• Members Magazine with Reviews, Articles & Club News
• April 2016 • Issue 62
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PIKE ANGLERS
ALLIANCE
For SCOTLAND
INSIDE
sox cosse
Interview With an Angler It’s All in the Action Fly Tying & Much More Your Favourite Lures
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE PIKE ANGLERS ALLIANCE FOR SCOTLAND
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Tel: 0141 212 8880 e-mail: sales@fishingmegastore.com
Glasgow Angling Centre Unit 1, The Point Retail Park 29 Saracen Street Glasgow G22 5HT
www.fishingmegastore.com
Edinburgh
OPENING SUMMER 2016
We are proud to announce a new chapter in the Glasgow Angling Centre story! In the Summer of 2016 we will be opening a new store, Edinburgh Angling Centre, that will service anglers in east central Scotland, the Borders, the Kingdom of Fife and beyond! The new store will be packed with the same huge range of fishing tackle, clothing and accessories that you find in the Glasgow store, covering all types of angling including Game, Sea, Predator and Coarse fishing. Located in the Granton area of the city, the new store is within easy travelling distance of Edinburgh city centre, the Forth Road Bridge, Haymarket, Waverley train station and beyond, by car or public transport, and will have FREE parking for 150+ cars. We have added a casting pool to try out fly rods before you buy, we will offer a click and collect service plus all the other features that have made the Fishingmegastore brand the success it has been to date! A highly knowledgeable team of staff will be on hand to give help and advice on the best gear to suit any budget. In addition they will have an in depth knowledge of local fishing spots and those further afield to help you get the best from your equipment. Please follow the new Edinburgh Angling Centre Page on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EdinburghAnglingCentre) to keep up with the latest developments and opening dates - as well as exciting job opportunities!
3D Line Thru Trout
3D Trout Line Thru swim bait – made from a super detailed 3D scan of a Real Trout. These superb lures are available in a limited range of colours - only while stocks last. The Innovative line thru Y-system that allows you to put the hooks either on the back or on the belly, depending on how you want to fish the lure. When the fish attacks the lure and gets hooked, the lure shoots up the line and away from the fish – so the fish cannot use the weight of the lure to throw the lure! Colour (A) Tench (B) Muddy Motor Oil (C) Zander (D) Smelt RRP Price Colour (E) Perch (F) Firetiger RRP Price
15cm / 35g (Slow Sink) SV15048 SV15049 SV15050 SV15051 £10.99 £7.00
15cm / 40g (Moderate Sink) SV15054 SV15055 SV15056 SV15057 £10.99 £7.00
20cm / 93g (Slow Sink) SV15060 SV15061 SV15062 SV15063 £13.99 £9.00
15cm / 35g (Slow Sink) SV15046 SV15047 £10.99 £9.99
15cm / 40g (Moderate Sink) SV15052 SV15053 £10.99 £9.99
20cm / 93g (Slow Sink) SV15058 SV15059 £13.99 £12.99
B
C
20cm / 98g (Moderate Sink) SV15066 SV15067 SV15068 SV15069 £13.99 £9.00
D 30cm / 290g (Slow Sink) SV15072 SV15073 SV15074 SV15075 £24.99 £17.00
F
30cm / 303g (Moderate Sink) SV15078 SV15079 SV15080 SV15081 £24.99 £17.00
2 PER PACK
Are you looking for something special, a kind of breakthrough in the shad market? You have found it the name is Spikey! Everywhere Spikey was shown it caused quite a stir. With its 264 spikes it produces micro vibrations, which are extremely attractive Only for all predators. 3 per pack.
The Fox Rage Replicant is one of the all-time classic soft baits that no selfrespecting pike angler could be without. Fox Micro Replicants measure 75mm long, weigh 11g, and come 2 per pack in a choice of colours.
Code SV13914 SV13915 SV15155 SV15156
Colour 12.5cm - 35g Rainbow Trout SV12860 Golden Albino Rainbow SV12861 Dark Brown Trout SV12862 Perch SV15137 Fire Tiger SV15138 Dirty Roach SV15139 RRP £9.99 Now £8.99
Code FO6893 FO6894 FO6895 FO6896 FO6897 FO6898 FO6899
Colour Firetiger Rainbow Trout Brown Trout Glitterbug Natural Perch Silver Baitfish Blue Shiner
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By using ultra thin materials the J-Braid is super soft and smooth, which you will instantly notice when you feel it.
Code Size SV14463 S SV14464 M SV14465 L SV14466 XL SV14467 2XL
Code DW6993 DW6994 DW6995 DW6996 DW6997
£35.00
Colour Roach Rudd Perch Dirty Roach Firetiger Goldfish RRP Our Price
Now £12.99 £22.99 £12.99 £22.99
13cm - 26g SV15157 SV15158 SV15159 SV15160 SV15161 SV15162 £12.99 £11.99
18.2cm - 67g SV15163 SV15164 SV15165 SV15166 SV15167 SV15168 £15.99 £14.99
NEW
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B/S 9lb 13lb 18lb 20lb 26.5lb
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£129.99 Ninja FD
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Code DW6971 DW6972 DW6973 DW6974 DW6975
Capacity 140m/0.20mm 125m/0.25mm 190m/0.25mm 220m/0.28mm 270m/0.30mm
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RRP £13.99 £24.99 £13.99 £24.99
3D Roach Lipster Roach
J-Braid X8 150m
Exciting, cool casual hoodie, perfect for freshwater fishing.
RRP:£69.99 Now Only
Length 20cm 30cm 20cm 30cm
Luckylaker Wi-Fi Fish Finder
17cm - 80g 20.5cm - 103g 20.5cm - 120g 27.5cm - 225g 27.5cm - 275g SV12863 SV13924 SV12866 SV13080* SV13083 SV12864 SV13925 SV12867 SV13081* SV13084 SV12865 SV13926 SV12868 SV13082* SV13085 SV15140 SV15143 SV15146 SV15141 SV15144 SV15147 SV15142 SV15145 SV15148 £10.99 £12.99 £12.99 £24.99 £24.99 £9.99 £11.99 £11.99 £22.99 £22.99
Freshwater Zip Hoodie
Style Original Original Albino Albino
Superb detailed baitfish imitation, designed for stop and go retrieve, with the liveliest and provoking swimming action. The Restricted tail joint and TPE tail – gives a great bounce and kick in the water – simply too much for the predator fish to resist. Great for trolling as well, with a great roll and side flash even at slow speed! • 3D Scanned details • Restricted Kicking V-joint • Soft ultra-realistic TPE tail (tooth proof ) • Slow floating for Stop and Go action • Great rolling action • Medium diving depth 1-2,5m
3D Trout Rattle Shads
* Shallow Runner
The perfect Jack Pike Imitation based on a 3D scan of a real Jack Pike, with incredible details and movement – for those periods where the big mammas want small pike! The innovative Line Thru system from Savage Gear allows you to put the hooks either on the back or on the belly, depending on how you want to fish the lure. When the fish attacks the lure and gets hooked, the lure shoots up the line and away from the fish – so the fish cannot use the weight of the lure to lever the hooks out! The swimming action of the lure is a close to the real thing as you can imagine – it literally swims like a live fish and it can trick even the most clever predator to attack!
Micro Replicant
Loaded Spikey Shad
£5.99
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30cm / 290g (Slow Sink) SV15070 SV15071 £26.99 £24.99
3 PER PACK
Hot Red Salt n Lemon Size Olive Head Pepper Tiger 9cm 10g FO7288 FO7289 FO7290 FO7291 12cm 15g FO7292 FO7293 FO7292 FO7295
Line Thru Pike
SPECIAL EDITION
A
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Now £45.00 £45.00 £45.00 £45.00 £45.00
The high performance, low profile Ventura Baitcaster from HTO is built to handle the extremes of hunting that trophy Predator. Code Capacity TA2106 130yds/30lb
FREE POSTAGE ON ORDERS OVER
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WE ACCEPT
WE
ACCEPT
PIKE ANGLERS
ALLIANCE
For SCOTLAND COMMITTEE CONTACTS CHAIRMAN Steve Tapley
Inside Issue 62 APRIL 2016
chairman@esoxecosse.com
Committee Reports Branch Reports Menteith Report Fly Tying for Pike Interview with an Angler It’s all in the Action Your Favourite Lures Wild Fisheries Reform - Latest news
GENERAL SECRETARY Stewart McMath gensec@esoxecosse.com
ASSISTANT SECRETARY **Position to be Filled**
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Brian Gerrard memsec@esoxecosse.com
4-7 10-13 16-22 24-26 28-32 34-38 40-43 44-46
MAGAZINE EDITOR Ciaran Wilson editor@esoxecosse.com
TREASURER **Position to be Filled**
28-32
34-38
EVENTS MANAGER **Position to be Filled**
PRODUCTS MANAGER
Donald Murray products@esoxecosse.com
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.
The Chairman’s View The main focus for the Committee of late has been adding the final touches to the AGM and keeping the rest of the Club moving along at a reasonable pace.
