This is a summary of all the useful contributions that were posted on this thread. They represent a wide and often differing set of experiences. This article can never really be closed, if anyone wants to add something new, please let me know.
May 2003 amendment - The reference to LurenetQFP, and especially the
link to the website, is obsolete since Lurenet have ceased trading
From RICH W
Are there many of you out there who hand land pike in the summer
months? I had no problem during winter months, but I've found that
they're a little livelier during the summer and do a lot of head
shaking (very risky as far as having ones hand impaled by a large
treble). Should I play the fish a bit longer to ensure that it's tired
enough (bit risky in summer - low oxygen levels etc) or give in and
just use the net. I prefer to hand land were possible because there is
less chance of damage and distress to the fish.
From DAVE PUGH
I used to hand-land nearly every pike I hooked, now I use the net for
all but the smallest. If there are marginal weeds - when bank fishing -
I like to pull them onto that and unhook them while still in the water
if the hooks are easy to get at, untouched by human hands!
Hand landing is OK if you are
prepared to put up with the occasional horror of pike on one hook and
finger on another I've suffered that twice, neither time serious
luckily, but it could be very bloody . The painful and sometimes
serious consequences of this can spoil your day somewhat, nurses are
notorious for having little sympathy for anglers - "Now you know how
the fish feels" etc...
I don't know what is kindest to
pike, but there are two ways of looking at it. Most hand-landed pike go
back a little quicker than netted fish, but netted fish get dropped a
lot less often. The odd one that takes a while to unhook because it is
awkwardly hooked is better safely supported in the mesh while tools are
being fetched from pockets etc, rather than held by a nervous hand!
When in a boat I'm always afraid I'll fall out trying to reach one so the net is definitely favourite.
From KEN L
I hand land all of my lure caught pike, with the exception of those
caught from high banks. The trick is to draw them to you with the rod
until they start to roll onto one side (if they power off they weren't
ready to be lifted) and then insert your fingers under the gill plate
on the side furthest away from the hooks - this may mean that you have
to use your right hand and do the unhooking etc caggy handed but it's
much safer.
The insertion of your fingers
should be quite gentle and you should aim to keep your finger tips in
contact with the inside of the gill plate at all times as this will
minimise the chances of catching and therefore damaging a gill raker.
Once the fingers are in, slide them towards the fish's snout as far as
is comfortable and then get a good solid grip with your thumb over the
top jaw (the best place for this is the little depression just back
from the front of the mouth) and lift the fish clear of the water. If
its going to try to head shake, it's usually when it's first lifted so
make sure that you have a solid grip.
Hold the fish steady for a
second or two over the water and if you are happy that its reasonably
calm, release your thumb. The mouth should now open and you can remove
the hooks. The fish can then be lowered back into the water and
released. The best tool that I've found for unhooking pike is a set of
cut down eight inch artery forceps. The ones that you buy at tackle
shops tend to bend and twist when unhooking fish but they can be
modified to prevent this. Take a hacksaw to the jaws and cut them back
by about half an inch and then smooth the job off with a grinder or a
sharpening stone. Other anglers recommend needle nose pliers or a Baker
Hookout tool.
If you want to weigh fish, the
golden rules are to do it quickly and to avoid putting the fish down on
a hard dry bank. I would recommend keeping your weigh sling permanently
wet in a tupperware type box so that you can take it out and set up the
scales quickly. For photos the rule has to be if your on your own
forget it. If you have a fishing partner, they should ideally be
setting up the scales whilst your still playing the fish and then
setting up the camera whilst you weigh it. Either way, the priority is
a quick return to the water.
When hand landing, beginners
will probably be happier using a glove. Thin gardening gloves are best
but do try to abandon them as soon as possible because they tend to
snag the little "teeth" on the gill rakers - you will get cut
occasionally using bare hands but the welfare of the fish has to be
paramount.
From TIM KELLY
The trick with hand landing is definitely confidence, tempered with
experience. Hard won but simple once learnt! The best way to avoid
getting hooked yourself is to look at the pike's attitude. When you
have it by the bank and have hold of the trace, check where the lure
is. Then manoeuvre the fish so the side nearest you is the hook free
one. Next check if the pike it lying benignly. if it is thinking of
having a thrash it will flare it's gills just before it goes. Get your
hands out of the way quick! it is lying still either grab it across the
back just behind the head or under the gills as Ken described and
unhook it. You have to pick it up like you mean it though, not hard but
with confidence. I have had a pike on one hook and my hand on another
once but I new I was taking a risk grabbing it when I did, I was
rushing a little as I was " Guesting " at the time, slightly out of
season, and could hear someone coming. Divine intervention? I do prefer
to hand land whenever possible as netting seems to cause a lot of fin
damage but although I never carry a net myself I am often out with
others who can be bothered to drag a net through the jungle just in
case I get a whacker that needs netting quickly.
