Simple Match Fishing Forum

Thats a bosta MGB - pray tell us more

Gordon Bennet... thats a nice canal fish !

Dead chuffed, biggest pike I've ever caught.
I wasn't going to me boat today 'cause of the weather, but it eased off a bit so 'er indoors said why don't you go, you will only get bored sitting around the house all day, so i did. There were 2 or three "pikers" fishing by the arms but I did'nt see any action. After they packed up and left, the rain had stopped so I thought I would pass an hour or so with a lure. Second cast down the side of the Walsall trip boat moored in front of me and every thing went solid. At first I was sure I had hit one of the many snags hidden in the murky waters and started pulling for a break. When the "snag" started to move sideways I thought thats odd, snags dont usually do that unless its a shopping trolly with an underwater outboard motor! Problem 1, the pike decided it was safer under the trip boat so I had to submerge as much of my rod as possible bearing In mind I'm standing on the back counter of me boat. When I eventually saw it roll I realised I had problem number 2. My landing net was woefully inadequate but I some how managed to get enough of him in to land it. Made my day.

Even more of an achievement on a lure.

Did you weigh it ?

BAZ nice one my son see you on total fishing next series

Did you weigh it ?

A tad under 11 lb

Even more of an achievement on a lure.

Even better, It was one of my freebie lures collected out of the trees when I pass 'em in me boat. Got a box full!

When I was Treasurer of CAC, I didn't get labelled MGB for nothing!

Superb Mate. Thats a Bosta. Looks like its eaten TK

Who took the pickie

Who took the pickie

A fellow boater who just happened to be there after bringing a working boat round from Longwood on Saturday. TK might remember him completely miss judging the turn into the Extension and hitting the bank! It happens to the best of us!

TK might remember him completely miss judging the turn into the Extension and hitting the bank

I did have a little smile to myself........and thought it was a good job that Blues4eva was in the process of packing up

cracking fish mate are you the real chubby brown

I‘ve posted a few pictures of some decent pike recently caught from our canals, the Wyrley & Essington and the Cannock Extension

The canals, especially the Extension are ‘renowned’ for the head of pike supposedly in there.

In fact, match anglers are often critical, complaining ‘there’s too many pike in there, they need ‘clearing out’…..

I stumbled across this on another website………


From a fisheries point of view there is a direct correlation between prey and predators. It is thought that a biomass ratio of around 1:10 is a sensible figure i.e. 300lb of breeding prey fish would support 30lbs of pike.

This dynamic equilibrium may swing back and forth, but one thing is certain. If there is not sufficient prey fish to support the predators present, then the predators will die through lack of fodder fish. Therefore if we have a good sustainable pike fishery we will always have a good general course fishery with a healthy population of prey species.

Some of the prey biomass will be made up from weak, dying or dead fish. It is here that pike help a fishery by actively removing the potential for transmitting disease at it source.

Whilst pike are not everyone’s cup of tea it is a fact that healthy fisheries are assisted to remain healthy and in good order by having a close relationship with our apex predator the pike. Thankfully attitudes are changing and as more research is done and understood we learn more about the dynamics that exist between predators and prey.

This should ensure we continue to have healthy fisheries and quality stock for us all to catch. As we already know pike will control their own num¬bers naturally if left alone to establish year classes and will not outgrow their food supply

Any thoughts, comments or observations on the subject?

It's a no brainer really TK. The simple fact is that a good head of healthy predators equals a good head of their prey fish.
Never in history has there been a recorded case of a predator commiting suicide by wiping out its prey. A healthy balance is always maintained, with the sickly and the dying being the first to be preyed upon as they're easier to catch.

To often in the past have clubs bowed to member pressure and organised ill advised culls. Invariably that leads to an explosion of small predators as the larger examples are targeted and removed.
Nature will always find a balance, which can't be improved on, contrary to what many may think.

Cheers Mugger  looks like no other comments/observations on this one 

Anyway, Chubby Brown took the opportunity for a last little session on the Extension before the enforced close season and came up with another Essox Lucius


A tad smaller than the other sample at 7lb this time

Any thoughts, comments or observations on the subject?

In the past, i've fished canals with a healthy head of fish with little 'bother' from pike or evidence of them, though no doubt they would have been present.

On the extension, they are very evident to the angler after other species.

Does it mean there's more of them ? Maybe it's one of these 'cycles' we often hear about.

I've only fished the canal recently. Have they always been in abundance TK ?

Have they always been in abundance TK

I get occasional 'trouble' from them, but not every visit MarkV..............must be because there's no silver fish in front of me

Having said that the Extension has always been reputed to have had a 'few in there' - going back to the 80's and early 90's they used to have AT Pike Championship qualifiers held on there every winter

The section does have a reputation for lots of pike especially in the winter time as man yof the small fish seek shelter there, except for when we are on grueller matches!

I do think there are lots of jack pike perhaps too many.