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Perhaps it is because they are classed as coarse fish that pike have often been left to their own devices by the better-heeled members of the angling fraternity; perhaps it is because of the one-time unadventurous nature of Scottish cuisine; or perhaps it is because of the methods used to catch them.
However, their soaring culinary status has coincided with the growing popularity of catching pike on what many anglers see as the purest, most exciting and most challenging method possible – on a fly.
The pike, Esox lucius, is one of Scotland’s more ferocious freshwater fish. These green and yellow, mottled monsters can grow to a great size, and, although the Scottish record currently stands at a none-too-shabby 47 pounder from Loch Lomond, a 72lb leviathan was supposed to have been caught in Loch Ken, in Dumfriesshire, in 1774.
With a formidable array of backwards-facing teeth, excellent vision and the ability to spring from their weedy hideouts at an alarming speed, the pike is well designed for what it does best – dining out on all manner of beasts. By no means fussy, pike regularly eat worms, frogs, toads, newts, mice, voles and ducklings…and are even rumoured to have the occasional snap at animals as large as dogs. They are also particularly partial to eating their own kind, so pikelets beware!
Consequently, it is possible to catch these fearsome fishes using all sorts of bait. Everything, from vast metal lures to rotten mackerel, can be used to great effect.
However, die-hard fly-fishers may be more interested to hear that using feathered creations to outwit pike is both possible and increasingly popular. Not only does this allow fly-fishermen to ply their trade in those months when salmon and trout are out of season, it also makes for a more sporting battle with these impressive freshwater predators.
Do you think the buildings now being constructed in Scotland are of a lesser quality than those of an earlier era