From RICH W
Thanks for the advice guys. Ken you have said that you hand land all of
your pike, does this include those in excess of say 10lb. My fishing
buddy ran into terrible trouble early on in the season (after leaving
his net in the car) when he hooked into a fish that was easily in
excess of 20lb. Every time he got it to the bank it powered off again,
this happened numerous times until it eventually snapped off
(devastating!). You may remember his article titled 'help' . You'll be
pleased to know that since this incident we have both substantially
beefed up the tackle we use.
From KEN L
Yes I hand land all of them irrespective of weight. This is mainly
because I do most of my fishing carrying just the rod and tackle bag.
It's fair to say though that with good doubles, I do tend to modify
what I said about lifting the fish. I'm a bit paranoid about the weight
of a big fish damaging it's spine or internal organs with a straight
chin lift, so I tend to throw the rod up the bank (or hand it carefully
to someone else if this is an option) and get my other hand on the fish
to support its weight. If you recall, I was the bloke who got mauled
over my use of "light tackle" but even with this, I don't have to much
trouble with big fish continuously powering off. I find that so long as
you apply plenty of pressure whilst being prepared to give line as
required, even large fish can be subdued in short order no matter what
kit you use. It is however fair to say that as a river angler, fish
above mid double figures are pretty uncommon for me so a net might be
entirely appropriate for you if you are targeting fish in pits etc.
From DAVE PUGH
This is a valuable thread and I want to add a couple of things to qualify my previous comments.
I was referring especially to fishing for pike with big lures and corresponding strong tackle.
Big lures with big hooks change
the rules somewhat. Firstly the lure is seldom entirely in the pike's
mouth so one or more spare hooks are free to get caught in your hand.
Secondly if the lure has been taken well inside the pike's mouth a big
hook cannot always just be turned round, it may be caught on two
points, the ONLY answer is to cut the hook.
On nets I'd like to mention that
this is covered in the reviews section of the website. I was initially
delighted with lure mesh netting (as originally supplied Caliber and/or
QFP, I believe) because lures untangled so quickly, but soon began to
have occasional problems with either the fins of the pike or it's
maxilla getting caught in the mesh and causing damage that way as well
as slowing down unhooking. The answer is to use a smaller mesh size,
20mm pike mesh is perfect, still simple to untangle hooks but no more
tangled pike. Changing to the pike mesh was something me and my boat
partner decided upon independently and simultaneously, it was the
obvious move.
To me it seems crazy to fish for pike - that can turn up at 30lb (a
once in a lifetime chance, maybe) in just about any water, without a
landing net. Tales of "the one that got away" are a lot less satisfying
than a trophy photograph.
Another important consideration
is that you light-tackle chaps will generally have tired your fish a
little more before you are ready to land it, so it will be more docile.
Using multipliers with braid and a properly set drag I can only wind my
reel handle the one way so they are often still a bit lively when they
are under the rod, (I don't mess about) the net is the smart way for
me. Total time from hooking to release is probably about even for
either tackle set-up when these factors are taken into account.
Most bait anglers net their
fish, because it is so simple and practical, and of course there is a
much reduced treble tangling problem. But if your principal reason for
hand landing pike is simply the desire to keep your lures untangled we
are not talking about pike handling at all but laziness. For any lure
angler about to land a pike my most sincere advice is to think very
carefully and if in any doubt use the net.
From TIM KELLY
While I agree with most of what you have said I believe that netting
pike causes them more damage than hand landing. I haven't seen the 20mm
mesh you are talking about but would be amazed if the fins and maxilla
cannot be damaged by using slightly smaller mesh. I would always prefer
to use a net on any bigger fish that I really wanted to land just
because it means you have more chance of landing the fish but
unfortunately the vast majority of fish I catch are run of the mill
fish between about 3lb and 8lb. While these fish are always appreciated
I am not heartbroken if they come off while I am trying to get a hand
on them. If you hand land them they suffer no more damage than the hook
has inflicted but a net almost always causes secondary damage, and for
what purpose? Most fish are better served by hand landing if it is done
properly but if it's a whacker, get me the net quick!
