We are reliably informed that the pike populations have collapsed during the past 5 years as these gill nets are strategically placed in the spawning bays and across the mouths of in-flowing rivers etc under the pathetic falsehood of "stock management". The fishery workers have been photographed and filmed with large numbers of dead or moribund trout in these killing nets during this alleged "stock management programme". It is our considered opinion that these guys could not manage a "beer-fest in a brewery!" as is evidenced by the appalling trout fishing returns for the Great Western Lakes region during the 1999 season, despite their dedicated best efforts to gill net this world-renowned, unique, limestone ecosystem into oblivion.

We were casting in a weedy, shallow bay, when in the distance we observed a disturbance on the surface. We motored over to the scene of the commotion thinking it was perhaps an otter fishing for its breakfast.

I peered down through the water and was truly astonished to see the tail lobes of the largest pike I had ever set eyes on, waving back and forth just below the surface. I reached down and took a firm grip on the wrist of this great pike's tail and immediately she began to thrash and writhe violently. I could now see that the front of her huge head was tangled in a gill net, and as she continued to flail wildly, I felt my arm in danger of being wrenched clear of it's socket - such was the immense power generated by her enormous bulk. Suddenly, she shook herself free of this kill net and I, acting instinctively, ran my right hand along her huge right side flank, taking a firm hold under her gill cleft, and hoisted this fantastic fish aboard in one continuous sweep. To audible gasps of incredulity, the lads had the presence of mind when they saw my straining face - grimacing under her incredible weight, to get the digital scales and weigh sling set up.

With enormous difficulty, I somehow heaved her great bulk into the wet, weigh-sling where she registered a mind-blowing 41lbs 3ozs. We all did a double, if not a treble take at this confirmation! Then the empty weigh-sling was hung from the scales - recording 14ozs. Some quick mental arithmetic yielded a final weight for our Mammoth Pike of 40lbs 5ozs! We were absolutely overwhelmed as our eyes surveyed and scanned every inch of this fantastic fish, every shimmering, iridescent scale of her. We were in the presence of a potential new Irish Lake Record Pike! Wow, what a fish! Probably the last great survivor of the present gill netting slaughter. We took a few photos, recorded a length of 49 inches and I gently cradled her in my arms as I held her for a couple of moments in the water before she swam off. We were able to follow her movements for a good 200 metres or more in the shallow, crystal water until she melted into the vastness that is Mask. We celebrated the life of this true leviathan and were happy in the knowledge that she had escaped a certain, appalling death as we observed the kill nets in question were not inspected that day or the next by the fishery workers! Hopefully she has continued on her life's journey in this wild, beautiful lake.