Most of you will now be aware that elements of the Committee, with help from the rest of us, have put together a fantastic Raffle Prize Draw for a 4 day Holiday in Ireland, all expenses paid, apart from food and beer. The tickets were distributed with the last magazine and I would encourage you all to take the opportunity of at least buying one or two tickets for the chance of a holiday of a life time with a very good guide - I know I am up for a ticket or two to say the least. The draw for this prestigious event will take part on the day of the AGM, in Glasgow at the end of May 2016. On the fishing front I was failing dismally in Scotland on a couple of waters that I hadn’t visited for some years after they fell off my radar, so I decided to head south to Dorset for some much needed R & R and to fish the very end of the river season before March 14th 2016 with my Dad, the very man responsible for getting me involved in fishing from the early age of 4 years old. Without his mystic powers of being able to unravel the worst of tangles from weed beds and trees I probably wouldn’t be writing this now. The first day was a resounding success with 5 fish to 19lbs 10ozs, including two other separate 16 pounders and on another day I bagged five doubles on different water. I also had a wonderful encounter with a baby water vole that, after being warmed up in my beanie hat, managed to chew its way through into the lining and had to be chased out before doing unrepairable damage! Thankfully the Vole made a full recovery and disappeared back into the bankside undergrowth unharmed and a tad warmer after being fished out of the river in my landing net….So things were looking up and I mixed the Piking with fishing for other species, bagging several Grayling over the pound mark and endless brown trout from chalk streams in the area. The end of the season was marred with a one day down pour that put the rivers high over their banks for a day or so which coloured the water a nice chocolate brown. As the water fined down
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waters that charge permit money to fish. I could mention at least five lochs that charge to fish that fail to back it up with reasonable policing and checking of permits. I am positive though that as the Wild Fisheries Review recommendations start to take effect, through new legislation, over time this might improve. I am also sure our PAAS representatives will continue to push the Committee of the LLAIA to make sure their full time bailiffs will make themselves visible to people fishing the Loch.
I managed a few nice Pike on Fox Shads to just under 10lbs on parts of the river I hadn’t fished for years, so that was a good result. The end of the season was drawn to a close on an area I fished last summer for chub and dace. This area had a small slack on the far side which produced two Pike to just over 8lbs to sardines and with that the season was brought to an end. With the river season brought to an end ‘South of the Wall,’ I headed back north for some spring fishing before the Pike spawned but at the moment it’s hard going with one fish for a lot of hours put in…… Loch Lomond and the LLAIA PAAS now has three volunteers who will represent the Club on the Committee of the LLAIA. Between these volunteers they will share attendance on the Committee and Liaise and supply our own Committee with the meeting minutes or notes taken. I am positive PAAS’ interaction with the LLAIA will bear fruit in the future as both parties get used to meeting with one and working together. I am personally quite surprised by the amount of outer discussions on baliffing on Loch Lomond? I am surprised purely because policing or baliffing isn’t any better on other
With mention of the WFR and the likely outcomes from the discussions at higher levels, I have recently attended a Tay Liaison Committee Meeting, where I represent Pike Angling, and their collective fears are that the scrapping of Protection Orders will lead to less access on many waters under the PO Status by Riparian Owners. Many feel the Riparian Owner will take a step back into the dark ages with behaviour to grant less access on their waters. Only time will tell with the proposed changes and the set-up of FMO’s by the Review Team and the various Committees graced with these responsibilities The consultations are now complete and the reviews and results can now be found on line. The Clubs next big event is the AGM but before then we will have an evening event at the Lake of Mentieth. Hopefully for those that venture out the ‘Big Girls’ might make another welcome appearance. On that note I wish you all tight lines and hope to see you all at the AGM as it promises to be a great day for all…
Steve Tapley Chairman, PAAS.
General Secretary’s Report Welcome to the latest edition of Esox Ecosse,
return ferry and I am sure you will agree it’s a great prize.
The AGM is only a short time away and we on the committee have been working hard to try to make it a great day. This year we will be at a new venue, The Iron Horse Pub, home of the mighty Glasgow branch. We believe that this venue is more accessible with easier access via public transport. I am sorry to the guys who lived just around the corner from the old venue but I believe we have made the correct decision.
I am very pleased to inform you that Steve McGregor from Franglais will once again be attending the AGM this year. Steve will be bringing his huge selection of lures, which he informs us will have among them a few new lines that he is launching on the day. In addition, we will have the usual raffle and guess the weight competition plus the second hand stall; I look forward to seeing you there.
We have secured the services of Mr Eric Edwards who will be doing a slide show on lure fishing for pike, which will include a 30-minute film including footage of pike up to 28 lb. I for one am really looking forward to Eric’s talk as it is sure to be very good indeed.
The Lake of Menteith produced a day to remember for a few of our members in March, with at least three personal bests coming to the net. Yet again, the bait days have proved to be the most successful method for fishing the lake and with this in mind, I approached Quint, putting it to him that fishing at anchor was the most successful method and the most popular especially on a cold March day.
We also have our superb Grand Prize Draw, which is four days guided fishing with the very respected pike angler Mr Kenny Sloan. The prize includes five night’s b&b and
I am pleased to say that he agreed and put it
to the lake committee, who also agreed, so from now on, both our March and November days will be bait and lure days and anchors will be allowed on both days. The lake intend supplying the anchors and ropes so we will be in discussion regarding suitable types of anchors. If you would like to have an input please drop me a PM or email. We will still have our evening / morning sessions, which will continue to be lure only with no anchors allowed. Finally, PAAS attended the Glasgow angling weekend and although not as busy as previous years we did sign up a few new members and handed out information regarding the club. I would like to thank everyone who helped out over the two days and everyone who stopped for a chat it was appreciated. Tight lines to one and all, I look forward to seeing you all at the AGM,
Stewart McMath General Secretary
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Editors Report Welcome to issue 62 of Esox Ecosse You will notice a bit of a theme to this issue, namely all things artificial! As the weather starts to gradually improve and the fish become more active, many of you will be turning your thoughts to drowning some lures or flies over the next few months! Furthermore; this issue’s content will hopefully complement our forthcoming AGM talk by Lure Team England Captain, Eric Edwards, which will no doubt motivate you all even further! Entries for the Grand Prize Draw continue to arrive steadily and unsurprisingly, interest in this great competition has been high so do not delay, get your entries returned asap to ensure you don’t miss out. For those of you active on social media, you will no doubt be aware of the ongoing efforts of our fellow pikers in Ireland to finally put a stop to the barbaric gill netting that has been used by a few unscrupulous game anglers masquerading as employees of the Irish state. This renewed determination initially arose due to a video posted on YouTube by Kenny Sloan, your guide should you
be the lucky winner of the Grand prize draw. Kenny put his neck on the line in the name of his sport and of the fish he loves and in the face of great adversity produced a piece of footage that could ultimately prove to be a game changer in the fight to ban the nets. The ongoing efforts in Ireland have re-iterated the importance of being part of a strong body, as a voice to protect the fishing we all love. 20,000 people have signed a petition and over 200 turned up from all corners of the UK and Ireland to attend a demonstration at the offices of Inland Fisheries Ireland, the body responsible for the gill netting. The determination to support their Pikers has been a remarkable sight throughout all this and it is heartening to know that we in Scotland would have that support should any issues arise for us. For anyone who would like to help their fellow Pikers in Ireland you can sign up as members of the newly reformed IPS – www.irishpikesociety.org So, other than our useful collection of reports and updates, what else is inside issue 62…… Ahead of his attendance at the AGM, Eric Edwards has completed an “Interview with an Angler” piece, allowing members to get to know him a bit better and provide some background to what promises to
be a thoroughly entertaining talk. Lure fanatic Matt Dean has kindly written us a piece looking at the various different types of lures available and their uses, which should help beginners to this style of fishing as well as those with a bit more experience. Our own fly fishing expert Dougie Loughridge has written a very informative piece which discusses how to approach tying your own Pike Flies, that I am sure many will find inspiring. Dougie is a master craftsman producing some wonderful creations and here he gives some pointers on how to get started. Finally, “My Favourite Lure” is a compilation of member’s musings on their favourite lures and the reasons why they have chosen them. Meant as a little bit of fun, this article may highlight a few trends and help the decision making process of members looking to supplement their current lure collections. Many thanks to all those kind enough to contribute! So, I hope you enjoy issue 62 and I look forward to seeing you all at the AGM!
Ciaran Wilson Editor
Membership Report I would like to begin by welcoming all of our returning members and new members alike to our up and coming year, without your valued support we couldn't do what we do and we are very much appreciative of your continuous backing of the club. So, here we are at the beginning of yet another year at PAAS and at these early stages we are way ahead of last years figures, which can only be good news for all concerned with the club. At the time of going to print we are sitting on 100 members. Can I remind all that we are running a draw for a free boat on the Lake of Menteith, as a prize for all returning members who sign up before or on the 28th May. Any brand new members will be entered into a draw for a £100 tackle voucher for the Glasgow Angling Centre, with a runner up prize of £50 for the same venue also to be offered, if signed up by the same date. All draws will take
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place at our AGM, which will be held in the Iron Horse Bar in Glasgow. You can rejoin/ join the club by visiting www. esoxecosse.com and following the link, or you can request a form to be sent out to you by e-mailing myself at memsec@esoxecosse.com or by phone on 07713279404. Our PayPal address is accounts@ esoxecosse.com so do not delay and spread the word. It's the only way to get onto the Lake of Menteith and use a bait and as recent results by a few of our members prove, being a member is worth its weight in gold. You can join your local branch and get along to their monthly meetings where you will meet fellow minded people and can tap into their vast knowledge of pike fishing, as I am sure they will be only too willing to help. Details are as follows: Central branch meet in the Oxgangs hotel in Grangemouth on the first Tuesday of each month. Contact - Colin Campbell/ Darren Inglis at central@
esoxecosse.com Glasgow branch meet in the iron horse pub in Glasgow on the second Thursday of each month. Contact - William Edgar at glasgow@esoxecosse. com Tayside branch meet in the Old Reid park bar in Forfar. Contact - Donald Murray at tayside@ esoxecosse.com I will finish up by saying I hope this year proves to be a very productive one for our members. I hope to see you along at our AGM where we will be having what I am sure will be a very interesting and knowledgeable talk by the Team England Lure captain, Mr Eric Edwards, so until 28th May, tight lines guys ......
