The Complete Fisher Forum

Allrounder · Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 8:37 pm Post subject:

Nice link, Dave. Cool

If 45,000 trout are going in and only 18,000 are coming out then they need to find out what is going on. I'll be interested in how they conduct their research and how they reach their conclusions. Nobody doubts that some trout get eaten by pike but what they need to prove is that the pike population is having a significant affect on trout stocks.

Personally I'm with John Horsey here but let's see what the research shows. Smile

Alan

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lakefisher · Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 9:55 am Post subject:

Totally agree with you Alan.

Perhaps, after this years "coloured" water for most of the season, the majority of those 27,000 trout are still in there Rolling Eyes

That number may be reduced by those trout taken, killed or damaged by Comorants, poachers, cheating fishermen, and of course Pike. But by how much is pure guesswork.

I also fail to see how "tagging" will assist in making any survey on pike predation on trout work.

Perhaps Bristol water might sort out the water quality problem - before they start blaming anything else Rolling Eyes

Just my two-pennorth ....... Tony
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tenet · Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 6:34 pm Post subject:

I would have thought that given the number of years that Bob has been at Chew (and no doubt he would have seen and experienced many different and varied conditions) he must have cause for concern. As you have probably surmised, I am no great lover of Pike IN A TROUT fishery and these past 2 seasons I have had more hook ups to the toothy critters, whilst nymphing , than I have had collectively in the preceding 30 years.

John Horsey earns his living from guiding so (if you will excuse the vernacular) swings both ways.

Whatever the outcome I just hope that Chew returns to it's former glory and regains the title of "Premier top of the water Fishery".

Cheers for now.

Doug

Allrounder · Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 10:57 pm Post subject:

The December issue of Trout Fisherman has a well informed and balanced two page spread on the effect of pike on trout fishing which includes an interview with Bob Hansford regarding the proposed survey at Chew. According to TF 'by the time you read this' they will have started netting the lake to assess trout stocks and will begin tagging both pike and trout in the Spring.

Bob makes the point in the report that Chew 'is a trout fishery and always will be. Our pike anglers have reacted very sensibly to the news of the study;they know that the pike fishing here is purely supplementary'.

However as an experienced fishery manager he recognises that even if the research conclusively proves that pike are to blame for the poor trout fishing the solution is far from simple. He goes on to say 'We netted this lake for 5 years in the '90's and it made no difference. The most you'll do is slightly control the problem'.

A very interesting read. Smile

Alan

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MarkS · Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 10:14 am Post subject:

Sorry Al,
don't buy TF any more, what purpose is served by the tagging unless they check the pike stomach contents for the missing trout tags? If the trout fail to show next year, how will they know where they have gone? Anything in the article on how this would work?

For me the pike are now less of a novelty than they were. Catching the odd one early and late season was not a problem. Last couple of years though there seams to me to be a lot and all season. All sizes to from small jacks to the bigger lasses. In an evening boat comp last year I almost cast to a Jack who was skimming up wind last evening taking emerging sedge off the top. Luckily my more experienced boat partner had seen the fish for what it was and gave me a word of warning...
A mate of mine on opening day, must be 5 years ago now, caught a 28.08 on 12lb nylon and a sz10 black fritz taddy.

It was ok because Chew had pike and you could go to Blagdon and be free of them. This is no longer the case. To be pike free you now need to fish the barrows. Now I love fishing there but to really relax the banks of Chew or Blagdon are more appealing. This is not a complaint just a view point. I have nothing against the pike and am even keen to fish for them a bit more. What I would like is the choice. What I would like to see is the 'natural balance' that we are told comes into play when the big pike establish themselves. For me as the casual observer with the huge stocks of coarse fish in Chew they look to be having a boom in population and over the six years or so I have fly fished here they just appear to be more evident. The local trout guides add them to their guiding portfolio.....

Anyway it's not enough to put me off or really spoil my fishing but we all have to be honest here, they are more evident than they were and continue to be so.
It will be good to see what the tagging and netting conclude.

Cheers,
Mark

BristolFlyer · Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 11:04 am Post subject:

I would be very interested to know how the netting works and what it finds out. I hope Bob shares the results at the BRFFA presentation next year. Would be good to see some forumites there. Pre-season forum social in the Stoke Inn afterwards? Very Happy

Allrounder · Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 12:10 pm Post subject:

trout · Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 12:28 pm Post subject:

My guessing is that they would tag say 10% of total fish stocked, so 4,500 fish. They would then expect a certain amount of these fish to be caught (and reported to woodford lodge?) and would also have numbers worked out for deaths, and cormorants ect... At the end of the year they would probably see how many tagged fish were caught against the total number stocked, minus the number that will have disapeared from natural causes, and those that are still uncaught....put it through some viragrous statistics and bobs your uncle. Laughing

One of my fishery lecturers said he thought he was following 7 salmon that he had tagged, but it turned out all his taggs were inside a seal that was circling the harbour Rolling Eyes

tagging is obviously not 100% acurate and there are a number of advantages/disadvantages that go along with the method. But i think its probably the best they can do at the moment.

Depends on what type of tags they use. I presume they're not electronic tags and are just plastic ones, but as mark says, you cant tell 100% thats its pike that have eaten them, and they hav'nt all been eaten by cormorants. I may be completely wrong on all of the above, just guessing. maybe some more info will be published soon!
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tenet · Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 5:07 pm Post subject:

Bristol Water (Bob) have posted dates and prices for next season - just a 50p increase to boat prices at Chew and status quo for bank tickets. Note that over FIFTY DAYS have been allocated for pike fishing on " Englands Premier Pike Fishery" (their words not mine).

Well at least the Pike boys will have to pay a premium (£30/rod for a boat)to cover the costs of stocking the pike food Rolling Eyes

Ah well the time of good cheer is nearly upon us and Santa may well provide me with some 28gram tobies. Smile

Cheers for now

Doug

Allrounder · Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 8:46 pm Post subject:

BristolFlyer · Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 10:59 am Post subject:

Interesting that they have banned the mouse on Tank 2 and 3. I wonder why? I guess a lot of people don't approve of the tactic - especially when the mouse is treated with a special 'floatant'. I find them pretty harmless, and it gives the older guys a chance to catch fish once they aren't as mobile as they once were. A lot more annoying are certain season ticket holders that think they can wade out ten yards up wind of you, without even a cursory " You don't mind do you...?" I wonder when Bob will ban them?!

Here's to 2010 being a stonking year with good water quality and fish on top more often than not. I'm off to submit my leave form for Tues 16th Very Happy

BristolFlyer · Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:18 pm Post subject:

I took a walk along Butcombe over Christmas. Levels up some more, water nice and clear, ducks doing good impressions of rising fsh.

Allrounder · Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 6:15 pm Post subject:

Hmmm.... Still a foot or so below top level.

Nice pic, Dave. The icy Mendips look great in the background. Smile

Alan

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