I have weighed up all possibilities and I now believe that Chew's pike population is having a massive impact on the lake's trout and it’s trout fishing. This is my personal opinion based on my own experience and that of my fishing friends.

What experience?

• Very few grown on fish are caught compared with a few years ago
• I have caught a number of fish lately with obvious pike damage (but oddly less fish with cormorant damage)
• Fish seem to have been shoaling the last couple of years when previously they would have been well spread out across the lake - typical of predated species. Last year it was in Villice, this year it has been along Walley bank and the sailing club.
• I have seen pike attack trout on three occasions when I was positive it was trout because I saw it jump, or get flung into the air. I have also seen several huge predator attacks where I have not been sure what the prey was – most notably last year where I saw what seemed to be one or more pike herding prey species into corners in the dense weed beds.
• I have heard of three incidents this year where pike have attacked hooked trout

.

Why?
I don’t know. I am not an expert. The pike population may have spiked in the past couple of years, or a large number of pike may have reached a trout predating size at more or less the same time. Maybe the large females have now become specialised in hunting trout. They are complex predators and can live up to 30 years, so learned behaviour is distinctly possible.

So what can Bristol Water do?
I don’t like it when people throw stones but are not willing to offer solutions. The BW staff are good men, have got the interests of their customers at heart, and I am sure have got corporate and financial pressures that we are not aware of. So these are the options available to BW as I see it. If you have any other ideas I would be happy to hear them.

1. Stock additional trout and keep monitoring, hoping that a solution can be found. This seems to have been the policy this year.
2. Give up stocking trout altogether and convert Chew to a general course fishery
3. Keep stocking trout, but thin out the entire pike population every couple years with a netting and/or catch and keep policy.
4. Stop stocking trout for a couple of years and see if the pike population stabilises itself.

I'm really don't want to start a mud slinging contest here. I fish for trout and pike, but mostly I love Chew and want it to be the best fishery that it can be. I would just like hear what people think and what can be done.

A sad situation indeed! And I suspect not an easy one to fix, a lot of the anglers Iv spoken to lately have given bad reports, all slating the pike.
It would be a shame for Chew to go over to a course fishery, as with it facilities
and the ability to hold international and world events for fly fishing it should stand as the flagship venue for the south west.
Hope things get sorted and quick
Mike

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I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,9 bean rows will I have there and a hive for the honey bee.

transfer them to the river usk and wye

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WHEN YOU LEAVE THE RIVER, TAKE NOTHING, AND LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINT'S!!!

THA CAN TELL A YORKSHIREMAN ,BUT THA CAN'T TELL HIM MUCH !!