Brian Gerrard Membership Secretary
LLAIA Report I attended the LLAIA Committee meeting on behalf of PAAS on 7th April. Firstly, I was welcomed and introduced to everyone present before giving the Committee a brief introduction of myself and sending Malcolm’s apology for not being able to attend himself. The initial topic of conversation regarded the recent news that all salmon caught within the Loch system are to be returned, with anglers no longer permitted to take any fish that they catch. This is obviously a big issue with the game anglers and something they strongly disagree with. The Committee discussed how they should challenge this decision, whether to go down the legal route or approach it from a scientific perspective. The main issue that the Committee had was how this decision was reached and how the evidence presented to the Scottish Government differed from the LLAIA findings on the numbers of salmon found within the loch system. Moving onto coarse/pike angling, the Committee were delighted to announce that sales of coarse tickets from the various outlets are going well and Glasgow Angling Centre have asked to be supplied with more tickets as they are running out quickly. Another issue impacting all anglers who fish the loch concerned the bailiffs van. At present the van used is 4 years old and the discussion moved onto
finding a replacement. It was agreed by all present that this needs to happen, the reason being the bailiffs require a van which is reliable to be able to preform their duties, as they are the first line of defence protecting the loch. Alan Armstrong from PAC had an agenda item with regards to Pike angler trolling on the loch. I supported this motion from Alan and provided some further input to the conversation. The committee didn’t throw out the idea of trolling for pike and it’s going to be an on-going discussion point with them, Alan and myself going forward. Please note this is only a proposal thus far - no final decision has been made either way regarding trolling for pike and currently it is still not permitted to troll on the loch for pike. Finally I raised a subject that has been foremost in the minds of many of our members who fish the loch; now that we are legally obliged to pay to fish we would like to see greater presence from the bailiffs. I suggested that Alan and I work with the bailiff representative on the committee to formulate a plan of when to target specific areas. As many of us know, there are certain areas of the loch that receive a lot of attention from pike anglers at specific times of the year. I suggested that this is the ideal time for the bailiffs to make their presence known, an idea that was well received by the Committee. We should also note that we aren’t the only anglers that fish the loch and the bailiffs have a large land and water area to cover.
At specific times of the year the bailiffs attention will be drawn to monitoring the rivers and loch for people fishing without permission or poaching for salmon and sea trout. The Committee also urged us to ask our members to help self police the loch; if any of our members think there are anglers fishing the loch without a permit, they advised that we can challenge said anglers to produce their tickets (upon production of our own tickets) or if the person or persons don’t wish to approach other anglers themselves they can contact the number on their tickets and, where possible, a bailiff will be sent out. Before I sign off I’d just like to say that we are only at the beginning of building a relationship with LLAIA and it will take time for us to improve things for pike anglers on the loch. Things don’t happen overnight but if we approach them in the correct manner, raising our ideas and issues with the committee we can try to work with them to get these implemented. If anyone has any ideas, suggestions or issues they’d like me to raise with the committee please feel free to PM me on the forum or contact one of the PAAS Committee members who will forward these onto me. Thanks,
Si Lawson
Products Report I hope all PAAS members have had a very productive start to the 2016 year in the Pike department. Again, the Products department is a bit slow with just a few orders going through this year. If anyone has any fresh ideas for items with our logo on, let me know and I will try to source. I am trying to get Realtree T-shirts with our logo on from our supplier, but I am still awaiting confirmation on this. We have had a few delays with Zip Hoodies and Softshell Jackets recently, due to our supplier not physically stocking this item.
Unfortunately, you can sometimes expect delays of up to a month for those to arrive at your door. I have ordered a substantial amount of clothing, which will be available to buy at our AGM on Saturday 28th May 2016 in the Iron Horse, Glasgow. All PAAS products sporting our logo will be on sale to current members only, for obvious reasons. All members were issued with a product order form via the last issue of Esox Ecosse. This was mainly aimed at members without Internet access, so feel free to contact me if you require another sent out.
the PAAS colours and promoting your club. So let us pay a visit to our online shop at www.esoxecosse. com Products Contact:
Tel 01738 637586 Email: products@esoxecosse.com Thanks
Donald Murray
In my opinion, every member should be wearing
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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
SLEDGE-HAMMER 70L - £145.00 7ft 0in, casts 42-98g 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 Size 14, 12, 10, or 8 £4.25 per 50
POLY BALLS Pre-drilled, white 30mm per 5 - £2.00 Pre-drilled, white 40mm per 4 - £2.00 Pre-drilled, white 50mm per 2 - £2.00
Swivels size 5 £1.25 per 10
FASTACH SNAPS
Size 2 - £2.99 per 12 Size 3 - £2.99 per 10 Size 4 - £2.99 per 10
Size 5 £5.25 per 50 Size 2 £2.00 per 10
LEAD MAKING Large selection of moulds from - £13.50 Plastic coating powder - £7.50 Mould clamps - £2.00 Brass loops per 50 - £2.70 Lead making swivels per 50 - £3.00
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
CARRIAGE AND DELIVERY Orders under £25.00 please add £3.00 towards postage. Rods are sent by carrier at a cost of £10.00 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 07/04/16. E&OE
Cheques/POs payable to D.L. Specialist Tackle please VISA/MASTERCARD and PAYPAL ORDERS WELCOME Shop On-Line @ www.dlstshop.co.uk
9
GLASGOW Branch Report
February 2016 Branch Meeting 21 Members made it along on the night to the 2nd Glasgow Branch Meeting of 2016 – which was great considering it was a cold, damp and miserable night in the City Centre. Things kicked off with our 50/50 raffle, which was won by the Housewives Choice himself…Tony McTaggart. Well done Tony.
This wins Greg £30.00 worth of Glasgow Angling Centre vouchers. Well done Greg.
Anyway, another positive turn out from the Branch Members on the night, along with another 4 new Members joining in March, 3 just before the Branch Meeting and one on the night. Welcome onboard Alan McComisky, David Greechan, David Arbuckle and Mario Peline. It’s great to have more new PAAS members onboard.
On the night I was pleased to welcome onboard another 3 Members to The Mighty Glasgow Branch – Robert Kinnon, Mark Wishart and Nat Pender. Unfortunately, Nat couldn’t make it on the night but I’m sure we’ll see him soon ;) February 2016 Branch Outing With all 4 seasons predicted for the coming weekend, several Branch Members made the trip to one of Scotland’s largest waters, with most choosing to fish from the bank and a handful of others from the boat. The fishing proved very hard going with very few fish turning up – biggest being 5lb and caught by Greg Walker from the boat.
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it’s March 2016 already – it honestly seems only like yesterday when I first stood in front of the Glasgow Branch Members and waffled on for 3 hrs – how time fly’s when you like the sound of your own voice.
50/50 raffle was won by John Mortimer. Well done John. March 2016 Branch Outing
March 2016 Branch Meeting As far as the Branch goes, I can’t believe
This Month’s Outing saw the Branch head south to Dumfries & Galloway - and with the weather conditions looking good (for once) a dozen or so Branch Members made the trip. Again, some opted to fish from boats and others from the bank.
and also gives the angler in question entry into the 2017 Club PAOTY Event draw. Branch Members were also reminded that Glasgow Angling Centre vouchers will go to the heaviest fish caught over both days. With light rain and cold nights forecast for the weekend, 10 or so Branch Members made the trip west to Argyll & Bute. Catch returns were good with a number of double figure fish being caught over the 2 days. Not to mention talk of the big girl’s that got away Biggest fish caught on the Sunday was 12lb and caught by Barry Gillan. This wins Barry the Thomas Duffy Shield. Well done Barry. Biggest fish over the 2 days was 21lb 10oz and caught by William Edgar on the Saturday. This earns William £30.00 worth of Glasgow Angling Centre vouchers. April 2016 AGM Summary of 2015/16 Branch Activities. Catch returns proved to be a lot healthier than previous months with several Branch Members catching good numbers of fish – biggest being 11lb 7oz and caught by William Edgar from the bank. This wins William £30.00 worth of Glasgow Angling Centre vouchers. Well done William. April 2016 Branch Meeting & AGM 20 Branch Members made it along on the night. If I’m being honest, I was expecting a bit more of a turn out given it was the Branch AGM (big thanks to those that came along – appreciated as always)
With approx. 50 Members, Monthly Meeting attendance up, the introduction of Branch Limited Access Events, a great Summer BBQ and a jam packed and very successful November Angling Night - the last 12 months were deemed an overall success for the Glasgow Branch by the attending Members. So on behalf of the 2015/16 Committee I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who supported the Glasgow Branch throughout the last 12 months. The 2015/16 Committee couldn’t have achieved what they did without you…really appreciated guy’s. 2015/16 End of Year Accounts.
With it being the start of a new Membership Year, several 2015/16 Branch Members took the opportunity to renew their 2016/17 Membership subs on the night (cheers guy’s). The 50/50 raffle was won by Jim Cosgrove. Well done Jim.
In summary the year ended with Branch funds up 61% from the previous year end. Which is absolutely fantastic and all down to the Glasgow Branch Members. So AGAIN…a big thanks for your support during the last 12 months.
April 2016 Branch Outing
2016/17 Committee Positions
The April Branch Outing was the first 2 day Outing of the Year and one that several Branch Members were looking forward to for various reasons. The first Trophy of the Year was also up for grabs – The Thomas Duffy Shield. This goes to the heaviest fish caught on the Sunday
Firstly, a big thanks to the guy’s that expressed an interest in the Committee positions leading up to the AGM. Great to see interest in positions prior to the AGM – just goes to show the spirit that exists within the Branch.
