That time of year again!

[Tim Kelly]

Went fly fishing for pike again this weekend. Had a good number of fish just shy of the 20lb mark, and these two at 23.12 and 26.00. So windy on the second day that it was very difficult casting, but we managed without any major piercings!

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c120/Tim--Kelly/chewmay20112312smallcopy.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c120/Tim--Kelly/chewmay20112600smallcopy.jpg

[dpear]

Beautiful fish Tim,congrats!

[jimmyb]

Wow!! Very nice Tim.

[fishwizard]

Very nice!! I'm sure they're a blast on a fly rod. Tim, do you, or even can you, harvest any pike over there? I know your season is tiny and very restrictive, but can't remember the details of how it actually is there.

Ryan

[mofferman]

Holy Smokes! Monster Northerns! Congrats!

[Tim Kelly]

I think you could take one or two small fish if you wanted to, but the convention is not to, and I never have. I ate more pike at Frank's than I ever had before or since, but that was as much because we hadn't bought anything much to eat as anything else! They taste fine, but as they can grow big, and we live on a crowded island with massively less fishing opportunities than you guys have in the US, the convention to return them all helps provide a chance for others to catch them as well. There are relatively few predators here, pie are the apex predator, the there's perch (like yellow perch) and then on some waters zander ( like walleye ). No bass of any sort and the other fish species are generally bottom feeders of some sort or other. As a result the pike are very important to the ecosystem. Killing them causes quite a big local change as the number of predators to prey is a pretty well defined ratio. If a large pike is taken the space is usually taken by a greater number of small pike, and the quality of the fishery is reduced.

[Muskie Junkie]

Tim, those are some fatty pike. Great job. You need to get back over here and visit us again when the Flatlanders invade Oak Island.

Steve

[Tim Kelly]

Would love to get back, stupid recession is nibbling away at the expensive holiday fund though. Maybe next year?

[Tim Kelly]

Hee hee, snuck out another one from a different place! 25lb this time.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c120/Tim--Kelly/RTmay112504.jpg

[dpear]

Another beauty Tim,congrats!