From DAVE PUGH
The 20mm mesh size is vastly superior to the 35mm despite us lure
blokes being seduced by the big mesh for fast lure untangling. If you
try it you will be very impressed! I was seduced by the big size, now I
really wish it wasn't available, it does pike no favours.
I would agree that a pike hand
landed and quickly unhooked ought to suffer less damage than one
netted. But, and it's a big but, netted pike won't get dropped if they
thrash at the wrong moment.
I strongly believe that the sort
of superficial damage caused by hooks and nets are far less than the
routine damage that pike inflict upon each other during spawning. These
wounds usually heal quickly, evolution has obviously equipped the pike
for this.
I share some of Ken's misgiving
about lifting pike, but I've no direct observation of them suffering,
or appearing to suffer from this. Dropping pike seems the one accident
that must hurt them, there is no equivalent injury that they can suffer
in the water.
And I therefore advocate netting
all but the smallest fish, say up to 2lb, because the chance of
dropping one is much less with the net. After the pike is unhooked the
problem is much reduced because we will all hang on a lot tighter if
our hands are not in danger from hooks.
Allowing that nets must cause
some superficial harm I still prefer that to the increased chance of a
dropped fish. If 100 pike loose a bit of slime they'll all survive but
if one gets dropped, who knows. Having hand landed a lot of pike over
the years, and being above average in the hand strength department I
know that I dropped a few, despite being as careful as possible, I find
it hard to imagine that others do not suffer the same mishaps.
These messages are all opinion,
based on our experiences, which is fair enough but it is a shame that
there is no concrete research into this matter. The only fish welfare
issue I've seen research on was for salmonids (NOT pike) in North
America where released fish were seen to suffer and sometimes die if
the fight had been prolonged, the research was at an early stage but
seemed to be leading to a plea for stronger tackle. This is not a dig
at light gear because the circumstances discussed were quite extreme
with very big fish played for over thirty minutes on very light gear.
If there is any research by scientists (not treehuggers) into this issue I'd like to know about it.
From SEB SHELTON
If Pike welfare is important to you please note that the following
items are ESSENTIAL, not OPTIONAL extras. They may not be needed to
deal with all or even many of the pike you hook but there will be
instances when they are.
-
A suitably sized landing net
fitted with 20mm ("pike mesh") or less mesh.. not "lure" mesh. (See
Dave Pugh's earlier thread.. he's right.) It's interesting to note that
Dave Lumb has dropped the 35mm "lure mesh" from his catalogue -&
added the "..even more fish friendly.." 10mm "specialist mesh".
-
A suitably sized unhooking mat, whether fishing from bank or boat.
-
Good quality bolt cutters (I can
recommend Knipex). These are a must if you use lures fitted with big
(over size 1) hooks. It's often quicker -&- better to cut hooks
especially if you fish with the barbs intact. They come in very handy
also if the hook ends up in you rather than the fish.
There are occasions when hand
landing pike is preferable, -& equally those when using a landing
net is the best (or only) option, but in all circumstances fish welfare
not fish size should be the deciding factor.
From MARTIN G I
must confess I prefer to land fish with the net partly for my safety,
it seems inevitable that knowing my luck I will sooner or later get a
hook in me. As some people who fish with me will tell you I don't like
it when fish get away, of course I have to accept it is inevitable from
time to time. At times when using a net with a small amount of slack
fish often fall of the hooks inside the net. Until recently I was very
happy with a net I had bought from Helen and Rollies with a large mesh
that had a coating that claimed to be lure proof, all the time I used
it this was true. The coating was soft and rubbery even though the net
felt stiff this also helped to prevent the fish wrapping to tightly
when they spun in the net I could usually untangle fish and lure
easily. Just recently I have to give it up as the coating has now worn
down to expose the fact it is a knotted mesh, so I have gone on to the
usual kind you see lots of people use from Harris's and other
suppliers. It's OK but it feels more abrasive than my old one even with
the knots.
From MARTIN S
I have been using nets from Quality Fishing Plugs (now LureNetQFP) for
nearly a decade and I don't want to sound like a big head but I just
don't see what all the fuss/probs are about. LureNet's nets are wide
mesh, soft and kind to fish and are pretty treble-hook-resisting. Not
perfect my any means but which net is?