On the night the following individuals were elected / re-elected to the 2016/17 Glasgow Branch Committee: Branch Secretary – William Edgar (reelected) Membership Secretary – Graeme Arnott (re-elected) Events Secretary – Tony McTaggart (reelected) Treasurer – Will Gallacher (newly elected) Contact Details of the 2016/17 Committee Branch Secretary - William Edgar Email: william.a.edgar1970@gmail.com Mobile: 07818 046 448 Branch Membership Secretary - Graeme ArnottEmail: arnottgraeme@hotmail.com Mobile: 07799 890 490 Branch Treasurer – Will Gallacher Email: hotburrito_1@yahoo.co.uk Mobile: 07821 163 158 Branch Events CoOrdinator - Tony McTaggart Email: tony.mctaggart@gmail.com Mobile: 07971 184 784 I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome Will Gallacher onto the 2016/17 Committee. Great to have you onboard Will, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. I certainly have over the last year. Also, a big thanks to Graeme and Tony for the previous 12 months support - and for stepping forward again in 2016/17. Good stuff guy’s – let’s see where we can take things in the coming 12 months. Last but not least, I’d like to truly thank outgoing Treasurer David Hendry for 3 year’s commitment and service to the Glasgow Branch. On the night David was presented with a gift (Jetboil Cooking System) as a thank you for all his hard work and patience during his tenure. Again, on behalf of all Glasgow Branch Members… thanks again David. Enjoy your retirement and happy cooking ;) Until next time…
William Edgar Branch Secretary
11
TAYSIDE
Branch Report First of all, I’d like thank Barry Allen from Angus County Windows LTD for supporting and sponsoring the Tayside Branch Report in Esox Ecosse for another year, much appreciated Barry!
First Branch Outing.
We kicked off our 2016 Pike angler of the year campaign with the date set for this being 6th March. We are once again offering a flexible option on outings due to members working shifts and being offshore etc. which means members can fish an event one week prior, and one week ahead of the set date. 2015 was the first year we tried this and it was very popular with several members taking advantage of this option. Seven Tayside Branch members took part in the March event but only one fish blessed our nets and that went to Paul Phizacklea at 4lb 1oz. Paul takes an early lead in the 2016 Tayside Angler of the Year League.
Last Meeting
Our last meeting was scheduled for Tuesday 29th March but due to Jim Morrice being off shore and in charge of the trophies, this meeting was put back a week to Tuesday 5th April. We organised a few dates for outings and meetings throughout the next few months. PAAS Chairman and Tayside Branch Member Steve Tapley presented the Trophies to the lucky winners of the 2015 membership year. Well done to all involved. We also had our Raffle on the night providing a nice lift for the branch funds. A big thanks to all the members who turned up, donated prizes and bought tickets, much appreciated.
Looking Forward
Our next outing is scheduled for the weekend of 24th April. The flexible option can be used at this event. Tayside’s third outing is scheduled for the weekend of the 29th May. Again the flexible option can be used in this event. Our next Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 28th June 2016 in the Osnaberg Bar in Forfar. The Annual BBQ/Lure pairs event will take place in July, Venue and date to be confirmed. Away Cup will take place in August, again Venue and date to be confirmed at our next meeting.
Members in the Tayside Area
Any PAAS members in our area who would like to get involved at Branch level wioth Tayside, please get in touch using the contact details listed at the front of this issue of Esox Ecosse. That’s all from Tayside….
Donald
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CENTRAL Branch Report
Hi from the Central gang
It's been a busy couple of months Congratulations to you both. Our here in the central branch, what with last outing of the year was to see us going over the water as a guest of our AGM prize giving and alike. Jimmy at Loch Fad. Thanks for your Our AGM was held in the Oxgangs hospitality Jimmy much appreciated House hotel where the usual gang buddy! No monsters were caught turned up. The following changes but we did catch plenty of fish, the biggest going to Krissy Smith. The were made to the committee next scheduled event was meant • Darren Inglis is now our to be the 16/17th April but there is some sort of football match on secretary • Colin Campbell is the between two loving teams I have been told, so the outing is now treasurer • Michael Mellors is the 23/24 April instead - look forward to seeing you there. membership secretary • Krissy Smith is our new Finally, our next meeting is the first events guy Tuesday in May (2nd), again in the Thanks to you guys for standing Oxgangs House hotel Grangemouth up to fill the positions. On the night we also presented the following See you then, trophies: Darren • Summer shield to Darren Inglis • Lure trophy to Krissy Smith
13
THE LAKE OF
MENTEITH
Privileged access
Morning Lure Event Venue: Lake of Menteith Date: Saturday 11th June 2016 Times: 04.30 to 09.00hrs Charge: £16 per person Please Note: This event will be electric outboards only (not supplied)
Evening Lure November Bait Events & Lure Event Venue: Lake of Menteith Date: Monday 23rd May 2016 Times: 17.30 to Dusk Charge: £16 per person Venue: Lake of Menteith Date: Monday 4th July 2016 Times: 17.30 to Dusk Charge: £16 per person
Venue: Lake of Menteith Date: Saturday 12th November 2016 Times: 08.30 to 16.30hrs Charge: £62 per Boat (£31 per person) Please Note: If oversubscribed, a draw will take place at the AGM.
Application forms for these events are included with this magazine. Please send completed forms with payment to Brian Gerrard. Alternatively, successful applicants can pay through PayPal. 14
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15
Event Rports-
Mentieth
16
Saturday 12th March 2016
Conditions were good and following Davey Turley’s belting fish of 35.08 Pounds, caught during an event in November, hopes were high that a few more of the Lakes big girls would put in an appearance. And put in an appearance they certainly did!!
After a similarly slow morning, Jonny Nimmo seized the opportunity to make a move to a new swim and was handsomely rewarded with a new PB of 30.11 pounds. The fish was part of a quick-fire 5 fish haul for Jonny and fell to a Bluey. Next up, Stephen Anderson landed a cracking fish of 28.06 pounds. Stephen takes up the story:
we headed straight out to a pre-picked swim in 25 foot. Within 10 minutes of dropping anchors I had my first low double at the boat. After unhooking and releasing her, chucking out another trusted mackerel I was in again almost instantly. This fight felt no different from the first. Only once she showed herself I knew I was into something special. I could see the hooks had a good hold so I kept my calm and steered her into a waiting net. My boat partner Baz, kept her safely in the net until I had my scales, forceps etc. ready. Quickly into the boat to get weighed and a few snaps. We went onto catching another 9 pike and a rainbow trout. What a day!!!”
Top fish of the day was a cracker of 36.08 pounds to the rod of Alex Stark. After a slow start, Alex decided on a
“Our game plan was to stay away from the shallows as I was confident that they were not in spawning mode yet, so
Elsewhere, General Secretary Stewart McMath was among the twenties once more, landing a fine brace of fish
64 Anglers took to the water on a fine early spring morning, full of the usual anticipation that comes with a day on the Lake. The PAC Lure event held the previous week had produced mixed returns; while many struggled, a cracking fish of 27lbs was landed, one of the best fish to fall to a lure on the Lake for quite some time.
move and shortly after was the proud captor of new PB. Well done Alex! The fish fell to mackerel bait and has since been confirmed as a different fish to Davey’s; two 35 pound plus fish in two events – watch your back Chew Valley!!
17
Jonny Nimmo 30.11 lbs weighing in at 22.08 & 25.08. Both fish were in cracking condition and fell to herring dead baits. Will Gallacher enjoyed a busy couple of hours during the morning, topped by a nicely marked fish of 21.08 pounds. The fish was taken on a sardine oil injected sardine, float ledgered in 12ft of water. And finally, event stalwarts Tony McTaggart and Andy Jensen shared the spoils with a 20 pounder each while Brian Anderson completed the twenties with a fine fish of 20.02 pounds. Complementing the two thirties and
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seven twenties, there were also a total of 20 doubles caught, with 6 weighing in at 15 pounds or better and a further 91 jacks rounding off the catch return for the day, ensuring that most members had an enjoyable day. Big congratulations to the captors of some excellent fish and for those who were fortunate enough to earn a new Personal best on the day, Menteith truly was the Lake of Dreams!
Lake of Menteith Evening Session – Saturday 30th April 2016 28 anglers attended the first of our lure
only evening sessions on the Lake, on an unseasonably chilly day for the end of April. Top fish was a 17.02 for Jonny Nimmo, keeping up his good run on the lake of late. Davey Turley managed 3 doubles, estimated at 14, 12 & 11 pounds, while further low doubles fell to Davie Greechan and Chris McGuirk. In addition to these 6 doubles, a further 84 fish to ten pounds were landed meaning most boats enjoyed some degree of sport for their troubles and as the water temperature finally start to rise over the next few weeks, our next event will no doubt prove even more successful and just as popular.
Stewart McMath 25.08 lbs
Will Gallacher 21.08 lbs 19
Andy Jensen 22.12 lbs
20
Stewart McMath 22.08 lbs Stephen Anderson28.06 lbs
21
Alex Stark - 36.08 lbs Caught in 15ft of water on a half mackrel, “ A big thankyou to my boat partner Barry Gillan for netting the fish” 22
AGM PIKE ANGLERS ALLIANCE FOR SCOTLAND
May 28th 2016 Guest Speaker:
ERIC EDWARDS
"Captor of 6 lure Thirties, the UK’s biggest lure caught brace & with Scottish fish to over 32lbs, Eric will discuss his approach to lure fishing, including video footage of fish to 28lbs"
FREE ENTRY FOR ALL
MEGA RAFFLE & PRIZE DRAWS GUESS THE WEIGHT COMPETITION TRADE STANDS SECOND HAND STALL THE IRON HORSE BAR
115 W Nile St, Glasgow, Lanarkshire G1 2SB
DOORS OPEN - 9AM
09.30 - 11.30 - Club Business including WFR up date from Ron Woods 11.45 - 12.45 - Break for Lunch 13.00 - 14.30 - Guest Speaker 14.30 - 16.00 - Raffle Prize Draws
TYING FLIES for
PIKE By Dougie Loughridge
Whether you’re a seasoned fly angler or totally new to the method – you may not have stepped into the World of tying your own flies. The purpose of this piece is to try and shed some light on the subject of fly-tying and cover all the basics of getting set up with the tools and materials to create your own patterns. Essentially this is aimed at an absolute beginner but you may still find little golden nuggets of info even if you’re an experience tyer.
