I first heard of the PAC while scanning internet forums. Previously I'd not known anything about them. I've been fishing all my life but I pretty much keep myself to myself. I very rarely buy magazines, join clubs or anything and so the PAC and many other good groups out there passed me by. Apart from watching a bit of fishing on TV all my fishing had been self taught or passed on by my dad and grandfather.
I guess it shows what a good tool the internet is these days. I now know what the PAC are about and it's one of the sites I have bookmarked just in case I need to find out something. There's a lot of good information on their site so if you haven't already been there go have a look. All the information on there has been put together by experienced pike anglers who have the welfare of pike at heart and just want to help every pike angler out to catch fish and do it the right way.
Some other good things about the PAC are the regional events. While probably not for me as I'm pretty anti-social, there are plenty of talks going on from respected and well known anglers plus many of the regions have teach in days to help pass on as much info to the new pike anglers out there. In fact that was my first contact with anything PAC a few months ago. While I didn't go down to learn anything and hadn't stuck my name on the original list, I'd been out that morning lure fishing and on my way home remembered they had got together. I decided to try and be social for once and called in on the teach in. I met a few new anglers to the sport and also had a chat with a couple of PAC guys, there was Craig Pickles and Mark Green present and both were eagerly passing on as much help as possible. If you are new to the sport and ever need help then look for your local PAC teach in days because to the new pike angler, these days will teach you so much and help you go from a nervous pike angler to a confident pike angler. Something that I feel is one of the most crucial things you need when fishing for these ferocious predators.
The PAC itself does plenty of good work too, not just teach in days. The website itself which contains virtually everything you need to know about pike fishing is worth joining alone but the good the PAC does for the welfare of the pike themselves is also worthy of you parting with a few quid. In fact I remember speaking to Mark Green at the teach in day and he was telling me how he was working with a local pond or syndicate where they had previously had a zero tolerance to pike and he was helping to change their ways. He also had somehow managed to help create a better relationship with the often anti fishing folks of the local RSPCB. Building good relationships and educating others on pike and pike anglers is a key role of the PAC.
You also get a quarterly magazine which on arrival on my doorstep yesterday has already been eagerly read. While not knowing every name of every author before, I have heard of many of them who have somehow managed to find their way to me as respected pike anglers. The articles and information included in the Pikelines magazine is well worth the money in my opinion. This magazine is put together by the most experienced and enthusiastic pike anglers in our country. If you want to learn something then this is the magazine you want to be reading.
Joining the PAC was on my to do list once I found out what they did and while many of my readers will already be members and some may even be committee members, I hope this post will at least point someone else in the right direction or give someone the reminder to join. That is exactly what happened to me recently while posting on another forum, I'd simply forgot to join up and a gentle nudge elsewhere did the trick. If you haven't already done, go support the PAC.
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