Burgess and Hugh Fairley 9 fish to 23lbs 4oz; Dave Penman and Jim Barnet 7 fish to 19lbs; Andy Carson and Neil Cockburn 10 fish to 23lbs 8oz and young Greig Biggam with three his boat partner Alan Brackenridge fish to 17lbs 2oz (daddy blanked, with a beauty of 23lbs 5 oz, again oh dear no pocket money for you!) on sardine. Well done to all three Back to individual fish and for catching their personal bests. a number of other twentyTalking about amazing fishing what pound plus fish were caught. about Katrina Doyle then? Caught Congratulations to John Brown her first two pike ever – 22lbs 8oz (25lbs 2oz, 23lbs); Ross McConchie and 32lbs, both on hothead lures! (20lbs 12oz); Hugh Fairley (23lbs Our second female to enjoy the 4oz); Sam Walker (28lbs 8oz); Neil delights of Menteith was Steph Cockburn (23lbs 8oz); Gord Burton Gloyer who caught a lovely 10 (27lbs); Fudgey McFadyen (22lbs pounder on deadbait. Finally 8oz); Pete Jensen (21lbs 5oz) and from the fairer sex, Marlene Figgis Gordon Houston (22lbs 12oz).
he Pike Anglers’ Alliance for Scotland’s first organised event on the Lake was an outstanding success both in numbers and size of fish; indeed, it could arguably be described as the best pike days ever seen on the water.
Of the sixty hopefuls who set forth in an undignified stampede (keen or what) only eight anglers’ were unfortunate enough to blank. So what of the other fifty-two?
The first fish I saw landed on my patrol round was Ricky McIntyre with a fish of 24lbs 1oz. Ricky had another twenty of 23lbs 7oz and a mid double later in the day – never mind Eddie. Another Ricky, Ricky Stewart also had a day to remember landing a personal best shared a twelve fish catch with of 29lbs 1oz with his boat partner husband Owen, her best three fish chipping in with two mid doubles. a respectable 11lbs, 15lbs 8oz and 19lbs 8oz, with Owen’s best 18lbs Minutes later I drifted past Bill 8oz. Little and Frank Gibbons. Bill had his usual fish in the first ten Other excellent multiple catches minutes, but it was only 25lbs fell to the rods of Pete Jensen and 10oz, Bill’s smallest from the Lake Stewart McMath 14 fish to 21lbs – poor soul. Eight of Rothesay’s finest were fishing and overall did pretty good with seven of them connecting with double figure fish and three of them having a twenty – 25lbs 8oz Jamie McMurchie, 24lbs 13oz Davie Simmons and a 21 pounder to Paul McTaggart.
Gordon, not content with his twenty went on to catch the heaviest fish of the day, and the fish of a lifetime, an enormous pike of 34lbs 4oz. Successful method being a legered mackerel. The cheers
I was fortunate to be drifting by Paul McTaggart when he landed his 21 pounder and no sooner had it been weighed when Steve Arnold on the very next boat began a mammoth tussle, resulting in a sardine caught 27 pounder, followed literally minutes later by
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Gordon received when he stepped up to receive his trophy and prizes courtesy of Gordon Griffiths Tackle was testament to his achievement. Well done mate.
fish, catching four fish to 18lbs 12oz. It was Alan who arranged the prizes from Gordon Griffiths Tackle. Also special thanks to Mac for presenting the prizes and to Quentin and Dougie at the Fishery. To summarise the top three prizes The excellent gesture of a free bag were won by: of Rainbow Trout for each boat was much appreciated. 1. Gordon Houston 34lbs 4oz
November 2001.
After such an incredible day the previous weekend, expectations were high for the 60 anglers who made the trip to Menteith for round 2. In fact, there was a long queue of traffic waiting to get into the fishery at 7.30am – well before the opening time of 8am – such was the sense of urgency to get on the water and start catching big 2. Katrina Doyle 32lbs Finally, thanks to everyone for pike. making it such a memorable day As is often the case with pike 3. Ricky Stewart 29lbs 1oz on the Lake of Dreams. fishing, expectations were I’d like to extend special thanks not fulfilled with ‘only’ 87 fish to Alan Baldwin who travelled all caught on the day. Under normal the way up from Birmingham to Day 2 (Iain Watkins) – 10th
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circumstances, this would be considered to be a fantastic days fishing, especially when you consider that up until the previous weekend it would have qualified for the best ever catch return off the water in a single day. It seems that we were perhaps victims of our own success from the previous weekend, when there was almost twice as many fish caught (156) and 21 fish over the 20lb mark. On day one, we had obviously caught the pike at the height of their feeding frenzy, with action being fairly constant throughout most of the day with lures as well as deadbaits producing the goods with equal success. Worth remembering that the pike had not been fished for over a year too, so they would have been glad the end of the day. catching pike – even on Menteith, to see a change in diet in the shape So what a difference a week makes The Lake of Dreams. of sea baits and gaudy lures. in Pike fishing. Perhaps it is no real surprise when you consider Of the 87 fish landed, there were the amount of rain, and freezing only six fish over the 20lb with cold weather we had between Jim Barnet bagging the biggest of the 2 days. There was even a fall the day with a 28-08 specimen. of snow in between, so perhaps Kris Brown narrowly pipped Derek all those factors played their part Smith into 3rd place with a fish of in reducing the catch rates. I’m 26-01 compared to Derek’s 26- sure the fact that a lot of the 156 00. The other twenties fell to D. fish from day one would have Penman who managed a 24-02 been wondering what the hell as well as a 19-12, J. Brown with was going on when they found a 20-05 and D. Paterson with a 21 themselves lying in the bottom of pounder. a boat for the first time, may have made them a bit more wary for Deadbaits seemed to be the most the following weekend. successful method, with only a fraction of the fish coming to lures Whilst there were 21 ‘blanks’ on in comparison to the first day. And day 2 (only 8 on day 1), it seems the morning, especially the first that most of those members couple of hours seemed to be the enjoyed taking part in the event most productive, with very little and the sheer experience of fishing action to report in the afternoon, Menteith – many of who were although there were a few high doing so for the first time. It just doubles taken when the very goes to show that there are never strong winds died down towards any guarantees when it comes to
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Lure Repaint One of the pitfalls of buying the odd lure off eBay or the various online forums is that from time to time you end up with a lure that, despite looking ok in the pictures, has most clearly seen better days. Over the years I have picked up a few like this but have hung onto them with a view to one day maybe bringing them back to life with a lick of paint or a new tail. Realistically, every man has his trade and having the patience and the steady hand required to produce something of a satisfactory quality are clearly not attributes of mine so in order to avoid ending up with something which would go straight back into the spare lure box, never to be seen again, I decided to contact a professional to see what they could offer. I had in the past bought a couple of nice lures from Dave Greenwood, who in passing mentioned that he offers a repaint service – just what I was looking for! A quick scan of his website confirmed that this was a good option, so after a bit of contact
over email, I bubble wrapped 3 lures and posted them off to Dave, for some “pimping” in his lab!! Under a week later, I was opening a package containing my reworked lures, almost totally unrecognisable from their previous incarnations. The picture really does not do the level of detail justice, suffice to say I am very happy with the outcomes and am eagerly anticipating the return of the warmer months, when I can set about getting some teeth marks on them. Dave charges £5 per lure for a straight repaint or £7 if you’d prefer one of his excellent foiled finishes, so for a few quid you can breathe a bit of life back into a few old favourites in your tackle box. Check out his Blog - http://greeniespiking. blogspot.co.uk for further details.
West Coast advert
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