Tools.
The first thing you’re going to need is a vice to grip the hooks in place. You can spend as little or as much as you like on a vice. My advice would be to go with a basic lever style option which will set
24
you back around £35 or so. I like lever vices as they are a simple design and will grip the large hooks required for Pike flies with ease. Other tools you will need are; 1) a bobbin holder or two for holding the spools of tying thread, preferably one with a ceramic tube or insert – this doesn’t cut or wear away like plain steel ones. 2) a dubbing needle (or Bodkin). These have a multitude of uses. 3) a whip finishing tool for tying off your fly once its dressed and last but not least, 4) good quality scissors. Scissors are something I definitely wouldn’t skimp on and you will find there are quite a few different types of scissors you can purchase – go for fairly heavy duty ones which will cope with cutting thicker, stronger materials. There’s no need for precision point scissors here. There are of course, other tools you will find uses for but the ones I’ve covered here are the essential basics.
Hooks. Now onto the metalwork. Hooks are very often a personal preference and you will find your own favourites through time. Personally, I use Partridge Universal
the aforementioned hooks patterns, when using larger tube flies.
Threads. There are a multitude of different tying threads available on the market. This can make things extremely confusing for the newcomer. Do I get Uni, UTC, GSP, 6/0, 8/0, 100 denier or 200 denier? Etc. etc. Again, as I’ve already mentioned, you may try a few and find your own favourites but from a personal point of Predator Extra for most of my streamers in sizes 2/0 to 6/0 and Partridge Attitude Extra for baitfish imitations in the same sizes. The latter has a shorter shank and lend themselves better to baitfish patterns being less susceptible to the tail materials fouling during the cast. (The “Extra” versions of these hooks refers to the heavier wire gauge of the hook). These hooks have fairly small barbs which I leave intact – I only flatten the barb if it’s required in the fishery rules or if I’m getting hassle from numbers of smaller jack Pike. Occasionally I use a stinger hook, a Partridge Z4 intruder mounted to 50lb AFW single strand titanium tied to one of
25
view, I’ve pretty much settled on two: UTC140 and GSP100. They both have their advantages and disadvantages. UTC140 is a nice thread which comes in many colours, it has lots of grip and is fairly strong for most tying. Where it doesn’t compare to gel spun threads (GSP) is in the strength department. Gel spun threads are extremely strong for their diameter so lend themselves well to tying patterns when you really need to bind materials down hard onto the hook. The main drawback with GSP is that it is very ‘slippery’ so needs to be waxed when you need it to grip to the hook shank. Because of its super-fine diameter, you also have to be careful when using delicate, hollow fibers such as deer hair – it will cut through it like a hot knife through butter!
Materials. This is where you will need to re-mortgage your house! If you think tying your own flies will save you money, think again! It’s what I describe as the Magpie Syndrome – you’ll see all the rows of shiny stuff and feel the compulsion to take it all home with you! Materials can be roughly split into two main groups: natural and synthetics. As the name suggests, natural materials are those sourced from birds and mammals. Feathers and furs. Probably the most commonly used of these would be bucktail and rabbit fur. Others such as Arctic fox, llama, Icelandic sheep, marabou and ostrich are also very popular. They are all available in many dyed colours but colour combinations that help mimic the food on which the Pike are feeding often work best. That said, classic colour combo’s such as red/white, orange/chartreuse should also be in your armoury. The main
26
drawbacks with natural materials are 1) availability – it’s from an animal so not always in stock from time to time and 2) water absorbsion – most of them soak up water and get heavy when casting. Based on these factors and the advances in modern synthetics, many people now choose to use man made materials. The amount of synthetics on the market now is staggering with new materials cropping up all the time. You will see lots of packets of materials on hanks such as E.P fibers, Funky hair, Flashabou, Gliss n Glint, Fuzzy fiber, Slinky fiber etc. The key advantages with synthetics are that they are all consistent, lightweight and inexpensive (in the most part) compared to natural alternatives. You can tie flies with lots of bulk and presence in the water without making them too heavy to cast on
a fly rod. Flashy, highly mobile materials such as Flashabou have been a real boon for the predator fly angler. When pulsed through the water they have (most of) the essential ingredients for triggering a take from the Pike. Tying Processes. When you start looking into tying Pike patterns you will come across lots of jargon referring to tying process; procedures such as high ties, low ties, reverse ties, hollow ties etc. They are all different ways of adding the materials to the hooks to achieve certain effects. In my opinion the main objective is to create something with lots of movement, of the appropriate size and colour, whilst maintaining lightness for ease of casting. You are looking for something with bulk but using minimal material. Just tying a hank of material straight onto the hook shank pointing backwards gives a very eel-like, slim line effect – one that’s not very appetising looking for a Pike looking from below or behind. We need to tie the sections of materials in in such a way as to make them stand out from the hook, giving the illusion of bulk – something worthwhile for the Pike to expend its energy on. Generally speaking, when creating imitations of baitfish, we are looking to achieve an almost teardrop shape by shortening the materials as we progress towards the eye of the hook, the thickness of material used also determines the overall shape. See illustrations for a visual aid to what I’m attempting to describe. Give it a go. Get yourself some bits and pieces and go catch a Pike on something you tied yourself. It’s a hell of a buzz!
Dougie Loughridge
Summer 2014
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The Journal
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ON E AS SU SER IS EN PE OPUM B 29/05/2014
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lers Society of the Lure Ang
09:38
an interview with an
Angler 28
H
i Eric, thank you for taking the time to speak to Esox Ecosse ahead of your talk at the Annual PAAS gathering.
1.
First off, tell us a little bit about yourself….
I’m 59, I’ve been retired for around six years now and formerly worked as a manager in the chemical industry. I’ve been married to my lovely wife Clare for almost 35 years and I have three fantastic grown-up children. I’ve always lived in St. Helens near Liverpool, a town famous for its coal mining and glassmaking but considerably less famous for the quality of its pike fishing, which is dire!
2. So, how did your fishing “journey” start? Was it always Pike or can you tell us how and when your fascination with Pike began? In my time I’ve fished for all of the coarse fish species. I’ve always been a specimen angler, searching out the largest fish I could find and pretty early on it became obvious that I wasn’t going to find any real specimens in my local waters so as soon as I got some transport as I young man, I started to travel for my fishing. Like many young anglers I got into carp fishing but that didn’t last long as I found there was too little challenge in it so I moved on. I held the UK tench record for a time in the 1980s and have caught large bream, chub, roach, perch, barbel and more. I first caught a pike though as a boy, it was a three pound jack which picked up a worm intended for perch and I took it home and ate it for tea, things were different back then. I moved on to catching pike by design using wobbled roach at my local park lake and caught my first double, a fifteen pounder, on half a herring when I was in my early teens. There has never been a time when I haven’t pike fished at some point during the winter, though I may have been distracted by other species and I don’t often fish for pike during the warmer months. I moved on to the Lake District waters in my early twenties and caught my first twenty pounder from Bassenthwaite, a water which now suffers from chronic pollution problems. I’ve flirted with a number of the Yorkshire waters and a fair few trout waters but these days I like to fish rivers. River pike aren’t generally as big as Stillwater pike but it’s not all about size, or at least it shouldn’t be.
3. You mentioned that you've had Scottish Pike to 32lbs 12oz - have you done a lot of fishing up here over the years and if so, what is it that attracts you? I adore fishing in Scotland and every year I tell myself I must do much more of it. I’m part Scot myself, my mother’s family having moved down to St. Helens from Stirling at the turn of the last century. Indeed my mother had a distinctly Scottish maiden name but I daren’t tell you what it is or it would give everybody access to my bank details! Scotland’s attractions must be quite obvious, with wide open spaces, huge waters, mountains, forests and wildlife that you just don’t get in the more heavily populated areas down to the south. I almost always manage a trip or two to Scotland during the
season, usually in the spring when the English waters are getting a bit too warm but the lochs are still cold. I must say though, the one thing that’s changed for the better over the years in Scotland is the beer, it used to be awful but it’s really coming on these days.
4. What would your top tip/advice be to someone starting off lure fishing? What advice would you give our readers to help them tackle their own lure fishing challenges? Hmm, two quite different questions there I think, let’s deal with them one at a time. Starting lure fishing when you’ve been used to catching fish on baits is a really daunting prospect and knowing which advice to follow is the most difficult thing of all. It’s unlikely that your local tackle dealer will know too much about the subject and just about everyone out there that wants to advise you really just wants to sell you something. As a rough guide I would say you should choose a rod which is short and stiff with a slightly tippy action. It should be light and the handle should not be too long, you’re going to hold this rod in your hands all day, you don’t want it to become a burden. Consider using a multiplier but if that’s a step too far for you buy a reel actually designed for spinning rather than use a general purpose reel as again, this will be light and not too tiring. Above all, DO NOT go out and spend a fortune on lures, just buy a small number, start to use them and then start to tailor your lure collection according to your experiences out on the water. This isn’t carp fishing, you can’t just read a book, buy your gear off the peg and then go out and catch thirty pounders, it’s a learning process, and it should be an enjoyable one at that. As for tackling lure fishing challenges, well of course much depends on the nature of the challenge but I would say this; think about the mechanics of your situation and don’t have a blind faith in things that have gone before. If the water is deep then fish a lure that runs deep, if it’s coloured then fish a lure that makes a lot of disturbance, if the fish eat big prey items then don’t be afraid to throw big lures and above all else, be bold and adventurous in the way you fish your lures. Avoiding snags because you’re afraid of losing that expensive lure is a false economy, you may as well not have bought that lure in the first place if you’re not prepared to use it in the places where the pike live. Confidence is really important in lure fishing, if you’re catching then you’re confidence will be high and the enthusiasm to cast will not leave you but if you’re not catching then it’s all too easy to put that rod down and retire to the pub. When things are not going well, do something different.
