Pike killed and dumped in Lough Derg

premiercad

Just saw this on the CFB website...:mad::mad::mad::mad:

The wanton killing and dumping of pike in Lough Derg has been criticised by local anglers.
A total of six dead pike were found dumped in the lake in the popular bathing area at Youghal Quay on Friday last by a local woman who was going for a swim.
The grim finding was reported to the Garrykennedy Fishing Club whose members immediately contacted the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board to inform fishery officers of the illegal act.

Photo: Six pike killed and dumped at Youghal Quay last week.
The pike, ranging in weight from 6lbs to 2lbs, were found clumped together in about half a metre of water close to the lake’s edge. Fishery officers, who were quickly on the scene, condemned the act and took away the fish for inspection.
Lough Derg is one of the best coarse fishery lakes in the country, and is particularly renowned among the international angling fraternity who come from all over Europe to fish in the lake.
Fears over the depletion of pike stocks a number of years ago led to the introduction of bye-laws by the Department of Marine and Natural Resources in August 2006 to curtail the taking of pike from the lake following reports from angling clubs of declining catches.
However, in recent years all angling club around the lake have introduced catch and release policies which appears to have led to a renewal of stocks.
Garrykennedy Angling Club this week called on all anglers to obey the pike conservation bye-laws and urged the authorities to carry out further inspections with a view to issuing prosecutions to any angler engaged in illegal fishing.
Under the byelaws there is a bag limit of just one pike in any one day. There is also a ban on the killing of pike greater than 50cm in length.

ironbluedun

sad to see this happening, wonder if they were dumped or are dying of natural causes?

but as a by the way, you know what is funny there is a bag limit of 1 pike yet an angler can kill anything between 4 and 6 trout on the loughs in a day. Isn't that very strange?

premiercad

I'm assuming this wasn't pollution as there were no other fish species found dead and any other natural threats would eat them? And I include some anglers in the last bit!:rolleyes: It really puzzles me.

Was talking to a fellow fisherman who told me he was on derg a few years back on a boat and saw a empty carton of milk bobbing around. He snagged it with the Oar and was amazed to find a line and weight attached. He pulled it in and there was an exhausted double figure pike and end tackle attached!

but as a by the way, you know what is funny there is a bag limit of 1 pike yet an angler can kill anything between 4 and 6 trout on the loughs in a day. Isn't that very strange?

Seems a bit odd alrite. My club (river) has a bag limit of 4 but to be honest 1-2 is the max i'd ever take and only as a special request from a family member for the pan. If enough anglers keep taking 4 & 6 fish home a day we''ll be either fishing stockies or tagging our Trout like Salmon!

Kess73

I fish Lough Derg on a regular basis, as some here will know through my posts in the past, and I have a sneaky suspicion that the pike were killed for human consumption, and were left there to be picked up later, or those doing it were disturbed and dumped their catch there and got away.


Either way I hope that those that do this on the Shannon waterways get caught, and get hit with the full weight of the law.

I know that quite a few of the regulars on the lake are very angry about it, and knowing a few of them, I would not be surprised to hear of riverside justice being handed out if they come across people doing this. Would not be the first time that regulars have done this on a river or lake.

I have never come across a set up with a substitute float like the milk carton example, but I have come across line that has been attached to lakeside branches etc with baited tackle on the other end.

The problem with Lough Derg is it's sheer size, and the amount of water that acan be accessed from the bank that would have nobody passing by it to spot those doing it, coupled with the amount of spots that can be accessed by boat.

Also the side of the lake where the dead pike were found, has a number of roads that lead to the main Dublin to Limerick road, and has a lot of public parks and the like, so people heading into them would not draw attention, and the fish killers could then just trek cross country to wherever they want to poach.

The opposite side of the lake (Clare side) where I normally fish there, would be more difficult to do this on as there tends to be more locals and regulars about, so it has more people that help police the banks, imo.

ironbluedun

you may well be correct.

neil_hosey

i think we all know who kill to eat these pike...****ing scum.

tuxy

neil_hosey wrote: »

i think we all know who kill to eat these pike...****ing scum.

And the swans also, don't get me started.....

beer enigma

Guys please don't point the finger one this one - there's no evidence who was responsible for this & we need to keep within charter........

I'll leave the thread running, but on topic only please

8k2q1gfcz9s5d4

Laws are in place to stop this from happening, but there is nobody to enforce them. If this trend continues, irish course fishing will be dead in a few years

ironbluedun wrote: »

but as a by the way, you know what is funny there is a bag limit of 1 pike yet an angler can kill anything between 4 and 6 trout on the loughs in a day. Isn't that very strange?

exactly, and why is there no trout left in the lake? O yea, the pike must be eating them :rolleyes:

neil_hosey

tuxy wrote: »

And the swans also, don't get me started.....

Dont get you started?? do you wear blinkers when your out on the lakes or are you just lucky.