10.1 kg Zed

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

As I’ve always said if we don’t know about 30 lb pike or 22 lb zander then they don’t exist!

I know they exist, someone told me!

Cheers, Alan

[dropped_run]

As I’ve always said if we don’t know about 30 lb pike or 22 lb zander then they don’t exist!

Schroedingers predator?

[fenland piker]

Several 30's you say In my experience, when 'several' big pike get caught in the Fens, several usually translates to one being re-captured by different people. Every time someone starts talking 30's I can't help but smile. I know the river coughs one up every so often, I have a mate who did get one, but 'several' isn't a word I would use whilst keeping a straight face.

I've personally seen one catfish from the Great Ouse, well actually it was the lower Cam and it went 12lb, that was 16 years ago. A few got in the river from a certain little lake and I know someone who's seen pictures of captures in the Ely area which were of those fish. But again, that was years ago and the catches faded out. There were also fish caught further up the river, again, they got in there from stocked still waters nearby and got caught a bit at the time. If they were there in numbers, people would be catching them and telling everyone. I do a fair amount of cat fishing and would love to fish for them in fen rivers, but to say they're 'endemic' across the Ouse system is a bold statement to say the least. Those eel fisherman eh? It was barbel last time and now catfish. I can only think that the mitten crabs must be eating all these little chaps. They'll be finding baby burbot in their nets at this rate.

I would agree to the recaptures of the 30's. I know one that was caught on consecutive years by different anglers in the same swim at just over 30 and the following year at 29lb. Another I have seen pictures of came from a different river the same year so would be a different fish.
I have also seen video of another 30+ fish taken the same year from the Middle level system.


Equally I have been told people caught 30's and then shown photos of upper doubles, in several cases followed by a rush of people fishing the same swim or stretch of river chasing after the "massive pike" that they have heard was caught there.

Cats are fairly widespread but I doubt in numbers that make targeting them viable. The Wissey has had a number of captures, as has the Cam and Ely Ouse. I have seen photos of both small barbel and cats from the Tidal 100ft.

Historically a number of cats were stocked in 1997 I believe around Brampton Mill so descendants of those and escapees from nearby stillwaters will probably be the origin of any in the system.

[Neville Fickling]

As I’ve always said if we don’t know about 30 lb pike or 22 lb zander then they don’t exist!

Schroedingers predator?

Yes it’s there but it’s somewhere else!!!

[Neville Fickling]

As I’ve always said if we don’t know about 30 lb pike or 22 lb zander then they don’t exist!

Schroedingers predator?

A possible subject for our thicker pikers from Harlow!!!

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

As I’ve always said if we don’t know about 30 lb pike or 22 lb zander then they don’t exist!

Schroedingers predator?

A possible subject for our thicker pikers from Harlow!!!

and from Cams but google does sometimes have its uses . I had heard of the cat idea before but either didnt know or forgotten it was Schroedingers cat and is such a brilliant/funny use of the ideain angling by Dropped run

Cheers, Alan

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

As I’ve always said if we don’t know about 30 lb pike or 22 lb zander then they don’t exist!

Schroedingers predator?

Cheers, Alan

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

Several 30's you say In my experience, when 'several' big pike get caught in the Fens, several usually translates to one being re-captured by different people. Every time someone starts talking 30's I can't help but smile. I know the river coughs one up every so often, I have a mate who did get one, but 'several' isn't a word I would use whilst keeping a straight face.

I've personally seen one catfish from the Great Ouse, well actually it was the lower Cam and it went 12lb, that was 16 years ago. A few got in the river from a certain little lake and I know someone who's seen pictures of captures in the Ely area which were of those fish. But again, that was years ago and the catches faded out. There were also fish caught further up the river, again, they got in there from stocked still waters nearby and got caught a bit at the time. If they were there in numbers, people would be catching them and telling everyone. I do a fair amount of cat fishing and would love to fish for them in fen rivers, but to say they're 'endemic' across the Ouse system is a bold statement to say the least. Those eel fisherman eh? It was barbel last time and now catfish. I can only think that the mitten crabs must be eating all these little chaps. They'll be finding baby burbot in their nets at this rate.