5. We have a feature elsewhere in the magazine where members are discussing their favourite lures, so Eric, what is your favourite lure? I really don’t have one, indeed I think it’s a mistake to have a favourite lure. Every lure has its place in my armoury, they all do something different and part of the skill in lure fishing is to decide, correctly, which lure will do the job in a particular circumstance. Compared to some of my friends I actually have a rather small lure collection, maybe a hundred in all, but each one has its place and there are very very few in that collection that don’t have teethmarks on them.
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6. Your forthcoming talk at the AGM is primarily on lure fishing but do you also fish baits? I do, I fish both deadbaits and livebaits when the situation demands it, we can still fish livebaits legally here in England of course. I mentioned earlier that I’m nearly sixty now and if I’m down on the river for a few days inevitably I start to get a bit tired after a couple. That’s when you’ll find my sitting behind a rod with a bobbin attached and a herring soaking in the margins, basically just having a bit of a rest. It’s very rare these days that I go out with the intention of “pitch” fishing and almost never with a bivvy and full set of alarms. I do own a bivvy but I only use it maybe once every other year. Most of my bigger fish have come to lures and of the ones that fell to deadbaits, several of them were in a situation where the bait was moving in some way. I’ve only had one thirty on a static deadbait, a 31lb 15oz fish from the River Ribble. My biggest pike on a livebait was a 25lb 4oz fish from the Yorkshire Ouse caught more than twenty five years ago, I hardly ever fish with livebaits. When I was fishing Windermere a lot it was almost all bait fishing. Sadly, the Big Lake is now a shadow of its former self due to eutrophication which has seen off the great shoals of charr which used to inhabit the water.
7. You were recently involved with the Team England Lure Squad. Tell us about that experience? I’ve fished in the England team on three occasions now, in Ireland, France and Estonia and while we haven’t performed as well as we would have liked, I have to say this aspect of my fishing has been some of the most enjoyable fishing I’ve ever done. The contrast between the lonely piker approach and fishing as part of a team is quite stark and requires a complete shift in mindset. I entered into this unfamiliar world of competition fishing about four years ago with some considerable trepidation and even now I sometimes wonder what I’m doing here, a “big pike” man amongst the “wasp catchers” with their tiny grub lures and featherweight rods but to my surprise I’m holding my own. Indeed since I am the only squad member never to have failed to score with an England shirt on, I am arguably the most consistent performer England has. The championships are staged by FIPSED, which is the Federation Internationale de la Peche Sportive, though I don’t know how you get the acronym FIPSED from that lot. The particular competition that we are engaged in is the Lure Fishing from Boats competition but they run many competitions including matchfishing, feeder fishing and carp fishing. We are, for the most part, self-funded and it does work out quite expensive depending on the venue and various other things. Most of the countries who enter are European countries but there is also a South African team and many of the competitors are seriously good anglers who could teach us a thing or two, indeed one of the great spinoffs for me in this is that my own lure fishing has improved immeasurably by rubbing shoulders with such excellent fishermen. There’s really no reason why Scotland couldn’t enter the
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competition, and even stage an event. One thing that Scotland has in abundance is water and the organisers are always on the lookout for new venues on which to hold the championships. I think a World Championship event held in Scotland would be an eyeopener, the Europeans could well struggle on a big Scottish loch.
8. Tell us about the one that got away…. Does any particular lost fish still haunt you? I’ve been lucky here, most of the big fish I’ve hooked have stayed on but there was one fish that got the better of me. I was fishing Windermere a few years ago on a flat calm day in February. I was fishing from my own boat and I was fishing deadbaits in forty feet of water on four rods when one of the floats started to bob gently. I thought it might be a trout mouthing the bait since the float didn’t go under at all but just bobbed up and down, by half an inch at a time. I picked up the rod, wound down and struck. The fish felt quite heavy but that was all I felt, no head-shaking or runs, just a dead weight on the line. I dragged the fish towards the boat but it did nothing at all, never even flicked a fin during the “fight” and before long I had it on the surface in front of me, where it lay unmoving. It was clearly big, I’ve never caught a thirty pounder from Windermere and with the water now deteriorating quickly as a pike fishery I probably never will but here it was, my Windermere thirty lying motionless in front of me on flat calm water less than six feet away. I could clearly see that the fish was hooked nicely in the scissors on the top hook of the two-hook trace and I could see too that the other hook was dangling outside its mouth. “You’re big!”, I actually spoke the words out loud as I picked up the landing net and dipped it gently into the water ready to scoop up my prize but here’s where things didn’t go according to plan. The pike took one look at the net and went berserk, it leapt high, almost to eye level right before me and landed back in the water, it’s head on the net. The loose hook snagged the net and in an instant the fish flicked its head, tearing out the other hook in the process and it was gone. My Windermere best remains at 28lb 4oz. I did have another experience which doesn’t quite qualify since I didn’t actually hook the fish. It took place on Lough Mask in 1996, I had caught a 31lb 12oz pike on a spinnerbait the day before and went out again with my good friend Kevin Dunne. The Lough
was flat calm and the water was cold but we were fishing in the shallows, lures of course, and I was again using the spinnerbait. Cast after cast nothing came but then on one cast something did come, a huge pike the like of which I’ve never seen before or since. It followed the lure, keeping just four inches behind it, all the way back to the boat. If I slowed the lure, the pike slowed too, if I speeded it up the pike did the same. In no time at all we had this absolute monster alongside the boat in crystal clear water just four feet deep but it never took the lure, it just turned away from it, swam under the boat and was gone. That was more than twenty years ago but the image is as clear in my mind now as it was the day it happened.
9. You’ve obviously had your fair share of large Pike, what keeps you motivated? What are your goals for the seasons ahead? That’s a really good question. I’m not a numbers man, I’m not driven by the thought of reaching x twenties or y thirties, I fish for enjoyment and I fish for myself but I guess targets are an inevitable consequence of fishing for specimen fish. I no longer have any targets though, I’ve achieved all the targets I ever wanted to achieve and so we end up back at the enjoyment thing and while I am still enjoying my fishing, there are flies in the ointment that detract from that and that I could do without. My great friend and fishing partner was seriously ill last year and could not come fishing, that held me back a lot, it’s much less enjoyable when you don’t have someone to share your angling exploits with and as we get older, I guess that’s going to happen more and more. Most of my other friends still have to go to work and I hate fishing with the crowds at weekends so finding someone to go with has been a problem. I have some good waters to go at though and I’m still catching big pike without having to get them from Chew, which is where most English thirties come from these days. I just want to keep having fun for as long as I can, that’s my goal now.
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10. Lastly, what do you see as the major challenges ahead for Pike and Pikers? Do you think the glory days of Piking in Britain & Ireland are behind us or do you think there are still untapped waters out there waiting to be found? I think the sport that I know as pike fishing is in terminal decline, in England at least, and it is being gradually replaced by something else, something a lot less pretty. In Scotland I think the outlook is brighter but the Scots should take note of what is happening in England and learn from it before it is too late. At the heart of our problem lies what has become the conventional wisdom held in pike fishing that everything must remain a secret. For decades now we have slammed the door to our sport in the faces of prospective newcomers and made it all too clear that they are not welcome. We’ve done this in the name of conservation but that is rubbish, pike don’t need to be conserved, they are a highly fecund species, almost impossible to eradicate. No, we haven’t done it for the purposes of conservation, we’ve done it through selfishness. What we’re left with is a rump of a sport populated by old men where the wealthy can buy their fishing at game fishing rates and the majority are left out in the cold. We have become too small to be considered when it comes to allocation of resources and too disorganized and fragmented to be able to defend ourselves when there is competition from other water users and so we lose out. People complain that piking is getting too popular but they are wrong, its popularity is declining and it’s been that way for years. The reason people see more and more pikers on “their” waters is not because of more pikers but because of fewer waters! The massive growth in carp fishing in England has been hugely
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damaging to our sport and I could easily name you twenty waters just in my local area where the carp have been so heavily stocked that there is little food for smaller species to prosper and so little food for the pike. Could that happen in Scotland? Well it could if climate change continues as they tell us it will. Waters are being lost to wildlife organisations who see angling as negative and antisocial, they’re being lost to sailing and skiing clubs who want the waters to themselves and they are being lost to big business who can see a fast buck in a piece of water. The answer is to get organized, stay organized and put on a united front. Get behind your organisations like PAAS and the SFCA, put aside your differences and start to show the world what a great sport we have. Work together to develop pike fishing and yes, if that means that you sometimes have to give a little ground, even share some of your fishing, then so be it, it’s the right way forward. Put some effort into youth development, get some young blood into the sport, you’re going to need them there when you’re getting on in years and you need someone else to step up. The alternative is that you’ll end up with a group of old men with bulging wallets who can pay to fish top dollar trout waters for week after week and who constantly pop up in the press holding aloft giant pike and being hailed as superstars. You won’t be there with them, you’ll be on the local cut catching naff all!
Thanks Eric, we look forward to meeting you at the Annual Gathering and hearing more about your adventures – tight lines!!