I have tried several others
including the ones from Harris and despite what Our Barrie says, I
think that they're too rough but anyway there's no need to use them or
argue when there are nets available like those from LureNetQFP. I must
get shares in them from the way I'm sounding like an ad for them .. but
I'm just speaking as I have found. They're at www.lurenet.co.uk I never
leave home without one!
From SEB SHELTON
I too found the nets supplied by Harris Angling a bit on the rough side
but it is the size of the "lure mesh" that concerned me most. With the
35mm "lure mesh" occasionally some fins -&- maxilla of smaller pike
would protrude through the mesh on landing. This in itself does not
necessarily mean that the fish were damaged but it was a concern to me.
Since changing to the smaller 22mm "pike mesh" this has not happened,
which, if nothing else, makes me a happier bunny.
Martin S. Acceptance over a long
period of time does not mean that something cannot be improved upon,
-&- that you consider a matter of genuine concern regarding pike
handling a "fuss"... is sad.
From MARTIN S
I think you have misconstrued my comments about nets. Of course
anything can be improved upon! I am talking about what's available to
lure anglers today. I can assure you that no-one has a greater concern
for pike than me, period! Judging by your comments, though, I gather
that you simply cannot have evaluated the nets of which I wrote and
which I use, very successfully I might add, with very few if any of the
problems of which your wrote re fins going through the mesh etc The
reason why I mentioned "fuss" is that this hoary old debate has been
going on for ages, and I believe there are very real answers out there.
Nope, Seb, I'm not the one who's sad! I love my pike fishing and have
got some great nets. It's the others .....
From SEB SHELTON
The misunderstanding here has been over the my use of the term "lure
mesh". In my postings I thought I had made it clear that I had concerns
over "lure mesh" of 35mm. The information posted by Dave S. indicates
that you are using nets with the smaller 22mm mesh which is what myself
-&- Dave Pugh were recommending. Sorry for any confusion here
-&- no offence intended.
Regarding the cutting of hooks -if it is necessary to cut hooks don't forget to remove the bits.
From DAVE S
Just to put the story straight, the nets supplied by QFP in the past
and now LurenetQFP are the 22 mm mesh size , they are very soft and in
my opinion kinder to the fish that the Harris net , which by comparison
is very rough. No net is perfect , but this is currently I believe the
best on the market.
PS - I think Dave Lumb is also now selling this type of net.
From MARTIN S
Many thanks Dave S for confirming what I thought I had said in the
first place. Like I said, the QFP mesh nets were/are soft so why use a
hard mesh? I've never had any problems with fins getting stuff through
the mesh. OK, sometimes trebles do get stuck but if the fish is in any
danger I cut off the hook with side-cutters in a jiffy.
From MARTIN S
Sorry. It's just been pointed out to me that maybe I didn't make myself
very clear when I wrote about cutting hooks free. You cut hooks that
get stuck in the net NOT that are stuck in the pike! This helps get the
pike back into the water ASAP with the least problems to all. Hope that
clears up any confusion
And yes I agree that this thread is very useful. Thanks to all (well almost all!) and more please
From SEB SHELTON
With reference to an earlier posting of yours why are hooks that are
stuck in the pike NOT to be cut. What are your concerns with this
practice?
From MARTIN S
No concerns at all, in fact sometime it's essential and quickly too.
Sorry if I misled you. Anyway, I always have an ace pair of
side-cutters with me, I'm sure you do too
From KEITH RANSOM
As a recent purchaser of the Harris net that everyone seems to have
slated perhaps I should keep out of this thread but as my job involves
me handling live fish every day of the week I hope my comments will be
of some use.
The first thing I was told about handling fish many years ago was never
to touch them with dry hands. OK, maybe having dry hands is a bit
unlikely after landing a pike but a dry bank or even a dry unhooking
mat or sling will remove the protective slime that inhibits fungal and
bacterial infections and resists the attacks of skin parasites. So make
sure that anywhere you lay your fish even for a second is wet; I find
that despite all the fancy unhooking mats on the market I get good
results using a wet heavy-duty polythene sack. The fish go back
unmarked and, just as important, with their protective slime intact.
