Otters

[Harper]

Hi is anyone having a problem with otters? Fishing my local canal last week (near Stafford ) and found a pike about 8 or 9 pond dead on the bank with its head eaten but the body was intact. Just wondering if this could be otters.has anyone else seen this ? And if it is otters what size fish will they eat ?

[Mike J]

Hullo and welcome to the Forum.

No Otters are not a problem.
They eat fish as well as many of the illegally introduced crayfish.

Are you a pike angler or just interested in our views on otters?

[Harper]

Thank you. Yes well new to pike angling about 4 years now. I was just wondering what size of fish they will kill and what damage they could do to the fish stock. Especially now with the could weather and the fish slowing down. Could they have killed some of the bigger girls that I know used to live in that stretch ?

[Mike J]

By stretch I assume your referring to a river.
I fish a river where there are Otters, they breed successfully and some are killed on the nearby road which is their only population control. The river has a good head of pike to mid 20's and pretty much the perfect predator pyramid if those I catch are an example. The river also has signal crayfish, large carp, barbel and chub plus a run of migratory fish.
It is rare indeed for a dead fish showing signs of Otter predation to found along the banks whereas bits of crayfish are common.

Dont worry about Otters, go fishing, do it right and you will catch, no doubt about it.

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

Hullo and welcome to the Forum.

No Otters are not a problem.
They eat fish as well as many of the illegally introduced crayfish.

Are you a pike angler or just interested in our views on otters?

"No Otters are not a problem."

You will be in the minority on here with that opinion, Mike.

Cheers Alan