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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PIKE FISHING
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IT’S ALL IN THE ACTION By Matt Dean
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As I walk down the aisle of any well-stocked lure shop or surf the endless lures available on internet websites, a few things occur to me. If you were starting out lure fishing you could well be at a loss as to what lures to choose, why you might want to buy them and how best you can use them. I hope this article may help you make a more educated choice. Soft plastics, crankbaits, plugs, spinner baits, spoons, jerkbaits, swim baits; just a short list of the various categories lures can fall into and surely to a wannabe lure angler the variety of different lures must be bewildering. These days when I buy a lure, I get it to do a certain job for the water I want to exploit and now when I change a lure I do it for a certain reason, hoping it will be this change that gets the results. Buying lures because you like the look of them is a good idea in as much as if you like the look of it you will use it more. In my opinion that is one of the secrets of lure fishing as confidence is a major player and using a lure a lot will increase your faith as it starts catching more and getting plenty of teeth marks on it. There is a drawback here though and that is by getting too much confidence in one lure it can mean that when it fails to produce you look into your lure collection for a change and if your banker lure has not produced then what else is going to work? As a result, your belief in the method can nose dive. Thinking about things logically can help you make an informed choice and then there is no stopping you. I will take a look at a few of the more popular lure categories now and discuss their various attributes.
Crankbaits These lures are the old-fashioned lures that used to catch plenty of fish before soft plastics and swimbaits came along. That aside I use cranks a lot and they have not let me down thus far. Cranks are the lures with the diving vane (a piece of plastic or metal at the nose of the lure) and they come in all shapes and sizes. The size of the vane and the body shape will have different effects on the lures action, such as how deep it dives or how it wobbles
from side to side. We are all familiar with minnow baits, with their long slender bodies ranging in size from 2.5cms to 20cms or more and of course the lip sticking out just behind the front connection. The minnow bait is the first lure I had any real success with for pike and I still have confidence in them to this day, with many good fish now under the belt. The tight wiggle that this shape produces is irresistible to predators and you will get both pike and perch in the smaller sizes but when you go over 10cms you are usually targeting pike in our waters. So, a crankbait has not produced for you today and you are starting to think of a change; maybe a similar bait in a different colour will work but I think a better change is one that covers a different depth range as most minnow baits will only cover the first 6 feet of the water when casting. If you are over say 15 feet and you can see fish on the finder but they are not responding to your original choice, something that works down to around ten foot may be the answer. Therefore, you clip on a lure that has a slightly bigger diving vane and, most of the time, a bigger body profile, as this often seems to go hand in hand. In addition, by reading on the side of the packaging when you buy the lure it may tell you the intended depth ranges, which differs if you are casting or trolling, so bear that in mind too. Still no luck working this one just above the structure below? Sounds like you are going to have to
go deep for them so your next choice would be a countdown lure. A countdown crank bait will look every bit the same as the floating divers albeit with a larger diving vane and that it sinks slowly when cast out into the water. Now when the pike are hugging the bottom and not interested in moving too far to come up for a lure a countdown lure will often produce. To use the countdown lure, cast it out and count it down until it hits the bottom. As it sinks, you slowly count it down, either in your head or aloud if you like. When the lure hits the bottom, you will see the line go slack; time to start your retrieve. With this lure, it pays to crank it in for a bit then let it sink again and you will often get a savage take as you start it off again. I like this method in the colder months and it has accounted for a decent fish or two. Varying the retrieve on a countdown often works but I have found that the floating diving cranks work best most of the time on straight retrieve interspersed with a few pauses as you work the lure back - again trial and error on the day will as always be the key. There are many shapes and sizes of crankbaits and as a rule the bigger the vane the deeper it will go but watch out for the angle of the diving vane as this will also determine how deep the lure works.
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JERKBAITS Most jerkbaits work the upper water layers and although there are sinking ones, which work very well, most of the time we will be working the first 2 meters of water. Jerkbaits usually come into their own when the weather starts to warm up in the spring and again when the pike fishing starts getting good again, usually around the middle of September, as pike start to feed up ahead of the winter. Nothing however is cast in stone as I have had twenty pound pike on a jerkbait working it just below the surface with the lake half frozen, but that’s an exception! Again, the action is what we are looking for here and you generally have two different types of action. The glide bait, as the name suggests, will glide through the water from side to side with gentle taps of the rod. They are easy to use, working just below the surface most of the time, although the slow sinkers are like a form of the countdown lure described above, i.e. count them down to a required depth and then start working them back. I
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usually start with a glide bait that works just below the surface as this will cover a lot of water in the bays as you work it from side to side, with the boat slowly drifting along. The takes you get are often heart stopping with this very visual method. Chop baits are similar to glide baits but have a more erratic action. As you sweep down the rod tip in a chopping motion the lure moves side to side or it may take a dive or surface in a pike arousing manner. I am really fond of this style of jerkbait and love working them fast along weed lines or over the top of under water features, with plenty of pauses and twitches these really produce pike. The action would closely resemble a wounded fish and that is something no self-respecting pike can resist. There are more actions with jerkbaits, such as pull baits, surface or hybrids, which all catch on their day and once you have a selection of theses baits you will be better equipped to find out how the pike want a bait presented on the day.
Swim Baits These are a fairly new arrival on the lure scene in a commercial way, although there have been expensive custom ones about for a long time now. Now more widely available, they are accounting for some very good catches of fish and the reason why is that they have their own unique action and it is this that makes them such a great bait Swimbaits are just like a sectionalised jerkbait with bodies of 2, 3 or 4 sections which gives
them their action, completely different to anything described above. As you cast them out and slowly retrieve, they snake through the water in what I could only describe as an S shape. This is not only attractive to the pike but also to the countless anglers who recount ‘this is a very life like action,’ albeit I would say a soft plastic shad would be as close as you could get to a realistic fish action. That aside, they certainly catch fish and plenty of them! I got a 21 lb pike first day out with
one, which always makes you like a lure and it was no fluke either as they have accounted for many good fish since. Again, a very easy to work lure that almost fishes itself - like the saying goes ‘cast them out and crank ‘em in.’ You can impart more action by working the rod tip but a simple crank and pause retrieve will get you plenty of fish. These are great baits to use for a newcomer as the results will not be far behind but as they get fished more and more they will no doubt lose their
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effectiveness as the pike gets used to them so it is always a good idea to have a few more tricks up your sleeve. There are many other categories of lures out there, indeed more than I can cover in this article. I am always on the lookout for a new action on a lure and if it is different to anything you have seen before you know that it will give you the edge on certain days. The hard part is knowing what a lure will work like just by reading the packaging, so seeing them in action is a great way to find out and lots of lure manufacturers these days put video’s of their lures on their websites, so it pays to do a bit of homework. Over time, with trial and error, you will find out how each lure works and when to employ it effectively. You will have a lot of fun learning this exciting method of fishing!
Matt Dean 38
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Your Favourite
LURES Name: Darren Inglis
Lure: Wolfcreek Wolf
My favourite lure would have to be a wolfcreek wolf jerkbait in either brown or rainbow pattern. I love the wide glides and the sink rate. Also you can straight retrieve it at a steady pace and it still gives off some good movement.
Name: Matt Dean
Lure: Salmo Fatso
I love these lures! The Fatso does something pretty different to a lot of Jerkbaits in that it has a great wobbling action, rather than the usual glide. I like the 10cm sinking version for casting but it is the larger version that I’ve done best on. Trolled, the 14cm Fatso has caught me several 20’s and no matter what pattern I use, it always gets a hit. Simply deadly when Pike are active, higher up in the water column!
Name: Scott Kelly
Lure: Loz Harrop Middle Darter
The middle darter in copper roach pattern is my favourite lure (at the moment. Lol). The main reasons for this are that it can be used in depths of 3-15ft, it is easy to work and you can also feel if the lure is working properly or if it is tangled or has weed on it. The fact that it darts up and down while gliding side to side is also a big plus in my opinion.
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Name: Scott Lawrence Wolf
Lure:
Wolfcreek
There are a few reasons why the Wolfcreek Wolf in Roach pattern has become my favourite lure. Firstly, there isn't a water I fish that doesn’t contain roach as food for the pike and the Wolf is one of the best representations I've come across. It just a colour I have huge confidence in. Secondly it's not a difficult glide bait to fish; Count it down and it will work at its depth well in up to about 10 feet, which covers most of my jerkbaiting. Lastly, although not as wide a glide as some, the lure hangs well and whether fished fast or slow, has the best belly flash ever. As you'll see I also have the cub version in the same pattern, just that change that can sometimes pick up the odd fish when required.
Name: Stewart McMath
Lure: Jeff Boggs Ribbontail
My favourite lure has to be the Jeff Boggs Ribbontail in orange Polka colour. It has a great tail action, whether on a fast or a slow retrieve. It is also a great trolling lure!
Name: Joe Toner Lure: Loz Harrop Darters
I always try to use Loz Harrop Darters whenever I can and my PB still stands on a Loz lure, a 24lb fish caught during a PAAS event at Gartmorn Dam in 2011.
Name: Colin Campbell Lure: Savage Gear 4 play
It’s got to be between the savage gear 4 play and the rapala shad rap ....both because there a lazy lures to work with lol! Cast and retrieve, any size, any colour – they are even good to troll with. You really can’t go wrong and if you lose one it’s not the end of the world lol!
Name: Kris Smith Lure: Spro BBZ1
I like this lure in fast sinking, 6 inch size, Pike pattern. I’ve had loads of fish in it, often when I stop on the retrieve, pause for a second and then give it a twitch – that’s when I mostly get a hit.
Name: Michael Mellors
Lure: Squirrely Burt
My favourite lure is a Musky Mania Squirrely Burt in Northern Pike pattern. It’s easy to use, fast retrieve or slow jerky movements both get hits. I’ve had a few on this one as it currently needs a new tail!
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Name: Jonny Nimmo Lure: ITT Multi Trout
The ITT multi trout by Bertus Rozemeijer is my favourite lure simply because it catches me fish, including my three biggest lure caught Pike, which were all over 25lb’s.
