Welcome Fish Lake Winni Angler's

Log On Today - Fish On Tomorrow!

(603) 731-1804 / (603) 344-8698

 

Welcome Fish Lake Winni Anglers
Start a New Topic 
Author
Comment
View Entire Thread
Re: Winnisquam Monster Pike

Hi,
I know this will not be the most popular viewpoint on this site but I feel it has some merit. First of all, in no way do I condone anyone illegally putting fish into any lake, be it pike, bass, salmon, trout etc...
I expressed my view on why I think people do it in a post relating to pike in Sebago some time back. I love to salmon fish but I also like to fish for bass, pike, walleye and other warmwater fish. The state of NH and ME completely 1000% ignore the warmwater fishery. F&G gives poor reasons why they don't stock more warmwater fish like pike, musky, and walleye. These reasons range from the wrong acidity in the water to being too expensive to raise them in a hatchery. I say this is no excuse. F&G spends way too much money stocking 8-10" trout in streams that will be so low by July that no trout has a chance of surviving. I'm of the opinion and have talked to many others with a similar one, that this practice is a complete waste of money. I'm not saying to stop stocking streams and small lakes with trout because that type of fishing is fun and definitely has its place. However, more of the stocking dollars MUST go to the warmwater fishery. I've called F&G on this very issue and was basically given the runaround.I have to believe that other fishermen in the state feel the same way but have stupidly taken matters into their own hands and done these illegal introductions in NH and ME. I'm assuming these people don't feel their voices are being heard so they say screw it and do it themselves. This is my only explanation for this dangerous and illegal practice. F&G needs to wake up and realize that this is only going to get worse before they start meeting the needs of all fishermen, not just the trout and salmon crowd (which by the way I'm a proud member of).
My solution would be for F&G to start a comprehensive stocking program of pike, musky, and walleye in southern and central NH. Finances would come from the reduced stocking of trout in streams and lakes where you can basically only fish for them for 2 months of the year at the most. I believe peole don't want to drive 2 hours to have a chance to catch one of these huge fish. They want to do it locally and F&G needs to realize this and take action before more illegal introductions take place with disastrous results. As was stated in a previous post, if these Pike have established themselves in Winnisquam, they could somehow find a way into Winni and then what? Put these fish into smaller lakes without trout and see how they would do. There are more than enough lakes in Southern and Central NH to do so. If F&G is truly worried about their impact on the fishery, have them stock Tiger Musky which are sterile and can't reproduce. They've made a half-hearted effort to do so in the past but basically gave up on it. They need to make a "real" effort this time around and I think these illegal introductions would cease or at the very least happen alot less frequently than they are now. I've trolled for both salmon and pike and I have to admit I enjoy both a great deal. The initial hit of a pike while trolling is in a word savage. I've had them break rodholders before; it's so powerful. Granted they don't jump like salmon, but their fight and potential to reach massive sizes is what brings me back to fishing for them. I'm pretty sure the guy who caught the 18lb pike was excited the whole time during the fight. Just imagine being given a better opportunity to experience the fight of a similar fish in NH, just not in one of our designated trout/salmon lakes. For me and other pike/musky/walleye fans, we'd love to get the opportunity to do so in more conveniently located local lakes that F&G has managed expressly for this purpose. I sure hope F&G reads this site and this post. I think it could offer a real solution to a problem that could some day turn into a crisis. Once again, I don't condone any illegal introductions and would sincerely like it to stop. The irony of it all is the only place I fish for Pike is in ME where they were illegally introduced. This is sad and should not be the case. Maybe if enough trout and salmon people helped persuade F&G that what I mentioned above could help stop illegal introductions, they might take notice and do some thing about it. Sorry for the long post but this is a subject that I feel pretty strongly about. Without tearing my head off, I'd be interested in what you all think about what I stated. Whether or not you think I'm full of it and crazy, or if my argument has some merit and should be brought forward to F&G. I'm very interested in hearing what you think.

Thanks,
Chris

Re: Winnisquam Monster Pike

Some Pike lakes in the Sate would be great. I have no idea why there are not more. (not a NH Biologist) I have fished and caught large Pike on Champlagne and had a blast both open and hard water fishing. I however do not feel that this crazy action that could destroy a great fishery should prompt Fish and Game to start stocking Pike! That would be rewarding these people/person for there illegal actions. There are ways to do things and taking actions into your own hands althought maybe effective also very dangerous. If we followed up by stocking Pike in some lakes as a rsult of this we would inspire more to take actions in there own hands!!! I have a great deal of respect for our Fish and Game departmnet ecspeacially the Biologists I have to imagine they are doing there best with what they have to work with.

Now if somone would like Pike in our Lakes there is a way to TRY and get that to happen. There is power in numbers and even more in the all mighty dollar get both together and you can usually get just about anything done look at our national politics!

Chris thanks for your post some great views and thoughts!

Cool Water
Travis Williams
Site Owner

Re: Winnisquam Monster Pike

I'll also chime in with an opinion similar to those already voiced, and will add a little more. I am also not a fisheries biologist, just an observant fisherman. According to F&G, Massabesic Lake in Manchester/Auburn holds Northern. I live about 6 miles from there but always opt to drive up to Winni to fish for salmon given the option (same passion as most of you following this site). Every year I have the intention of fishing for Northern in Massabesic at least once but never seem to do it. I really wish there was a Walleye fishery within decent driving distance too. I grew up in a region that supported a wide variety of fishing opportunities including Walleye, Salmon, Steelhead, Trout, Northern, Musky, Perch, Bass, etc. and etc. Having the option to fish for whatever I wanted to depending on my mood was great..took it for granted actually. As a rule, spring was always trout in the streams (mostly stocked), deep water walleye in summer, and occasionally a little Northern activity during late summer evenings. My point is that I enjoyed it all when it was available. I strongly agree with others here that introducing non-native species has the potential to destroy fisheries and I have seen it happen. Those people doing it illegally should be shot and dragged around the street with a Northern in their mouth. Intuitively, it makes sense that the introduction of Northern or Musky could decimate trout and salmon waters, at least at the times of the year when they share the same space. I would think that spring would potentially be the most destructive. However, the devil's advocate in me has to question the REAL risk to trout & salmon being destroyed as a result. I lived in Colorado for a while and a friend invited me to try belly boat trolling (fin kicking) for trophy trout with a fly rod in Spinney Lake, a high elevation Gold Medal water (2500 acres, 53900 AF). I can't describe the experience when the first fish hit my woolly bugger and stripped out line to the backing. When I finally got it in I was surprised to find a 28" Northern on the end. It was only luck that it was hooked in a way that its teeth didn't shred the tippet. OK...there is a point here. If the two species can't coexist, why do they do so in some places? Spinney Lake continues to sustain high numbers of both populations. I suspect it is because there is enough depth and temperature variation to separate them most of the time. Again, I'm totally against the morons who may have done their own bucket stocking. But, I'd still like to understand the REAL probabilities vs. the emotional.

-Bob