From MARTIN S
Well, I reckon you're right about most things and in your job, you
should know ... but ... eeerr .. I reckon you'd be much better off and
so would the fish if you used one of the latest nets from
www.lurenet.co.uk
From DAVE J-H
Hi everyone, I've been following the recent discussion on handling of
pike and the use of nets for the last few days. It seem s to me that we
all share a common cause, the welfare of old Esox. Each of the threads
on the message board are all in their own way correct to the individual
but not shared by other anglers as to their own experiences. Which
brings me to my point. Some years ago, like a lot of other lure anglers
out there, I used to carry both a net -&- mat to both land and
unhook my quarry as safely and quickly as possible. NO ! I still
remember vividly on the very last time I used a net, the fish rolled
over -&- over entangling itself in the mesh so tight that I was
forced to take a knife to the net and cut the fish free. This took a
couple of minutes and upset me great deal. Fortunately the fish was
okay and bolted as soon as it was returned to the water. Anyhow, some
years have now past and I haven't used a net since, choosing to hand
land all the fish I now catch be it Pike, Perch, chub or whatever. My
technique has somewhat changed though over the years. instead of
fishing from the bank, I spend most of my time fishing in the river, up
to my waist. This allows me to access water that I wouldn't usually be
able to get to from the bank. It gives me the freedom to leave both the
net and the mat behind. And it allows me to unhook safely all my fish
whilst standing in the water, so even if I drop the fish, it can`t hurt
itself on a hard bank. The fish is returned to the water literally
within seconds of been caught, Its okay, I`m happy and all's well. The
bottom line being, Personally, I don`t like nets and therefore choose
not to use one. But this doesn`t count for everyone.
I would just like to add that
this technique isn`t up everyone street -&- its just my own
personal view (and yes it can be dangerous, walking the riverbed) I
myself have in the last 2 years been bowled over 2 sets of rapids
whilst fishing the fast waters at Trimpley on the Severn -&- the
Mill on the Teme at Eardiston.
From KEN L
Yes Dave (JH) and very silly you looked too when you came up sputtering and bedraggled at the bottom of the schute at Eardiston.
From PETER H
I've been following your interesting discussion threads about handling
pike and landing nets. For the life of me I just can't understand the
argument that says that heavy, tough, firm net meshes are better than
soft woven ones for netting pike because they don't remove as much
slime or scales from pike etc. and minimise handling. If this IS the
case, I have one very simple but rhetorical question that I hope the
proponents of these firm, heavy meshes will answer, please: Why then
aren't unhooking mats for specimen fish such as carp, pike, barbel,
tench and especially those ultra-slimy bream, made from the same heavy,
tough, firm material as these nets? Or am I missing something here?
From NEIL PLUMBLEY
The main reason I use the large coarse mesh for pike and the fine mesh
for barbel is down to what gets caught in the mesh. When I use the soft
mesh the treble hooks get caught in the mesh and result in increased
unhooking time. Bolt cutters are usually unavoidable at this point.
With barbel the dorsal fins can get caught in the large mesh tearing
the fin. As only single hooks are used for barbel there is no
untangling with the soft mesh. I dont think it has much to do with the
mesh, more to do with efficient handling of the fish.
From RICH W
Isn't it amazing the impact that one question can have? It's obvious
that there will be many differing opinions and levels of consideration
for the welfare of old esox. At the end of the day we fish for our
pleasure and not for the benefit of the poor old pike, who in real
terms is a victim. But as any boxer knows - on most occasions after a
hard fight he heals up and then comes back for more! On rare occasions
one doesn't recover and dies. Our sport has already been branded by
many as cruel and to a certain extent, I have to agree. Having said
that, it is within our interests and the interests of the pike that
careful handling should be applied in an effort to minimise the
suffering of pike. Once again we all have differing opinions as to what
is acceptable and what isn't and therefore we can only apply handling
recommendations that we as individuals feel are appropriate.
From PETER H
...if we don't take care of pike, there'll be nothing for you to fish
for pleasure for! Don't believe me? Well just take a look at what non-
catch 'n' release has done for river trout, sea-trout and salmon
fishing. Ask anyone ... catching a salmon is a bonus these days and
why? It's not difficult to work it out, is it?
From DAVE PUGH
I am really glad that this thread came up, thanks Rich, it has opened up some avenues for future exploration.
I reckon we are trying to look
for a percentage solution that most times causes least damage to pike
and allows for the quickest release. If everyone is honest we know
there is no wholly right answer because every pike we hook and every
bank we fish from is different.
The original issue was
hand-landing or net-landing and I think I appreciate the differences
between the two approaches a little better now. But I don't plan on
changing my own pragmatic approach of "If in doubt use the net".