Name: Kev Lawlor
Lure: Savage Gear 3D Trout
My favourites have to be rubber lures, mainly because have had broken bones in my hand it can get painful working a jerk bait after a few casts especially, when wet and cold! My favourite is the 3d trout lure from Savage Gear; u can cast it pretty far, its tail rattles and all you do is retrieve. I also like a big spoon; they’re cheap and indestructible and when on trout waters the odd big trout likes a go at them also.
Name: Ciaran Wilson
Lure: Riverrun Manta
My favourite is probably a Super Shallow Manta in Pumpkin Perch pattern….. In terms of numbers of fish, it is right up there as one of my most productive and I have had a few good fish on it to mid doubles. However, the reason I really like this lure is, being a shallow runner, a lot of the hits are very visual and when the fish are chasing this one, it is usually a pretty exciting day out!
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Name: Steve Tapley
Lure: Various (See Below)
I couldn’t actually settle on a favourite so decided to write a small piece on a few lures and what I liked about it. B-1 Burmek - If there was to be a favourite it would be the strange looking B-1 Burmek. It comes in 4 colours and has been on the lure scene for years, originating from the USA like most lures of the past. It has a crazy swimming action with a tail section that can be worked just under the surface with devastating effect. It can be cranked down to about 4-5 feet but I found it most effective with the tail just breaking surface. The lure has caught me many fish to 19lbs 12ozs in very shallow weedy bays of the Northern Lochs.
AC Plug - Another lure in the same light is the AC Plug in trout pattern, which has produced big doubles from the shallower waters of Northern Lochs, once again using the jointed rubber tail section as a response maker. Loz Harrop Darter - My next favourite would be the Loz’s large 3ozs Darter, one of the UK’s original jerk baits. It can be worked easily due to its weight and sink rate and can be kept nicely in the strike zone. It has taken a good few fish but nothing much more than low doubles. Bikini Bait Beer Belly Glider - Another jerk bait favourite is a Jed Volkermann Bikini Bait 6” Beer Belly glider, an absolute gem of a jerkbait and in my mind his best lure and the easiest to cast and work. A Mentieth favourite in several colours especially the Rainbow Trout. Once again fish to mid doubles is my best but it has produced a lot bigger. Strike Pro Belly Buster & X-Buster My next favourites are two from the Buster stable and both are ‘go to’ lures for producing responses from less willing fish. The flashy orange tail on the jointed version is a winner and the rattle on the fat belly version has its uses for stirring up dormant fish. Castiac Boot Tail - My favourite Rubber paddle tail is the 8 inch original from Castaic Trout in grey trout colour. I found this lure superb on Trout waters such as Mentieth and one or two other trout waters. I think its weight and big paddle tail are the fish enticers here. It has taken good doubles from Mentieth as well.
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WILD FISHERIES REFORM
LATEST NEWS
Things are moving fast on the Wild Fisheries Reform programme (WFR), and we are now reaching a crucial stage in the process.
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Nothing stands still as far as Wild Fisheries Reform (WFR) is concerned. By the time this edition of Esox Ecosse comes out the formal public consultation I mentioned in the last issue will have closed and Scottish Government officials will have begun to digest the replies. A summary will be published, but that may take some time. SFCA submitted a comprehensive response, which you can read at http:// www.sfca.co.uk/ . We publicised this widely in draft form beforehand to give everyone a chance to contribute their thoughts, so I hope what we ended up with reflects your concerns and priorities.
In the meantime, the process of refining and developing the detail of the proposed new fisheries management system continues. The Stakeholder Reference Group (SRG) in which I take part on behalf of SFCA will still meet at around six-weekly intervals. You can see the minutes and other papers from the SRG at http://www.gov. scot/Topics/marine/Salmon-Trout-Coarse/fishreform/ refgroup . In addition, Scottish Government officials are setting up a number of linked working groups to look at specific issues within the WFR programme. Some of the groups will be considering matters on which we don’t need to be involved (eg Continuous Professional Development arrangements for fisheries managers) but we have submitted nominees for two of them: one about Finance (myself) and the other on Fishery Promotion and Development (Gus Brindle, SFCA Chairman). At this stage it’s not clear when these groups will complete their work but you can expect to find the outputs from them on the SFCA and Marine Scotland websites. Please take the time to keep abreast of this vital process, and feel free to send me any questions or comments by email to ron.woods@ntlworld.com, or via the SFCA Facebook page.
Access and Protection One of the most fundamental changes put forward in the recent WFR consultation paper is to make it a criminal offence to fish for any species without legal right or written consent in all inland waters (broadly speaking, every piece of freshwater except the tidal reaches of rivers) throughout Scotland. At the moment it’s a crime to fish without consent for salmon or seatrout anywhere in Scotland, but the position in relation to coarse fish and non-migratory trout is a bit of a dog’s breakfast. In general, fishing for those other species without consent is a civil matter rather than a
criminal offence, but there are major exceptions: * rivers subject to the Solway Act of 1804 (which, paradoxically, does not in fact cover all the rivers flowing into the Solway Firth); * waters classed as “proper lochs or stanks” under S11 of the 2003 Act (broadly speaking, any loch, reservoir or pond that either lies wholly on the land of a single riparian owner, or has no inlet or outlet through which fish can pass); * lochs and/or rivers which are subject to Protection Orders (POs) under S48 of the 2003 Act (these include the Tweed, the Tay, the Earn. the Tummel, Loch Awe and much of the Clyde). The change proposed in the consultation paper would eliminate the distinction between “proper lochs or stanks” and other stillwater fisheries, and between the Solway rivers and the rest. It would also mean the end of POs, as these are based on local agreements under which proprietors allow access for responsible angling in return for criminal law protection against unauthorised fishing (the “protection” in a PO is for riparian owners, not fish). There’s a lot to be said in favour of the proposed change. It would: * raise the level of legal protection against unauthorised fishing for coarse fish up to that for salmon – which would help clubs maintain permit revenue and enable proprietors to take more effective action against indiscriminate pot hunting; * remove inconsistencies and uncertainties in the law relating to individual waters; * bring our legislation broadly into line with what applies in England & Wales (and indeed most other developed countries) where it seems to work well enough. However, there are potential drawbacks. Comparatively trivial matters (eg youngsters fishing their local burn or quarry without bothering to get permission) would be criminalised along with the more serious breaches that we would all wish to see penalised, so the application of this law would have to be sensitive and judicious.
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Most problematic is the possible impact on the availability of access to fish. In waters where fishing for freshwater species without consent is presently a civil matter it’s very difficult for riparian owners to enforce fishing rights, and many just don’t bother to try to do so. If they had the benefit of criminal law protection there’s a risk that some of them might stop people fishing on venues where access is currently available and often free. For the same reason it also seems likely that getting new access to fish on waters where it’s presently not available would become even more difficult. Similar problems could arise in areas currently covered by POs. At the moment most PO areas have a Liaison Committee in which representatives of anglers and proprietors discuss issues like access and permit charges. It’s clear from what’s reported by Liaison Committee members that a proportion of proprietors in some locations are reluctant participants and often make it as hard as possible for anglers to get permits or otherwise obstruct access to fish. There are substantial fears that without POs the opportunity to fish many of these waters could be lost - not just for coarse species but trout and grayling too.
Where does SFCA stand on all this? We have long argued that the current mix of civil and criminal law protection against fishing without consent, and the way the law discriminates between salmon/ seatrout and other species on this, are irrational and ought to be done away with. On that basis we’ve given qualified support to the proposed change. And to be honest, even if we oppose this measure I imagine it will go through. The Scottish Government has made it clear that one of their policy goals in WFR is “… to take a consistent approach to all offences across all species”, and in other ways this will be a great benefit for coarse fish and coarse anglers. The problem for us is therefore to find a way to ensure current levels of access for coarse angling are maintained, and where possible extended, within a legal system that gives riparian owners (and tenant angling clubs) stronger powers to prevent people from fishing. It might be possible to achieve this through a voluntary approach. The WFR proposes that new regionally-based Fishery Management Organisations (FMOs) will be set up
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to oversee the management of all fisheries for all species in their area. These FMOs could be given responsibility to do their best to promote and publicise access for angling for all species throughout their territory, and this could be one of the factors on which their performance would be judged. In one sense this would give the FMOs a similar role to the Liaison Committees that exist in current Protection Order areas. It could also be backed up by the creation of a national Code of Practice which seeks to persuade proprietors to make access as widely available as possible and encourages them to find ways to avoid conflicts of interest, for instance by allowing coarse fishing during game fish closed seasons or, in salmon rivers, on Sundays. The voluntary approach could also help overcome some of the more subtle barriers to access that particularly affect coarse anglers, eg “fly only” rules. There is nevertheless a danger that some proprietors will be immune to persuasion, and might only respond favourably if denying access had potentially adverse consequences. We are certainly not going to get to a position where proprietors could be prosecuted for refusing access to fish, but there may be some kind of statutory underpinning that could provide leverage. This could take one of a number of forms. At its most basic, it could simply involve restricting the protection of criminal law against unauthorised fishing to proprietors or tenant clubs who grant responsible access on reasonable terms. However that would be difficult to prove in marginal cases, and would effectively prevent the formation of closed syndicates or allow angling clubs that control fisheries to restrict who they accept into membership. A more sophisticated approach might involve Scottish Ministers taking a reserve power such that - in limited circumstances and only after reasonable attempts on the part of the relevant FMO to reach agreement – they could withdraw FMO-related funding and/or other forms of public support from proprietors who do not grant reasonable access. I hope this note has helped to explain the implications of the deceptively complicated set of issues that arise from what looks like a simple change to the law. Feel free to send questions or comments on any of the matters concerned by email to ron.woods@ntlworld.com, or via the SFCA Facebook page. Ron Woods
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