Feared pike get a bad press says Paul
To some folk they are devil fish, feared monsters of the fresh waters with cold, black hearts.
But according to Paul Gustafson pike have a surprisingly vulnerable side.
"The pike's a victim of a bad press," he says.
"The irony of the image most people have of pike is that, far from being indestructible, armour-plated warriors, pike are probably the most delicate of coarse fish."
Paul, who cut his teeth as an angler going out on the River Severn with his dad Denis during his Shropshire childhood, says: "To everyone, anglers included, they look big and powerful, but the truth is that they can't stand rough handling. When removed from the water they are extremely vulnerable, especially in inexperienced hands.
"And the bigger the pike, the more vulnerable it is."
Now expert pike fisherman Paul is out to dispel some of the myths about pike and replace them with some hard information and helpful tips in his book How To Catch Big Pike, which does of course include how to return caught pike safely to the water.
"When I try to analyse what attracts me to pike more than any other fish, I can only think that it's the enigma of the species," he says.
"For millions of years they have remained unchanged by time, because they have evolved the perfect predator's characteristics – a very big mouth, large teeth, excellent eyesight and great speed over short distance.
"They are hunters and foragers, just as we are, and rule beneath the water's surface without any natural enemies, just as we do on dry land."
His book covers all aspects of pike fishing, ranging from rods and equipment, to where to look for them.
Gravel pits make up a large percentage of the pike fishing available to most anglers, while fishing on rivers like the Severn is a very different experience, and river fish fight much harder than still water fish, he says.
"I believe I owe my original instinct for fishing to my father, a keen and skilful angler, whose favourite species became mine.
"One of my earliest memories is sitting with him while he was fishing for eels on the River Severn, near my birthplace at Shrewsbury."
Later the family moved to Oxford, and it was at a lake at Hinksey that he caught his first pike, of about 5lb.
He says although the present record for a pike caught in this country is 46lb 10oz, he would not be surprised to hear that there are 55lb pike out there.
How To Catch Big Pike is the latest edition of a book first published in 1997. It is published by Robinson and is hardback, £35.