I would agree to the recaptures of the 30's. I know one that was caught on consecutive years by different anglers in the same swim at just over 30 and the following year at 29lb. Another I have seen pictures of came from a different river the same year so would be a different fish.
I have also seen video of another 30+ fish taken the same year from the Middle level system.


Equally I have been told people caught 30's and then shown photos of upper doubles, in several cases followed by a rush of people fishing the same swim or stretch of river chasing after the "massive pike" that they have heard was caught there.

Cats are fairly widespread but I doubt in numbers that make targeting them viable. The Wissey has had a number of captures, as has the Cam and Ely Ouse. I have seen photos of both small barbel and cats from the Tidal 100ft.

Historically a number of cats were stocked in 1997 I believe around Brampton Mill so descendants of those and escapees from nearby stillwaters will probably be the origin of any in the system.

Certainly heard of fish on The Ouse from St Neots to Offord, to Brampton and to St Ives.
Only the odd fish so I agree that they are widespread but very low in numbers. In these relatively cold conditions for them they probably live a long time, which also slows there growth up but gives them a chance to successfully spawn, last summer they may have had a chance if a boy and a girl bumped into one another.

Cheers, Alan

[Alex Fox]

There are many rivers up and down the UK with cats in, but I can't think of any that they thrive in at all

But in stillwaters they usually thrive and multiply quickly ... and are not easy to get rid of

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

There are many rivers up and down the UK with cats in, but I can't think of any that they thrive in at all

But in stillwaters they usually thrive and multiply quickly ... and are not easy to get rid of

Do cats tend to do better in shallow southern lakes? as that would make sense.

Cheers, Alan

[Alex Fox]

There are many rivers up and down the UK with cats in, but I can't think of any that they thrive in at all

But in stillwaters they usually thrive and multiply quickly ... and are not easy to get rid of

Do cats tend to do better in shallow southern lakes? as that would make sense.

Cheers, Alan

I don't know, but a good friend of mine who regularly nets stillwaters says they soon multiply in numbers and its not a good thing to stock them, doesn't seem to be the case on rivers though as far as I know.

[Mark Phillips]

As I’ve always said if we don’t know about 30 lb pike or 22 lb zander then they don’t exist!

Schroedingers predator?

A possible subject for our thicker pikers from Harlow!!!

Harlow in Essex? A bit of random comment

[Alex Fox]

As I’ve always said if we don’t know about 30 lb pike or 22 lb zander then they don’t exist!

Schroedingers predator?

A possible subject for our thicker pikers from Harlow!!!

Harlow in Essex? A bit of random comment

Let me think ... a well known pike angler from Harlow that Nev isn't exactly great mates with who regularly posts on the pit

[Mark Phillips]

As I’ve always said if we don’t know about 30 lb pike or 22 lb zander then they don’t exist!

Schroedingers predator?

A possible subject for our thicker pikers from Harlow!!!

Harlow in Essex? A bit of random comment

Let me think ... a well known pike angler from Harlow that Nev isn't exactly great mates with who regularly posts on the pit

Thanks Alex. V

[dave aylett]

As I’ve always said if we don’t know about 30 lb pike or 22 lb zander then they don’t exist!

Schroedingers predator?

Very clever use of the Schroedingers theory
I’ve just had it explained by my eldest lad who’s just finishing a masters in theoretical physics. I nearly even understood it. Most of the time I can see his mouth moving and know words are coming out ( but they mean nothing to me).

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

As I’ve always said if we don’t know about 30 lb pike or 22 lb zander then they don’t exist!

Schroedingers predator?

Very clever use of the Schroedingers theory
I’ve just had it explained by my eldest lad who’s just finishing a masters in theoretical physics. I nearly even understood it. Most of the time I can see his mouth moving and know words are coming out ( but they mean nothing to me).

When I asked a maths related question to Cookiesyoungestdaughter, she gave a rather in-depth reply to which I asked "are you talking to me?"

Cheers. Alan