One of the lesser known organisations to have its origins in Bourne is the Pike Anglers Club of Great Britain celebrated its 30th birthday in 2007. It was formed with a founding membership of 16 at a meeting in the town on 1st October 1977 and now has more than 1,200 full and associate members.

The pike (Esox lucius) is the largest freshwater fish native to this country, growing to an average length of 16-40 inches and a weight of 30 lb. or more. A 53 lb. specimen was caught at Lough Conn in Ireland in 1920 and another weighing 47 lb. 11 oz. was taken from Loch Lomond in 1945 while giant pike have been reported from various waters in Scotland weighing up to 72 lb. They are predators and are quite fierce looking with elongated heads and bodies and pointed duck-bill shaped snouts with numerous slender teeth curved backwards to prevent prey from escaping.

The Pike Anglers' Club was formed as a direct result of changing attitudes towards pike which were regarded by fishery owners and some anglers as vermin, to be killed and removed at all costs. Since it was formed, the club has tried to change this perception and the fish are now widely regarded as a positive element in the natural balance of nature. As a result, pike fishing has become one of the most specialised branches of coarse fishing and its followers, as with carp anglers, go to great pains to counteract criticism of cruelty from the anti-angling lobby by publicising their methods of handling, unhooking and the safe return to the water of the fish once caught.

The PAC insists that it works continually for the benefit of all pike and pike anglers, seeking only to further the opportunities for pike fishing, whilst preserving all that pike fishing is all about. “We strive to protect pike from persecution by those who do not understand, or choose to ignore, the facts about the important role the pike plays in the balance of nature”, said a club spokesman. “We also work to promote pike conservation through safe practice by anglers.”

Return to the Bourne Angling Club

WRITTEN OCTOBER 2007