Heard about pike snaring?

[torjusg]

Having only barely heard about before, an old man I met in the woods today told me about how he used to snare pikes when he was young.

The water had to be very still, so they could see the pike quite deep down. They drifted or paddled about in a raft. When they spotted a pike, they lowered a long piece of thread with a snare of brass in the end. When they got it in front of the pike, they tried to get the noose around the head before they pulled it up.

He said that they caught huge pike this way. Up to around 10kgs.

I assume they could be gaffed or speared this way as well.

 

[Montivagus]

On and off I must have spent about five years of my youth trying to do this to trout in rivers without success...not even once! The last time I tried it I got one by the tail but the snare just cut a good part of the tail off...It went floating away on the current and the fish escaped pretty disadvantaged I guess. This made me feel sufficiently guilty that I have never tried it since! I think I never had the paitence to do it well and I can imagine it is better suited to success with bigger tougher fish like pike.
I'll stick to hook and line.

 

[torjusg]

From experience I know that the flesh and skin of the trout is comparatively frail to that of the pike. As a kid we used to show off by biting off the heads of trout. I don't think the same would be wise to do on a pike....

 

[British Red]

Trout should be "tickled" mv - Aprroach form upstream waving your fingers and lieing flat on the bank (try not to actually touch the trout). flick of the hand and forearm and the trout is sort of "scooped" out of the water - you don't really grab it as such. I have thought of posting pictures but I understand it only legal to fish with a rod and line so.... if you ever find yourself round here we can talk about it theoretically

Red

 

[Toddy]

Strange really, isn't it? A method that doesn't hurt or damage the beast *unless* you're good enough to get it out and make it dinner, and it's banned.
Theoretically speaking I find it an incredibly calm way to spend an hour or so....and I'm allergic to fish
Hard to tell a wee salmon apart from a trout under water too.

cheers,
Toddy....who's probably going to mod this reply out

 

[Montivagus]

if you ever find yourself round here we can talk about it theoretically

Red

Love to. But my attempts at snaring stemmed from utter failure at this method. Theoretically, don't you have to have perfect river banks to do this? I always ended up hanging down out of trees or lying on uncomfortable rocks in the river and would end up fidgeting.
Can’t you post a tutorial using a “realistic rubber fish” for use when travelling to countries where it is not banned?

 

[Goose]

Any links to the actual law on this, there may be a loophole for "scientific research" as there is with whales?
I think most of the game laws are there to protect the "sporting gentleman farmer" from poachers rather than protect the animal/fish as is the case with snares, the legal ones are the most inneficient and can cause more suffering than illegal efficient traps!

 

[spamel]

Tickling is allowed in some British waters, but you need to travel quite a way away.........





















.........To the Falkland Islands!!

 

[Damascus]

You can do the same from the bank of the river just find out where Pike lay up.
Get a length of strong cord , para cord is ideal and attach a snare to the end.

Now get a stick about 1.5 to 2 mtrs long and split the end and slot in the snare so you can slide it over an object and when pulled will go tight and slip off the stick.

The other end of the para cord make a loop which your hand goes through, this will give you better control in bring in the fish than on the stick its self.

When you see a fish slide it over the fish and when its MID WAY pull it tight and thats when the fun starts.


Good luck

 

[Toddy]

Chrisssssssssssssss!
Help? I don't know where to look for this information.

Up here we call it guddling.
Technically, this is illegal, so technically I ought to kil lthe thread, but since Fair game is not a subject I'm au fait with, I'm hoping that Chris Claycombe comes along soon and sorts us all out.

I've got a rubber trout fishie somewhere, we used it to show kids one summer.

atb,
Toddy

 

[spamel]

Is this where we see a mad flurry of posts getting edited?!!

 

[Goose]

Damascus is obviously talking about techniques he used in the Falkland islands Toddy!

 

[spamel]

But he imported the stick, as there aren't many trees there!

 

[Toddy]

Is this where we see a mad flurry of posts getting edited?!!

I *hate* doing that , I reckon if we keep it theoretical, discreet, and Falklands islandish , then the technique can be discussed quite happily.

I'm sure that the islanders find it a useful way to acquire protein without a lot of kit, without leaving a trace or damaging a beast; not so sure about the snaring if it goes wrong and it sounds as though it too would need a lot of practice to be effective.

atb,
Toddy

 

[bogflogger]

Why is everybody on BCUK always so determined to discuss and endorse ILLEGAL fishing methods?

 

[Montivagus]

I visited the falkland Islands aboard a Spanish squid trawler (thats true ) They ate nothing but guddled trout (that might not be ) so I reckon we should be able to discuss it. Can you guddle sea fish in an estuary? A 4lb bass once jumped into my boat when starting the motor does that count?

 

[Montivagus]

Why is everybody on BCUK always so determined to discuss and endorse ILLEGAL fishing methods?

Illegal where!? Lots of members don't live in the UK and many will have fished all over the world!

It is probably illegal to cut down trees with herring so there!

 

[torjusg]

Tickeling trout is legal in Norway. I use it alot when the trout is spawning. Very effective.

Have also successfully used the fishing method of the bear. When the water is low I choose a spot where the fish can be chased into very shallow waters. When it panics and lose sense of direction I strike it with my hand so it flys ashore.

Alternatively, When I approach a very shallow part of the river and I can see the fish running about in great number. Me and sometimes some friends charge and strike the trout with sticks. Usually we only kill one or two per person, before the fish is gone. But it is lots of fun!

 

[bogflogger]

In the UK in virtually every area (there are local exceptions) fishing using ANY METHOD APART FROM A ROD AND LINE IS ILLEGAL.

 

[British Red]

BF,

I learned to tickle outside of the UK (true btw ).

I am happy to discuss hunting, shooting, trapping and fishing around the world and the mechanisms allowed in each country. There is a great thread over on outdoors-magazine right now on deer hunting. In that thread, the chap who started it described how, in various US states, deer hunting is only legal with a shotgun, bow or black powder weapon. In turn, I discussed our "rifle only" policy and the .243 1750 ft lbs of energy limit in England (slightly different in Scotland for Roe). His states preferred to limit energy for human safety reasons given the close cover involved. Ours involve rapid first shot deer despatch. We both discussed this in a civilised manner.

Personally I think trout tickling is no less (and probably more) humane than coarse fishing, howver of course, the law is the law.

Lets not blind ourselves that gathering protein is an integral part of Bushcraft. I know the law on hunting varies in every country, but given our common motivation, perhaps we should focus on ethically taking prey with minumal suffering in the true spirit of Bushcraft rather than worrying too much about national laws (which is a subject each individual should know and of course adhere to)

Red