From RICH W
What I am actually saying is THAT WE SHOULD practice good conservation
techniques, that fall within our own conditions of acceptability (after
all we all differ in our opinions). We can't ask any more than that.
Quite often it is just a case of us learning from one another, hence
discussion boards like this are really useful. Sorry for any confusion.
From CHAS WHITE
Does anyone know where I can get hold of a large round landing net? I
already have a 24'' round net specifically designed for lure angling
but the other day I caught a fish that was too large to go in and had a
hell of a job!
I am thinking of something at least 32'' or more. Can anyone help?
From MARTIN S
Yep, you can get a 30 inch circular frame and lovely soft mesh from www.lurenet.co.uk
From TIM MORAN
Check out the Sportfish catalogue (01544 327111). A 30 inch aquarex by
Sharpes is for me the business. it has a 48 inch sliding handle which
extends to 72 inches overall. It's a very mature product, robust and is
fitted with a soft knotless mesh. It's big advantage is it's
portability as it has a very clever leather shoulder sling which keeps
everything high on your back. Pop a fastex snap and it's ready for use
but still attached to you.
From JaMES C
I've been using one of these Sharpes Gye nets for a while They are good
but quite expensive. Also the handle isn't a long as I often need I
also use one of the old QFP nets that others have written about. It is
much cheaper because it doesn't have a handle but I use this with a
long landing net handle that cost me �12.
From KEEF
In my experience lures and nets do not generally mix well. I am sure
that many pike anglers, when they started lure fishing, like me used
their old nets which had been fine when bait fishing. First pike that
rolled in the fine mesh taught you that you and the pike did not want
to go through that too often.
I got myself a rubber coated
musky net. As mentioned in previous postings, I found that the large
mesh size was causing damage to fins and mouths. Also tried a rubber
mesh (not rubber coated cord) bass net. This was much better. Even if
the pike rolled, the stretch in the rubber allowed you to slip the mesh
easily over hookpoints. Being smooth and with relatively large diameter
rubber it was kind to the pike. Unfortunately they don't come that big,
and despite the meshes appreciable stretch, had real problems getting a
26lb fish in one day (made it - just). Also the mesh was snapping and
getting cut by pikes teeth.
These days I mainly use a Boga
Grip tool. Modified the jaws, which could poke through the soft skin
under a pikes mouth, by aralditing 2 large, drilled-out, brass beads to
the ends. This gives a much larger radius to the jaw ends. Once the
Boga grip is in place (usually at the tip of the pikes lower jaw) and
released, a spring loaded sleeve slides forward, locking the tools jaws
shut. They cannot open. However, there is no pressure on the pikes
lower jaw, there is still a small gap, its just locked on position.
Despite what the manufacturers
say, its not a good idea to lift a pike out, especially a reasonable
sized fish, this way. There will be a lot of weight hanging on one
point of its lower jaw, and there is also some evidence that fish like
pike and musky can experience a lot of strain, and even displacement of
their internal organs, when suspended like this. What I tend to do is
use the Boga Grip to steady and make safe the fish, get a good grip
with my gloved had, release the tool, maybe slip the hooks out at this
stage, then lift the pike out, supporting its body with my other hand.
By the way, all my pike fishing is from a boat. Surprisingly quick once
you get used to it. Its also safer as it keeps your hand away from lure
trebles. Once locked on you can assess the position of hooks and steady
the pikes head before you get a good jaw grip with your other hand.
Works for me!
And finally...
To close this piece I'd like to
thank everyone who made constructive contributions to the debate. I've
learned a few valuable lessons about the diversity of opinion and
experience along the way. We are all lure anglers but we all have
unique experiences, we all want to do what's best and what's simplest.
None of us have all the answers.
The confusion about landing net
meshes did indicate that we can be too parochial in our outlook, and
that not everyone is aware of the huge choice of tackle available. The
success of Harris Angling has been an important part of the lure
fishing boom during the 1990s, but they are not the only tackle
suppliers.
Since the debate began I began
to look at what I really did when landing pike, despite writing that I
netted the vast majority I found that I did not in fact. Many of the
smaller fish I unhooked without even lifting them from the water, some
were so lightly-hooked I never touched them at all, just grabbed the
hook with the pliers and pushed it free. I used marginal weed to
support some bigger fish while I held their mouths open, but the net
was never far away and I can still think of no wiser statement than:
"If in doubt - use the net"..
Thanks to all the contributors.
Dave Pugh
